617 research outputs found
The Effect of Sewage-Treatment-Plant Effluent on Diatom Communities in the North Branch of the Portage River, Wood County, Ohio
Author Institution: Department of Biology, Bowling Green State UniversityThe North Branch of the Portage River was sampled by means of artificial substrates in order to determine the effect of sewage-treatment-plant effluent on the diatom communities. The effluent appears to be a source of nitrogen and phosphorus for the river. Diatom-community composition appears to be affected by the effluent; Gomphonema parvulum, in particular, was especially abundant at stations with a high content of Poe Ditch effluent. A total of 111 diatom taxa was observed in this study; 24 of these taxa were previously unreported from Ohio
Mouthwashes
A mouthwash may be recommended as an antimicrobial, a topical anti-inflammatory agent, a topical analgesic, or for caries prevention. Many different mouthwashes are commercially available and patients and health professionals struggle to select the most appropriate product for a particular need. The selection needs to take into consideration factors such as the patient's oral condition, their disease risk and the efficacy and safety of the mouthwash. Mouthwashes are an adjunct to, not a substitute for, regular brushing and flossing
Odontoblast markers and dentine reactions in carious primary molars with and without hypomineralised enamel defects
Background: Wnt/β-Catenin signalling and DMP1 have key roles in tertiary dentinogenesis. Aim: To compare the relationship between remaining dentine thickness (RDT), tertiary dentine thickness (TDT), β-catenin and dentine matrix protein 1 (DMP1) in carious second primary molar teeth with normal (SPM) and hypomineralised enamel (HSPM). Design: Extracted carious SPM and HSPM were fixed, sectioned (5 μm) and stained with haematoxylin and eosin or with indirect immunofluorescence for β-catenin and DMP1. Image analysis was performed to determine RDT, TDT, β-catenin and DMP1 intensity in the odontoblast layer and dentine-pulp complex. Results: Carious SPM (n = 11; mean RDT = 1536.1 μm) and HSPM (n = 12; mean RDT = 1179.9 μm) had mean TDT 248.6 μm and 518.1 μm, respectively (P =.02). There were no significant differences in intensity values in the odontoblast layer and dentine-pulp complex for β-catenin and DMP1 for both groups. Conclusion: There was no observable variation in Wnt/β-catenin and DMP1 expression between HSPM and SPM despite a statistically significant twofold increased TDT in HSPM compared with SPM that had similar RDT. Thus, the observed increased TDT in HSPM is more likely due to an earlier onset of repair processes rather than an amplified response to caries
How men view genetic testing for prostate cancer risk: findings from focus groups
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65567/1/j.1399-0004.2000.580303.x.pd
Hubble Space Telescope Near-IR Transmission Spectroscopy of the Super-Earth HD 97658b
Recent results from the Kepler mission indicate that super-Earths (planets
with masses between 1-10 times that of the Earth) are the most common kind of
planet around nearby Sun-like stars. These planets have no direct solar system
analogue, and are currently one of the least well-understood classes of
extrasolar planets. Many super-Earths have average densities that are
consistent with a broad range of bulk compositions, including both
water-dominated worlds and rocky planets covered by a thick hydrogen and helium
atmosphere. Measurements of the transmission spectra of these planets offer the
opportunity to resolve this degeneracy by directly constraining the scale
heights and corresponding mean molecular weights of their atmospheres. We
present Hubble Space Telescope near-infrared spectroscopy of two transits of
the newly discovered transiting super-Earth HD 97658b. We use the Wide Field
Camera 3's scanning mode to measure the wavelength-dependent transit depth in
thirty individual bandpasses. Our averaged differential transmission spectrum
has a median 1 sigma uncertainty of 23 ppm in individual bins, making this the
most precise observation of an exoplanetary transmission spectrum obtained with
WFC3 to date. Our data are inconsistent with a cloud-free solar metallicity
atmosphere at the 10 sigma level. They are consistent at the 0.4 sigma level
with a flat line model, as well as effectively flat models corresponding to a
metal-rich atmosphere or a solar metallicity atmosphere with a cloud or haze
layer located at pressures of 10 mbar or higher.Comment: ApJ in press; revised version includes an updated orbital ephemeris
for the plane
Rat reproductive performance following photodynamic therapy with topically administered Photofrin
