4,291 research outputs found
Angiotensin II induces soluble fms-Like tyrosine kinase-1 release via calcineurin signaling pathway in pregnancy
Full text linkMaternal endothelial dysfunction in preeclampsia is associated with increased soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), a circulating antagonist of vascular endothelial growth factor and placental growth factor. Angiotensin II (Ang II) is a potent vasoconstrictor that increases concomitant with sFlt-1 during pregnancy. Therefore, we speculated that Ang II may promote the expression of sFlt-1 in pregnancy. Here we report that infusion of Ang II significantly increases circulating levels of sFlt-1 in pregnant mice, thereby demonstrating that Ang II is a regulator of sFlt-1 secretion in vivo. Furthermore, Ang II stimulated sFlt-1 production in a dose- and time-dependent manner from human villous explants and cultured trophoblasts but not from endothelial cells, suggesting that trophoblasts are the primary source of sFlt-1 during pregnancy. As expected, Ang II-induced sFlt-1 secretion resulted in the inhibition of endothelial cell migration and in vitro tube formation. In vitro and in vivo studies with losartan, small interfering RNA specific for calcineurin and FK506 demonstrated that Ang II-mediated sFlt-1 release was via Ang II type 1 receptor activation and calcineurin signaling, respectively. These findings reveal a previously unrecognized regulatory role for Ang II on sFlt-1 expression in murine and human pregnancy and suggest that elevated sFlt-1 levels in preeclampsia may be caused by a dysregulation of the local renin/angiotensin system
Supramolecular complexes constructed with carboxylate Cu(II) and 2-(2-pyridyl)-benzimidazole via hydrogen bonding
No full text
»LJ« Artist book
Full text linkThe thesis paper deals with the artist book, an art form that has become a part of the university curriculum since the beginning of my university studies. It is most closely connected with the fields of sketch and photography. Both personl sketch and the field of photography have been of particular interest to me during my university years and I prepared an exhibition on the subject, presented by Faculty of Education Gallery. This thesis covers the historical and theoretical background of the artist book and maps the creation of my own artist book, an artistic superaddition titled LJ.
Some of the pioneers of the artist book are also mentioned, including Ed Ruscha, the author of the Twenty Six Gasoline Stations. He was one of the first artist to draw attention to the various artistic possibilities of this art form intertwining different graphic components including sketch, photography, font, paper characteristic, and other visual effects. Franc zagoričnik is presented as a native artist interested in the art form. He was a member of the OHO group, which reached the same conclusions as Ruscha in the 1970s.
The thesis places the artist book within the field of education, since this particular pedagogical approach has been shown to give the pupil freedom of choice and thus enrich his sensibilty to artistic expression. Pratical reasearch was conducted at a high school in Koper, while theoretical research heavily relied on the MGLC library, which is the only Slovene library to carry contemporary literature on this particular art form
Correction to: Photoacoustic Measurements of the Thermal and Elastic Properties of n-Type Silicon Using Neural Networks (Silicon, (2020), 12, 6, (1289-1300), 10.1007/s12633-019-00213-6)
No full textThe original version of the article unfortunately contained an error. © 2020, Springer Nature B.V.
