Propagation and secondary production of low energy antiprotons in the atmosphere

Current theories, in which the observed antiproton component is attributed strictly to secondary production in high energy inelastic collisions of protons with the interstellar medium or the atmosphere, apparently fail to explain the relatively high p vertical intensities measured at mountain and balloon altitudes. Therefore, a more careful calculation of the theoretical secondary intensity spectra is required before more exotic sources for these excess p's can be explored. A one dimensional diffusion equation is used to calculate the expected vertical intensity of p's due only to secondary production in the atmosphere; any assumed primary p spectrum is also included. Two adjustable parameters, the inelasticity and charge exchange in nucleon-nucleus collisions, were included in the algorithm. In order to obtain an independent estimate of their values the proton vertical intensities in the atmosphere were calculated, adjusting the parameters until the curves fit the experimental proton data, and then assumed that these values were identical in antinucleon-nucleus collisions

Navigating Neutrality

History of the Americas;Naval forces and warfare;General and world history;Central / national / federal governmen

An Automatic Technique for MRI Based Murine Abdominal Fat Measurement

Because of the well-known relationship between obesity and high incidence of diseases, fat related research using mice models is being widely investigated in preclinical experiments. In the present study, we developed a technique to automatically measure mice abdominal adipose volume and determine the depot locations using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Our technique includes an innovative method to detect fat tissues from MR images which not only utilizes the T1 weighted intensity information, but also takes advantage of the transverse relaxation time(T2) calculated from the multiple echo data. The technique contains both a fat optimized MRI imaging acquisition protocol that works well at 7T and a newly designed post processing methodology that can automatically accomplish the fat extraction and depot recognition without user intervention in the segmentation procedure. The post processing methodology has been integrated into easy-to-use software that we have made available via free download. The method was validated by comparing automated results with two independent manual analyses in 26 mice exhibiting different fat ratios from the obesity research project. The comparison confirms a close agreement between the results in total adipose tissue size and voxel-by-voxel overlaps

Fusion-reaction cross section in (high-temperature). mu. -catalyzed fusion

The barrier penetration factor for the fusion reaction of ..mu..-mesic hydrogen atoms with hydrogen nuclei is studied. (MOW

A conformational study of peptides with the general structure Ac-L-Xaa-Pro-D-Xaa-L-Xaa-NH_2: spectroscopic evidence for a peptide with significant β-turn character in water and in dimethyl sulfoxide

Several tetrapeptides, Ac-Val-Pro-D-Ser-His-NH_2, in particular, show significant type II β-turn character in water and in dimethyl sulfoxide. Evidence for this turn population is provided by 2D-rotating frame nuclear Overhauser effect (ROESY) spectroscopy, ^1H NMR amide temperature coefficients, and circular dichroism (CD) studies. To further investigate which residues specifically contribute to the integrity of the turn, studies on 10 tetrapeptides, having the general sequence AC-LXaa-Pro-D-Xaa-L-Xaa-NH_2, are described. The results show the effects of sequence variations on the type II β-turn forming propensity of these peptides in solution. Conclusions from these studies indicate that a cooperative effect between a sterically hindered, β-branched amino acid at the (i) position and a small, non-β-branched D-amino acid at the (i+2) position promotes turn formation. Implications for use of these sequences as structural nucleation elements in de novo protein design are discussed

Decorating Metal Oxide Surfaces with Fluorescent Chlorosulfonated Corroles

We have prepared 2,17-bis(chlorosulfonyl)-5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrole (1), 2,17-bis(chlorosulfonyl)-5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrolatoaluminum(III) (1-Al), and 2,17-bis(chlorosulfonyl)-5,10,15-tris(pentafluorophenyl)corrolatogallium(III) (1-Ga). The metal complexes 1-Al and 1-Ga were isolated and characterized by electronic absorption and NMR spectroscopies, as well as by mass spectrometry. Relative emission quantum yields for 1, 1-Al, and 1-Ga, determined in toluene, are 0.094, 0.127, and 0.099, respectively. Reactions between 1, 1-Al, and 1-Ga and TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) result in corrole–TiO_2 NP conjugates. The functionalized NP surfaces were investigated by solid-state Fourier transform infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies and by confocal fluorescence imaging. The fluorescence images for 1-Al–TiO_2 and 1-Ga–TiO_2 suggest a promising application of these NP conjugates as contrast agents for noninvasive optical imaging

BuOE and tBHQ Reduces Growth and Viability of Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men. 10-20% of prostate cancer patients develop castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) The median survival for CRPC patients is 14 months following diagnosis1. CRPC can spread to local tissues like the bladder, lymph nodes, and rectum but will also reach bone through distant metastasis. The metastasis of CRPC proves difficult for clinicians to treat. Redox active compounds can reduce growth and induce death of cancerous cells by the creation of ROS, which cannot be broken down by cancerous cells. This allows treatments like radiation and chemotherapy to be more effective in killing cancer.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/surp2022/1006/thumbnail.jp

Occupational therapists’ views of using a virtual reality interior design application within the pre-discharge home visit process

This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Background: A key role of Occupational Therapists (OTs) is to carry out pre-discharge home visits (PHV) and propose appropriate adaptations to the home environment, to enable patients to function independently after hospital-home discharge. However, research shows that more than 50% of specialist equipment installed as part of home adaptations is not used by patients. A key reason for this is that decisions about home adaptations are often made without adequate collaboration and consultation with the patient. Consequently, there is an urgent need to seek out new and innovative uses of technology to facilitate patient/practitioner collaboration, engagement and shared decision making in the PHV process. Virtual reality interior design applications (VRIDAs) primarily allow users to simulate the home environment and visualise changes prior to implementing them. Customised VRIDAs, which also model specialist occupational therapy equipment, could become a valuable tool to facilitate improved patient/practitioner collaboration if developed effectively and integrated into the PHV process. Objective: To explore the perceptions of occupational therapists with regards to using VRIDAs as an assistive tool within the PHV process. Methods: Task-oriented interactive usability sessions, utilising the think-aloud protocol and subsequent semi-structured interviews were carried out with seven Occupational Therapists who possessed significant experience across a range of clinical settings. Template analysis was carried out on the think-aloud and interview data. Analysis was both inductive and driven by theory, centring around the parameters that impact upon the acceptance, adoption and use of this technology in practice as indicated by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Results: OTs’ perceptions were identified relating to three core themes: (1) perceived usefulness (PU), (2) perceived ease of use (PEoU), and (3) actual use (AU). Regarding PU, OTs believed VRIDAs had promising potential to increase understanding, enrich communications and patient involvement, and improved patient/practitioner shared understanding. However, it was unlikely that VRIDAs would be suitable for use with cognitively impaired patients. For PEoU, all OTs were able to use the software and complete the tasks successfully, however, participants noted numerous specialist equipment items that could be added to the furniture library. AU perceptions were positive regarding use of the application across a range of clinical settings including children/young adults, long-term conditions, neurology, older adults, and social services. However, some “fine tuning” may be necessary if the application is to be optimally used in practice. Conclusions: Participants perceived the use of VRIDAs in practice would enhance levels of patient/practitioner collaboration and provide a much needed mechanism via which patients are empowered to become more equal partners in decisions made about their care. Further research is needed to explore patient perceptions of VRIDAs, to make necessary customisations accordingly, and to explore deployment of the application in a collaborative patient/practitioner-based context