Different Nature (different + nature)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Kinds of Different Nature

  • very different nature


  • Selected Abstracts


    Shifting ontological boundaries: how Japanese- and English-speaking children generalize names for animals and artifacts

    DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2003
    Hanako Yoshida
    Past research shows that young language learners know something about the different category organizations of animals, objects and substances. The three experiments reported here compare Japanese-speaking and English-speaking children's novel name generalizations for two kinds of objects: clear instances of artifacts and objects with ambiguous features suggestive of animates. This comparison was motivated by the very different nature of individuation in the two languages and by the boundary shift hypothesis that proposes that entities that straddle the individuation boundary of a language are assimilated toward the individuated side. The results of the three experiments support the hypothesis. An explanation in terms of mutually reinforcing correlations among language, perceptual properties and category structure is proposed. [source]


    Rapid reversal of stress induced loss of synapses in CA3 of rat hippocampus following water maze training

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 11 2003
    Carmen Sandi
    Abstract The impact was examined of exposing rats to two life experiences of a very different nature (stress and learning) on synaptic structures in hippocampal area CA3. Rats were subjected to either (i) chronic restraint stress for 21 days, and/or (ii) spatial training in a Morris water maze. At the behavioural level, restraint stress induced an impairment of acquisition of the spatial response. Moreover, restraint stress and water maze training had contrasting impacts on CA3 synaptic morphometry. Chronic stress induced a loss of simple asymmetric synapses [those with an unperforated postsynaptic density (PSD)], whilst water maze learning reversed this effect, promoting a rapid recovery of stress-induced synaptic loss within 2,3 days following stress. In addition, in unstressed animals a correlation was found between learning efficiency and the density of synapses with an unperforated PSD: the better the performance in the water maze, the lower the synaptic density. Water maze training increased the number of perforated synapses (those with a segmented PSD) in CA3, both in stressed and, more notably, in unstressed rats. The distinct effects of stress and learning on CA3 synapses reported here provide a neuroanatomical basis for the reported divergent effects of these experiences on hippocampal synaptic activity, i.e. stress as a suppressor and learning as a promoter of synaptic plasticity. [source]


    On the different nature of top-down and bottom-up effects in pelagic food webs

    FRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2002
    Z. Maciej Gliwicz
    SUMMARY 1.,Each individual planktonic plant or animal is exposed to the hazards of starvation and risk of predation, and each planktonic population is under the control of resource limitation from the bottom up (growth and reproduction) and by predation from the top down (mortality). While the bottom-up and top-down impacts are traditionally conceived as compatible with each other, field population-density data on two coexisting Daphnia species suggest that the nature of the two impacts is different. Rates of change, such as the rate of individual body growth, rate of reproduction, and each species' population growth rate, are controlled from the bottom up. State variables, such as biomass, individual body size and population density, are controlled from the top down and are fixed at a specific level regardless of the rate at which they are produced. 2.,According to the theory of functional responses, carnivorous and herbivorous predators react to prey density rather than to the rate at which prey are produced or reproduced. The predator's feeding rate (and thus the magnitude of its effect on prey density) should hence be regarded as a functional response to increasing resource concentration. 3.,The disparity between the bottom-up and top-down effects is also apparent in individual decision making, where a choice must be made between accepting the hazards of hunger and the risks of predation (lost calories versus loss of life). 4.,As long as top-down forces are effective, the disparity with bottom-up effects seems evident. In the absence of predation, however, all efforts of an individual become subordinate to the competition for resources. Biomass becomes limited from the bottom up as soon as the density of a superior competitor has increased to the carrying capacity of a given habitat. Such a shift in the importance of bottom-up control can be seen in zooplankton in habitats from which fish have been excluded. [source]


