50,171 research outputs found
Molecular preservation of the pigment melanin in fossil melanosomes.
Fossil feathers, hairs and eyes are regularly preserved as carbonized traces comprised of masses of micrometre-sized bodies that are spherical, oblate or elongate in shape. For a long time, these minute structures were regarded as the remains of biofilms of keratinophilic bacteria, but recently they have been reinterpreted as melanosomes; that is, colour-bearing organelles. Resolving this fundamental difference in interpretation is crucial: if endogenous then the fossil microbodies would represent a significant advancement in the fields of palaeontology and evolutionary biology given, for example, the possibility to reconstruct integumentary colours and plumage colour patterns. It has previously been shown that certain trace elements occur in fossils as organometallic compounds, and hence may be used as biomarkers for melanin pigments. Here we expand this knowledge by demonstrating the presence of molecularly preserved melanin in intimate association with melanosome-like microbodies isolated from an argentinoid fish eye from the early Eocene of Denmark
High-resolution infrared study of collisionally cooled trans-1,2-dichloroethylene
A recently constructed long-path enclosive flow cooling apparatus is employed to obtain the Fourier transform gas-phase infrared absorption spectrum of natural isotopic trans-1,2-dichloroethylene with a resolution of 0.00190 cm(-1) in the 800-1000 cm(-1) spectral region. The rotational structure of the out-of-plane CH flapping fundamental has been analyzed for the isotopic analogues Cl-35(2) and (ClCl)-Cl-35-Cl-37 using the Watson A-reduced Hamiltonian model and I-r-representation. A ground-state combination difference analysis for the (ClCl)-Cl-35-Cl-37 isotopomer based on 1402 assigned transitions belonging to the v(6) band yields a band origin of 897.94493(10) cm(-1) and values for the ground-state rotational constants: A(0) = 1.7466454(44) cm(-1), B-0 = 0.05019643(82) cm(-1) and C-0 = 0.04877977(82) cm(-1) together with quartic centrifugal distortion constants. The red-shift of 0.00444(10) cm(-1) observed for the v(6) band origin of (ClCl)-Cl-35-Cl-37 relative to the Cl-35(2), band origin is now consistent with the Rayleigh rule. (c) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
First layer water phases on anatase TiO2(101)
The anatase TiO2(101) surface and its interaction with water is an important topic in oxide surface chemistry. Firstly, it benchmarks the properties of the majority facet of TiO2 nanoparticles and, secondly, there is a controversy as to whether the water molecule adsorbs intact or deprotonates. We have addressed the adsorption of water on anatase TiO2(101) by synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy. Three two-dimensional water structures are found during growth at different temperatures: at 100 K, a metastable structure forms with no hydrogen bonding between the water molecules. In accord with prior literature, we assign this phase to chains of disordered molecules. Growth 160 K results in a metastable structure with expressed hydrogen bonding between the water molecules. At 190 K, the water molecules become disordered as the thermal energy is too high and hence the hydrogen bonds break. The result is a structure with isolated monomers. Partial dissociation is observed for all three growths, with the molecular state only slightly favored in energy (20–40 meV) over the dissociated state. Heating of a thick film leads to more dissociation compared to a bilayer, when formed at 100 K. Thus, extending the water network facilitates proton transport and hence dissociation. The results reconcile apparent conflicting experimental results previously obtained by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and core level photoelectron spectroscopy
Defect-Induced Water Bilayer Growth on Anatase TiO2(101)
Preparing an anatase TiO2(101) surface with a high density of oxygen vacancies and associated reduced Ti species in the near-surface region results in drastic changes in the water adsorption chemistry compared to adsorption on a highly stoichiometric surface. Using synchrotron radiation excited photoelectron spectroscopy, we observe a change in the water growth mode, from layer-by-layer growth on the highly stoichiometric surface to bilayer growth on the reduced surface. Furthermore, we have been able to observe Ti3+ enrichment at the surface upon water adsorption. The Ti3+ enrichment occurs concomitant with effective water dissociation into hydroxyls with a very high thermal stability. The water bilayer on the reduced surface is thermally more stable than that on the stoichiometric surface, and it is more efficient in promoting further water dissociation upon heating. The results thus show how the presence of subsurface defects can alter the wetting mechanism of an oxide surface
New transducer material concepts for biosensors and surface functionalization
