The Effect of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) on Bax and Mcl-1 Expression in Human Neutrophils

In the present study we examined a role of pro-apoptotic Bax and anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 proteins, participating in the regulation of intrinsic apoptosis pathway in human neutrophils (PMNs) exposed to N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), the environmental xenobiotic. For the purpose comparison, the same studies were conducted in autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). The production of cytochrome c by PMNs was also determined. A deficit of anti-apoptotic Mcl-1 and overexpression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax suggest that the apoptosis process in human neutrophils exposed to NDMA is dependent on changes in the expression of these proteins. PMNs were more sensitive to NDMA than PBMCs

Climate of Earth-Like Planets With and Without Ocean Heat Transport Orbiting a Range of M and K Stars

The mean surface temperature of a planet is now acknowledged as insufficient to surmise its full potential habitability. Advancing our understanding requires exploration with 3D general circulation models (GCMs), which can take into account how gradients and fluxes across a planet's surface influence the distribution of heat, clouds, and the potential for heterogeneous distribution of liquid water. Here we present 3D GCM simulations of the effects of alternative stellar spectra, instellation, model resolution, and ocean heat transport, on the simulated distribution of heat and moisture of an Earth-like planet (ELP)

Low Energy Electron Point Projection Microscopy of Suspended Graphene, the Ultimate "Microscope Slide"

Point Projection Microscopy (PPM) is used to image suspended graphene using low-energy electrons (100-200eV). Because of the low energies used, the graphene is neither damaged or contaminated by the electron beam. The transparency of graphene is measured to be 74%, equivalent to electron transmission through a sheet as thick as twice the covalent radius of sp^2-bonded carbon. Also observed is rippling in the structure of the suspended graphene, with a wavelength of approximately 26 nm. The interference of the electron beam due to the diffraction off the edge of a graphene knife edge is observed and used to calculate a virtual source size of 4.7 +/- 0.6 Angstroms for the electron emitter. It is demonstrated that graphene can be used as both anode and substrate in PPM in order to avoid distortions due to strong field gradients around nano-scale objects. Graphene can be used to image objects suspended on the sheet using PPM, and in the future, electron holography

The Optical System for the Large Size Telescope of the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Large Size Telescope (LST) of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is designed to achieve a threshold energy of 20 GeV. The LST optics is composed of one parabolic primary mirror 23 m in diameter and 28 m focal length. The reflector dish is segmented in 198 hexagonal, 1.51 m flat to flat mirrors. The total effective reflective area, taking into account the shadow of the mechanical structure, is about 368 m$^2$. The mirrors have a sandwich structure consisting of a glass sheet of 2.7 mm thickness, aluminum honeycomb of 60 mm thickness, and another glass sheet on the rear, and have a total weight about 47 kg. The mirror surface is produced using a sputtering deposition technique to apply a 5-layer coating, and the mirrors reach a reflectivity of $\sim$94% at peak. The mirror facets are actively aligned during operations by an active mirror control system, using actuators, CMOS cameras and a reference laser. Each mirror facet carries a CMOS camera, which measures the position of the light spot of the optical axis reference laser on the target of the telescope camera. The two actuators and the universal joint of each mirror facet are respectively fixed to three neighboring joints of the dish space frame, via specially designed interface plate.Comment: In Proceedings of the 34th International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2015), The Hague, The Netherlands. All CTA contributions at arXiv:1508.0589

Nel positively regulates the genesis of retinal ganglion cells by promoting their differentiation and survival during development

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Digital database of nose models for nasal prosthesis design generated with 3D morphable face model approach

Designing nasal prostheses can be challenging due to the unpaired nature of the facial feature which precludes the use of mirroring techniques. It can be particularly difficult to accurately replace the missing tissue when preoperative information about the previous anatomy is unavailable or inadequate. In such situations, a database of nose models could act as a helpful starting point for the computer-aided design of a nasal prosthesis. Various digital nose model libraries are described in the literature based upon the facial scans of volunteers or anatomic casts. However, these libraries do not appear to be readily accessible to researchers or clinicians. Therefore, an open-access digital database of nose models has been generated based upon a 3D Morphable Face Model approach. This database comprises a manageable number of 44 simple, well-behaved nose meshes with standardized alignment that are ideal for computer-aided design

Vision and Foraging in Cormorants: More like Herons than Hawks?

Background Great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo L.) show the highest known foraging yield for a marine predator and they are often perceived to be in conflict with human economic interests. They are generally regarded as visually-guided, pursuit-dive foragers, so it would be expected that cormorants have excellent vision much like aerial predators, such as hawks which detect and pursue prey from a distance. Indeed cormorant eyes appear to show some specific adaptations to the amphibious life style. They are reported to have a highly pliable lens and powerful intraocular muscles which are thought to accommodate for the loss of corneal refractive power that accompanies immersion and ensures a well focussed image on the retina. However, nothing is known of the visual performance of these birds and how this might influence their prey capture technique. Methodology/Principal Findings We measured the aquatic visual acuity of great cormorants under a range of viewing conditions (illuminance, target contrast, viewing distance) and found it to be unexpectedly poor. Cormorant visual acuity under a range of viewing conditions is in fact comparable to unaided humans under water, and very inferior to that of aerial predators. We present a prey detectability model based upon the known acuity of cormorants at different illuminances, target contrasts and viewing distances. This shows that cormorants are able to detect individual prey only at close range (less than 1 m). Conclusions/Significance We conclude that cormorants are not the aquatic equivalent of hawks. Their efficient hunting involves the use of specialised foraging techniques which employ brief short-distance pursuit and/or rapid neck extension to capture prey that is visually detected or flushed only at short range. This technique appears to be driven proximately by the cormorant's limited visual capacities, and is analogous to the foraging techniques employed by herons

Hierarchical approach for fatigue cracking performance evaluation in asphalt pavements

In this paper, a hierarchical approach is proposed for the evaluation of fatigue cracking in asphalt concrete pavements considering three different levels of complexities in the representation of the material behaviour, design parameters characterization and the determination of the pavement response as well as damage computation. Based on the developed hierarchical approach, three damage computation levels are identified and proposed. The levels of fatigue damage analysis provides pavement engineers a variety of tools that can be used for pavement analysis depending on the availability of data, required level of prediction accuracy and computational power at their disposal. The hierarchical approach also provides a systematic approach for the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of pavement deterioration, the elimination of the empiricism associated with pavement design today and the transition towards the use of sound principles of mechanics in pavement analysis and design

The Cherenkov Telescope Array Large Size Telescope

The two arrays of the Very High Energy gamma-ray observatory Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will include four Large Size Telescopes (LSTs) each with a 23 m diameter dish and 28 m focal distance. These telescopes will enable CTA to achieve a low-energy threshold of 20 GeV, which is critical for important studies in astrophysics, astroparticle physics and cosmology. This work presents the key specifications and performance of the current LST design in the light of the CTA scientific objectives.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, In Proceedings of the 33rd International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC2013), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). All CTA contributions at arXiv:1307.223