Hadron shower decomposition in the highly granular CALICE analogue hadron calorimeter

The spatial development of hadronic showers in the CALICE scintillator-steel analogue hadron calorimeter is studied using test beam data collected at CERN and FNAL for single positive pions and protons with initial momenta in the range from 10 to 80 GeV/c. Both longitudinal and radial development of hadron showers are parametrised with two-component functions. The parametrisation is fit to test beam data and simulations using the QGSP_BERT and FTFP_BERT physics lists from Geant4 version 9.6. The parameters extracted from data and simulated samples are compared for the two types of hadrons. The response to pions and the ratio of the non-electromagnetic to the electromagnetic calorimeter response, h/e, are estimated using the extrapolation and decomposition of the longitudinal profiles.Comment: 38 pages, 19 figures, 5 tables; author list changed; submitted to JINS

Kurze Anleitung zur mikroskopischen Krystallbestimmung,

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Medical Miscellany

The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii,a well-established model organism,has been widely used in dissecting glycerolipid metabolism in oxygenating photosynthetic organisms.In previous studies,it has been found that shunting carbon precursors from the starch synthesis pathway can lead to a 10-fold increase in TAG content as compared to the wild type,but it is unknown whether inactivation of AGPase may affect membrane lipids biosynthesis.The study aims to investigate global changes in lipid metabolism and homeostasis in the starchless mutant C.reinhardtii sta6.By utilizing an electrospray ionization/mass spectrometry(ESI/MS)-based lipidomics approach,a total of 105 membrane lipid molecules of C.reinhardtii were resolved,including 16 monogalactosyldiacylglycerol(MGDG),16 digalactosyldiacylglycerol(DGDG),11 phosphatidylglycerol(PG),6 sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol(SQDG),49 diacylglyceryl-N,N,N-trimethylhomoserine(DGTS),2 phosphatidylethanolamine(PE),and 5 phosphatidylinositol(PI)molecules.The quantitative results indicated that the membrane lipid profiles were similar between the two C.reinhardtii strains grown under both low-and high-light conditions,but the cellular contents of a great number of lipids were altered in sta6 due to the defect in starch biosynthesis.Under low-light conditions,sta6 accumulated more PI,MGDG,DGDG but less amounts of DGTS as compared to WT.Under high light,sta6 cells contained higher content membrane lipids than cc-124,except for PG,which is more or less similar in both strains.Our results demonstrate that the cellular membrane lipid homeostasis underwent profound changes in the starchless mutant,and thereby its physiological impact remains to be explored

Use of elastin fibres detected in non-directed low volume bronchial lavage in ventilated ICU patients

Elastin fibres in sputum have been described as a more sensitive marker of pulmonary necrosis than plain chest X-rays. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of elastin fibres using non-directed non-protected mini-bronchoalveolar lavage (BM-BAL) in mechanically ventilated patients in the intensive care unit. Patients admitted to the general intensive care unit of a tertiary referral hospital requiring more than 48 hours of mechanical ventilation had surveillance BM-BAL performed on admission and were then examined weekly using potassium hydroxide wet preparations for the presence of elastin fibres. All positive and a random selection of 16 negative preparations from patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome or pneumonia were fixed and examined using Weigert's staining method for elastin. Of 412 patients enrolled, 130 (32%) had pneumonia on admission, 50 (12%) developed 58 episodes of ventilator-associated pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome was diagnosed in 86 patients (21%). No chest X-ray showed cavitating infiltrates. Of 985 specimens examined, only seven had elastin fibres. Elastin fibres are uncommonly found using BM-BAL in general screening, acute respiratory distress syndrome or pneumonia in the intensive care unit, the incidence too low to be a useful indicator of pulmonary necrosis

Could valerian have been the first anticonvulsant?

To assess the available evidence for the belief that valerian, highly recommended in the past for treating epilepsy, possessed real anticonvulsant effectiveness.Review of available literature.In 1592, Fabio Colonna, in his botanical classic Phytobasanos, reported that taking powdered valerian root cured his own epilepsy. Subsequent reports of valerian's anticonvulsant effectiveness appeared. By the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it was often regarded as the best available treatment for the disorder. Valerian preparations yield isovaleric acid, a substance analogous to valproic acid and likely to possess anticonvulsant properties, as isovaleramide does. In favorable circumstances, high valerian doses can be calculated to have sometimes provided potentially effective amounts of anticonvulsant substance for epilepsy patients.Valerian probably did possess the potential for an anticonvulsant effect, but the uncertain chemical composition and content of valerian preparations, and their odor and taste, made it unlikely that they could ever prove satisfactory in widespread use