Characteristics of π<SUP>-</SUP>-nucleon collisions at a primary energy of 4·4 gev

Eight hundred and sixteen nuclear interactions produced by 4·4 GeV π--mesons in nuclear emulsion have been obtained by "along the track" scanning procedure. Favourable secondary particles from a selected 290 π--N (pion-nucleon) collisions have been identified by blob-density and multiple scattering measurements. It is found that the pion often persists in these π--N collisions, the average persistence is estimated to be 0·24 per collision. It is estimated that π-N and π-π collisions account for 60% and 28% respectively of the secondary particles. The average number of charged shower particles is &lt;n8&gt;=2·09 &#177; 0·12, the average number of created charged particles is &lt;nc &#177;&gt;=1·94 &#177;0·12, the average number of protons with energy greater than 300 MeV is &lt;n p&gt;=0·15 &#177; 0·05 and the average number of charged kaons is found to be &lt;nk&#177;&gt;=0·11 &#177; 0·06. The integral energy spectra of pions in C-system as well as in L-system are well represented by exponential forms. The average inelasticity of the proton in C-system is found to be 0·52 &#177; 0·10. The charge retention probability for protons in π--p collisions is 0·45 &#177; 0·07

Delineation of hippocampal subregions using T1-weighted magnetic resonance images at 3 Tesla

Although several novel approaches for hippocampal subregion delineation have been developed, they need to be applied prospectively and may be limited by long scan times, the use of high field (\u3e3T) imaging systems, and limited reliability metrics. Moreover, the majority of MR imaging data collected to date has employed a T1-weighted acquisition, creating a critical need for an approach that provides reliable hippocampal subregion segmentation using such a contrast. We present a highly reliable approach for the identification of six subregions comprising the hippocampal formation from MR images including the subiculum, dentate gyrus/cornu Ammonis 4 (DG/CA4), entorhinal cortex, fimbria, and anterior and posterior segments of cornu Ammonis 1-3 (CA1-3). MR images were obtained in the coronal plane using a standard 3D spoiled gradient sequence acquired on a GE 3T scanner through the whole head in approximately 10 min. The average ICC for inter-rater reliability across right and left volumetric regions-of-interest was 0.85 (range 0.71-0.98, median 0.86) and the average ICC for intra-rater reliability was 0.92 (range 0.66-0.99, median 0.97). The mean Dice index for inter-rater reliability across right and left hemisphere subregions was 0.75 (range 0.70-0.81, median 0.75) and the mean Dice index for intra-rater reliability was 0.85 (range 0.82-0.90, median 0.85). An investigation of hippocampal asymmetry revealed significantly greater right compared to left hemisphere volumes in the anterior segment of CA1-3 and in the subiculum

Operations Management: Processes and Supply Chains -9/E.

OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT PROCESSES AND SUPPLY CHAINS This Global Edition has been edited to include enhancements making it more relevant to studens outside the United States. The editorial taem at Pearson has worked closely with educators around the globe to include: • NEW! Supply Chain Orientation: This text uniquely builds the concept of a supply chain from the ground up allowing students to see how effective internal processes lead the best supply chairs. • NEW! Streamlined Design: Fewer chapters, less pages, and enhanced clarity allows students to engage each topic efficiently and effectively. Figures and photos have been added to improve the presentation of key concepts and techniques. • NEW! Global Examples and Cases: Examples from Europe, Asia, Middle East and Australia are presented throughout the text for students in these regions to better appreciate the concepts presented

Structure-biological Activity Relationship of Analogues of 2-Chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile -A Riot-control Agent

The riot-control agent 2-chlorobenzylidenemalononitrile (CS) and its ortho-and parasubstituted benzylidenemalononitrile (BMN) analogues were synthesised and characterised by spectroscopic techniques (IR, NMR, and mass spectrometry) and microanalysis, and their structure-biological activity relationship studies were carried out to know the factors responsible for sensory irritation. Hydrophobicity of substituted BMNs were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which is an important determinant of the irritancy. The vapour pressure of a compound is a physico-chemical property important for the assessment of its fate in the environment. The vapour pressures of BMNs were determined by static method by an isoteniscope. A systematic investigation of sensory irritation was carried out by evaluating decrease in respiratory rate (RDs,) in mice. The R.Dsi as biological parameter was correlated with physical parameters such as hydrophobicity, vapour pressure, size of molecules, and chemical reactivity of its BMNs with dimethylaminoethyl mercaptans (DEAEMs) as a simulant of protein-SH group. A biosignifkant correlation (0.75-0.80) was obtained.by correlating all the above parameters using multiple linear regression equation

The relation between childhood maltreatment and psychosis in patients with schizophrenia and non-psychiatric controls

