The normal diet of six healthy volunteers was supplemented by 21 g of dietary fiber from two different soybean seed fiber preparations, either a nonpurified and never-dried soya pulp A (39% dietary ...fiber) or a purified soya fiber B (79%), for 3 wk each. Mean daily fecal wet weight was increased by 19 and 38% in the fiber periods A and B as compared to a 2-wk control period (p < 0.05). Stool frequency and transit time remained unchanged. Fecal fiber increased by 52% only during period B. Fecal calcium, magnesium, and iron were increased (p < 0.05), mainly after higher intakes during both fiber periods. Excretion of neutral steroids remained unchanged, but their concentration was lowered (p < 0.05). A 21% increase of fecal bile acids by fiber A was specifically due to deoxycholic acid (+ 32%, p < 0.01). Oral glucose tolerance was slightly improved after period B. Neither fiber changed serum triglycerides, but fiber B increased low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol by 19% (p < 0.01) and low-density lipoprotein-phospholipids by 16% (p < 0.05). The ratio high-density/low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, however, did not change significantly. Thus, dietary fibers from soybean do not seem to contribute to the hypocholesterolemic effect of soya. The results of this study also demonstrate that two apparently similar dietary fibers, coming from a single source, can exert distinctly different metabolic effects.
APL Mater. 11, 021109 (2023) LiV$_2$O$_4$ is a mixed-valent spinel oxide and one of a few transition-metal
compounds to host a heavy fermion phase at low temperatures. While numerous
experimental ...studies have attempted to elucidate how its 3$d$ electrons undergo
giant mass renormalization, spectroscopic probes that may provide crucial
hints, such as scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), remain to be applied. A
prerequisite is atomically flat and pristine surfaces, which, in the case of
LiV$_2$O$_4$, are difficult to obtain by cleavage of small, three-dimensional
crystals. We report the epitaxial growth of LiV$_2$O$_4$ thin films with
bulklike properties on SrTiO$_3$(111) via pulsed laser deposition and stable
STM imaging of the LiV$_2$O$_4$(111) surface. The as-grown films were
transferred $ex$ $situ$ to a room-temperature STM, where subsequent annealing
with optional sputtering in ultrahigh vacuum enabled compact islands with
smooth surfaces and a hexagonal 1$\times$1 atomic lattice to be resolved. Our
STM measurements provide insights into growth mechanisms of LiV$_2$O$_4$ on
SrTiO$_3$(111), as well as demonstrate the feasibility of performing
surface-sensitive measurements of this heavy fermion compound.
Aims. We report upper limits to the very high energy flux ($E>100$ GeV) of the flat spectrum radio quasar 3C 454.3 ($z=0.859$) derived by the Cherenkov telescope MAGIC during the high states of ...July/August and November/December 2007. We compare the upper limits derived in both time slots with the available quasi-simultaneous MeV-GeV data from the AGILE γ-ray satellite and interpret the observational results in the context of leptonic emission models. Methods. The source was observed with the MAGIC telescope during the active phases of July-August 2007 and November-December 2007 and the data were analyzed with the MAGIC standard analysis tools. For the periods around the ends of July and November, characterized by the most complete multifrequency coverage, we constructed the spectral energy distributions using our data together with nearly simultaneous multifrequency (optical, UV, X-ray and GeV) data. Results. Only upper limits can be derived from the MAGIC data. The upper limits, once corrected for the expected absorption by the extragalactic background light, together with nearly simultaneous multifrequency data, allow us to constrain the spectral energy distribution of 3C 454.3. The data are consistent with the model expectations based on inverse Compton scattering of the ambient photons from the broad line region by relativistic electrons, which robustly predicts a sharp cut-off above 20–30 GeV.
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Context. The gamma-ray binary LS I +61°303 is a well-established source from centimeter radio up to very high energy (VHE; E> 100 GeV). The broadband emission shows a periodicity of ~26.5 days, ...coincident with the orbital period. A longer (super-orbital) period of 1667 ± 8 days was proposed from radio variability and confirmed using optical and high-energy (HE; E> 100 MeV) gamma-ray observations. In this paper, we report on a four-year campaign performed by MAGIC together with archival data concentrating on a search for a long-timescale signature in the VHE emission from LS I +61°303. Aims. We focus on the search for super-orbital modulation of the VHE emission, similar to that observed at other energies, and on the search for correlations between TeV emission and an optical determination of the extension of the circumstellar disk. Methods. A four-year campaign has been carried out using the MAGIC telescopes. The source was observed during the orbital phases when the periodic VHE outbursts have occurred (φ = 0.55–0.75, one orbit = 26.496 days). Additionally, we included archival MAGIC observations and data published by the VERITAS collaboration in these studies. For the correlation studies, LS I +61°303 has also been observed during the orbital phases where sporadic VHE emission had been detected in the past (φ = 0.75–1.0). These MAGIC observations were simultaneous with optical spectroscopy from the LIVERPOOL telescope. Results. The TeV flux of the periodical outburst in orbital phases φ = 0.5–0.75 was found to show yearly variability consistent with the long-term modulation of ~4.5 years found in the radio band. This modulation of the TeV flux can be well described by a sine function with a best-fit period of 1610 ± 58 days. The complete data, including archival observations, span two super-orbital periods. There is no evidence for a correlation between the TeV emission and the mass-loss rate of the Be star, but this may be affected by the strong, short-timescale (as short as intra-day) variation displayed by the Hα fluxes.
