Infrared Photometry and Dust Absorption in Highly Inclined Spiral Galaxies

We present JHK surface photometry of 15 highly inclined, late-type (Sab-Sc) spirals and investigate the quantitative effects of dust extinction. Using the (J - H, H - K) two-color diagram, we compare the color changes along the minor axis of each galaxy to the predictions from different models of radiative transfer. Models in which scattering effects are significant and those with more than a small fraction of the light sources located near the edge of the dust distribution do not produce enough extinction to explain the observed color gradients across disk absorption features. The optical depth in dust near the plane as deduced from the color excess depends sensitively on the adopted dust geometry, ranging from tau = 4 to 15 in the visual band. This suggests that a realistic model of the dust distribution is required, even for infrared photometry, to correct for dust extinction in the bulges of nearly edge-on systems.Comment: Accepted for publication in the March 1996 AJ. LaTex source which generates 27 pages of text and tables (no figures). Complete (text + figs) compressed Postscript preprint is also available at ftp://bessel.mps.ohio-state.edu/pub/terndrup/inclined.ps.Z (854 Mbyte

Sterol O-Acyltransferase 1 (SOAT1, ACAT) Is a Novel Target of Steroidogenic Factor-1 (SF-1, NR5A1, Ad4BP) in the Human Adrenal

Context: Steroidogenic factor-1 (SF-1, NR5A1, Ad4BP) is a master regulator of adrenal development and steroidogenesis. Defects in several known targets of SF-1 can cause adrenal disorders in humans.Objective: We aimed to identify novel targets of SF-1 in the human adrenal. These factors could be important regulators of adrenal development and steroidogenesis and potential candidates for adrenal dysfunction.Design: A gene discovery strategy was developed based on bidirectional manipulation of SF-1. Overexpression or knockdown of SF-1 in NCI-H295R human adrenocortical cells was used to identify a subset of positively-regulated SF-1 targets.Results: This approach identified well-established SF-1 target genes (STAR, CYP11A) and several novel genes (VSNL1, ZIM2, PEG3, SOAT1, and MTSS1). Given its role in cholesterol metabolism, sterol O-acyltransferase 1 (SOAT1, previously referred to as acyl-Coenzyme A: cholesterol acyltransferase 1, ACAT) was studied further and found to be expressed in the developing human fetal adrenal cortex. We hypothesized that impaired SOAT1 activity could result in adrenal insufficiency through reduced cholesteryl ester reserves or through toxic destruction of the adrenal cells during development. Therefore, mutational analysis of SOAT1 in a cohort of 43 patients with unexplained adrenal insufficiency was performed but failed to reveal significant coding sequence changes.Conclusions: Our reverse discovery approach led to the identification of novel SF-1 targets and defined SOAT1 as an important factor in human adrenal steroidogenesis. SF-1-dependent upregulation of SOAT1 may be important for maintaining readily-releasable cholesterol reserves needed for active steroidogenesis and during episodes of recurrent stress. (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 96: E663-E668, 2011

Changing spray-dried lactose-whey protein isolate particle structure with drying conditions

[EN] Spray drying has become not merely a drying process, but also an important tool for engineering solid structures, specially for multi-component feeds. In that way, it is important to know how the drying conditions and liquid formulations affect the particle final solid structure. In the present study, we investigated the changes on the solid structure of a spray-dried binary mixture of lactose and whey protein isolate under different process and formulation conditions. Particle morphology, diameter, porosity and occluded air were analyzed. Total solid content in the feed was the parameter of highest impact on the spray-dried particle’s occluded air volume.De Souza Lima, R.; Gutierez, G.; Arlabosse, P.; Re, M. (2018). Changing spray-dried lactose-whey protein isolate particle structure with drying conditions. En IDS 2018. 21st International Drying Symposium Proceedings. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1567-1574. https://doi.org/10.4995/IDS2018.2018.74821567157

Concentration-dependent diffusivity and anomalous diffusion: A magnetic resonance imaging study of water ingress in porous zeolite