    Morphometric Controls and Basin Response in The Cascade Mountains

    GEOGRAFISKA ANNALER SERIES A: PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Issue 3 2001
    Fes De Scally
    Morphometric variables associated with 36 debris torrent, 78 snow avalanche, 45 composite debris torrent and snow avalanche and 14 streamflow basins in the Cascade Mountains of southwestern British Columbia, Canada are examined. The results show significant statistical differences in top and bottom elevations, relief, channel length and gradient, basin area, fan gradient and area, and basin ruggedness between snow avalanche basins and the two basin types affected by debris torrents, reflecting the very different nature of these processes. Only top and bottom elevations and fan area differ significantly between debris torrent and debris torrent-snow avalanche basins, implying that the latter are probably debris torrent basins in origin. As many as six morphometric variables are significantly different between streamflow basins and the other basin types, allowing the former to be differentiated despite their small, steep character. Discriminant analysis indicates that bottom elevation and channel or path gradient are the best variables for classifying the four basin types by process. Generally strong correlations exist between basin area on the one hand and relief, channel length and channel gradient on the other in debris torrent, debris torrent-snow avalanche, and streamflow basins. Fan gradient and area are, however, weakly or modestly correlated with basin area or ruggedness. No such morphometric relations are present in snow avalanche basins. The results of this study also indicate that in debris torrent-prone basins the fan gradient and Melton's R have identifiable lower thresholds while basin area has an upper threshold, but use of these thresholds for identification of debris torrent hazard is complicated by overlapping thresholds for streamflow basins. [source]


    Instationary aeroelastic computation of yacht sails

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN ENGINEERING, Issue 8 2001
    Heinrich Schoop
    Abstract Effective schemes exist to calculate aerodynamic forces for thin bodies and structural dynamics of flexible membranes. The fluid dynamic of thin wings in a irrotational flow leads to the lifting surface theory. Neglecting the inertia of the membrane the structural dynamics are solved by the non-linear (FEM). But the interaction of flexible membranes and an irrotational flow causes problems due to the different nature of the mathematical equations. On the one hand, there is a partial differential equation for the structural dynamics and on the other hand, there is a singular integral equation for the aerodynamics. The numerical discretization scheme has to fit these different types of equation. Our work introduces a new interaction scheme to couple the singular integral equation of the lifting surface theory with the non-linear FEM of the membrane static. The fundamental examinations, showed by Schoop et al. (International Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering 1998; 41: 217,219), are applied to realistic sail geometries and the aerodynamics is extended to instationary flow conditions. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Common components and specific weight analysis and multiple co-inertia analysis applied to the coupling of several measurement techniques

    JOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 5 2006
    M. Hanafi
    Abstract The present paper compares two multiblock techniques: the Common Components and Specific Weights Analysis (CCSWA) and the Multiple Co-inertia Analysis (MCoA). Both methods are used to (1) to investigate the relationships among various data tables and (2) to extract latent variables from information of different nature, reflecting different facets of a food product. Our objective is to study the ability of these methods to extract, from a set of data tables, latent characteristics which are representative of the whole modifications brought to a complex system (food product) by a modification of a given process factor. The comparison of these methods is based on the investigation of their conceptual framework by particularly highlighting new properties of CCSWA. Moreover, the two techniques of analysis are compared on the basis of a case study in cheese processing where each cheese sample is described by different kinds of measurements. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Internal energy distribution of peptides in electrospray ionization : ESI and collision-induced dissociation spectra calculation

    JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 4 2008
    Alireza Pak
    Abstract The internal energy of ions and the timescale play fundamental roles in mass spectrometry. The main objective of this study is to estimate and compare the internal energy distributions of different ions (different nature, degree of freedom ,DOF' and fragmentations) produced in an electrospray source (ESI) of a triple-quadrupole instrument (Quattro I Micromass). These measurements were performed using both the Survival Yield method (as proposed by De Pauw) and the MassKinetics software (kinetic model introduced by Vékey). The internal energy calibration is the preliminary step for ESI and collision-induced dissociation (CID) spectra calculation. meta -Methyl-benzylpyridinium ion and four protonated peptides (YGGFL, LDIFSDF, LDIFSDFR and RLDIFSDF) were produced using an electrospray source. These ions were used as thermometer probe compounds. Cone voltages (Vc) were linearly correlated with the mean internal energy values () carried by desolvated ions. These mean internal energy values seem to be slightly dependent on the size of the studied ion. ESI mass spectra and CID spectra were then simulated using the MassKinetics software to propose an empirical equation for the mean internal energy () versus cone voltage (Vc) for different source temperatures (T): < Eint > = [405 × 10,6 , 480 × 10,9 (DOF)] VcT + Etherm(T). In this equation, the Etherm(T) parameter is the mean internal energy due to the source temperature at 0 Vc. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Merger histories in warm dark matter structure formation scenarios

    MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY, Issue 4 2002
    Alexander Knebe
    Observations on galactic scales seem to be in contradiction with recent high-resolution N -body simulations. This so-called cold dark matter (CDM) crisis has been addressed in several ways, ranging from a change in fundamental physics by introducing self-interacting cold dark matter particles to a tuning of complex astrophysical processes such as global and/or local feedback. All these efforts attempt to soften density profiles and reduce the abundance of satellites in simulated galaxy haloes. In this paper, we explore a different approach that consists of filtering the dark matter power spectrum on small scales, thereby altering the formation history of low-mass objects. The physical motivation for damping these fluctuations lies in the possibility that the dark matter particles have a different nature, i.e. are warm (WDM) rather than cold. We show that this leads to some interesting new results in terms of the merger history and large-scale distribution of low-mass haloes, compared with the standard CDM scenario. However, WDM does not appear to be the ultimate solution, in the sense that it is not able to fully solve the CDM crisis, even though one of the main drawbacks, namely the abundance of satellites, can be remedied. Indeed, the cuspiness of the halo profiles still persists, at all redshifts, and for all haloes and sub-haloes that we investigated. Despite the persistence of the cuspiness problem of DM haloes, WDM seems to be still worth taking seriously, as it alleviates the problems of over-abundant sub-structures in galactic haloes and possibly the lack of angular momentum of simulated disc galaxies. WDM also lessens the need to invoke strong feedback to solve these problems, and may provide a natural explanation of the clustering properties and ages of dwarfs. [source]


    Urinary Colic During Low-Back Treatment: Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire?

    PAIN MEDICINE, Issue 4 2009
    Bayram Kaymak MD
    ABSTRACT Objective., The objective of this study was to present a possible discrete effect of heat therapy on the urinary system during physical therapy of a patient with lumbar discopathy. Design., This is a case report. Setting., This study was carried out in a a tertiary care university hospital. Patients and Interventions., A 33-year-old man with the diagnosis of lumbar discopathy undertook physical therapy including heat. On the third day of treatment, he had suffered colic low-back (flank) pain with quite a different nature from his initial painful complaints. In addition to conservative management of the renal stone, we continued heat therapy. Outcome Measures and Results., After 10 days of physical therapy, he was found to have improved both with regard to his low-back and urinary complaints. Conclusions., The physicians should be aware of the effects of heat therapy on the urinary system when treating patients with musculoskeletal pathologies of the lumbar region. [source]


