Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP)-granules: ultrastructure, morphometry and function

The atrial granules containing the peptide hormone, Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) are present in the four regions of the atrial-auricular complex (two atria and two auricles). ANP-immunoreactivity was detected in all granules from the four regions. Ultrastructurally, atrial myocytes show the presence of very electron dense granules, with sparsely granular and homogeneous content, coated with a double membrane. The number of granules is greatest in the right atrium followed by the left atrium and left auricle and right auricle, in thisorder. The diameter of granules in the cardiocytes is significantly largest in the right atrium and reduced via the left auricle to the left atrium and right auricle. These data lead to suppose that the right atrium is the one that most synthesizes and stores the ANP. The number of ANP-granules is influenced by several physiological conditions: temperature, dehydration and nutritional condition. The main physiological stimulus for increased ANP release is the atrial muscle stretch, which normally occurs when extra cellular fluid volume or blood volume is elevated. The ANP is eliminated through the atrial myocytes, via exocytosis. Granule content is released into the extra-cellular space (extrusion). The ANP causes diuresis, natriuresis,vasodilatation and depression of blood pressure. It is also involved in the modification of the waterelectrolyte balance

Quantum AdS_5 x S^5 superstring in the AdS light-cone gauge

We consider the AdS_5 x S^5 superstring in the light-cone gauge adapted to a massless geodesic in AdS5 in the Poincare patch. The resulting action has a relatively simple structure which makes it a natural starting point for various perturbative quantum computations. We illustrate the utility of this AdS light-cone gauge action by computing the 1-loop and 2-loop corrections to the null cusp anomalous dimension reproducing in a much simpler and efficient way earlier results obtained in conformal gauge. This leads to a further insight into the structure of the superstring partition function in non-trivial background.Comment: 21pages, Late

Visual BFI: an Exploratory Study for Image-based Personality Test

This paper positions and explores the topic of image-based personality test. Instead of responding to text-based questions, the subjects will be provided a set of "choose-your-favorite-image" visual questions. With the image options of each question belonging to the same concept, the subjects' personality traits are estimated by observing their preferences of images under several unique concepts. The solution to design such an image-based personality test consists of concept-question identification and image-option selection. We have presented a preliminary framework to regularize these two steps in this exploratory study. A demo version of the designed image-based personality test is available at http://www.visualbfi.org/. Subjective as well as objective evaluations have demonstrated the feasibility of image-based personality test in limited questions

Capital flows, long term bond yields and fiscal stance : the Eurozone policy trilemma

The paper aims at estimating the existence of a trilemma in the Eurozone, i.e., to assess to what extent the net capital flows, the volatility of bond yields and the fiscal stance are strictly linked to each other constraining countries’ ability to manage the internal policy goals. The existence of constraints on policy alternatives is estimated for 11 Eurozone countries from 2002 till 2012. The sample is then divided into pre- (2002–2008) and post-crisis (2009–2012) periods. A further division between the PIIGS and the non-PIIGS is then applied. The results show the validity of the trilemma for the whole Euro area and for the whole period but with some distinction between the pre- and post-crisis periods and between the PIIGS and the non-PIIGS countries. The existence of the trilemma underlines the presence of national constraints and suggests, for the future of the Eurozone, to push towards centralized fiscal policy instruments.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Quantum dispersion relations for excitations of long folded spinning superstring in AdS_5 x S^5

We use AdS_5 x S^5 superstring sigma model perturbation theory to compute the leading one-loop corrections to the dispersion relations of the excitations near a long spinning string in AdS. This investigation is partially motivated by the OPE-based approach to the computation of the expectation value of null polygonal Wilson loops suggested in arXiv:1006.2788. Our results are in partial agreement with the recent asymptotic Bethe ansatz computation in arXiv:1010.5237. In particular, we find that the heaviest AdS mode (absent in the ABA approach) is stable and has a corrected one-loop dispersion relation similar to the other massive modes. Its stability might hold also at the next-to-leading order as we suggest using a unitarity-based argument.Comment: 22 pages, 3 figures. v3: small corrections and a comment added in sec. 4.

Plasma antioxidants from chocolate

There is some speculation that dietary flavonoids from chocolate, in particular (-)epicatechin, may promote cardiovascular health as a result of direct antioxidant effects or through antithrombotic mechanisms. Here we show that consumption of plain, dark chocolate results in an increase in both the total antioxidant capacity and the (-)epicatechin content of blood plasma, but that these effects are markedly reduced when the chocolate is consumed with milk or if milk is incorporated as milk chocolate. Our findings indicate that milk may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate in vivo and may therefore negate the potential health benefits that can be derived from eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate

Applying suitability distributions in a geological context

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Zootherapeutics utilized by residents of the community Poço Dantas, Crato-CE, Brazil

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Animals have been used as a source of medicine in Brazil since ancient times, and have played a significant role in healing practices. Specifically in Northeast Brazil, zootherapy is a very common practice, and together with medicinal plants, it plays an important role as a therapeutic alternative. In the state of Ceara, no works have been carried out on rural communities with regard to use of zootherapeutics, even though the practice of zootherapy is common in this region. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the use of medicinal animals in a rural community (Poco Dantas) in the municipality of Crato, Ceara, Brazil.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The field survey was carried out from October 2008 to January 2009 by conducting interviews using structured questionnaires with 72 people (33 men and 39 women), who provided information on animal species used as remedies, body parts used to prepare the remedies, and ailments for which the remedies were prescribed. We calculated the informant consensus factor (ICF) to determine the consensus over which species are effective for particular ailments, as well as the species use value (UV) to determine the extent of utilization of each species.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 29 species, distributed in 17 families were categorized as having some medicinal property. The taxa most represented were: mammals (9), insects (7), reptiles and birds (4). <it>Progne chalybea</it>, a species not previously recorded as being of medicinal use, was cited in the present work, where it is utilized in the treatment of alcoholism. The animals are used in the treatment of 34 diseases or symptoms, where sore throat, inflammations and cough are the ailments with the greatest number of citations.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The data show that zootherapy represents an important therapeutic alternative for the inhabitants of the community. New studies on medicinal fauna should be conducted with the aim of determining the exploitation level of the species utilized, promoting sustainable development of medicinal species that are eventually threatened, and preserving and disseminating the knowledge developed by traditional individuals of the community.</p

Characterizations of quasitrivial symmetric nondecreasing associative operations

We provide a description of the class of n-ary operations on an arbitrary chain that are quasitrivial, symmetric, nondecreasing, and associative. We also prove that associativity can be replaced with bisymmetry in the definition of this class. Finally we investigate the special situation where the chain is finite