Magnetic resonance imaging is employed to study water ingress in fine zeolite powders compacted by high pressure. The experimental conditions are chosen such that the applicability of Boltzmann's transformation of the one-dimensional diffusion equation is approximately satisfied. The measured moisture profiles indicate subdiffusive behavior with a spatiotemporal scaling variable eta=x/t(gamma/2) (0 <gamma < 1). A time-fractional diffusion equation model of anomalous diffusion is adopted to analyze the data, and an expression that yields the moisture dependence of the generalized diffusivity is derived and applied to our measured profiles. In spite of the differences between systems exhibiting different values of gamma a striking similarity in the moisture dependence of the diffusivity is apparent. This suggests that the model addresses the underlying physical processes involved in water transport.731

Elliptical Galaxies with Emission Lines from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

We present the results of 11 elliptical galaxies with strong nebular emission lines during our study of star formation history along the Hubble sequence. After removing the dilution from the underlying old stellar populations by use of stellar population synthesis model, we derive the accurate fluxes of all emission lines for these objects, which are later classified with emission line ratios into one Seyfert 2, six LINERs and four HII galaxies. We also identify one HII galaxy (A1216+04) as a hitherto unknown Wolf-Rayet galaxy from the presence of the Wolf-Rayet broad bump at 4650 \AA. We propose that the star-forming activities in elliptical galaxies are triggered by either galaxy-galaxy interaction or the merging of a small satellite/a massive star cluster, as already suggested by recent numerical simulations

Dermatological remedies in the traditional pharmacopoeia of Vulture-Alto Bradano, inland southern Italy

Dermatological remedies make up at least one-third of the traditional pharmacopoeia in southern Italy. The identification of folk remedies for the skin is important both for the preservation of traditional medical knowledge and in the search for novel antimicrobial agents in the treatment of skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI). Our goal is to document traditional remedies from botanical, animal, mineral and industrial sources for the topical treatment of skin ailments. In addition to SSTI remedies for humans, we also discuss certain ethnoveterinary applications. Field research was conducted in ten communities in the Vulture-Alto Bradano area of the Basilicata province, southern Italy. We randomly sampled 112 interviewees, stratified by age and gender. After obtaining prior informed consent, we collected data through semi-structured interviews, participant-observation, and small focus groups techniques. Voucher specimens of all cited botanic species were deposited at FTG and HLUC herbaria located in the US and Italy. We report the preparation and topical application of 116 remedies derived from 38 plant species. Remedies are used to treat laceration, burn wound, wart, inflammation, rash, dental abscess, furuncle, dermatitis, and other conditions. The pharmacopoeia also includes 49 animal remedies derived from sources such as pigs, slugs, and humans. Ethnoveterinary medicine, which incorporates both animal and plant derived remedies, is addressed. We also examine the recent decline in knowledge regarding the dermatological pharmacopoeia. The traditional dermatological pharmacopoeia of Vulture-Alto Bradano is based on a dynamic folk medical construct of natural and spiritual illness and healing. Remedies are used to treat more than 45 skin and soft tissue conditions of both humans and animals. Of the total 165 remedies reported, 110 have never before been published in the mainland southern Italian ethnomedical literature

Electrochemical activation of molecular nitrogen at the Ir/YSZ interface.

Nitrogen is often used as an inert background atmosphere in solid state studies of electrode and reaction kinetics, of solid state studies of transport phenomena, and in applications e.g. solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), sensors and membranes. Thus, chemical and electrochemical reactions of oxides related to or with dinitrogen are not supposed and in general not considered. We demonstrate by a steady state electrochemical polarisation experiments complemented with in situphotoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) that at a temperature of 450 °C dinitrogen can be electrochemically activated at the three phase boundary between N2, a metal microelectrode and one of the most widely used solid oxide electrolytes—yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ)—at potentials more negative than E = −1.25 V. The process is neither related to a reduction of the electrolyte nor to an adsorption process or a purely chemical reaction but is electrochemical in nature. Only at potentials more negative than E = −2 V did new components of Zr 3d and Y 3d signals with a lower formal charge appear, thus indicating electrochemical reduction of the electrolyte matrix. Theoretical model calculations suggest the presence of anionic intermediates with delocalized electrons at the electrode/electrolyte reaction interface. The ex situSIMS analysis confirmed that nitrogen is incorporated and migrates into the electrolyte beneath the electrode