Several lines of evidence suggest that childhood maltreatment is associated with an increased risk for both psychotic disorders and subclinical psychotic-like experiences in the general population. Few studies, however, have sought to examine whether the strength of this relationship is comparable across patient and non-patient groups. The present study sought to compare the strength of the association between childhood maltreatment and self-reported psychotic symptoms in 447 healthy adult volunteers and 184 stable outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Strong positive correlations between childhood maltreatment and self-reported symptoms were observed in both groups. Although patients scored significantly higher than controls on both history of childhood maltreatment and self-reported symptoms, the strength of the relationship did not differ between groups. These data provide strong support for etiological continuity between subclinical psychotic symptoms and psychotic disorders. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Subcortical modulation in auditory processing and auditory hallucinations

Hearing perception in individuals with auditory hallucinations has not been well studied. Auditory hallucinations have previously been shown to involve primary auditory cortex activation. This activation suggests that auditory hallucinations activate the terminal of the auditory pathway as if auditory signals are submitted from the cochlea, and that a hallucinatory event is therefore perceived as hearing. The primary auditory cortex is stimulated by some unknown source that is outside of the auditory pathway. The current study aimed to assess the outcomes of stimulating the primary auditory cortex through the auditory pathway in individuals who have experienced auditory hallucinations. Sixteen patients with schizophrenia underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) sessions, as well as hallucination assessments. During the fMRI session, auditory stimuli were presented in one-second intervals at times when scanner noise was absent. Participants listened to auditory stimuli of sine waves (SW) (4-5.5kHz), English words (EW), and acoustically reversed English words (arEW) in a block design fashion. The arEW were employed to deliver the sound of a human voice with minimal linguistic components. Patients\u27 auditory hallucination severity was assessed by the auditory hallucination item of the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). During perception of arEW when compared with perception of SW, bilateral activation of the globus pallidus correlated with severity of auditory hallucinations. EW when compared with arEW did not correlate with auditory hallucination severity. Our findings suggest that the sensitivity of the globus pallidus to the human voice is associated with the severity of auditory hallucination

Silencing of midgut aminopeptidase N of Spodoptera litura by double-stranded RNA establishes its role as Bacillus thuringiensis toxin receptor

Insecticidal crystal proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis bind to receptors in the midgut of susceptible insects leading to pore formation and death of the insect. The identity of the receptor is not clearly established. Recently a direct interaction between a cloned and heterologously expressed aminopeptidase (slapn) from Spodoptera litura and the Cry1C protein was demonstrated by immunofluorescence and in vitro ligand blot interaction. Here we show that administration of slapn double-stranded RNA to S. litura larvae reduces its expression. As a consequence of the reduced expression, a corresponding decrease in the sensitivity of these larvae to Cry1C toxin was observed. The gene silencing was retained during the insect's moulting and development and transmitted to the subsequent generation albeit with a reduced effect. These results directly implicate larval midgut aminopeptidase N as receptor for Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal proteins

Tubular cell phenotype in HIV-associated nephropathy: Role of phospholipid lysophosphatidic acid

Collapsing glomerulopathy and microcysts are characteristic histological features of HIV-associated nephropathy (HIVAN). We have previously reported the role of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the development of glomerular and tubular cell phenotypes in HIVAN. Since persistent tubular cell activation of NF kappa B has been reported in HIVAN, we now hypothesize that HIV may be contributing to tubular cell phenotype via lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) mediated downstream signaling. Interestingly, LPA and its receptors have also been implicated in the tubular interstitial cell fibrosis (TIF) and cyst formation in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Primary human proximal tubular cells (HRPTCs) were transduced with either empty vector (EV/HRPTCs), HIV (HIV/HRPTCs) or treated with LPA (LPA/HRPTC). Immunoelectrophoresis of HIV/HRPTCs and LPA/HRPTCs displayed enhanced expression of pro-fibrotic markers: a) fibronectin (2.25 fold), b) connective tissue growth factor (CTGF; 4.8 fold), c) alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA; 12 fold), and d) collagen 1(5.7 fold). HIV enhanced tubular cell phosphorylation of ILK-1, FAK, PI3K, Akt, ERKs and P38 MAPK HIV increased tubular cell transcriptional binding activity of NF-kappa B; whereas, a LPA biosynthesis inhibitor (AACOCF3), a DAG kinase inhibitor, a LPA receptor blocker (Ki16425), a NF-kappa B inhibitor (PDTC) and NF kappa B-siRNA not only displayed downregulation of a NF kappa B activity but also showed attenuated expression of profibrotic/EMT genes in HIV milieu. These findings suggest that LPA could be contributing to HIV-induced tubular cell phenotype via NF kappa B activation in HIVAN. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved