877 research outputs found
Sun direction detection system
One of the detectors is an illumination detector consisting of two spaced apart elongated strips with a strip of cadmium sulphide (Cds) deposited therebetween. Whenever the line image impinges the CdS strip, the resistance between the two other strips is relatively low, while being high when the line image is outside the field of view of the illumination detector. Also included is a sun angle detector which consists of a vapor deposited resistor strip connected at one end to plus 10v and at the other end to minus 10v. Spaced apart from the resistor strip is an elongated strip of low resistance material acting as an output strip, with a CdS strip between the two strips. When the line image is within the field of view of the sun angle detector, the output voltage at the output strip depends on the position of the line image across the sun angle detector
Quasiparticle scattering time in superconducting films: from dirty to clean limit
We study the quasiparticle energy relaxation processes in superconducting Nb
films of different thicknesses corresponding to different electron mean free
paths in a state far from equilibrium, that is the highly dissipative flux-flow
state driven up to the instability point. From the measured current-voltage
curves we derive the vortex critical velocity for several temperatures.
From the values, the quasiparticle energy relaxation time
is evaluated within the Larkin-Ovchinnikov model and
numerical calculations of the quasiparticle energy relaxation rates are carried
out to support the experimental findings. Besides the expected constant
behavior of for the dirty samples, we observe a strong
temperature dependence of the quasiparticle energy relaxation time in the clean
samples. This feature is associated with the increasing contribution from the
electron-phonon scattering process as the dirty limit is approached from the
clean regime
Relativistic Structure of the Deuteron: 1.Electro-disintegration and y-scaling
Realistic solutions of the spinor-spinor Bethe-Salpeter equation for the
deuteron with realistic interaction kernel including the exchange of pi, sigma,
omega, rho, eta and delta mesons, are used to systematically investigate
relativistic effects in inclusive quasi-elastic electron-deuteron scattering
within the relativistic impulse approximation. Relativistic y-scaling is
considered by generalising the non relativistic scaling function to the
relativistic case, and it is shown that y-scaling does occur in the usual
relativistic scaling variable resulting from the energy conservation in the
instant form of dynamics. The present approach of y-scaling is fully covariant,
with the deuteron being described by eight components, viz. the 3S_1^{++},
3S_1^{--}, 3D_1^{++}, 3D_1^{--}, 3P_1^{+-}, 3P_1^{-+}, 1P_1^{+-}, 1P_1^{-+}
waves. It is demonstrated that if the negative relative energy states 1P_1,
3P_1 are disregarded, the concept of covariant momentum distributions N(p_0,p),
with p_0=M_D/2-\sqrt{p^2+m^2}, can be introduced, and that calculations of
lectro-disintegration cross section in terms of these distributions agree
within few percents with the exact calculations which include the 1P_1, 3P_1
states, provided the nucleon three momentum |p|\<= 1 GeV/c; in this momentum
range, the asymptotic relativistic scaling function is shown to coincide with
the longitudinal covariant momentum distribution.Comment: 32 LaTeX pages, 18 eps-figures. Final version to appear in Phys. Rev.
Anatomical, Clinical and Electrical Observations in Piriformis Syndrome
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We provided clinical and electrical descriptions of the piriformis syndrome, contributing to better understanding of the pathogenesis and further diagnostic criteria.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Between 3550 patients complaining of sciatica, we concluded 26 cases of piriformis syndrome, 15 females, 11 males, mean age 35.37 year-old. We operated 9 patients, 2 to 19 years after the onset of symptoms, 5 had piriformis steroids injection. A dorsolumbar MRI were performed in all cases and a pelvic MRI in 7 patients. The electro-diagnostic test was performed in 13 cases, between them the H reflex of the peroneal nerve was tested 7 times.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After a followup 1 to 11 years, for the 17 non operated patients, 3 patients responded to conservative treatment. 6 of the operated had an excellent result, 2 residual minor pain and one failed. 3 new anatomical observations were described with atypical compression of the sciatic nerve by the piriformis muscle.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>While the H reflex test of the tibial nerve did not give common satisfaction in the literature for diagnosis, the H reflex of the peroneal nerve should be given more importance, because it demonstrated in our study more specific sign, with six clinical criteria it contributed to improve the method of diagnosis. The cause of this particular syndrome does not only depend on the relation sciatic nerve-piriformis muscle, but the environmental conditions should be considered with the series of the anatomical anomalies to explain the real cause of this pain.</p
Side Chain Hydrophobicity Modulates Therapeutic Activity and Membrane Selectivity of Antimicrobial Peptide Mastoparan-X
