7,436 research outputs found
Invariant manifolds and equilibrium states for non-uniformly hyperbolic horseshoes
In this paper we consider horseshoes containing an orbit of homoclinic
tangency accumulated by periodic points. We prove a version of the Invariant
Manifolds Theorem, construct finite Markov partitions and use them to prove the
existence and uniqueness of equilibrium states associated to H\"older
continuous potentials.Comment: 33 pages, 6 figure
Vascular dysfunction and fibrosis in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats: the aldosterone-mineralocorticoid receptor-Nox1 Axis
Aims:
We questioned whether aldosterone and oxidative stress play a role in vascular damage in severe hypertension and investigated the role of Nox1 in this process.
Materials and methods:
We studied mesenteric arteries, aortas and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from WKY and SHRSP rats. Vascular effects of eplerenone or canrenoic acid (CA) (mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) blockers), ML171 (Nox1 inhibitor) and EHT1864 (Rac1/2 inhibitor) were assessed. Nox1-knockout mice were also studied. Vessels and VSMCs were probed for Noxs, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and pro-fibrotic/inflammatory signaling.
Key findings:
Blood pressure and plasma levels of aldosterone and galectin-3 were increased in SHRSP versus WKY. Acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation was decreased (61% vs 115%) and phenylephrine-induced contraction increased in SHRSP versus WKY (Emax 132.8% vs 96.9%, p < 0.05). Eplerenone, ML171 and EHT1864 attenuated hypercontractility in SHRSP. Vascular expression of collagen, fibronectin, TGFβ, MCP-1, RANTES, MMP2, MMP9 and p66Shc was increased in SHRSP versus WKY. These changes were associated with increased ROS generation, 3-nitrotyrosine expression and Nox1 upregulation. Activation of vascular p66Shc and increased expression of Nox1 and collagen I were prevented by CA in SHRSP. Nox1 expression was increased in aldosterone-stimulated WKY VSMCs, an effect that was amplified in SHRSP VSMCs (5.2vs9.9 fold-increase). ML171 prevented aldosterone-induced VSMC Nox1-ROS production. Aldosterone increased vascular expression of fibronectin and PAI-1 in wild-type mice but not in Nox1-knockout mice.
Significance:
Our findings suggest that aldosterone, which is increased in SHRSP, induces vascular damage through MR-Nox1-p66Shc-mediated processes that modulate pro-fibrotic and pro-inflammatory signaling pathways
High throughput screening of monoamine oxidase (MAO-N-D5) substrate selectivity and rapid kinetic model generation
Full kinetic models provide insight into enzyme mechanism and kinetics and also support bioconversion process design and feasibility assessment. Previously we have established automated microwell methods for rapid data collection and hybrid kinetic modelling techniques for quantification of kinetic constants. In this work these methods are applied to explore the substrate selectivity and kinetics of monoamine oxidase, MAO-N-D5, from Aspergillus niger. In particular we examine the MAO-N-D5 variant Ile246Met/Asn336Ser/Met348Lys/Thr384Asn to allow the oxidation of secondary amines Initial screening showed that MAO-N-D5 enabled the selective oxidation of secondary amines in 8 and 9 carbon rings, as well as primary ethyl and propyl amines attached to secondary amines of indolines and pyrrolidines. Subsequently we developed a first kinetic model for the MAO-N-D5 enzyme based on the ping-pong bi-bi mechanism (similar to that for the human MAO-A enzyme). The full set of kinetic parameters were then established for three MAO-N-D5 substrates namely; 3-azabicyclo[3,3,0]octane, 1-(2 amino ethyl) pyrrolidine and 3-(2,3-dihydro-1H-indole-1-yl)propan-1-amine. The models for each amine substrate showed excellent agreement with experimentally determined progress curves over a range of operating conditions. They indicated that in each case amine inhibition was the main determinant of overall reaction rate rather than oxygen or imine (product) inhibition. From the perspective of larger scale bioconversion process design, the models indicated the need for fed-batch addition of the amine substrate and to increase the dissolved oxygen levels in order to maximize bioconversion process productivity
A high-field adiabatic fast passage ultracold neutron spin flipper for the UCNA experiment
The UCNA collaboration is making a precision measurement of the β asymmetry (A) in free neutron decay using polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). A critical component of this experiment is an adiabatic fast passage neutron spin flipper capable of efficient operation in ambient magnetic fields on the order of 1 T. The requirement that it operate in a high field necessitated the construction of a free neutron spin flipper based, for the first time, on a birdcage resonator. The design, construction, and initial testing of this spin flipper prior to its use in the first measurement of A with UCN during the 2007 run cycle of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center's 800 MeV proton accelerator is detailed. These studies determined the flipping efficiency of the device, averaged over the UCN spectrum present at the location of the spin flipper, to be ϵ(overbar) = 0.9985(4)
Transferring orbital and spin angular momenta of light to atoms
Light beams carrying orbital angular momentum, such as Laguerre-Gaussian
beams, give rise to the violation of the standard dipolar selection rules
during the interaction with matter yielding, in general, an exchange of angular
momentum larger than hbar per absorbed photon. By means of ab initio 3D
numerical simulations, we investigate in detail the interaction of a hydrogen
atom with intense Gaussian and Laguerre-Gaussian light pulses. We analyze the
dependence of the angular momentum exchange with the polarization, the orbital
angular momentum, and the carrier-envelope phase of light, as well as with the
relative position between the atom and the light vortex. In addition, a
quantum-trajectory approach based on the de Broglie-Bohm formulation of quantum
mechanics is used to gain physical insight into the absorption of angular
momentum by the hydrogen atom
Discretized Diffusion Processes
We study the properties of the ``Rigid Laplacian'' operator, that is we
consider solutions of the Laplacian equation in the presence of fixed
truncation errors. The dynamics of convergence to the correct analytical
solution displays the presence of a metastable set of numerical solutions,
whose presence can be related to granularity. We provide some scaling analysis
in order to determine the value of the exponents characterizing the process. We
believe that this prototype model is also suitable to provide an explanation of
the widespread presence of power-law in social and economic system where
information and decision diffuse, with errors and delay from agent to agent.Comment: 4 pages 5 figure, to be published in PR
Logarithmic periodicities in the bifurcations of type-I intermittent chaos
The critical relations for statistical properties on saddle-node bifurcations
are shown to display undulating fine structure, in addition to their known
smooth dependence on the control parameter. A piecewise linear map with the
type-I intermittency is studied and a log-periodic dependence is numerically
obtained for the average time between laminar events, the Lyapunov exponent and
attractor moments. The origin of the oscillations is built in the natural
probabilistic measure of the map and can be traced back to the existence of
logarithmically distributed discrete values of the control parameter giving
Markov partition. Reinjection and noise effect dependences are discussed and
indications are given on how the oscillations are potentially applicable to
complement predictions made with the usual critical exponents, taken from data
in critical phenomena.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in PRL (2004
Universal 1/f Noise from Dissipative SOC Models
We introduce a model able to reproduce the main features of 1/f noise:
hyper-universality (the power-law exponents are independent on the dimension of
the system; we show here results in d=1,2) and apparent lack of a low-frequency
cutoff in the power spectrum. Essential ingredients of this model are an
activation-deactivation process and dissipation.Comment: 3 Latex pages, 2 eps Figure
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