A rat animal model was used for comparing the photodynamic efficacy of two formulations of topically administered Photofrin in the uterus: 0.7 mg/kg Photofrin and 0.7 mg/kg Photofrin + 4% Azone, a penetrationenhancing agent. Uterine structure and reproductive performance were evaluated following illumination with 80 J/cm2 of 630 nm light. Fluorescence microscopy was employed to determine drug localization in frozen uterine sections at various times after drug administration. Functionality studies demonstrated a significant reduction in the number of implantations per treated uterine horn compared to controls. The mean number of implantations decreased systematically on increasing the interval between Photofrin administration and light application. At 72 h, 0.88 ± 0.52 gestational sacs per rat were recorded with Photofrin therapy, compared with 8.1 ± 1.12 (P = 0.01) on the untreated side, indicating nearly complete loss of reproductive capability. Similar results were achieved after only 3 h treatment with Photofrin + Azone (0.38 ± 0.26 sacs per rat versus 7.5 ± 1.07 on the untreated side; P = 0.01). This indicates that the effect of Photofrin can be enhanced either by extending the drug incubation period from 3 to 72 h or by adding the penetration-enhancing drug Azone. Fluorescence pharmacokinetic studies suggest that both forms of topically administered Photofrin are diffusely distributed throughout the endometrium at virtually the same rate. However, Azone may enhance the selectivity of photodynamic therapy by facilitating drug targeting to critical endometrial structure
Disputing space-based biases in unilateral complex regional pain syndrome
There is some evidence that people with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) show reduced attention to the affected relative to unaffected limb and its surrounding space, resembling hemispatial neglect after brain injury. These neuropsychological symptoms could be related to central mechanisms of pathological pain and contribute to its clinical manifestation. However, the existing evidence of changes in spatial cognition is limited and often inconsistent. We examined visuospatial attention, the mental representation of space, and spatially-defined motor function in 54 people with unilateral upper-limb CRPS and 22 pain-free controls. Contrary to our hypotheses and previous evidence, individuals with CRPS did not show any systematic spatial biases in visuospatial attention to or representation of the side of space corresponding to their affected limb (relative to the unaffected side). We found very little evidence of directional slowing of movements towards the affected relative to unaffected side that would be consistent with motor neglect. People with CRPS were, however, slower than controls to initiate and execute movements with both their affected and unaffected hands, which suggests disrupted central motor networks. Finally, we found no evidence of any clinical relevance of changes in spatial cognition because there were no relationships between the magnitude of spatial biases and the severity of pain or other CRPS symptoms. The results did reveal potential relationships between CRPS pain and symptom severity, subjective body perception disturbance, and extent of motor impairment, which would support treatments focused on normalizing body representation and improving motor function. Our findings suggest that previously reported spatial biases in CRPS might have been overstated
XO-5b: A Transiting Jupiter-sized Planet With A Four Day Period
The star XO-5 (GSC 02959-00729, V=12.1, G8V) hosts a Jupiter-sized,
Rp=1.15+/-0.12 Rjup, transiting extrasolar planet, XO-5b, with an orbital
period of P=4.187732+/-0.00002 days. The planet mass (Mp=1.15+/-0.08 Mjup) and
surface gravity (gp=22+/-5 m/s^2) are significantly larger than expected by
empirical Mp-P and Mp-P-[Fe/H] relationships. However, the deviation from the
Mp-P relationship for XO-5b is not large enough to suggest a distinct type of
planet as is suggested for GJ 436b, HAT-P-2b, and XO-3b. By coincidence XO-5
overlies the extreme H I plume that emanates from the interacting galaxy pair
NGC 2444/NGC 2445 (Arp 143).Comment: 10 pages, 9 Figures, Submitted to Ap
XO-2b: Transiting Hot Jupiter in a Metal-rich Common Proper Motion Binary
We report on a V=11.2 early K dwarf, XO-2 (GSC 03413-00005), that hosts a
Rp=0.98+0.03/-0.01 Rjup, Mp=0.57+/-0.06 Mjup transiting extrasolar planet,
XO-2b, with an orbital period of 2.615857+/-0.000005 days. XO-2 has high
metallicity, [Fe/H]=0.45+/-0.02, high proper motion, mu_tot=157 mas/yr, and has
a common proper motion stellar companion with 31" separation. The two stars are
nearly identical twins, with very similar spectra and apparent magnitudes. Due
to the high metallicity, these early K dwarf stars have a mass and radius close
to solar, Ms=0.98+/-0.02 Msolar and Rs=0.97+0.02/-0.01 Rsolar. The high proper
motion of XO-2 results from an eccentric orbit (Galactic pericenter, Rper<4
kpc) well confined to the Galactic disk (Zmax~100 pc). In addition, the phase
space position of XO-2 is near the Hercules dynamical stream, which points to
an origin of XO-2 in the metal-rich, inner Thin Disk and subsequent dynamical
scattering into the solar neighborhood. We describe an efficient Markov Chain
Monte Carlo algorithm for calculating the Bayesian posterior probability of the
system parameters from a transit light curve.Comment: 14 pages, 10 Figures, Accepted in ApJ. Negligible changes to XO-2
system properties. Removed Chi^2 light curve analysis section, and simplified
MCMC light curve analysis discussio
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