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Estimation of renal length was carried out during radionuclide function studies, in cases of pediatric kidneys transplanted into adolescents or adults. In all 24 cases of single kidney transplants, ...the kidneys eventually increased in size, but at varying rates. From 5 cases with repeat studies close in time, and shortly after transplantation, an apparent maximal growth rate was estimated. In 3 pairs of dual renal transplants, with both kidneys surviving, marked differences in growth of each member of the pair was noted. The present initial description, of rates of change in size of the transplanted pediatric kidneys, may serve as a baseline from which to sort out the contributions of pre- and post-transplant factors.
Aging is associated with altered neurotransmitter function in the brain. In this study, we measured release parameters for acetylcholine (ACh), norepinephrine and serotonin in the frontoparietal ...cortex of young and aged rats. We also determined cortical amino acid concentrations and nitric oxide (NO) synthase function. Prior to sacrifice, the rats had been tested for Morris water-maze performance. In aged, compared with young rats, we observed a reduction in both uptake of choline and acetylcholine release. Serotonin release and
l-arginine concentrations (a precursor of NO) showed an aging-related increase; however,
l-citrulline/
l-arginine ratios were decreased in aged rats. Moreover, while most age-related changes in transmitter release or neurochemical markers were not related to the learning performance,
l-arginine concentrations were positively correlated to cognitive deficits. NO synthase concentrations were not affected by aging. It is suggested that events related to
l-arginine-to-
l-citrulline/NO metabolism in the frontoparietal cortex may take part in age-related cognitive deficits.
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497.
In Reply Brennen, W. Nathaniel; Schweizer, Michael T.; Wang, Hao ...
Stem cells translational medicine,
July 2019, Volume:
8, Issue:
7
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
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In Reply Brennen, W Nathaniel; Schweizer, Michael T; Wang, Hao ...
Stem cells translational medicine,
07/2019, Volume:
8, Issue:
7
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
In their letter to the editor , Raj et al. suggested that extreme caution should be taken prior to infusing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a cell‐based drug delivery vector into patients with ...cancer due to the potential risk for promoting disease progression. For prostate cancer, the sheer incidence would argue that many of the men enrolled in these studies had diagnosed or occult disease, not to mention the thousands of patients that receive bone marrow transplants annually that also contain MSCs if an unselected product is used. ...the direct effects of allogeneic MSCs are acute in nature; a point further documented by the weekly infusions required for the only clinical indication in which MSCs have demonstrated sufficient clinical efficacy to receive approval thus far—acute graft versus host disease.
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The Perseus galaxy cluster was observed by the MAGIC Cherenkov telescope for a total effective time of 24.4 hr during 2008 November and December. The resulting upper limits on the gamma-ray emission ...above 100 GeV are in the range of 4.6-7.5 x 10{sup -12} cm{sup -2} s{sup -1} for spectral indices from -1.5 to -2.5, thereby constraining the emission produced by cosmic rays, dark matter annihilations, and the central radio galaxy NGC 1275. Results are compatible with cosmological cluster simulations for the cosmic-ray-induced gamma-ray emission, constraining the average cosmic ray-to-thermal pressure to <4% for the cluster core region (<8% for the entire cluster). Using simplified assumptions adopted in earlier work (a power-law spectrum with an index of -2.1, constant cosmic ray-to-thermal pressure for the peripheral cluster regions while accounting for the adiabatic contraction during the cooling flow formation), we would limit the ratio of cosmic ray-to-thermal energy to E{sub CR}/E{sub th} < 3%. Improving the sensitivity of this observation by a factor of about 7 will enable us to scrutinize the hadronic model for the Perseus radio mini-halo: a non-detection of gamma-ray emission at this level implies cosmic ray fluxes that are too small to produce enough electrons through hadronic interactions with the ambient gas protons to explain the observed synchrotron emission. The upper limit also translates into a level of gamma-ray emission from possible annihilations of the cluster dark matter (the dominant mass component) that is consistent with boost factors of {approx}10{sup 4} for the typically expected dark matter annihilation-induced emission. Finally, the upper limits obtained for the gamma-ray emission of the central radio galaxy NGC 1275 are consistent with the recent detection by the Fermi-LAT satellite. Due to the extremely large Doppler factors required for the jet, a one-zone synchrotron self-Compton model is implausible in this case. We reproduce the observed spectral energy density by using the structured jet (spine-layer) model which has previously been adopted to explain the high-energy emission of radio galaxies.
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