7,143 research outputs found
Enhancement of the helium resonance lines in the solar atmosphere by suprathermal electron excitation I: non-thermal transport of helium ions
Models of the solar transition region made from lines other than those of
helium cannot account for the strength of the helium lines. However, the
collisional excitation rates of the helium resonance lines are unusually
sensitive to the energy of the exciting electrons. Non-thermal motions in the
transition region could drive slowly-ionizing helium ions rapidly through the
steep temperature gradient, exposing them to excitation by electrons
characteristic of higher temperatures than those describing their ionization
state. We present the results of calculations which use a more physical
representation of the lifetimes of the ground states of He I and He II than was
adopted in earlier work on this process. New emission measure distributions are
used to calculate the temperature variation with height. The results show that
non-thermal motions can lead to enhancements of the He I and He II resonance
line intensities by factors that are comparable with those required. Excitation
by non-Maxwellian electron distributions would reduce the effects of
non-thermal transport. The effects of non-thermal motions are more consistent
with the observed spatial distribution of helium emission than are those of
excitation by non-Maxwellian electron distributions alone. In particular, they
account better for the observed line intensity ratio I(537.0 A)/I(584.3 A), and
its variation with location.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted to appear in MNRAS, LaTeX uses mn.st
Efficient Boron-Carbon-Nitrogen Nanotube Formation Via Combined Laser-Gas Flow Levitation
A process for producing boron nitride nanotubes and/or boron-carbon-nitrogen nanotubes of the general formula BxCyNz. The process utilizes a combination of laser light and nitrogen gas flow to support a boron ball target during heating of the boron ball target and production of a boron vapor plume which reacts with nitrogen or nitrogen and carbon to produce boron nitride nanotubes and/or boron-carbon-nitrogen nanotubes of the general formula BxCyNz
MLI: An API for Distributed Machine Learning
MLI is an Application Programming Interface designed to address the
challenges of building Machine Learn- ing algorithms in a distributed setting
based on data-centric computing. Its primary goal is to simplify the
development of high-performance, scalable, distributed algorithms. Our initial
results show that, relative to existing systems, this interface can be used to
build distributed implementations of a wide variety of common Machine Learning
algorithms with minimal complexity and highly competitive performance and
scalability
Outdoor PV Degradation Comparison
As photovoltaic (PV) penetration of the power grid increases, it becomes vital to know how decreased power output may affect cost over time. In order to predict power delivery, the decline or degradation rates must be determined accurately. At the Performance and Energy Rating Testbed (PERT) at the Outdoor Test Facility (OTF) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) more than 40 modules from more than 10 different manufacturers were compared for their long-term outdoor stability. Because it can accommodate a large variety of modules in a limited footprint the PERT system is ideally suited to compare modules side-by-side under the same conditions
Tacrolimus rescue therapy for renal allograft rejection - Five-year experience
Over the 5 year period from 7/14/1989 until 5/24/1994, we have attempted graft salvage with tacrolimus conversion in a total of 169 patients (median age 33 years, range 2-75 years) with ongoing rejection on baseline CsA immunosuppression after failure of high dose corticosteroids and/or antilymphocyte preparations to reverse rejection. The indications for conversion to tacrolimus were ongoing, biopsy confirmed rejection in all patients. The median interval to tacrolimus conversion was 2 months (range 2 days to 55 months; mean 4.3±2.6 months) after transplantation. All patients had failed high dose corticosteroid therapy and 144 (85%) of the 169 patients had received at least one course of an antilymphocyte preparation plus high dose corticosteroid therapy prior to conversion. Twenty-eight patients (17%) were dialysis-dependent at the time of conversion owing to the severity of rejection. With a mean follow-up of 30.0±2.4 months (median 36.5 months, range 12-62 months), 125 of 169 patients (74%) have been successfully rescued and still have functioning grafts with a mean serum creatinine (SCR) of 2.3±1.1 mg/dl. Of the 144 patients previously treated with antilymphocyte preparations, 117 (81%) were salvaged. Of the 28 patients on dialysis at the time of conversion to tacrolimus, 13 (46%) continue to have functioning grafts (mean SCR 2.15±0.37 mg/dl) at a mean follow-up of 37.3±16.7 months. In the 125 patients salvaged, prednisone doses have been lowered from 28.0±9.0 mg/d (median 32, range 4-60 mg/d) preconversion to 8.5±4.1 mg/d (median 12 mg/d, range 2.5-20 mg/d) postconversion. Twenty-eight patients (22.4%) are currently receiving no steroids. This 5 year experience demonstrates that tacrolimus has sustained efficacy as a rescue agent for ongoing renal allograft rejection. Based on these data, we recommend that tacrolimus be used as an alternative to the conventional drugs used for antirejection therapy in renal transplantation
Ternatin and improved synthetic variants kill cancer cells by targeting the elongation factor-1A ternary complex.
