481 research outputs found
Transient and long-term antioxidant gene responses in Medicago truncatula following application of exogenous nitric oxide
Nitric oxide (NO) is a bioactive molecule involved in many biological events that has been reported to act as both a prooxidant and an antioxidant in plants. Several reports exist which investigate the protective action of low (f.lM) concentrations of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor. It is now commonly accepted that NO acts as a signal molecule in plants possibly playing a role to induce/stabilize the expression of many antioxidant enzymes. This study attempts to provide novel insight into the effect of application of exogenous NO on transient and long-term antioxidant gene expression levels in the model plant Medicago truncatula following inhibition studies and a quantitative real-time peR approach. Our data suggest that exogenous NO leads to a transient (3hour) induction of several antioxidant genes examined including A ox, Apx and Cat, while expression levels appear to decline after 24 hours. NO- and ROS-dependent signalling pathways were detected to operate and differentially affect induction of the different antioxidant genes. Our data suggest that Cat expression is not affected directly by NO or ROS-signalling cascades. Aox induction by NO is affected by NO- and ROS-dependent signalling pathways while Apx induction by NO has NO-dependent but
not ROS-dependent signalling components
Binary neutron star mergers: a jet engine for short gamma-ray bursts
We perform magnetohydrodynamic simulations in full general relativity (GRMHD)
of quasi-circular, equal-mass, binary neutron stars that undergo merger. The
initial stars are irrotational, polytropes and are magnetized. We explore
two types of magnetic-field geometries: one where each star is endowed with a
dipole magnetic field extending from the interior into the exterior, as in a
pulsar, and the other where the dipole field is initially confined to the
interior. In both cases the adopted magnetic fields are initially dynamically
unimportant. The merger outcome is a hypermassive neutron star that undergoes
delayed collapse to a black hole (spin parameter )
immersed in a magnetized accretion disk. About ms following merger, the region above the black hole poles
becomes strongly magnetized, and a collimated, mildly relativistic outflow ---
an incipient jet --- is launched. The lifetime of the accretion disk, which
likely equals the lifetime of the jet, is s. In contrast to black hole--neutron star mergers, we find
that incipient jets are launched even when the initial magnetic field is
confined to the interior of the stars.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, matches published versio
Marina Grishakova and Maria Poulaki, editors. Narrative Complexity: Cognition, Embodiment, Evolution. U of Nebraska P, 2019, pp. 453.
Male patient with mild cognitive impairment and extremely high P300 and Slow-wave latencies: a case report
We present a case of a 74-year-old Greek male who suffered from paraphasias, memory and orientation problems. The patient was assessed with neuropsychometric tests, auditory event-related potentials and cerebrospinal fluid proteins and was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. The emphasis on the case is on the unexplained high levels of P300 and Slow wave of the auditory event-related potentials
Integrating TAM with EEG Frontal Asymmetry
Recent evolution in the Information Systems (IS) community has involved neuroscience tools and methods in order to develop new theories concerning Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and further understand IS acceptance models. Thus, the field of NeuroIS has emerged. Moreover, NeuroIS researchers have proposed encephalograph (EEG) as valuable usability metric. Particularly, EEG frontal asymmetry has been related to approach/withdraw behaviour and positive/negative affect concerning users’ perceptions. Furthermore, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been established as the most notable model regarding IS acceptance. This study is a first attempt to integrate EEG frontal asymmetry with TAM in order to associate brain activation with the two most important variables of TAM: Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use. Specifically, thirty one undergraduate students were chosen to use a Computer-Based Assessment (while being connected to the EEG) in the context of an introductory informatics course. Results indicate a direct positive association of frontal asymmetry on the aforementioned variables. These findings suggest that frontal asymmetry could be useful for validating and developing Information Technology (IT) theories, as well as designing and explaining the acceptance and adoption of new IS systems or products
Magnetic Skyrmions in FePt Square-Based Nanoparticles Around Room-Temperature
Magnetic skyrmions formed around room-temperature in square-based
parallelepiped magnetic nanoparticles with perpendicular magnetocrystalline
anisotropy similar to that of partially chemically ordered FePt were studied
during the magnetization reversal using micromagnetic simulations. Finite
Differences (FD) discretizations were used for the solution of the
Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. Magnetic configurations exhibiting N\'eel
chiral stripe and N\'eel skyrmionic formations were detected. The magnetic
skyrmions can be created in different systems generated by the variation of
external field, side length and width of the squared-based parallelepiped
magnetic nanoparticles. Micromagnetic configurations revealed a variety of
states which include skyrmionic textures with one distinct skyrmion formed and
being stable for a range of external fields around room-temperature. The size
of the formed N\'eel skyrmion is calculated as a function of the external
field, temperature, magnetocrystalline anisotropy and nanoparticle's
geometrical characteristic lengths which can be adjusted to produce N\'eel type
skyrmions on demand having diameters down to 12 nm. The micromagnetic
simulations revealed that stable skyrmions at the temperature range 270K-330K
can be created for FePt magnetic nanoparticle systems lacking of chiral
interactions such as Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya, providing new perspectives in the
new magnetic writing era.Comment: 11 pages,12 Figures, research articl
Binary Black-Hole Mergers in Magnetized Disks: Simulations in Full General Relativity
We present results from the first fully general relativistic,
magnetohydrodynamic (GRMHD) simulations of an equal-mass black hole binary
(BHBH) in a magnetized, circumbinary accretion disk. We simulate both the pre
and post-decoupling phases of a BHBH-disk system and both "cooling" and
"no-cooling" gas flows. Prior to decoupling, the competition between the binary
tidal torques and the effective viscous torques due to MHD turbulence depletes
the disk interior to the binary orbit. However, it also induces a two-stream
accretion flow and mildly relativistic polar outflows from the BHs. Following
decoupling, but before gas fills the low-density "hollow" surrounding the
remnant, the accretion rate is reduced, while there is a prompt electromagnetic
(EM) luminosity enhancement following merger due to shock heating and accretion
onto the spinning BH remnant. This investigation, though preliminary, previews
more detailed GRMHD simulations we plan to perform in anticipation of future,
simultaneous detections of gravitational and EM radiation from a merging
BHBH-disk system.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
A modernized version of a 1D soil vegetation atmosphere transfer model for improving its future use in land surface interactions studies
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