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Viable Candidate (viable + candidate)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Physics and Astronomy	60%

Selected Abstracts

Localized transmeningeal muscimol prevents neocortical seizures in rats and nonhuman primates: Therapeutic implications

EPILEPSIA, Issue 4 2009
Nandor Ludvig
Summary Purpose:, To determine whether muscimol delivered epidurally or into the subarachnoid space can prevent and/or terminate acetylcholine (Ach),induced focal neocortical seizures at concentrations not affecting behavior and background electroencephalography (EEG) activity. Methods:, Rats (n = 12) and squirrel monkeys (n = 3) were chronically implanted with an epidural or subarachnoid drug delivery device, respectively, over the right frontal/parietal cortex, with adjacent EEG electrodes. Recordings were performed in behaving rats and chaired monkeys. Via the implants, either a control solution (artificial cerebrospinal fluid, ACSF) or muscimol (0.25,12.5 mm) was delivered locally as a "pretreatment," followed by the similar delivery of a seizure-inducing concentration of Ach. In five additional rats, the quantities of food-pellets consumed during epidural ACSF and muscimol (2.5 mm) exposures were measured. In a last group of four rats, muscimol (0.8,2.5 mm) was delivered epidurally during the ongoing, Ach-induced EEG seizure. Results:, In contrast to ACSF pretreatments, epidural muscimol pretreatment in rats completely prevented the seizures at and above 2.5 mm. In the monkeys, subarachnoid muscimol pretreatments at 2.5 mm completely prevented the focal-seizure,inducing effect of Ach, whereas similar deliveries of ACSF did not affect the seizures. Furthermore, 2.5 mm epidural muscimol left the eating behavior of rats intact and caused only slight changes in the EEG power spectra. Finally, muscimol delivery during Ach-induced EEG seizures terminated the seizure activity within 1,3 min. Conclusions:, The results of this study suggest that muscimol is a viable candidate for the transmeningeal pharmacotherapy of intractable focal epilepsy. [source]

Quantum degenerate potassium-rubidium mixtures

FORTSCHRITTE DER PHYSIK/PROGRESS OF PHYSICS, Issue 4-5 2003
G. Modugno
We report on the production of quantum degenerate mixtures of potassium and rubidium isotopes, by means of evaporative cooling in a magnetic trap. Specifically, we produce a Bose,Bose mixture with 41K and 87Rb and Fermi,Bose mixture with 40K and 87Rb. Application of association schemes in these systems may allow the production of degenerate gases of heteronuclear molecules of both bosonic and fermionic character. Ultracold dipolar molecules have been recognized as a viable candidate for the implementation of quantum computing. [source]

Constraints on decaying dark matter from XMM,Newton observations of M31

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2008
Alexey Boyarsky
ABSTRACT We derive constraints on the parameters of the radiatively decaying dark matter (DM) particle, using the XMM,Newton EPIC spectra of the Andromeda galaxy (M31). Using the observations of the outer (5,13 arcmin) parts of M31, we improve the existing constraints. For the case of sterile neutrino DM, combining our constraints with the latest computation of abundances of sterile neutrinos in the Dodelson,Widrow (DW) scenario, we obtain the lower mass limit ms < 4 keV, which is stronger than the previous one ms < 6 keV, obtained recently by Asaka, Laine & Shaposhnikov. Comparing this limit with the most recent results on Lyman , forest analysis of Viel et al. (ms > 5.6 keV), we argue that the scenario in which all the DM is produced via the DW mechanism is ruled out. We discuss, however, other production mechanisms and note that the sterile neutrino remains a viable candidate for DM, either warm or cold. [source]

Effect of Substrate Temperature on the Plasma Polymerization of Poly(methyl methacrylate),

CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITION, Issue 1 2006
B. Casserly
Abstract Low-power, plasma-enhanced (PE)CVD together with polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) can be used to deposit thin films of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) with,minimal loss of functional groups, as shown by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectrometry (RS). Retention of functional groups decreases with increased substrate temperature, corresponding to decreased deposition rates. From XPS data, the calculated percentage loss of functional groups ranges from 0.9,% to 43.4,%, changing as a function of deposition conditions. RS confirms the presence of C=C bonds in the polymer backbone as a result of scission of the ester group from MMA. The thermal properties of PECVD-produced films from MMA can be tailored by varying the substrate temperature. Onset of thermal decomposition increases with increased substrate temperature by eliminating thermally labile peroxide linkages in the polymer backbone, and by crosslinking that occurs at radical sites generated via scission of functional group bonds. The post-anneal thicknesses of the remaining polymer is of the order of 4,nm or less, indicating that low-power PECVD of PMMA is a viable candidate to act as a sacrificial material for air-gap fabrication. [source]

Stellar contributors to the hard X-ray background?

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 3 2000
Priyamvada Natarajan
We use simple energetic arguments to estimate the contribution of massive X-ray binaries and supernova remnants to the cosmic X-ray background (XRB) at energies in excess of 2 keV. Recent surveys have shown that active galactic nuclei (AGN) probably account for most of the hard XRB (E>2 keV), but there have been many suggestions that star-forming galaxies could emerge at fainter fluxes and perhaps account for a significant fraction of the soft and hard X-ray energy density. Assuming that the formation rate of massive X-ray binaries (MXRBs) traces the global star-formation rate, we find that their integrated contribution to the hard XRB can be estimated and is shown to be small (at less than the 1 per cent level). Similarly, the integrated flux of supernovae (SN) is also shown to be insignificant, or at most comparable to MXRBs. AGN therefore remain the most viable candidates for producing the hard XRB, unless additional processes can be shown to dominate the global hard X-ray emission in distant starburst galaxies. [source]