    Chlorophyll a Self-assembly in Polar Solvent,Water Mixtures ,

    PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2000
    Radka Vladkova
    ABSTRACT The conversion of chlorophyll a (Chl a) monomers into large aggregates in six polar solvents upon addition of water has been studied by means of absorption, fluorescence spectroscopy and fluorescence lifetime measurements for the purpose of elucidating the various environmental factors promoting Chl a self-assembly and determining the type of its organization. Two empirical solvent parameter scales were used for quantitative characterization of the different solvation properties of the solvents and their mixtures with water. The mole fractions of water f1/2 giving rise to the midpoint values of the relative fluorescence quantum yield were determined for each solvent, and then various solvent,water mixture parameters for the f1/2 values were compared. On the basis of their comparison, it is concluded that the hydrogen-bonding ability and the dipole,dipole interactions (function of the dielectric constant) of the solvent,water mixtures are those that promote Chl a self-assembly. The influence of the different nature of the nonaqueous solvents on the Chl aggregation is manifested by both the different water contents required to induce Chl monomer , aggregate transition and the formation of two types of aggregates at the completion of the transition: species absorbing at 740,760 nm (in methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile, acetone) and at 667,670 nm (in pyridine and tetrahydrofuran). It is concluded that the type of Chl organization depends on the coordination ability and the polarizability (function of the index of refraction) of the organic solvent. The ordering of the solvents with respect to the f1/2 values,methanol < ethanol < acetonitrile < acetone < pyridine < tetrahydrofuran,yielded a typical lyotropic (Hofmeister) series. On the basis of this solvent ordering and the disparate effects of the two groups of solvents on the Chl a aggregate organization, it is pointed out that the mechanism of Chl a self-assembly in aqueous media can be considered a manifestation of the Hofmeister effect, as displayed in the lipid-phase behavior (Koynova et al., Eur. J. Biophys. 25, 261,274, 1997). It relates to the solvent ability to modify the bulk structure and to distribute unevenly between the Chl,water interface and bulk liquid. [source]


    Spin dynamics of exciton polaritons in microcavities

    PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (B) BASIC SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 11 2005
    I. A. Shelykh
    Abstract In this chapter we address a complex set of optical phenomena linked to the spin dynamics of exciton polaritons in semiconductor microcavities. When optically created, polaritons inherit the spin and dipole moment from the exciting light. Their state can be fully characterized by a so-called "pseudospin" accounting for both spin and dipole moment orientation. However, from the very beginning of their life in a microcavity, polaritons start changing their pseudospin state under effect of effective magnetic fields of different nature and due to scattering with acoustic phonons, defects, and other polaritons. This makes pseudospin dynamics of exciton polaritons rich and complex. It manifests itself in non-trivial changes in polarization of light emitted by the cavity versus time, pumping energy, pumping intensity and polarization. During the first years of theoretical research on exciton-polariton relaxation the polarization has been simply neglected. Later it has been understood that the energy and momentum-relaxation of exciton polaritons are spin-dependent. It is typically the case in the regime of stimulated scattering when the spin polarizations of initial and final polariton state have a huge effect on the scattering rate between these states. It appeared that critical conditions for polariton Bose-condensation are also polarization-dependent. In particular, the stimulation threshold (i.e. the pumping power needed to have a population exceeding 1 at the ground state of the lower polariton branch) has been experimentally shown to be lower under linear than under circular pumping. These experimental observations have stimulated the theoretical research toward understanding of mutually dependent polarization- and energy-relaxation mechanisms in microcavities. The authors of this chapter have been working on theoretical description of different specific effects of polariton spin-dynamics in microcavities for years. Here we attempted to put together all fragments and to formulate a general approach to the problem that would allow then to consider a variety of particular cases. We start from reminding the main spin-relaxation mechanisms known for free carriers and excitons. We then overview the most essential experimental results in this field before to present our original formalism which allowed us to interpret the key experimental findings. We are going to discuss only the strong coupling regime leaving aside all polarization effects in VCSELs. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Ionic and electronic processes in non-linear optical crystals

    PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (C) - CURRENT TOPICS IN SOLID STATE PHYSICS, Issue 1 2005
    Igor N. Ogorodnikov
    Abstract The paper presents the results of a study of the formation and decay of lattice defects in nonlinear optical crystals of NH4H2PO4 (ADP), KH2PO4 (KDP), Li2B4O7 (LTB) and LiB3O5 (LBO) with a sublattice of mobile hydrogen (ADP, KDP) and lithium (LTB, LBO) cations. By means of the luminescent and absorption optical spectroscopy with (the) a nanosecond time resolution under excitation with an electron beam, it was revealed that the optical absorption of these crystals in the visible and UV spectral ranges is produced by optical hole-transitions from the local defect level to the valence band states. The valence band density of the states determines the optical absorption spectral profile, and the relaxation kinetics is rated by the interdefect radiationless tunnel recombination between the trapped hole center and the H0 and Li0 electron trapped centers. At 290 K, the H0 and Li0 centers are subject to thermally stimulated migration. All manifestations of a radiative recombination observed in these crystals are accounted for by the involvement of additional electronic and hole centers of a different nature in the recombination process. (© 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


