454 research outputs found
Long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vascular function in patients with chronic kidney disease and healthy subjects:a cross-sectional and comparative study
BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic kidney disease have a markedly increased cardiovascular mortality compared with the general population. Long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been suggested to possess cardioprotective properties. This cross-sectional and comparative study evaluated correlations between hemodynamic measurements, resistance artery function and fish consumption to the content of long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in adipose tissue, a long-term marker of seafood intake. METHODS: Seventeen patients with chronic kidney disease stage 5 + 5d and 27 healthy kidney donors were evaluated with hemodynamic measurements before surgery; from these subjects, 11 patients and 11 healthy subjects had vasodilator properties of subcutaneous resistance arteries examined. The measurements were correlated to adipose tissue n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Information on fish intake was obtained from a dietary questionnaire and compared with adipose tissue n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. RESULTS: Fish intake and the content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in adipose tissue did not differ between patients and controls. n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in adipose tissue were positively correlated to systemic vascular resistance index; (r = 0.44; p = 0.07 and r = 0.62; p < 0.05, chronic kidney disease and healthy subjects respectively) and negatively correlated to cardiac output index (r = −0.69; p < 0.01 and r = −0.50; p < 0.05, chronic kidney disease and healthy subjects respectively). No correlation was observed between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid levels in adipose tissue and vasodilator properties in resistance arteries. n-3 PUFA content in adipose tissue increased with increasing self-reported fish intake. CONCLUSIONS: The correlations found, suggest a role for n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in hemodynamic properties. However, this is apparently not due to changes in intrinsic properties of the resistance arteries as no correlation was found to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
The eSMA: description and first results
The eSMA ("extended SMA") combines the SMA, JCMT and CSO into a single
facility, providing enhanced sensitivity and spatial resolution owing to the
increased collecting area at the longest baselines. Until ALMA early science
observing (2011), the eSMA will be the facility capable of the highest angular
resolution observations at 345 GHz. The gain in sensitivity and resolution will
bring new insights in a variety of fields, such as protoplanetary/transition
disks, high-mass star formation, solar system bodies, nearby and high-z
galaxies. Therefore the eSMA is an important facility to prepare the grounds
for ALMA and train scientists in the techniques.
Over the last two years, and especially since November 2006, there has been
substantial progress toward making the eSMA into a working interferometer. In
particular, (i) new 345-GHz receivers, that match the capabilities of the SMA
system, were installed at the JCMT and CSO; (ii) numerous tests have been
performed for receiver, correlator and baseline calibrations in order to
determine and take into account the effects arising from the differences
between the three types of antennas; (iii) first fringes at 345 GHz were
obtained on August 30 2007, and the array has entered the science-verification
stage.
We report on the characteristics of the eSMA and its measured performance at
230 GHz and that expected at 345 GHz. We also present the results of the
commissioning and some initial science-verification observations, including the
first absorption measurement of the C/CO ratio in a galaxy at z=0.89, located
along the line of sight to the lensed quasar PKS1830-211, and on the imaging of
the vibrationally excited HCN line towards IRC+10216.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, paper number 7012-12, to appear in Proceedings
of SPIE vol. 7012: "Ground-based and Airborne Telescopes II", SPIE conference
on Astronomical Instrumentation, Marseille, 23-28 June 200
Understanding adhesion at as-deposited interfaces from ab initio thermodynamics of deposition growth: thin-film alumina on titanium carbide
We investigate the chemical composition and adhesion of chemical vapour
deposited thin-film alumina on TiC using and extending a recently proposed
nonequilibrium method of ab initio thermodynamics of deposition growth (AIT-DG)
[Rohrer J and Hyldgaard P 2010 Phys. Rev. B 82 045415]. A previous study of
this system [Rohrer J, Ruberto C and Hyldgaard P 2010 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter
22 015004] found that use of equilibrium thermodynamics leads to predictions of
a non-binding TiC/alumina interface, despite the industrial use as a
wear-resistant coating. This discrepancy between equilibrium theory and
experiment is resolved by the AIT-DG method which predicts interfaces with
strong adhesion. The AIT-DG method combines density functional theory
calculations, rate-equation modelling of the pressure evolution of the
deposition environment and thermochemical data. The AIT-DG method was
previously used to predict prevalent terminations of growing or as-deposited
surfaces of binary materials. Here we extent the method to predict surface and
interface compositions of growing or as-deposited thin films on a substrate and
find that inclusion of the nonequilibrium deposition environment has important
implications for the nature of buried interfaces.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, submitted to J. Phys.: Condens. Matte
- …