Search results for "570"
showing 10 items of 1074 documents
Linking chlorophyll a fluorescence to photosynthesis for remote sensing applications: mechanisms and challenges
2014
Chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF) has been used for decades to study the organization, functioning, and physiology of photosynthesis at the leaf and subcellular levels. ChlF is now measurable from remote sensing platforms. This provides a new optical means to track photosynthesis and gross primary productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. Importantly, the spatiotemporal and methodological context of the new applications is dramatically different compared with most of the available ChlF literature, which raises a number of important considerations. Although we have a good mechanistic understanding of the processes that control the ChlF signal over the short term, the seasonal link between ChlF…
Improved sample preparation for the testosterone hydroxylation assay using disposable extraction columns
1992
The preparation of samples for injection into a high-performance liquid chromatograph from assay mixtures for the determination of cytochrome P-450-dependent testosterone hydroxylation has been substantially facilitated. By replacing the multiple cumbersome extraction steps of the conventional method with a single column extraction the time for sample preparation was reduced from hours to minutes. The new procedure also yields better recoveries for most of the testosterone metabolites than the original protocol. The use of extraction columns for sample preparation allows the simultaneous treatment of a large number of samples or even the automation of the whole assay procedure. The modified…
Carnosine Inhibits Aβ42Aggregation by Perturbing the H-Bond Network in and around the Central Hydrophobic Cluster
2013
Aggregation of the amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) into fibrillar structures is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Thus, preventing self-assembly of the Aβ peptide is an attractive therapeutic strategy. Here, we used experimental techniques and atomistic simulations to investigate the influence of carnosine, a dipeptide naturally occurring in the brain, on Aβ aggregation. Scanning force microscopy, circular dichroism and thioflavin T fluorescence experiments showed that carnosine does not modify the conformational features of Aβ42 but nonetheless inhibits amyloid growth. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicated that carnosine interacts transiently with monomeric Aβ42 by salt bridges with charge…
Beyond BMI : waist circumference and social environment is associated with motor performance ability in kindergartners
2020
Abstract Background The aim of the current study was to examine the relationship between anthropometric characteristics (i.e. body height, body weight, body mass index [BMI] and waist circumference [WC]) with motor performance ability [MPA], social environmental factors of the district (i.e. employment status/working life, education, social situation/heterogeneity and home environment), where the respective kindergarten was located, as well as other potential health determinants in a representative sample of kindergartners. Methods We analyzed data of 434 children aged 3 to 6 years which were obtained from a community-based cross-sectional health study conducted in the city of Mainz, German…
Molecular phylogenetics of Melastomataceae and Memecylaceae: implications for character evolution
2001
Melastomataceae are among the most abundant and diversified groups of plants throughout the tropics, but their intrafamily relationships and morphological evolution are poorly understood. Here we report the results of parsimony and maximum likelihood (ML) analyses of cpDNA sequences from the rbcL and ndhF genes and the rpl16 intron, generated for eight outgroups (Crypteroniaceae, Alzateaceae, Rhynchocalycaceae, Oliniaceae, Penaeaceae, Myrtaceae, and Onagraceae) and 54 species of melastomes. The sample represents 42 of the family’s currently recognized ~150 genera, the 13 traditional tribes, and the three subfamilies, Astronioideae, Melastomatoideae, and Memecyloideae (= Memecylaceae DC.). P…
Open availability of articles and raw research data in spanish pediatrics journals
2015
[EN]: Introduction: The open Access to publications and the raw data allows its re-use and enhances the advancement of science. The aim of this paper is to identify these practices in Spanish pediatrics journals. Method: We reviewed the author's instructions in 13 Spanish pediatrics journals, identifyingtheir open access and deposit policy. Results: Eight journals allow open access without restriction, and 5 provide information on theability to re-use and depositing data in repositories or websites. Conclusions: Most of the journals have open access, but do not promote the deposit of additionalmaterial or articles in repositories or websites.
Attitude stabilization control of a quadrotor UAV by using backstepping approach
2014
Published version of an article in the journal: Mathematical Problems in Engineering. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/749803 The modeling and attitude stabilization control problems of a four-rotor vertical takeoff and landing unmanned air vehicle (UAV) known as the quadrotor are investigated. The quadrotor's attitude is represented by the unit quaternion rather than Euler angles to avoid singularity problem. Taking dynamical behavior of motors into consideration and ignoring aerodynamic effect, a nonlinear controller is developed to stabilize the attitude. The control design is accomplished by using backstepping control technique. The proposed control l…
The Gantry-Tau parallel kinematic machine-kinematic and elastodynamic design optimisation
2011
Pubished version of an article in the journal: Meccanica. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11012-010-9394-9 One of the main advantages of the Gantry-Tau machine is a large accessible workspace/footprint ratio compared to many other parallel machines. The optimal kinematic, elastostatic and elastodynamic design parameters of the machine are still difficult to calculate and this paper introduces an optimisation scheme based on the geometric and functional dependencies to define the workspace and first resonance frequency. This method assumes that each link and universal joint can be described by a mass-spring-damper model and calculates the transfer function fr…
Modelling and Control of a 2-DOF Robot Arm with Elastic Joints for Safe Human-Robot Interaction
2021
Collaborative robots (or cobots) are robots that can safely work together or interact with humans in a common space. They gradually become noticeable nowadays. Compliant actuators are very relevant for the design of cobots. This type of actuation scheme mitigates the damage caused by unexpected collision. Therefore, elastic joints are considered to outperform rigid joints when operating in a dynamic environment. However, most of the available elastic robots are relatively costly or difficult to construct. To give researchers a solution that is inexpensive, easily customisable, and fast to fabricate, a newly-designed low-cost, and open-source design of an elastic joint is presented in this w…
Optimised assembly mode reconfiguration of the 5-DOF Gantry-Tau using mixed-integer programming
2010
Pulished version of an article in the journal: Meccanica. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11012-010-9404-y This paper presents a systematic approach based on Mixed Integer Linear Programming for finding an optimal singularity-free reconfiguration path of the 5-DOF Gantry-Tau parallel kinematic machine. The results in the paper demonstrate that singularity-free reconfiguration (change of assembly mode) of the machine is possible, which significantly increases the usable workspace. The method has been applied to a full-scale prototype and the singularity-free path has been verified both in simulations and with physical experiments using real-time control of th…