    Nature of water molecules in hydrogels based on a liquid crystalline cellulose derivative

    POLYMERS FOR ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, Issue 11-12 2003
    P. Wojciechowski
    Abstract The status and nature of water molecules in hydrogels with a liquid crystalline organization of the polymer network based on a biopolymer were investigated. Liquid crystalline (LC) hydrogels were obtained in situ by the photopolymerization of acrylic acid into the lyotropic liquid crystalline phase of (2-hydroxypropyl)cellulose in a solvent mixture of water and acrylic acid. The photopolymerization of acrylic acid in the lyotropic liquid crystalline phase at room temperature gives a hydrogel in which liquid crystalline order and water are retained. The liquid crystalline hydrogel contains water, which originates from the composition of the lyotropic liquid crystalline phase, and may also contain water after immersion in liquid water. The water molecule characteristics were examined by means of differential scanning calorimetry, dielectric relaxation spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry coupled with thermo-optical measurements. The swelling data were obtained by using a weighing method. The investigations reveal the different nature of the two above-mentioned water types. For the water from the composition of the lyotropic liquid crystalline phase, the phase transitions,typical for the bulk water,were not observed, in contract to the water after swelling of the liquid crystalline hydrogel in the liquid water. The results of the measurements suggest that water, which comes from the composition of the lyotropic liquid crystalline phase, forms,together with a polymer network,a microstructure, stabilized by this water. The water, after swelling of the LC hydrogel in the liquid water, is separated in the pores of the hydrogel and exhibits the phase transitions of the bulk water. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    TCOs for nip thin film silicon solar cells

    PROGRESS IN PHOTOVOLTAICS: RESEARCH & APPLICATIONS, Issue 3 2009
    T. Söderström
    Abstract Substrate configuration allows for the deposition of thin film silicon (Si) solar cells on non-transparent substrates such as plastic sheets or metallic foils. In this work, we develop processes compatible with low Tg plastics. The amorphous Si (a-Si:H) and microcrystalline Si (µc-Si:H) films are deposited by plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition, at very high excitation frequencies (VHF-PECVD). We investigate the optical behaviour of single and triple junction devices prepared with different back and front contacts. The back contact consists either of a 2D periodic grid with moderate slope, or of low pressure CVD (LP-CVD) ZnO with random pyramids of various sizes. The front contacts are either a 70,nm thick, nominally flat ITO or a rough 2,µm thick LP-CVD ZnO. We observe that, for a-Si:H, the cell performance depends critically on the combination of thin flat or thick rough front TCOs and the back contact. Indeed, for a-Si:H, a thick LP-CVD ZnO front contact provides more light trapping on the 2D periodic substrate. Then, we investigate the influence of the thick and thin TCOs in conjunction with thick absorbers (µc-Si:H). Because of the different nature of the optical systems (thick against thin absorber layer), the antireflection effect of ITO becomes more effective and the structure with the flat TCO provides as much light trapping as the rough LP-CVD ZnO. Finally, the conformality of the layers is investigated and guidelines are given to understand the effectiveness of the light trapping in devices deposited on periodic gratings. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Characterization by mass spectrometry of an unknown polysiloxane sample used under uncontrolled medical conditions for cosmetic surgery

    RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY, Issue 21 2008
    Cédric Schneider
    For a complete understanding of the raw material used for cosmetic surgery under uncontrolled medical conditions, an unknown sample of polydimethylsiloxanes has been investigated utilizing a combination of analytical techniques: pyrolysis/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py/GC/MS), electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF)MS, and liquid chromatography (LC)/MS. Among these techniques, the LC/APCI-MS coupling allowed the fastest and more effective analysis. In addition, the complexity of the mass spectra deduced from these LC/MS experiments was simplified compared to the mass spectra obtained by MALDI-TOF. In this work, we have demonstrated how the LC/APCI-MS coupling applied to polydimethylsiloxane samples permits the full characterization of samples where end groups of different nature can be present in very small quantities. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Improving mixing length-scale for stable boundary layers

    THE QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY, Issue 637 2008
    B. Grisogono
    Abstract We intend to improve the ,z-less' mixing length-scale for parametrization of turbulence in the stable atmospheric boundary layers (SABL). Since the SABL structures are far from being fully understood today, their parametrizations or explicit treatment are still usually very sketchy in most mesoscale and climate models. Typically an over-diffusion through the SABL occurs in most numerical models. With the ,z-less' mixing length-scale proposed here the over-diffusion is absent. In particular, the mesoscale model used gave results similar to those from an improved (calibrated) Prandtl model, i.e. katabatic flow occupying the lower and more active part of the SABL developed in both models. The corresponding low-level jet that is embedded in the strong near-surface inversion appears similar in both models. Certain details vary, simply because of the very different nature of the models deployed. The results, that should be also valid for other types of SABL flows, could be used in different types of numerical modelling, parametrizations of the SABL, further development of analytical models and data interpretation. Copyright © 2008 Royal Meteorological Society [source]


    Pseudoatoms and preferred skeletons in crystals

    ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION B, Issue 3 2007
    Angel Vegas
    The generalization of the Zintl,Klemm concept provides a universal formulation of a crystal structure in terms of universal building skeletons formed by Klemm's pseudoatoms: atoms that behave structurally according to their formal total electron charge. An important difference in this novel view is that charge is considered to be transferred, in the strict Zintl's sense, from the donor cations to the building skeleton as a whole, not specifically to a given atom or ion. Although application is restricted to (IV),(IV) compounds (group 14 structures), the principle seems to be universal and can be applied to understand, to relate and to predict the structure of complex compounds on the basis of more simple structures, e.g. a given AB skeleton provides the building block for A2B, AB2, ABXmetc. compounds of a very different nature. The application of such a principle only requires information on the constituent atoms and on the existing phases of the p -block elements (observed under ambient and high-pressure and/or high-temperature conditions). The ideas introduced here demonstrate, for the first time, that a generalization of the Zintl,Klemm concept is possible and that such a generalization helps to establish a univocal link between chemical composition (in terms of pseudoatoms) and the crystalline structures observed experimentally. [source]


    Biomedical applications of capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

    BIOPHARMACEUTICS AND DRUG DISPOSITION, Issue 7-8 2001
    Ximena Páez
    Abstract Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a high-efficiency analytical technique that has had a great impact as a tool in biomedical research, clinical and forensic practice in the last ten years. Only in one of the applications, the DNA analysis, it has had an explosive exponential growth in the last few years. This impact is expressed in an enormous amount of CE articles and many reviews. The CE advantages with respect to other analytical techniques: the required very small sample volume, rapid analysis, great resolution power and low costs, have made this technique ideal for the analysis of a numerous endogenous and exogenous substances present in biological fluids. The different modes of CE have been coupled to different detection techniques such as UV-absorbance, electrochemical, mass spectrometry and laser-induced fluorescence detection (LIFD) to detect different nature and molecular size separated analytes. This review focuses mostly on the applications of CE,LIFD, to measure drugs and endogenous neuroactive substances such as amino acids and monoamines, especially in microdialysis samples from experimental animals and humans. CE,LIFD trends are discussed: automated faster analysis with capillary array systems, resolution power improvement, higher detection sensitivity, and CE systems miniaturization for extremely small sample volume, in order to make CE easier and affordable to the lab bench or the clinical bed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    2003 Nobel Prize in Physics for Theoretical Work on Superfluid 3He

