Sandwich organization of non-ionic surfactant liquid crystalline phases as induced by large inorganic K4Nb6O17 nanosheets

International audienceWhile keeping its lamellar liquid crystal phase, K4Nb6O17 nanosheets were used as a template to sandwich and stabilize an alkylpoly(ethylene oxide) nonionic surfactant-water system showing a monodomain (lamella) formation within the inorganic niobate sheets that appears to not be depend to the surfactant liquid crystalline state in solution but more its concentration

THE EFFECTS OF LIFTING THE ROTATIONAL AXIS ON SWING SPEED OF THE INSTEP

This study was conducted to investigate the hypothesis that expert soccer players lifted the trochanter major rotational axis of the swing leg faster before impact to increase the speed of the swing leg. This movement pattern is referred to as "lifting the rotational axis of the swing leg". To examine this hypothesis, an experiment and computer simulation was carried out. The results were as follows: (1) Experts were found to lift the rotational axis of the swing leg to a greater degree than novices. (2) Computer simulations of the swing leg, developed by combining data of torque patterns data of the thigh and the leg from the novices with kinematic data of the trochanter major from the expert group, resulted in a slight increase in swing speed. When the kinematic data from the most accomplished expert alone was used, a remarkable increase in swing speed was seen. These results suggest the movement pattern such as lifting the rotational axis of the swing leg was useful in increasing the swing speed

Regional efforts to mitigate climate change in China: A multi-criteria assessment approach

The task of mitigating climate change is usually allocated through administrative regions in China. In order to put pressure on regions that perform poorly in mitigating climate changes and highlight regions with best-practice climate policies, this study explored a method to assess regional efforts on climate change mitigation at the sub-national level. A climate change mitigation index (CCMI) was developed with 15 objective indicators, which were divided into four categories, namely, emissions, efficiency, non-fossil energy, and climate policy. The indicators’ current level and recent development were measured for the first three categories. The index was applied to assess China’s provincial performance in climate protection based on the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. Empirical results show that the middle Yangtze River area and southern coastal area perform better than other areas in mitigating climate change. The average performance of the northwest area in China is the worst. In addition, climate change mitigation performance has a negative linear correlation with energy self-sufficiency ratio but does not have a significant linear correlation with social development level. Therefore, regional resource endowments had better be paid much more attention in terms of mitigating climate change because regions with good resource endowments in China tend to perform poorly

Garlic Extract Diallyl Sulfide (DAS) Activates Nuclear Receptor CAR to Induce the Sult1e1 Gene in Mouse Liver

Constituent chemicals in garlic extract are known to induce phase I and phase II enzymes in rodent livers. Here we have utilized Car+/+ and Car−/− mice to demonstrate that the nuclear xenobiotic receptor CAR regulated the induction of the estrogen sulfotransferase Sult1e1 gene by diallyl sulfide (DAS) treatment in mouse liver. DAS treatment caused CAR accumulation in the nucleus, resulting in a remarkable increase of SULT1E1 mRNA (3,200 fold) and protein in the livers of Car+/+ females but not of Car−/− female mice. DAS also induced other CAR-regulated genes such as Cyp2b10, Cyp3a11 and Gadd45β. Compared with the rapid increase of these mRNA levels, which began as early as 6 hourrs after DAS treatment, the levels of SULT1E1 mRNA began increasing after 24 hours. This slow response to DAS suggested that CAR required an additional factor to activate the Sult1e1 gene or that this activation was indirect. Despite the remarkable induction of SULT1E1, there was no decrease in the serum levels of endogenous E2 or increase of estrone sulfate while the clearance of exogenously administrated E2 was accelerated in DAS treated mice

Global Well-posedness of an Inviscid Three-dimensional Pseudo-Hasegawa-Mima Model

The three-dimensional inviscid Hasegawa-Mima model is one of the fundamental models that describe plasma turbulence. The model also appears as a simplified reduced Rayleigh-B\'enard convection model. The mathematical analysis the Hasegawa-Mima equation is challenging due to the absence of any smoothing viscous terms, as well as to the presence of an analogue of the vortex stretching terms. In this paper, we introduce and study a model which is inspired by the inviscid Hasegawa-Mima model, which we call a pseudo-Hasegawa-Mima model. The introduced model is easier to investigate analytically than the original inviscid Hasegawa-Mima model, as it has a nicer mathematical structure. The resemblance between this model and the Euler equations of inviscid incompressible fluids inspired us to adapt the techniques and ideas introduced for the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional Euler equations to prove the global existence and uniqueness of solutions for our model. Moreover, we prove the continuous dependence on initial data of solutions for the pseudo-Hasegawa-Mima model. These are the first results on existence and uniqueness of solutions for a model that is related to the three-dimensional inviscid Hasegawa-Mima equations

Lyso-GM2 Ganglioside: A Possible Biomarker of Tay-Sachs Disease and Sandhoff Disease

To find a new biomarker of Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease. The lyso-GM2 ganglioside (lyso-GM2) levels in the brain and plasma in Sandhoff mice were measured by means of high performance liquid chromatography and the effect of a modified hexosaminidase (Hex) B exhibiting Hex A-like activity was examined. Then, the lyso-GM2 concentrations in human plasma samples were determined. The lyso-GM2 levels in the brain and plasma in Sandhoff mice were apparently increased compared with those in wild-type mice, and they decreased on intracerebroventricular administration of the modified Hex B. The lyso-GM2 levels in plasma of patients with Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease were increased, and the increase in lyso-GM2 was associated with a decrease in Hex A activity. Lyso-GM2 is expected to be a potential biomarker of Tay-Sachs disease and Sandhoff disease