411 research outputs found
Euclidean Supergravity in Five Dimensions
We construct a 5D, N = 2 Euclidean theory of supergravity coupled to vector
multiplets. Upon reducing this theory over a circle we recover the action of
4D, N = 2 Euclidean supergravity coupled to vector multiplets.Comment: 13 page
Deliberating stratospheric aerosols for climate geoengineering and the SPICE project
Increasing concerns about the narrowing window for averting dangerous climate change have prompted calls for research into geoengineering, alongside dialogue with the public regarding this as a possible response. We report results of the first public engagement study to explore the ethics and acceptability of stratospheric aerosol technology and a proposed field trial (the Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering (SPICE) ‘pipe and balloon’ test bed) of components for an aerosol deployment mechanism. Although almost all of our participants were willing to allow the field trial to proceed, very few were comfortable with using stratospheric aerosols. This Perspective also discusses how these findings were used in a responsible innovation process for the SPICE project initiated by the UK’s research councils
The Similarity of Broad Iron Lines in X-ray Binaries and Active Galactic Nuclei
We have compared the 2001 XMM-Newton spectra of the stellar mass black hole
binary XTE J1650-500 and the active galaxy MGC-6-30-15, focusing on the broad,
excess emission features at ~4--7 keV displayed by both sources. Such features
are frequently observed in both low mass X-ray binaries and active galactic
nuclei. For the former case it is generally accepted that the excess arises due
to iron emission, but there is some controversy over whether their width is
partially enhanced by instrumental processes, and hence also over the intrinsic
broadening mechanism. Meanwhile, in the latter case, the origin of this feature
is still subject to debate; physically motivated reflection and absorption
interpretations are both able to reproduce the observed spectra. In this work
we make use of the contemporaneous BeppoSAX data to demonstrate that the
breadth of the excess observed in XTE J1650-500 is astrophysical rather than
instrumental, and proceed to highlight the similarity of the excesses present
in this source and MGC-6-30-15. Both optically thick accretion discs and
optically thin coronae, which in combination naturally give rise to
relativistically-broadened iron lines when the disc extends close to the black
hole, are commonly observed in both class of object. The simplest solution is
that the broad emission features present arise from a common process, which we
argue must be reflection from the inner regions of an accretion disc around a
rapidly rotating black hole; for XTE J1650-500 we find spin constraints of 0.84
< a* < 0.98 at the 90 per cent confidence level. Other interpretations proposed
for AGN add potentially unnecessary complexities to the theoretical framework
of accretion in strong gravity.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS; 22 pages, 17 figure
Developmental Expression and Glucocorticoid Control of the Leptin Receptor in Fetal Ovine Lung.
The effects of endogenous and synthetic glucocorticoids on fetal lung maturation are well-established, although the role of leptin in lung development before birth is unclear. This study examined mRNA and protein levels of the signalling long-form leptin receptor (Ob-Rb) in fetal ovine lungs towards term, and after experimental manipulation of glucocorticoid levels in utero by fetal cortisol infusion or maternal dexamethasone treatment. In fetal ovine lungs, Ob-Rb protein was localised to bronchiolar epithelium, bronchial cartilage, vascular endothelium, alveolar macrophages and type II pneumocytes. Pulmonary Ob-Rb mRNA abundance increased between 100 (0.69 fractional gestational age) and 144 days (0.99) of gestation, and by 2-4-fold in response to fetal cortisol infusion and maternal dexamethasone treatment. In contrast, pulmonary Ob-Rb protein levels decreased near term and were halved by glucocorticoid treatment, without any significant change in phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (pSTAT3) at Ser727, total STAT3 or the pulmonary pSTAT3:STAT3 ratio. Leptin mRNA was undetectable in fetal ovine lungs at the gestational ages studied. These findings demonstrate differential control of pulmonary Ob-Rb transcript abundance and protein translation, and/or post-translational processing, by glucocorticoids in utero. Localisation of Ob-Rb in the fetal ovine lungs, including alveolar type II pneumocytes, suggests a role for leptin signalling in the control of lung growth and maturation before birth.This work was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (grant numbers S18103 and BB/H01697X/1).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from PLoS via http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.013611
Thermal limits of leaf metabolism across biomes
High-temperature tolerance in plants is important in a warming world, with extreme heat waves predicted to increase in frequency and duration, potentially leading to lethal heating of leaves. Global patterns of high-temperature tolerance are documented in animals, but generally not in plants, limiting our ability to assess risks associated with climate warming. To assess whether there are global patterns in high-temperature tolerance of leaf metabolism, we quantified Tcrit (high temperature where minimal chlorophyll a fluorescence rises rapidly and thus photosystem II is disrupted) and Tmax (temperature where leaf respiration in darkness is maximal, beyond which respiratory function rapidly declines) in upper canopy leaves of 218 plant species spanning seven biomes. Mean site-based Tcrit values ranged from 41.5 °C in the Alaskan arctic to 50.8 °C in lowland tropical rainforests of Peruvian Amazon. For Tmax, the equivalent values were 51.0 and 60.6 °C in the Arctic and Amazon, respectively. Tcrit and Tmax followed similar biogeographic patterns, increasing linearly (˜8 °C) from polar to equatorial regions. Such increases in high-temperature tolerance are much less than expected based on the 20 °C span in high-temperature extremes across the globe. Moreover, with only modest high-temperature tolerance despite high summer temperature extremes, species in mid-latitude (~20-50°) regions have the narrowest thermal safety margins in upper canopy leaves; these regions are at the greatest risk of damage due to extreme heat-wave events, especially under conditions when leaf temperatures are further elevated by a lack of transpirational cooling. Using predicted heat-wave events for 2050 and accounting for possible thermal acclimation of Tcrit and Tmax, we also found that these safety margins could shrink in a warmer world, as rising temperatures are likely to exceed thermal tolerance limits. Thus, increasing numbers of species in many biomes may be at risk as heat-wave events become more severe with climate change
Search for charged massive long-lived particles with the D0 detector
We search for charged massive long-lived particles using 1.1 fb of
data collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider.