    CHEMPHYSCHEM, Issue 7 2004
    Anthony J. Leggett Prof.
    Abstract The element helium comes in two (stable) forms,4He and3He; at low temperatures and pressures both form liquids rather than solids. The liquid phase of the common isotope,4He, was realized nearly a century ago, and since 1938 has been known to show, at temperatures below about 2 K, the property of superfluidity,the ability to flow through the narrowest capillaries without apparent friction. The light isotope,3He, is believed to be of quite a different nature; however,because of its similarity to the electrons in metals, which at low temperatures sometimes form "Cooper pairs" and thereby become superconducting, theorists in the 1960s and early 1970s had speculated that something similar might happen in liquid3He, which would then also show superfluidity though for reasons rather different than4He. In 1972 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments at Cornell University revealed the existence, below 3 millidegrees, if two new phases, one of which displayed extraordinary NMR properties. Anthony Leggett is one of the theorists who succeeded in fitting the experimental properties into the "Cooper-pairing" scenario; in particular, he explained the NMR behavior and predicted further novel NMR phenomena which were subsequently found. [source]


    Interaction study of a lysozyme-binding aptamer with mono- and divalent cations by ACE

    ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 3 2010
    Marie Girardot
    Abstract Binding between an aptamer and its target is highly dependent on the conformation of the aptamer molecule, this latter seeming to be affected by a variety of cations. As only a few studies have reported on the interactions of monovalent or divalent cations with aptamers, we describe herein the use of ACE in its mobility shift format for investigating interactions between various monovalent (Na+, K+, Cs+) or divalent (Mg2+, Ca2+, Ba2+) cations and a 30-mer lysozyme-binding aptamer. This study was performed in BGEs of different natures (phosphate and MOPS buffers) and ionic strengths. First, the effective charges of the aptamer in 30,mM ionic strength phosphate and MOPS (pH 7.0) were estimated to be 7.4 and 3.6, respectively. Then, corrections for ionic strength and counterion condensation effects were performed for all studies. The effective mobility shift was attributed not only to these effects, but also to a possible interaction with the buffer components (binary or ternary complexes) as well as possible conformational changes of the aptamer. Finally, apparent binding constants were calculated for divalent cations with mathematical linearization methods, and the influence of the nature of the BGE was evidenced. [source]


    Determination of conjugated dienes in petroleum products by supercritical fluid chromatography and ultraviolet detection

    JOURNAL OF SEPARATION SCIENCE, JSS, Issue 15-16 2003
    Flávio Cortińas Albuquerque
    Abstract A method for determining total conjugated dienes in petroleum products, such as catalytic or thermal cracking fractions, using supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is presented. The separation is carried out in one or two silica columns and with CO2 as mobile phase. The conditions of analysis are the same as used in group-type analysis of diesel fuels by SFC (ASTM D 5186 standard method), except that UV detection at 240 nm is used. Hydrocarbons with two conjugated double bonds are the only substances eluting in the retention time range of the non-aromatics that appreciably absorb UV radiation at this wavelength. This was confirmed by analyzing standards of olefins, isolated diolefins, and conjugated diolefins. Results are reported in mol L,1 of 1,3-pentadiene. Several samples of different natures, such as fluid catalytic cracking liquid products and hydrotreated cracking naphthas, were successfully analyzed. The results correlate quite well with the respective diene values as determined by UOP method 326, although the slope and intercept were specific for each type of product. [source]


    Polycomb, trithorax and the decision to differentiate

    BIOESSAYS, Issue 4 2006
    Leonie Ringrose
    For stem cells, life is full of potential: they have a high capacity to proliferate and a wide choice of future identities. When they differentiate, cells leave behind this freedom and become ever more committed to a single fate. Intriguingly, the Polycomb and Trithorax groups of proteins are vital to the very different natures of both stem cells and differentiated cells, but little is known about how they make the transition from one cell type to the other. A recent paper1 throws light on this mystery, showing that the Polycomb proteins dramatically change their behaviour at a crucial moment of differentiation. BioEssays 28: 330,334, 2006. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]