160 research outputs found
Oesterbank is wapen tegen zandhonger
De aanleg van kunstmatige oesterbanken helpt wellicht de natuur te ontzien en geld te besparen bij kustbescherming. Oesterbanken voorkomen dat achterliggende zandplaten afkalven door de golven. Ze beschermen niet alleen de plek die ze zelf bedekken, maar ook nog eens een achterliggend gebied. Dat stelt Brenda Walles, promovendus bij de leerstoelgroep Duurzame schelpdiercultuur, in het proefschrift dat ze op 1 juni verdedigde
Electron-correlation effects in appearance-potential spectra of Ni
Spin-resolved and temperature-dependent appearance-potential spectra of
ferromagnetic Nickel are measured and analyzed theoretically. The Lander
self-convolution model which relates the line shape to the unoccupied part of
the local density of states turns out to be insufficient. Electron correlations
and orbitally resolved transition-matrix elements are shown to be essential for
a quantitative agreement between experiment and theory.Comment: LaTeX, 6 pages, 2 eps figures included, Phys. Rev. B (in press
Theory of Spin-Resolved Auger-Electron Spectroscopy from Ferromagnetic 3d-Transition Metals
CVV Auger electron spectra are calculated for a multi-band Hubbard model
including correlations among the valence electrons as well as correlations
between core and valence electrons. The interest is focused on the
ferromagnetic 3d-transition metals. The Auger line shape is calculated from a
three-particle Green function. A realistic one-particle input is taken from
tight-binding band-structure calculations. Within a diagrammatic approach we
can distinguish between the \textit{direct} correlations among those electrons
participating in the Auger process and the \textit{indirect} correlations in
the rest system. The indirect correlations are treated within second-order
perturbation theory for the self-energy. The direct correlations are treated
using the valence-valence ladder approximation and the first-order perturbation
theory with respect to valence-valence and core-valence interactions. The
theory is evaluated numerically for ferromagnetic Ni. We discuss the
spin-resolved quasi-particle band structure and the Auger spectra and
investigate the influence of the core hole.Comment: LaTeX, 12 pages, 8 eps figures included, Phys. Rev. B (in press
Response to Therapeutic Sleep Deprivation: A Naturalistic Study of Clinical and Genetic Factors and Post-treatment Depressive Symptom Trajectory
Research has shown that therapeutic sleep deprivation (SD) has rapid antidepressant effects in the majority of depressed patients. Investigation of factors preceding and accompanying these effects may facilitate the identification of the underlying biological
mechanisms. This exploratory study aimed to examine clinical and genetic factors predicting response to SD and determine the impact of SD on illness course. Mood during SD was also assessed via visual analogue scale. Depressed inpatients (n = 78) and healthy controls (n = 15) underwent ~36 h of SD. Response to SD was defined as a score of ≤ 2 on the Clinical Global Impression
Scale for Global Improvement. Depressive symptom trajectories were evaluated for up to a month using self/expert ratings. Impact of genetic burden was calculated using polygenic risk scores for major depressive disorder. In total, 72% of patients responded to SD. Responders and non-responders did not differ in baseline self/expert depression symptom ratings, but mood differed. Response was associated with lower age (p = 0.007) and later age at life-time disease onset (p = 0.003). Higher genetic burden of depression
was observed in non-responders than healthy controls. Up to a month post SD, depressive symptoms decreased in both patients groups, but more in responders, in whom effects were sustained. The present findings suggest that re-examining SD with a greater focus on biological mechanisms will lead to better understanding of mechanisms of depression
Absence of Metallization in Solid Molecular Hydrogen
Being the simplest element with just one electron and proton the electronic
structure of the Hydrogen atom is known exactly. However, this does not hold
for the complex interplay between them in a solid and in particular not at high
pressure that is known to alter the crystal as well as the electronic
structure. Back in 1935 Wigner and Huntington predicted that at very high
pressure solid molecular hydrogen would dissociate and form an atomic solid
that is metallic. In spite of intense research efforts the experimental
realization, as well as the theoretical determination of the crystal structure
has remained elusive. Here we present a computational study showing that the
distorted hexagonal P6/m structure is the most likely candidate for Phase
III of solid hydrogen. We find that the pairing structure is very persistent
and insulating over the whole pressure range, which suggests that metallization
due to dissociation may precede eventual bandgap closure. Due to the fact that
this not only resolve one of major disagreement between theory and experiment,
but also excludes the conjectured existence of phonon-driven superconductivity
in solid molecular hydrogen, our results involve a complete revision of the
zero-temperature phase diagram of Phase III
Calorie restriction improves lipid-related emerging cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy adults without obesity: Distinct influences of BMI and sex from CALERIEâ„¢ a multicentre, phase 2, randomised controlled trial
Background:
For many cardiovascular risk factors there is no lower limit to which further reduction will result in decreased disease risk; this includes values within ranges considered normal for healthy adults. This seems to be true for new emerging metabolic risk factors identified by innovative technological advances. Further, there seems to be ever evolving evidence of differential responses to lifestyle interventions by sex and body compositions in the normal range. In this secondary analysis, we had the opportunity to test these principles for newly identified molecular biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk in a young (21–50 years), normal weight healthy population undergoing calorie restriction for two years.