Time-of-flight information is used to search for pair produced long-lived tau
sleptons, gaugino-like charginos, and higgsino-like charginos. We find no
evidence of a signal and set 95% C.L. cross section upper limits for staus,
which vary from 0.31pb to 0.04pb for stau masses between 60 GeV and 300 GeV. We
also set lower mass limits of 206 GeV (171 GeV) for pair produced charged
gauginos (higgsinos).Comment: To be submitted to Phys. Rev. Letters, V2: updated the figures and
references, V3: final version submitted to PRL and changes in title and
abstracts from "stable" to "long-lived
The Astropy Problem
The Astropy Project (http://astropy.org) is, in its own words, "a community
effort to develop a single core package for Astronomy in Python and foster
interoperability between Python astronomy packages." For five years this
project has been managed, written, and operated as a grassroots,
self-organized, almost entirely volunteer effort while the software is used by
the majority of the astronomical community. Despite this, the project has
always been and remains to this day effectively unfunded. Further, contributors
receive little or no formal recognition for creating and supporting what is now
critical software. This paper explores the problem in detail, outlines possible
solutions to correct this, and presents a few suggestions on how to address the
sustainability of general purpose astronomical software
Conservative treatment of a comminuted cervical fracture in a racehorse
The 'classical' or 'Hangman' neck fracture involves the odontoid peg (process) of the second cervical vertebra (C2), and is described as an axial, dens or odontoid peg fracture in both the veterinary and human literature. Possible surgical treatment in both foals and adult horses requires a technique that allows decompression, anatomical alignment and stabilisation of the odontoid fracture. A limited number of surgical cases in foals have been reported in literature, but never in an adult horse. A mature Irish Thoroughbred racehorse was diagnosed with a type 2a odontoid peg fracture. Clinical signs included reluctance to move the head and neck, a left hind limb lameness and a neurological status of grade 2. The horse was treated conservatively and raced successfully five months after the diagnosed injury
Differentiation dependent expression of urocortin’s mRNA and peptide in human osteoprogenitor cells: influence of BMP-2, TGF-beta-1 and dexamethasone
Urocortin-1 (UCN) a corticotropin releasing-factor (CRF) related peptide, has been found to be expressed in many different tissues like the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle. The effects of UCN are mediated via stimulation of CRF-receptors 1 and 2 (CRFR1 and 2, CRFR’s) with a high affinity for CRFR2. It has been shown that the CRF-related peptides and CRFR’s are involved in the regulation of stress-related endocrine, autonomic and behavioural responses. Using immunocytochemistry, immunohistochemistry and RT–PCR, we now can show the differentiation dependent expression of UCN mRNA and peptide in human mesenchymal progenitor cells (MSCs) directed to the osteoblastic phenotype for the first time. UCN expression was down regulated by TGF-beta and BMP-2 in the early proliferation phase of osteoblast development, whereas dexamethasone (dex) minimally induced UCN gene expression during matrix maturation after 24 h stimulation. Stimulation of MSCs for 28 days with ascorbate/beta-glycerophosphate (asc/bGp) induced UCN gene expression at day 14. This effect was prevented when using 1,25-vitamin D3 or dex in addition. There was no obvious correlation to osteocalcin (OCN) gene expression in these experiments. In MSCs from patients with metabolic bone disease (n = 9) UCN gene expression was significantly higher compared to MSCs from normal controls (n = 6). Human MSCs did not express any of the CRFR’s during differentiation to osteoblasts. Our results indicate that UCN is produced during the development of MSCs to osteoblasts and differentially regulated during culture as well as by differentiation factors. The expression is maximal between proliferation and matrix maturation phase. However, UCN does not seem to act on the osteoblast itself as shown by the missing CRFR’s. Our results suggest new perspectives on the role of urocortin in human skeletal tissue in health and disease
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