The author name ‘Кatarina Lj. Djordjevic’ was inadvertently
captured twice. The correct author group is shown above.Link to the corrected article: [https://vinar.vin.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/8759
Episodic encoding is more than the sum of its parts: An fMRI investigation of multifeatural contextual encoding
No full textEpisodic memories are characterized by their contextual richness, yet little is known about how the various features comprising an episode are brought together in memory. Here we employed fMRI and a multidimensional source memory procedure to investigate processes supporting the mnemonic binding of item and contextual information. Volunteers were scanned while encoding items for which the contextual features (color and location) varied independently, allowing activity elicited at the time of study to be segregated according to whether both, one, or neither feature was successfully retrieved on a later memory test. Activity uniquely associated with successful encoding of both features was identified in the intra-parietal sulcus, a region strongly implicated in the support of attentionally mediated perceptual binding. The findings suggest that the encoding of disparate features of an episode into a common memory representation requires that the features be conjoined in a common perceptual representation when the episode is initially experienced
Size- And Temperature-Dependent Thermal Expansion Coefficient Of A Nanofilm
No full textThe thermal expansion coefficient (TEC) of an ideal crystal is derived by using a method of Boltzmann statistics. The Morse potential energy function is adopted to show the dependence of the TEC on the temperature. By taking the effects of the surface relaxation and the surface energy into consideration, the dimensionless TEC of a nanofilm is derived. It is shown that with decreasing thickness, the TEC can increase or decrease, depending on the surface relaxation of the nanofilm
A Systematic Review of Consensus Mechanisms in Blockchain
No full textSince the birth of Bitcoin, blockchain has shifted from a critical cryptocurrency technology to an enabling technology. Due to its immutability and trustworthiness, blockchain has revolutionized many fields requiring credibility and high-quality data for decision making. Particularly in business intelligence and business process management, users can use blockchain to build their blockchain-enabled collaboration and data-sharing ecosystem with their partners. In this paper, we present the development process of blockchain and consensus mechanisms, where important blockchain consensus mechanisms are introduced. The consensus mechanism is the kernel among various blockchain components to ensure security and performance. Again, we present a comparison of these consensus mechanisms from different perspectives. We take the blockchain-enabling business as an example and analyze the relationship between blockchain and business process characteristics and the ideas and principles for selecting consensus mechanisms. Finally, we describe the differences and connections among many consensus mechanisms while laying a foundation for selecting appropriate consensus mechanisms for different scenarios and fields of application
Frontiers of parasitology research in the People's Republic of China : infection, diagnosis, protection and surveillance
Full text linkABSTRACT: Control and eventual elimination of human parasitic diseases in the People's Republic of China (P.R. China) requires novel approaches, particularly in the areas of diagnostics, mathematical modelling, monitoring, evaluation, surveillance and public health response. A comprehensive effort, involving the collaboration of 188 scientists (<85% from P.R. China) from 48 different institutions and universities (80% from P.R. China), covers this collection of 29 articles published in Parasites & Vectors. The research mainly stems from a research project entitled 'Surveillance and diagnostic tools for major parasitic diseases in P.R. China' (grant no. 2008ZX10004-011) and highlights the frontiers of research in parasitology. The majority of articles in this thematic series deals with the most important parasitic diseases in P.R. China, emphasizing Schistosoma japonicum, Plasmodium vivax and Clonorchis sinensis plus some parasites of emerging importance such as Angiostrongylus cantonensis. Significant achievements have been made through the collaborative research programme in the following three fields: (i) development of control strategies for the national control programme; (ii) updating the surveillance data of parasitic infections both in human and animals; and (iii) improvement of existing, and development of novel, diagnostic tools to detect parasitic infections. The progress is considerable and warrants broad validation efforts. Combined with the development of improved tools for diagnosis and surveillance, integrated and multi-pronged control strategies now pave the way for elimination of parasitic diseases in P.R. China. Experiences and lessons learned can stimulate control and elimination efforts of parasitic diseases in other parts of the world
Damage modeling of CO₂ injection well interfaces under coupled thermal, hydraulic and mechanical behavior
Full text linkData availability statement - The data presented in this paper can be accessed from Brunel University London's data repository, Brunelfigshare,under a CC BY licence. A DOI link to the data will be provided and included here before publication.This paper presents an investigation of well integrity during low-temperature CO₂ injection using a model of thermo-poroelasticity with interface damage mechanics. The casing–cement and cement–formation interfaces are described using cohesive interface elements and a bilinear traction–separation law. Verification testing is performed to establish the correct implementation of the coupled thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical equations. Simulation scenarios are developed to determine well interface damage initiation and development for intact wells and wells with an initial defect in the form of a 45° debonded azimuth. Each intact and defective well was simulated for 30 days of CO₂ injection at selected temperatures. Under the conditions considered, tensile radial stress developed at both the casing–cement and cement–formation interfaces. Hoop stress in the cement sheath remained compressive after 30 days but with reduced magnitude at the lower injection temperature, indicating greater risk of tensile stress and radial cracking as the injection temperature was reduced. Damage occurred in two of four scenarios considered, namely, the intact and defective wells at an injection temperature of 10° , and was limited to the casing–cement interface, with no damage to the cement–formation interface. Inclusion of the pre-existing defect led to earlier damage initiation, at 2.75 days compared to 4 days, and produced a microannulus with over double the peak aperture at 0.077 mm compared to 0.037 mm. These findings emphasize the importance of accounting for initial defects and damage evolution when investigating the integrity of CO₂ injection wells.UK Carbon Capture and Research Community (UKCCSRC) Flexible Funding Call 202
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