354 research outputs found
Event related potentials reveal that increasing perceptual load leads to increased responses for target stimuli and decreased responses for irrelevant stimuli
This Document is Protected by copyright and was first published by Frontiers. All rights reserved. It is reproduced with permission.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA), an enzymatically synthesized functionalizable polyester and versatile drug delivery carrier : A literature update
The enzymatically synthesized poly (glycerol adipate) (PGA) has demonstrated all the desirable key properties required from a performing biomaterial to be considered a versatile "polymeric-tool" in the broad field of drug delivery. The step-growth polymerization pathway catalyzed by lipase generates a highly functionalizable platform while avoiding tedious steps of protection and deprotection. Synthesis requires only minor purification steps and uses cheap and readily available reagents. The final polymeric material is biodegradable, biocompatible and intrinsically amphiphilic, with a good propensity to self-assemble into nanoparticles (NPs). The free hydroxyl group lends itself to a variety of chemical derivatizations via simple reaction pathways which alter its physico-chemical properties with a possibility to generate an endless number of possible active macromolecules. The present work aims to summarize the available literature about PGA synthesis, architecture alterations, chemical modifications and its application in drug and gene delivery as a versatile carrier. Following on from this, the evolution of the concept of enzymatically-degradable PGA-drug conjugation has been explored, reporting recent examples in the literature.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio
A novel non-Fermi-liquid state in the iron-pnictide FeCrAs
We report transport and thermodynamic properties of stoichiometric single
crystals of the hexagonal iron-pnictide FeCrAs. The in-plane resistivity shows
an unusual "non-metallic" dependence on temperature T, rising continuously with
decreasing T from ~ 800 K to below 100 mK. The c-axis resistivity is similar,
except for a sharp drop upon entry into an antiferromagnetic state at T_N 125
K. Below 10 K the resistivity follows a non-Fermi-liquid power law, rho(T) =
rho_0 - AT^x with x<1, while the specific heat shows Fermi liquid behaviour
with a large Sommerfeld coefficient, gamma ~ 30 mJ/mol K^2. The high
temperature properties are reminiscent of those of the parent compounds of the
new layered iron-pnictide superconductors, however the T -> 0 properties
suggest a new class of non-Fermi liquid.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
From soft harmonic phonons to fast relaxational dynamics in CHNHPbBr
The lead-halide perovskites, including CHNHPbBr, are
components in cost effective, highly efficient photovoltaics, where the
interactions of the molecular cations with the inorganic framework are
suggested to influence the electronic and ferroelectric properties.
CHNHPbBr undergoes a series of structural transitions
associated with orientational order of the CHNH (MA) molecular
cation and tilting of the PbBr host framework. We apply high-resolution
neutron scattering to study the soft harmonic phonons associated with these
transitions, and find a strong coupling between the PbBr framework and
the quasistatic CHNH dynamics at low energy transfers. At higher
energy transfers, we observe a PbBr octahedra soft mode driving a
transition at 150 K from bound molecular excitations at low temperatures to
relatively fast relaxational excitations that extend up to 50-100 meV.
We suggest that these temporally overdamped dynamics enables possible indirect
band gap processes in these materials that are related to the enhanced
photovoltaic properties.Comment: (main text - 5 pages, 4 figures; supplementary information - 3 pages,
3 figures
Task cues lead to item-level backward inhibition with univalent stimuli and responses
Funding This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Peer reviewedPostprin
Direct relation between the low-energy spin excitations and superconductivity of overdoped high- superconductors
The dynamic spin susceptibility, , has been measured over the
energy range of meV for overdoped
LaSrCuO. Incommensurate (IC) spin excitations are observed
at 8 K for all superconducting samples for with
peaking at meV. The IC peaks at 6 meV become smaller in
intensity with increasing and, finally, become unobservable for a sample
with which has no bulk superconductivity. The maximum
decreases linearly with (onset) in the overdoped region, implying a direct
cooperative relation between the spin fluctuations and the superconductivity.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
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The appearance of cartilage used in deep inferior epigastric perforator breast reconstruction surgery as a calcified mass on CT scan.