Cyclic peptide natural products have evolved to exploit diverse protein targets, many of which control essential cellular processes. Inspired by a series of cyclic peptides with partially elucidated structures, we designed synthetic variants of ternatin, a cytotoxic and anti-adipogenic natural product whose molecular mode of action was unknown. The new ternatin variants are cytotoxic toward cancer cells, with up to 500-fold greater potency than ternatin itself. Using a ternatin photo-affinity probe, we identify the translation elongation factor-1A ternary complex (eEF1A·GTP·aminoacyl-tRNA) as a specific target and demonstrate competitive binding by the unrelated natural products, didemnin and cytotrienin. Mutations in domain III of eEF1A prevent ternatin binding and confer resistance to its cytotoxic effects, implicating the adjacent hydrophobic surface as a functional hot spot for eEF1A modulation. We conclude that the eukaryotic elongation factor-1A and its ternary complex with GTP and aminoacyl-tRNA are common targets for the evolution of cytotoxic natural products
Enhancement of the helium resonance lines in the solar atmosphere by suprathermal electron excitation II: non-Maxwellian electron distributions
In solar EUV spectra the He I and He II resonance lines show unusual
behaviour and have anomalously high intensities compared with other transition
region lines. The formation of the helium resonance lines is investigated
through extensive non-LTE radiative transfer calculations. The model
atmospheres of Vernazza, Avrett & Loeser are found to provide reasonable
matches to the helium resonance line intensities but significantly
over-estimate the intensities of other transition region lines. New model
atmospheres have been developed from emission measure distributions derived by
Macpherson & Jordan, which are consistent with SOHO observations of transition
region lines other than those of helium. These models fail to reproduce the
observed helium resonance line intensities by significant factors. The
possibility that non-Maxwellian electron distributions in the transition region
might lead to increased collisional excitation rates in the helium lines is
studied. Collisional excitation and ionization rates are re-computed for
distribution functions with power law suprathermal tails which may form by the
transport of fast electrons from high temperature regions. Enhancements of the
helium resonance line intensities are found, but many of the predictions of the
models regarding line ratios are inconsistent with observations. These results
suggest that any such departures from Maxwellian electron distributions are not
responsible for the helium resonance line intensities.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, accepted to appear in MNRAS, LaTeX uses mn.st
Effects of resistance training on classic and specific bioelectrical impedance vector analysis in elderly women
Raw bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) data [resistance (R); reactance (Xc)] through bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA) and phase angle (PhA) have been used to evaluate cellular function and hydration status. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of resistance training (RT) on classic and specific BIVA in elderly women. Twenty women (mean ± SD; age: 71.9 ± 6.9 years; BMI: 24.5 ± 3.0 kg m(-2)) completed a 6-month RT program. Whole-body, single-frequency BIA, body geometry, and leg strength (5RM) measures were completed at baseline (t0), 3 months (t3), and 6 months (t6). The mean impedance vector displacements were compared using Hotelling's T(2) test to evaluate changes in R and Xc relative to height (R/ht; Xc/ht) or body volume (Rsp; Xcsp) estimated from the arms, legs, and trunk. 5RM, PhA, and BIVA variables were compared using ANOVA. PhA improved at t6 (p < 0.01), while 5RM improved at t3 and t6 (p < 0.01). Using classic BIVA, 6 months (T(2) = 31.6; p < 0.01), but not 3 months of RT (T(2) = 4.5; p = 0.20), resulted in significant vector migration. Using specific BIVA, 6 months (T(2) = 24.4; p < 0.01), but not 3 months of RT (T(2) = 5.5; p = 0.10), also resulted in significant vector migration. 5RM was correlated to both PhA (r = 0.48-56) and Xcsp (r = 0.45-53) at all time points. Vector displacements were likely the result of improved cellular integrity (Xcsp) and cellular health (PhA)
Comparison of antimicrobial resistance phenotypes and genotypes in enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from Australian and Vietnamese pigs
This study aimed to compare the antibiogram phenotype and carriage of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) of 97 porcine multidrug-resistant (MDR) enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolates obtained from Vietnam and 117 porcine MDR-ETEC obtained from Australia, two countries with different antimicrobial regulation systems. An antimicrobial resistance index (ARI) was calculated to quantify their potential significance to public health. Both Vietnamese and Australian isolates had moderate to high levels of resistance to commonly used antibiotics (ampicillin, tetracycline and sulphonamides). None of the Australian isolates were resistant to fluoroquinolones or third-generation cephalosporins and none possessed associated plasmid-mediated ARGs. However, 23.1% of Australian isolates were resistant to gentamicin owing to ARGs associated with apramycin or neomycin resistance [e.g. aac(3)-IV] that impart cross-resistance to gentamicin. Whilst Vietnamese isolates carried aminoglycoside ARGs, 44.4% of commercial pig isolates were resistant to gentamicin in comparison with 0% of village pig isolates. The plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone ARG qnrB was commonly detected in Vietnamese isolates (52.3% commercial, 44.1% village), but phenotypic resistance was low (3.2% and 11.8%, respectively). The mean ARI for Vietnamese isolates (26.0) was significantly different (P < 0.001) from the mean ARI for Australian isolates (19.8), primarily reflecting fluoroquinolone resistance in the former collection. This comparison suggests the effectiveness of regulations that slow the dissemination of 'critical' resistance by restricting the availability of important classes of antimicrobials
- …