Low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field exposure can alter neuroprocessing in humans

Extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (from DC to 300 Hz) have been shown to affect pain sensitivity in snails, rodents and humans. Here, a functional magnetic resonance imaging study demonstrates how the neuromodulation effect of these magnetic fields influences the processing of acute thermal pain in normal volunteers. Significant interactions were found between pre- and post-exposure activation between the sham and exposed groups for the ipsilateral (right) insula, anterior cingulate and bilateral hippocampus/caudate areas. These results show, for the first time, that the neuromodulation induced by exposure to low-intensity low-frequency magnetic fields can be observed in humans using functional brain imaging and that the detection mechanism for these effects may be different from those used by animals for orientation and navigation. Magnetoreception may be more common than presently thought.     

Mikroreaktoren aus Glas für die Anwendung im Labor

The implementation of microreaction technology as part of academic research und hands‐on trainings requires economic und manageable microstructured devices. Glass microdevices are an alternative to round bottom flasks in chemical synthesis. Integration in existing systems is provided by use of standardized adapter.     

Towards sustainable cities

Abstract

Sustainability has interconnected economic, social and ecological aspects. Spatial restructuring could make a significant contribution. Key public policies include transport, land‐use planning, housing, infrastructure, and the redistribution of work and incomes. Australia has the opportunity to be an international exemplar in addressing the challenge of sustainability. Existing economic structures, spatial inertia and the lack of political will are significant obstacles.     

Molecular mechanisms underlying nutrient detection by incretin-secreting cells

The hormones glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) are secreted postprandially from intestinal K- and L-cells, respectively. As incretins, these hormones stimulate insulin secretion from the pancreatic β-cell, and have independently been implicated in the control of food intake and lipid metabolism. Whilst the enteroendocrine cells producing GIP and GLP-1 are therefore attractive targets for the treatment of diabetes and obesity, our understanding of their physiology is fairly limited. The mechanisms employed to sense the arrival of carbohydrate, fat and protein in the gut lumen have been investigated using organ perfusion techniques, primary epithelial cultures and cell line models. The recent development of mice with fluorescently labeled GIP or GLP-1-expressing cells is now enabling the use of single cell techniques to investigate stimulus-secretion coupling mechanisms. This review will focus on the current knowledge of the molecular machinery underlying nutrient sensing within K- and L-cells.     

Introducing functional classification theory to land use planning by means of decision tables

This paper contributes to the conceptualisation and analysis of double-sided matching problems, taking the land use planning problem as an example. It does so by introducing functional classification theory at the knowledge level, the symbol level and the system level of a DSS. This theory explicitly expresses the methodological viewpoint of relational realism. At the knowledge level this implies defining knowledge on the basis of matching the intension and extension of concepts. At the symbol level it deals with knowledge representation and here decision tables are advanced and formally introduced. At the system level the formalism used at the symbol level is implemented to develop a relational matching DSS.     

Enhancing marital enrichment through spirituality: Efficacy data for prayer focused relationship enhancement.

We examined 393 African American married couples assigned to (a) a culturally sensitive version of a widely disseminated relationship enhancement program (CS-PREP); (b) a similar version of the same program that also included a focus on prayer (PFP condition); or (c) an information-only control condition in which couples received a self-help version of the same program. Husbands averaged 40.5 years of age and wives averaged 38.9 years. We found a significant interaction between intervention and time of assessment, reflecting group differences in linear trends for the three conditions, with the two intervention conditions performing better than the control condition, and PFP producing superior outcomes to CS-PREP only for wives at post and marginally better results at 12-month follow-up. Results support continued exploration of the adjunctive use of prayer in the context of relationship enhancement programs where appropriate to make them more culturally sensitive. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

聚合物涂层表面机械性能的扫描探针显微镜研究

We have used a scanning probe microscope,equipped with a custom-made probe,consisting of a conical-shaped diamond tip and rectangular tungsten cantilever,to study mechanical properties of cross-linked polymeric surface coatings.A new method to measure the mar resistance,a very desirable characteristic of surface coatings,has been developed,by using the custom-made tip to mar the surface under well-controlled conditions,and using the conventional tip to image the marred surface and measure the dimension of the mars.Based on the dimension of the mar,different responses of coatings to marring stress,elastic recovery,plastic deformation,and brittle fracture,can be identified quantitatively with great accuracy also.In addition,the dynamic process,such as viscoelastic creep,stress-hardening,micro-crack developing,and surface fatigue,has been studied with the SPM.     

Fabrication of copper (I) nitride nanorods within SBA-15 by metal organic chemical vapor deposition

Copper (I) nitride nanorods grown in channels of mesoporous silica SBA-15 by chemical vapor deposition method has been synthesized. The morphology and microstructure of the resulting product were characterized by XRD patters, TEM images, EDS analysis and Raman spectra. The XRD and TEM revealed that the Cu₃N phase was confined in channels of SBA-15 forming continuous nanowires with 6 nm around and hundreds of nanometers in length. Raman spectra of the final product and pure Cu₃N showed peaks shift due to the quantum confinement effect of the nanowires. This preparation methodology only requires a mild working condition and is capable of template synthesis of other binary nitride nanostructures with controlled morphology inside the channels of mesoporous materials.     

Modeling of structural and compositional homogenization of plutonium-1 weight percent gallium alloys

The microstructure of as-cast Pu-1 wt pct Ga alloys is characterized by extensive Ga microsegregation often referred to as “coring”. This process results in grains that consist of Ga-rich cores (∼1.6 wt pct) with Ga-poor (∼0.1 wt pct) edges. Cored grains can be homogenized at moderately high (i.e., >400 °C) temperatures, though the time required to achieve chemical homogeneity is not well constrained. In this article, we apply several analytical diffusion modeling techniques to characterize the kinetics of alloy homogenization as a function of time and temperature. We also review the experimental investigations that have used analytical tools such as X-ray diffraction, density, dilatometry, and electron microprobe analysis to characterize Pu-Ga alloy homogenization. Data from these studies are used as a basis of comparison with modeling results. In particular, Ga coring-profile modeling appears to be a powerful tool for predicting alloy homogenization. FRANK E. GIBBS, formerly Technical Staff Member with the Nuclear Materials Technology Division, Los Alamos Laboratory