677 research outputs found
Lattice gas model for fragmentation: From Argon on Scandium to Gold on Gold
The recent fragmentation data for central collisions of Gold on Gold are even
qualitatively different from those for central collisions of Argon on Scandium.
The latter can be fitted with a lattice gas model calculation. Effort is made
to understand why the model fails for Gold on Gold. The calculation suggests
that the large Coulomb interaction which is operative for the larger system is
responsible for this discrepancy. This is demonstrated by mapping the lattice
gas model to a molecular dynamics calculation for disassembly. This mapping is
quite faithful for Argon on Scandium but deviates strongly for Gold on Gold.
The molecular dynamics calculation for disassembly reproduces the
characteristics of the fragmentation data for both Gold on Gold and Argon on
Scandium.Comment: 13 pages, Revtex, 8 figures in ps files, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Irreversibility and Polymer Adsorption
Physisorption or chemisorption from dilute polymer solutions often entails
irreversible polymer-surface bonding. We present a theory of the
non-equilibrium layers which result. While the density profile and loop
distribution are the same as for equilibrium layers, the final layer comprises
a tightly bound inner part plus an outer part whose chains make only fN surface
contacts where N is chain length. The contact fractions f follow a broad
distribution, P(f) ~ f^{-4/5}, in rather close agreement with strong
physisorption experiments [H. M. Schneider et al, Langmuir v.12, p.994 (1996)].Comment: 4 pages, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
A Quasi-Classical Model of Intermediate Velocity Particle Production in Asymmetric Heavy Ion Reactions
The particle emission at intermediate velocities in mass asymmetric reactions
is studied within the framework of classical molecular dynamics. Two reactions
in the Fermi energy domain were modelized, Ni+C and Ni+Au at 34.5
MeV/nucleon. The availability of microscopic correlations at all times allowed
a detailed study of the fragment formation process. Special attention was paid
to the physical origin of fragments and emission timescales, which allowed us
to disentangle the different processes involved in the mid-rapidity particle
production. Consequently, a clear distinction between a prompt pre- equilibrium
emission and a delayed aligned asymmetric breakup of the heavier partner of the
reaction was achieved.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures. Final version: figures were redesigned, and a new
section discussing the role of Coulomb in IMF production was include
Alphabetisierung - bloß berufliche Notwendigkeit oder mehr?
Anstrengungen zur Verringerung der unzureichend gegebenen Elementarbildung jener Bevölkerungsgruppe, auf die hierzulande die Bezeichnung „AnalphabetInnen“ zutrifft, werden derzeit – so wie Bildungsbemühungen generell – fast durchwegs unter dem Gesichtspunkt des gesellschaftlichen Tausch- bzw. Marktwerts argumentiert. Sie gelten als eine Investition in die „Ressource Mensch“ – auf einen darüber hinausgehenden humanitären oder politischen Wert wird nur selten Bezug genommen. Auch wenn die Bedeutung der Kulturtechniken im Rahmen der ökonomischen Verwertung menschlicher Arbeitskraft selbstverständlich nicht ignoriert werden kann, bedeutet die Befähigung der Menschen zur schriftlichen Kommunikation weit mehr als ihre Zurichtung zu verwertbarem Humankapital. Literalität ist ein grundsätzlicher Aspekt der „Menschwerdung“ des Menschen, sie erst ermöglicht dem einzelnen Individuum eine Teilhabe am kulturellen und gesellschaftlichen Leben, darüber hinaus und darauf aufbauend aber auch die fortschreitende Emanzipation des Menschengeschlechts insgesamt. Die Teilhabemöglichkeit an der menschlichen Gemeinschaft ist nicht bloß ein Vorteil unter vielen anderen, der auf der gleichen Ebene wie die Möglichkeit, seine Arbeitskraft lukrativ verkaufen zu können, angesiedelt ist. Es geht dabei um wesentlich mehr – in letzter Konsequenz um die Überwindung der die Gesellschaft in allen Aspekten bestimmenden Verwertungsprämisse. (DIPF/Orig.
Murine Fig4 is dispensable for muscle development but required for muscle function
Abstract
Background
Phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIPs) are low-abundance phospholipids that participate in a range of cellular processes, including cell migration and membrane traffic. PIP levels and subcellular distribution are regulated by a series of lipid kinases and phosphatases. In skeletal muscle, PIPs and their enzymatic regulators serve critically important functions exemplified by mutations of the PIP phosphatase MTM1 in myotubular myopathy (MTM), a severe muscle disease characterized by impaired muscle structure and abnormal excitation–contraction coupling. FIG4 functions as a PIP phosphatase that participates in both the synthesis and breakdown of phosphatidylinositol 3,5-bisphosphate (PI(3,5)P2). Mutation of FIG4 results in a severe neurodegenerative disorder in mice and a progressive peripheral polyneuropathy in humans. The effect of FIG4 mutation on skeletal muscle has yet to be examined.
Methods
Herein we characterize the impact of FIG4 on skeletal muscle development and function using the spontaneously occurring mouse mutant pale tremor (plt), a mouse line with a loss of function mutation in Fig4.