Methods:
The Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy (CALERIE™) was a 24-month, multicenter, randomized controlled trial (May 2007-November 2012) in healthy, adults without obesity to evaluate the potential for calorie restriction (CR) to promote anti-aging adaptations, including those associated with disease risk. 218 participants (age 37.9 ± 7.2 years and body mass index (BMI) 25.1 ± 1.7 kg/m2, mean±SD) were randomized 2:1 to 24 months of CR (prescribed as 25% reduction from baseline calorie intake) versus ad libitum (AL). Fasting plasma from baseline, 12, and 24 months was used for assessments of lipoproteins, metabolites, and inflammatory markers using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Findings:
Averaging 11.9% CR, the CR group had reductions at 12 and 24 months in the cardiovascular disease risk markers, apolipoprotein B and GlycA, and risks for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes—Lipoprotein Insulin Resistance Index and Diabetes Risk Index (all PCRvsAL≤0.0009). Insulin resistance and diabetes risk improvements resulted from CR-induced alterations in lipoproteins, specifically reductions in triglyceride-rich lipoprotein particles and low-density lipoprotein particles, a shift to larger high-density lipoprotein particles (more effective cholesterol transporters), and reductions in branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) (all PCRvsAL≤0.004). These CR responses were more pronounced in overweight than normal weight participants and greater in men than women.
Interpretation:
In normal to slightly overweight adults without overt risk factors or disease, 12 months of ∼12% CR improved newly identified risk markers for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. These markers suggest that CR improves risks by reducing inflammation and BCAAs and shifting lipoproteins from atherogenic to cholesterol transporting. Additionally, these improvements are greater for men and for those with greater BMIs indicating sex and BMI-influences merit attention in future investigations of lifestyle-mediated improvements in disease risk factors
Low-Temperature Equation of State of Molecular Hydrogen and Deuterium to 0.37 Mbar: Implications for Metallic Hydrogen
Occupancy maps of 208 chromatin-associated proteins in one human cell type
Transcription factors are DNA-binding proteins that have key roles in gene regulation. Genome-wide occupancy maps of transcriptional regulators are important for understanding gene regulation and its effects on diverse biological processes. However, only a minority of the more than 1,600 transcription factors encoded in the human genome has been assayed. Here we present, as part of the ENCODE (Encyclopedia of DNA Elements) project, data and analyses from chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by high-throughput sequencing (ChIP–seq) experiments using the human HepG2 cell line for 208 chromatin-associated proteins (CAPs). These comprise 171 transcription factors and 37 transcriptional cofactors and chromatin regulator proteins, and represent nearly one-quarter of CAPs expressed in HepG2 cells. The binding profiles of these CAPs form major groups associated predominantly with promoters or enhancers, or with both. We confirm and expand the current catalogue of DNA sequence motifs for transcription factors, and describe motifs that correspond to other transcription factors that are co-enriched with the primary ChIP target. For example, FOX family motifs are enriched in ChIP–seq peaks of 37 other CAPs. We show that motif content and occupancy patterns can distinguish between promoters and enhancers. This catalogue reveals high-occupancy target regions at which many CAPs associate, although each contains motifs for only a minority of the numerous associated transcription factors. These analyses provide a more complete overview of the gene regulatory networks that define this cell type, and demonstrate the usefulness of the large-scale production efforts of the ENCODE Consortium
Lipidomics Reveals Multiple Pathway Effects of a Multi-Components Preparation on Lipid Biochemistry in ApoE*3Leiden.CETP Mice
Background: Causes and consequences of the complex changes in lipids occurring in the metabolic syndrome are only partly understood. Several interconnected processes are deteriorating, which implies that multi-target approaches might be more successful than strategies based on a limited number of surrogate markers. Preparations from Chinese Medicine (CM) systems have been handed down with documented clinical features similar as metabolic syndrome, which might help developing new intervention for metabolic syndrome. The progress in systems biology and specific animal models created possibilities to assess the effects of such preparations. Here we report the plasma and liver lipidomics results of the intervention effects of a preparation SUB885C in apolipoprotein E3 Leiden cholesteryl ester transfer protein (ApoE*3Leiden.CETP) mice. SUB885C was developed according to the principles of CM for treatment of metabolic syndrome. The cannabinoid receptor type 1 blocker rimonabant was included as a general control for the evaluation of weight and metabolic responses. Methodology/Principal Findings: ApoE*3Leiden.CETP mice with mild hypercholesterolemia were divided into SUB885C-, rimonabant- and non-treated control groups. SUB885C caused no weight loss, but significantly reduced plasma cholesterol (-49%, p <0.001), CETP levels (-31%,
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