This paper describes an unusual radiological appearance of implanted cartilage on CT scan in a patient who had recently undergone deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) breast reconstruction surgery following a mastectomy for ductal carcinoma in situ. The purpose of this paper is to alert medical practitioners involved with DIEP breast reconstruction surgery, as well as general radiologists, to the possibility of surgically implanted costal cartilage undergoing calcification and then appearing on imaging studies as a malignant process. Information on the patient was gathered from clinical records, imaging reports and pathological samples. A literature search was performed to identify similar cases and the results showed that this occurrence has never before been described and therefore represents an advancement of knowledge about the imaging characteristics of reconstructed breast tissue
Bread and roses, shelter and community : psychological sense of community for single mothers in housing
vi, 61 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 53-61).The relationship between empowerment and sense of community was explored by investigating how they are related to the degree of self-management and problem-solving available in different forms of housing. One hundred and one single mothers from public housing, co-op housing, and private rental units completed the Sense of Community Index (SCI) the Personal Power (PP) Scale, and the Masculinity Scale of the Bem Sex Role Inventory. Analysis of covariance indicated sense of community was significantly higher for co-op residents even when education levels, age, income, length of residency, expected length of residency and level of participation in neighbourhood organizations were controlled statistically. Implications for development of housing forms that facilitate sense of community are discussed
Prediction of whole-body fat percentage and visceral adipose tissue mass from five anthropometric variables
Background The conventional measurement of obesity utilises the body mass index (BMI) criterion. Although there are benefits to this method, there is concern that not all individuals at risk of obesity-associated medical conditions are being identified. Whole-body fat percentage (%FM), and specifically visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass, are correlated with and potentially implicated in disease trajectories, but are not fully accounted for through BMI evaluation. The aims of this study were (a) to compare five anthropometric predictors of %FM and VAT mass, and (b) to explore new cut-points for the best of these predictors to improve the characterisation of obesity. Methods BMI, waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and waist/height0.5 (WHT.5R) were measured and calculated for 81 adults (40 women, 41 men; mean (SD) age: 38.4 (17.5) years; 94% Caucasian). Total body dual energy X-ray absorptiometry with Corescan (GE Lunar iDXA, Encore version 15.0) was also performed to quantify %FM and VAT mass. Linear regression analysis, stratified by sex, was applied to predict both %FM and VAT mass for each anthropometric variable. Within each sex, we used information theoretic methods (Akaike Information Criterion; AIC) to compare models. For the best anthropometric predictor, we derived tentative cut-points for classifying individuals as obese (>25% FM for men or >35% FM for women, or > highest tertile for VAT mass). Results The best predictor of both %FM and VAT mass in men and women was WHtR. Derived cut-points for predicting whole body obesity were 0.53 in men and 0.54 in women. The cut-point for predicting visceral obesity was 0.59 in both sexes. Conclusions In the absence of more objective measures of central obesity and adiposity, WHtR is a suitable proxy measure in both women and men. The proposed DXA-%FM and VAT mass cut-offs require validation in larger studies, but offer potential for improvement of obesity characterisation and the identification of individuals who would most benefit from therapeutic intervention
Techniques in Analytic Lamb Shift Calculations
Quantum electrodynamics has been the first theory to emerge from the ideas of
regularization and renormalization, and the coupling of the fermions to the
virtual excitations of the electromagnetic field. Today, bound-state quantum
electrodynamics provides us with accurate theoretical predictions for the
transition energies relevant to simple atomic systems, and steady theoretical
progress relies on advances in calculational techniques, as well as numerical
algorithms. In this brief review, we discuss one particular aspect connected
with the recent progress: the evaluation of relativistic corrections to the
one-loop bound-state self-energy in a hydrogenlike ion of low nuclear charge
number, for excited non-S states, up to the order of alpha (Zalpha)^6 in units
of the electron mass. A few details of calculations formerly reported in the
literature are discussed, and results for 6F, 7F, 6G and 7G states are given.Comment: 16 pages, LaTe
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