Results
In plt mice, we characterized abnormalities in skeletal muscle, including reduced muscle size and specific force generation. We also uncovered ultrastructural abnormalities and increased programmed cell death. Conversely, we detected no structural or functional abnormalities to suggest impairment of excitation–contraction coupling, a process previously shown to be influenced by PI(3,5)P2 levels. Conditional rescue of Fig4 mutation in neurons prevented overt muscle weakness and the development of obvious muscle abnormalities, suggesting that the changes observed in the plt mice were primarily related to denervation of skeletal muscle. On the basis of the ability of reduced FIG4 levels to rescue aspects of Mtmr2-dependent neuropathy, we evaluated the effect of Fig4 haploinsufficiency on the myopathy of Mtm1-knockout mice. Male mice with a compound Fig4
+/−/Mtm1
–/Y genotype displayed no improvements in muscle histology, muscle size or overall survival, indicating that FIG4 reduction does not ameliorate the Mtm1-knockout phenotype.
Conclusions
Overall, these data indicate that loss of Fig4 impairs skeletal muscle function but does not significantly affect its structural development.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112676/1/13395_2013_Article_83.pd
Ferdi ve şürekâsı
Halit Ziya'nın Hizmet'te tefrika edilen Ferdi ve Şürekâsı adlı roman
Moral Responsibility, Technology, and Experiences of the Tragic: From Kierkegaard to Offshore Engineering
The standard response to engineering disasters like the Deepwater Horizon case is to ascribe full moral responsibility to individuals and to collectives treated as individuals. However, this approach is inappropriate since concrete action and experience in engineering contexts seldom meets the criteria of our traditional moral theories. Technological action is often distributed rather than individual or collective, we lack full control of the technology and its consequences, and we lack knowledge and are uncertain about these consequences. In this paper, I analyse these problems by employing Kierkegaardian notions of tragedy and moral responsibility in order to account for experiences of the tragic in technological action. I argue that ascription of responsibility in engineering contexts should be sensitive to personal experiences of lack of control, uncertainty, role conflicts, social dependence, and tragic choice. I conclude that this does not justify evading individual and corporate responsibility, but inspires practices of responsibility ascription that are less ‘harsh’ on those directly involved in technological action, that listen to their personal experiences, and that encourage them to gain more knowledge about what they are doing
Myostatin Is Elevated in Congenital Heart Disease and After Mechanical Unloading
Myostatin is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass whose activity is upregulated in adult heart failure (HF); however, its role in congenital heart disease (CHD) is unknown.We studied myostatin and IGF-1 expression via Western blot in cardiac tissue at varying degrees of myocardial dysfunction and after biventricular support in CHD by collecting myocardial biopsies from four patient cohorts: A) adult subjects with no known cardiopulmonary disease (left ventricle, LV), (Adult Normal), (n = 5); B) pediatric subjects undergoing congenital cardiac surgery with normal RV size and function (right ventricular outflow tract, RVOT), (n = 3); C) pediatric subjects with worsening but hemodynamically stable LV failure [LV and right ventricle (LV, RV,)] with biopsy collected at the time of orthotopic heart transplant (OHT), (n = 7); and D) pediatric subjects with decompensated bi-ventricular failure on BiVAD support with biopsy collected at OHT (LV, RV, BiVAD), (n = 3).The duration of HF was longest in OHT patients compared to BIVAD. The duration of BiVAD support was 4.3±1.9 days. Myostatin expression was significantly increased in LV-OHT compared to RV-OHT and RVOT, and was increased more than double in decompensated biventricular HF (BiVAD) compared to both OHT and RVOT. An increased myostatin/IGF-1 ratio was associated with ventricular dysfunction.Myostatin expression in increased in CHD, and the myostatin/IGF-1 ratio increases as ventricular function deteriorates. Future investigation is necessary to determine if restoration of the physiologic myostatin/IGF-1 ratio has therapeutic potential in HF
Searching for the Nuclear Liquid-Gas Phase Transition in Au + Au Collisions at 35 MeV/nucleon
Within the framework of Classical Molecular Dynamics, we study the collision
Au + Au at an incident energy of 35 MeV/nucleon. It is found that the system
shows a critical behaviour at peripheral impact parameters, revealed through
the analysis of conditional moments of charge distributions, Campi Scatter
Plot, and the occurrence of large fluctuations in the region of the Campi plot
where this critical behaviour is expected. When applying the experimental
filters of the MULTICS-MINIBALL apparatus, it is found that criticality signals
can be hidden due to the inefficiency of the experimental apparatus. The
signals are then recovered by identifying semi-peripheral and peripheral
collisions looking to the velocity distribution of the largest fragment, then
by selecting the most complete events.Comment: RevTex file, 21 pages + 19 figures available upon request from
[email protected]
Liquid-gas phase transition in nuclear multifragmentation
The equation of state of nuclear matter suggests that at suitable beam
energies the disassembling hot system formed in heavy ion collisions will pass
through a liquid-gas coexistence region. Searching for the signatures of the
phase transition has been a very important focal point of experimental
endeavours in heavy ion collisions, in the last fifteen years. Simultaneously
theoretical models have been developed to provide information about the
equation of state and reaction mechanisms consistent with the experimental
observables. This article is a review of this endeavour.Comment: 63 pages, 27 figures, submitted to Adv. Nucl. Phys. Some typos
corrected, minor text change
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