The discovery of new anti-infective compounds is stagnating and multi-resistant bacteria continue to emerge, threatening to end the "antibiotic era". Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and lipo-peptides such as daptomycin offer themselves as a new potential class of antibiotics; however, further optimization is needed if AMPs are to find broad use as antibiotics. In the present work, eight analogues of mastoparan-X (MPX) were investigated, having side chain modifications in position 1, 8 and 14 to modulate peptide hydrophobicity. The self-association properties of the peptides were characterized, and the peptide-membrane interactions in model membranes were compared with the bactericidal and haemolytic properties. Alanine substitution at position 1 and 14 resulted in higher target selectivity (red blood cells versus bacteria), but also decreased bactericidal potency. For these analogues, the gain in target selectivity correlated to biophysical parameters showing an increased effective charge and reduction in the partitioning coefficient for membrane insertion. Introduction of an unnatural amino acid, with an octyl side chain by amino acid substitution, at positions 1, 8 and 14 resulted in increased bactericidal potency at the expense of radically reduced membrane target selectivity. Overall, optimized membrane selectivity or bactericidal potency was achieved by changes in side chain hydrophobicity of MPX. However, enhanced potency was achieved at the expense of selectivity and vice versa in all cases
Microscopic calculations of medium effects for 200-MeV (p,p') reactions
We examine the quality of a G-matrix calculation of the effective
nucleon-nucleon (NN) interaction for the prediction of the cross section and
analyzing power for 200-MeV (p,p') reactions that populate natural parity
states in O, Si, and Ca. This calculation is based on a
one-boson-exchange model of the free NN force that reproduces NN observables
well. The G-matrix includes the effects of Pauli blocking, nuclear binding, and
strong relativistic mean-field potentials. The implications of adjustments to
the effective mass ansatz to improve the quality of the approximation at
momenta above the Fermi level will be discussed, along with the general quality
of agreement to a variety of (p,p') transitions.Comment: 36 pages, TeX, 18 figure
Multiple populations in globular clusters. Lessons learned from the Milky Way globular clusters
Recent progress in studies of globular clusters has shown that they are not
simple stellar populations, being rather made of multiple generations. Evidence
stems both from photometry and spectroscopy. A new paradigm is then arising for
the formation of massive star clusters, which includes several episodes of star
formation. While this provides an explanation for several features of globular
clusters, including the second parameter problem, it also opens new
perspectives about the relation between globular clusters and the halo of our
Galaxy, and by extension of all populations with a high specific frequency of
globular clusters, such as, e.g., giant elliptical galaxies. We review progress
in this area, focusing on the most recent studies. Several points remain to be
properly understood, in particular those concerning the nature of the polluters
producing the abundance pattern in the clusters and the typical timescale, the
range of cluster masses where this phenomenon is active, and the relation
between globular clusters and other satellites of our Galaxy.Comment: In press (The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review
Contractile profile of esophageal and gastric fundus strips in experimental doxorubicin-induced esophageal atresia
Reduced Stability and Increased Dynamics in the Human Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) Relative to the Yeast Homolog
Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) is an essential factor for DNA replication and repair. PCNA forms a toroidal, ring shaped structure of 90 kDa by the symmetric association of three identical monomers. The ring encircles the DNA and acts as a platform where polymerases and other proteins dock to carry out different DNA metabolic processes. The amino acid sequence of human PCNA is 35% identical to the yeast homolog, and the two proteins have the same 3D crystal structure. In this report, we give evidence that the budding yeast (sc) and human (h) PCNAs have highly similar structures in solution but differ substantially in their stability and dynamics. hPCNA is less resistant to chemical and thermal denaturation and displays lower cooperativity of unfolding as compared to scPCNA. Solvent exchange rates measurements show that the slowest exchanging backbone amides are at the β-sheet, in the structure core, and not at the helices, which line the central channel. However, all the backbone amides of hPCNA exchange fast, becoming undetectable within hours, while the signals from the core amides of scPCNA persist for longer times. The high dynamics of the α-helices, which face the DNA in the PCNA-loaded form, is likely to have functional implications for the sliding of the PCNA ring on the DNA since a large hole with a flexible wall facilitates the establishment of protein-DNA interactions that are transient and easily broken. The increased dynamics of hPCNA relative to scPCNA may allow it to acquire multiple induced conformations upon binding to its substrates enlarging its binding diversity
A Novel Acyl-CoA Beta-Transaminase Characterized from a Metagenome
BACKGROUND: Bacteria are key components in all ecosystems. However, our knowledge of bacterial metabolism is based solely on the study of cultivated organisms which represent just a tiny fraction of microbial diversity. To access new enzymatic reactions and new or alternative pathways, we investigated bacterial metabolism through analyses of uncultivated bacterial consortia. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We applied the gene context approach to assembled sequences of the metagenome of the anaerobic digester of a municipal wastewater treatment plant, and identified a new gene which may participate in an alternative pathway of lysine fermentation. CONCLUSIONS: We characterized a novel, unique aminotransferase that acts exclusively on Coenzyme A (CoA) esters, and proposed a variant route for lysine fermentation. Results suggest that most of the lysine fermenting organisms use this new pathway in the digester. Its presence in organisms representative of two distinct bacterial divisions indicate that it may also be present in other organisms
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