Quantitative outcrop analogue data for modelling of storm-dominated, shallow marine shoreface reservoirs

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Orbit period modulation for relative motion using continuous low thrust in the two-body and restricted three-body problems

This paper presents rich new families of relative orbits for spacecraft formation flight generated through the application of continuous thrust with only minimal intervention into the dynamics of the problem. Such simplicity facilitates implementation for small, low-cost spacecraft with only position state feedback, and yet permits interesting and novel relative orbits in both two- and three-body systems with potential future applications in space-based interferometry, hyperspectral sensing, and on-orbit inspection. Position feedback is used to modify the natural frequencies of the linearised relative dynamics through direct manipulation of the system eigenvalues, producing new families of stable relative orbits. Specifically, in the Hill–Clohessy–Wiltshire frame, simple adaptations of the linearised dynamics are used to produce a circular relative orbit, frequency-modulated out-of-plane motion, and a novel doubly periodic cylindrical relative trajectory for the purposes of on-orbit inspection. Within the circular restricted three-body problem, a similar minimal approach with position feedback is used to generate new families of stable, frequency-modulated relative orbits in the vicinity of a Lagrange point, culminating in the derivation of the gain requirements for synchronisation of the in-plane and out-of-plane frequencies to yield a singly periodic tilted elliptical relative orbit with potential use as a Lunar far-side communications relay. The Δv requirements for the cylindrical relative orbit and singly periodic Lagrange point orbit are analysed, and it is shown that these requirements are modest and feasible for existing low-thrust propulsion technology

Measurement of pepsin in porcine gastric juice

The method for measurement of pepsin in human gastric juice as devised by Anson and modified by Berstad has been used for testing pepsin secretion from Heidenhain pouches in pigs. Twenty samples may be analysed at one time with accuracy. Variations in ambient temperature and humidity, and contamination of samples with bile, were found to interfere with the accuracy of the method. There was no change in activity after immediate freezing at -20°C or after storage at -20°C for up to 3 months. After repeated thawing and refreezing on 4 consecutive days, there was a fall in activity on the fourth day only.S. Afr. Med. J., 48, 1873 (1974)

Functional insights from the crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of the prototypical toll receptor.

Drosophila melanogaster Toll is the founding member of an important family of pathogen-recognition receptors in humans, the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family. In contrast, the prototypical receptor is a cytokine-like receptor for Spätzle (Spz) protein and plays a dual role in both development and immunity. Here, we present the crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of the receptor that encompasses the first 201 amino acids at 2.4 Å resolution. To our knowledge, the cysteine-rich cap adopts a novel fold unique to Toll-1 orthologs in insects and that is not critical for ligand binding. However, we observed that an antibody directed against the first ten LRRs blocks Spz signaling in a Drosophila cell-based assay. Supplemented by point mutagenesis and deletion analysis, our data suggests that the region up to LRR 14 is involved in Spz binding. Comparison with mammalian TLRs reconciles previous contradictory findings about the mechanism of Toll activation.This work is financed by the Wellcome Trust Award (RG47206). We thank Dr. Martin Moncrieffe for helpful discussions and Ms. Irina Ogay from the Baculovirus Facility, Department of Biochemistry, Cambridge, for protein expression. We are grateful to Dr. Katherine Stott, from the Biophysics Facility, for her aid with analytical ultracentrifugation. Thanks to Dr. Dimitri Chirdgaze, from the Crystallographic X-ray Facility, for his assistance. We are grateful to Prof. Abel Moreno for help with capillary crystallization. We thank the staff at beamlines IO3 at Diamond Light Source, England, and ID23EH1 at the ESRF, Grenoble, France, for help with the data collection.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Elsevier (Cell Press) via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2012.11.00

Assessment and improvement of biotransfer models to cow’s milk and beef used in exposure assessment tools for organic pollutants

The aim of this study was to assess and improve the accuracy of biotransfer models for the organic pollutants (PCBs, PCDD/Fs, PBDEs, PFCAs, and pesticides) into cow’s milk and beef used in human exposure assessment. Metabolic rate in cattle is known as a key parameter for this biotransfer, however few experimental data and no simulation methods are currently available. In this research, metabolic rate was estimated using existing QSAR biodegradation models of microorganisms (BioWIN) and fish (EPI-HL and IFS-HL). This simulated metabolic rate was then incorporated into the mechanistic cattle biotransfer models (RAIDAR, ACC-HUMAN, OMEGA, and CKow). The goodness of fit tests showed that RAIDAR, ACC-HUMAN, OMEGA model performances were significantly improved using either of the QSARs when comparing the new model outputs to observed data. The CKow model is the only one that separates the processes in the gut and liver. This model showed the lowest residual error of all the models tested when the BioWIN model was used to represent the ruminant metabolic process in the gut and the two fish QSARs were used to represent the metabolic process in the liver. Our testing included EUSES and CalTOX which are KOW-regression models that are widely used in regulatory assessment. New regressions based on the simulated rate of the two metabolic processes are also proposed as an alternative to KOW-regression models for a screening risk assessment. The modified CKow model is more physiologically realistic, but has equivalent usability to existing KOW-regression models for estimating cattle biotransfer of organic pollutants

Gene transfection of HEK cells on supermacroporous polyacrylamide monoliths: a comparison of transient and stable recombinant protein expression in perfusion culture

Transient and continuous recombinant protein expression by HEK cells was evaluated in a perfused monolithic bioreactor. Highly porous synthetic cryogel scaffolds (10ml bed volume) were characterised by scanning electron microscopy and tested as cell substrates. Efficient seeding was achieved (94% inoculum retained, with 91-95% viability). Metabolite monitoring indicated continuous cell growth, and endpoint cell density was estimated by genomic DNA quantification to be 5.2x108, 1.1x109 and 3.5x1010 at day 10, 14 and 18. Culture of stably transfected cells allowed continuous production of the Drosophila cytokine Spätzle by the bioreactor at the same rate as in monolayer culture (total 1.2 mg at d18) and this protein was active. In transient transfection experiments more protein was produced per cell compared with monolayer culture. Confocal microscopy confirmed homogenous GFP expression after transient transfection within the bioreactor. Monolithic bioreactors are thus shown to be a flexible and powerful tool for manufacturing recombinant proteins

Serum Gastrin levels in Pigs

Serum gastrin levels were measured in 11 young pigs during starvation and one and two hours after feeding. The mean basal value was 57 -+- 16 pg/ml and was not affected by anaesthesia. Gastrin levels' at one and two hours after feeding were significantly higher than the basal levels. However, the rise was much less than that noted in humans, suggesting a species difference