1,518 research outputs found
Development of PET tracers for in vivo imaging of active tissue transglutaminase
Windhorst, A.D. [Promotor]Lammertsma, A.A. [Promotor
Multiple Andreev reflections in diffusive SNS structures
We report new measurements on sup-gap energy structure originating from
multiple Andreev reflections in mesoscopic SNS junctions. The junctions were
fabricated in a planar geometry with high transparency superconducting contacts
of Al deposited on highly diffusive and surface d-doped n++-GaAs. For samples
with a normal GaAs region of active length 0.3um the Josephson effect with a
maximal supercurrent Ic=3mA at T=237mK was observed. The sub-gap structure was
observed as a series of local minima in the differential resistance at dc bias
voltages V=2D/ne with n=1,2,4 i.e. only the even sub-gap positions. While at
V=2D/e (n=1) only one dip is observed, the n=2, and the n=4 sub-gap structures
each consists of two separate dips in the differential resistance. The mutual
spacing of these two dips is independent of temperature, and the mutual spacing
of the n=4 dips is half of the spacing of the n=2 dips. The voltage bias
positions of the sub-gap differential resistance minima coincide with the
maxima in the oscillation amplitude when a magnetic field is applied in an
interferometer configuration, where one of the superconducting electrodes has
been replaced by a flux sensitive open loop.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figure
On Silicon Carbide Grains as the Carrier of the 21 Micron Emission Feature in Post-Asymptotic Giant Branch Stars
The mysterious 21mu emission feature seen in 12 proto-planetary nebulae
(PPNe) remains unidentified since its first detection in 1989. Over a dozen of
candidate materials have been proposed within the past decade, but none of them
has received general acceptance. Very recently, silicon carbide (SiC) grains
with impurities were suggested to be the carrier of this enigmatic feature,
based on recent laboratory data that doped SiC grains exhibit a resonance at
\~21mu. This proposal gains strength from the fact that SiC is a common dust
species in carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes. However, SiC dust has a strong
vibrational band at ~11.3mu. We show in this Letter that in order to be
consistent with the observed flux ratios of the 11.3mu feature to the 21mu
feature, the band strength of the 21mu resonance has to be very strong, too
strong to be consistent with current laboratory measurements. But this does not
yet readily rule out the SiC hypothesis since recent experimental results have
demonstrated that the 21mu resonance of doped SiC becomes stronger as the C
impurity increases. Further laboratory measurements of SiC dust with high
fractions of C impurity are urgently needed to test the hypothesis of SiC as
the carrier of the 21mu feature.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ
Ontogeny of midazolam glucuronidation in preterm infants
Purpose: In preterm infants, the biotransformation of midazolam (M) to 1-OH-midazolam (OHM) by cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) is developmentally immature, but it is currently unknown whether the glucuronidation of OHM to 1-OH-midazolam glucuronide (OHMG) is also decreased. The aim of our study was to investigate the urinary excretion of midazolam and its metabolites OHM and OHMG in preterm neonates following the intravenous (IV) or oral (PO) administration of a single M dose. Methods: Preterm infants (post-natal age 3-13 days, gestational age 26-34 4/7 weeks) scheduled to undergo a stressful procedure received a 30-min IV infusion (n=15) or a PO bolus dose (n=7) of 0.1 mg/kg midazolam. The percentage of midazolam dose excreted in the urine as M, OHM and OHMG up to 6 h post-dose was determined. Results: The median percentage of the midazolam dose excreted as M, OHM and OHMG in the urine during the 6-h interval after the IV infusion was 0.44% (range 0.02-1.39%), 0.04% (0.01-0.13%) and 1.57% (0.36-7.7%), respectively. After administration of the PO bolus dose, the median percentage of M, OHM and OHMG excreted in the urine was 0.11% (0.02-0.59%), 0.02% (0.00-0.10%) and 1.69% (0.58-7.31%), respectively. The proportion of the IV midazolam dose excreted as OHMG increased significantly with postconceptional age (r=0.73, p <0.05). Conclusion: The glucuronidation of OHM appears immature in preterm infants less than 2 weeks of age. The observed increase in urinary excretion of OHMG with postconceptional age likely reflects the combined maturation of glucuronidation and renal function
New Constraints on the Composition of Jupiter from Galileo Measurements and Interior Models
Using the helium abundance measured by Galileo in the atmosphere of Jupiter
and interior models reproducing the observed external gravitational field, we
derive new constraints on the composition and structure of the planet. We
conclude that, except for helium which must be more abundant in the metallic
interior than in the molecular envelope, Jupiter could be homogeneous (no core)
or could have a central dense core up to 12 Earth masses. The mass fraction of
heavy elements is less than 7.5 times the solar value in the metallic envelope
and between 1 and 7.2 times solar in the molecular envelope. The total amount
of elements other than hydrogen and helium in the planet is between 11 and 45
Earth masses.Comment: 15 pages, 2 figures (1 color
Von Willebrand factor propeptide as a marker of disease activity in systemic sclerosis (scleroderma)
In 44 consecutive patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), plasma concentrations of von Willebrand factor (vWf) were higher than those of the vWf propeptide, but the propeptide showed less variability within patient subgroups. Higher values of the propeptide were observed in patients with early pulmonary involvement. A closer correlation of the propeptide than of vWf to biochemical markers of activity was also evident. Our results suggest that the propeptide, despite a shorter circulating half-time and lower plasma concentrations than vWf, is more useful in the assessment of disease activity in SSc
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