Wide bandgap materials like SiC, ZnO, AlN form a strong platform as transducers for biosensors realized as e.g. ISFET (ion selective field effect transistor) devices or resonators. We have taken two main steps towards a multifunctional biosensor transducer. First we have successfully functionalized ZnO and SiC surfaces with e.g. APTES. For example ZnO is interesting since it may be functionalized with biomolecules without any oxidation of the surface and several sensing principles are possible. Second, ISFET devises with a porous metal gate as a semi-reference electrode are being developed. Nitric oxide, NO, is a gas which participates in the metabolism. Resistivity changes in Ga doped ZnO was demonstrated as promising for NO sensing also in humid atmosphere, in order to simulate breath.Original Publication: Anita Lloyd Spetz, Ruth Pearce, Linnea Hedin, Volodymyr Khranovskyy, Fredrik Söderlind, Per-Olov Käll, Rositsa Yakimova and Kajsa Uvdal, New transducer material concepts for biosensors and surface functionalization, Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering, ed Ulrich Schmid , 7362, 736206, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.821662 Copyright 2009 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. One print or electronic copy may be made for personal use only. Systematic reproduction and distribution, duplication of any material in this paper for a fee or for commercial purposes, or modification of the content of the paper are prohibited.</p
Author Self-Citation in the Turkish Otorhinolaryngology Literature
Objective:To evaluate the prevalence and other characteristics of author self-citations in six Turkey-originated general otorhinolaryngology (ORL) journals of Turkish ORL literature.Methods:A total of 970 articles published in six Turkey-originated general ORL journals (ENT Updates, Journal of Ear Nose Throat and Head Neck Surgery, KBB-Forum, Praxis of Otorhinolaryngology, The Turkish Journal of Ear Nose and Throat, and Turkish Archives of Otorhinolaryngology) in 2016-2020 were analyzed for author self-citations. The association between author self-citations and journal types, study types, study topics, country of origin, and compatibility with the topic were also evaluated.Results:There were 265 author self-citations (0.273 per article) which corresponded to 1.36% of all citations. There was no significant difference between the journal types, study topics, and origin of the studies in terms of mean self-citation values per study, whereas case reports had significantly lower self-citations than review and original investigations. There were three citations (1.1%) that were irrelevant to the study topic.Conclusion:To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that investigated the practice of author self-citation in Turkish ORL literature. Author self-citation rate in the Turkish-originated general ORL journals was found remarkably lower than the medical literature, whereas the self-citations were found compatible with the study topic to a very large extent. Members of the scientific community including authors, readers, and journal editors should be cautious regarding the unethical practices of self-citations
Applicativo web per audioguide - HooRMI Author
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La dissertazione si concentra sul funzionamento HooRMI Author, ovvero di come viene permesso all'utente di produrre contenuti video basati sulla propria posizione acquisita tramite tecnologia Plus code e caricarli sul proprio canale Youtube. I contenuti risulteranno pronti per essere selezionati e fruiti dai turisti, grazie alla profonda personalizzazione dei metadati associati ad ogni clip
Sectoral allocation by gender of Latin American workers over the liberalization period of the 1990s
The recent restructuring of Latin American economies has renewed interest in the effects of trade liberalization, on labor markets, and on the gender division of labor. The author does not attempt to establish casuality between economic reforms, and the types of jobs that men and women hold. Instead, she provides a detailed description of the trends in male, and female formal, and informal sector participation during the economic reform period in Argentina, Brazil, and Costa Rica. The author first compares the gender composition of the formal, informal wage, and self-employment sectors in a year before reforms (1988 for Argentina, 1989 for Brazil, and Costa Rica), and a year after reforms implementation (1997 for Argentina, 1995 for Brazil and Costa Rica). Although women continued to be more likely than men to work in the informal wage sector, there is no trend of"masculinization"or"feminization"of the informal sector, or any other. Instead, in Argentina men have overtaken women as the most prevalent workers in the informal wage sector, while in Brazil, the opposite has occurred (as men move into self-employment). In Costa Rica there have been no statistical, observable changes. The author then considers the distribution across sectors within each gender group, to identify whether men, and women are more likely to select different sectors in the post-reform period relative to the pre-reform period. Among both men, and women in all three countries (except Brazilian men), workers have become more likely to hold informal wage jobs, and less likely to hold formal sector jobs. Trends in human capital accumulation explain these changes for both men, and women, while changes in gender roles, primarily in homecare and marriage, do not seem to have an effect.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Labor Policies,Population&Development,Public Health Promotion,Environmental Economics&Policies,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Environmental Economics&Policies,Population&Development,Banks&Banking Reform,Work&Working Conditions
Number of 3-grams per author (in thousands).
Number of 3-grams per author (in thousands).</p
Production, productivity per author and per age group of authors of new Siluriformes species descriptions.
<p>Production, black columns, y1 axis; Productivity per author, grey columns, y2 axis; Productivity per age group, striped columns, y2 axis.</p
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