83 research outputs found
Hypervelocity atomic oxygen source for the study of atom-surface interactions
Planned improvements in an electric discharge heated atomic oxygen beam source are described which will provide 6 to 7 kms(-1) beams of atomic oxygen with a flux of 10(16) cm(-2) s(-1) at 50 cm distance from the source aperture. A major advance will be the use of a zone of silence nozzle-skimmer arrangement which is necessitated by the need for high source flux and performance. It is anticipated that a Phase 2 program would provide for the fabrication of a two stage vacuum system which would be suitable for bolting on to a UHV (ultrahigh vacuum) surface study apparatus
In vivo anomalous diffusion and weak ergodicity breaking of lipid granules
Combining extensive single particle tracking microscopy data of endogenous
lipid granules in living fission yeast cells with analytical results we show
evidence for anomalous diffusion and weak ergodicity breaking. Namely we
demonstrate that at short times the granules perform subdiffusion according to
the laws of continuous time random walk theory. The associated violation of
ergodicity leads to a characteristic turnover between two scaling regimes of
the time averaged mean squared displacement. At longer times the granule motion
is consistent with fractional Brownian motion.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, REVTeX. Supplementary Material. Physical Review
Letters, at pres
Renal Sodium Gradient Orchestrates a Dynamic Antibacterial Defense Zone.
Lower urinary tract infections are among the most common human bacterial infections, but extension to the kidneys is rare. This has been attributed to mechanical forces, such as urine flow, that prevent the ascent of bladder microbes. Here, we show that the regional hypersalinity, required for the kidney's urine-concentrating function, instructs epithelial cells to produce chemokines that localize monocyte-derived mononuclear phagocytes (MNPs) to the medulla. This hypersaline environment also increases the intrinsic bactericidal and neutrophil chemotactic activities of MNPs to generate a zone of defense. Because MNP positioning and function are dynamically regulated by the renal salt gradient, we find that patients with urinary concentrating defects are susceptible to kidney infection. Our work reveals a critical accessory role for the homeostatic function of a vital organ in optimizing tissue defense
Detecting and diagnosing hotspots for the enhanced management of hospital emergency departments in Queensland, Australia
Colonization with antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in children with sickle cell disease
Objective: Because of a susceptibility to severe pneumococcal infection, children with sickle cell disease (SCD) routinely receive penicillin prophylaxis. Increasing rates of penicillin resistance have been reported throughout the world. Our objective was to assess the prevalence of nasopharyngeal colonization with Streptococcus pneumoniae and to assess the antimicrobial susceptibility of the organisms in children with SCD
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