Search results for "response"

Compared regimes of NDVI and Rainfall in semi-arid regions of Africa

2006

International audience; Bi-monthly normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) at an 8km spatial resolution from the advanced very high resolution radiometers (AVHRR) was used from 1981 to 1995 to analyse the vegetation response to rainfall supply in semi-arid regions of Africa. Within the 200-600 mm annual rainfall belt, for which the apparent NDVI response to rainfall was the strongest, three regions were selected which exhibited different patterns in their NDVI regimes and/or relationships with rainfall. The regions, located in western, southern and eastern Africa, were split into coherent sub-regions in terms of mean regime of photosynthetic activity through a cluster analysis. Overal…

Deriving Seismic Surface Rotations for Engineering Purposes

2006

A New Insight in the Electrochemical Response of a Depassivated Surface

1986

In-Cylinder Heat Transfer Determination Using Impulse Response Method with a Two-Dimensional Characterization of the Eroding Surface Thermocouple

2021

Heat transfer from the cylinder of internal combustion engines has been studied for decades, both in motored and fired configurations. Its understanding remains fundamental to the optimization of engine structures and sub-systems due to its direct effect on reliability, thermal efficiency and gaseous emissions. Experimental measurements are usually conducted using fast response surface thermometers, which give the instantaneous cylinder surface temperature. The transient component of heat flux through the cylinder wall was traditionally obtained from a spectral analysis of the surface temperature fluctuation, whereas the steady-state component was obtained from Fourier's law of conduction. …

Improving predictive accuracy of exit polls

2010

Abstract Exit polls are best known for their use in election forecasting. In recent years, however, some prominent mistaken predictions have been made, undermining public confidence in the accuracy of both exit polls and survey methods. Nonresponse bias has been claimed as being one of the main reasons for inaccurate projections. Traditionally, the issue has been handled through an age–race–sex adjustment at the national and state levels. An alternative solution is suggested and detailed in this paper. A two-step strategy is proposed to reduce nonresponse bias and improve predictions. First, “vote-remembering” (vote recall) is used to correct party proportion estimates at polling locations;…

How Does the Benzamide Antipsychotic Amisulpride get into the Brain?—An In Vitro Approach Comparing Amisulpride with Clozapine

2003

This study evaluated the disposition of the two atypical antipsychotics, amisulpride (AMS) and clozapine (CLZ), and its main metabolite N-desmethylclozapine (DCLZ), to their target structures in the central nervous system by applying an in vitro blood-brain barrier and blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier based on monolayers of porcine brain microvessel endothelial cells (PMEC) or porcine choroid plexus epithelial cells (PCEC). Permeation studies through PMEC- and PCEC-monolayers were conducted for 60 min at drug concentrations of 1, 5, 10, and 30 muM applied to the donor compartment. PMEC were almost impermeable for AMS (permeation coefficient, P1 x 10(-7) cm/s) in the resorptive direct…

Reversible effect of MR and ELF magnetic fields (0.5 T and 0.5 mT) on human lymphocyte activation patterns.

2006

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of magnetic fields (MF) of different intensity generated by a magnetic resonance (MR) unit (0.5 Tesla) and a double cylindrical coil (0.5 mTesla) on human CD4+ T cell lines. Materials and methods: CD4+ T cells were exposed for two hours under isothermal conditions (37 ± 0.5°C) to the above mentioned MF; a control group was provided for each exposed sample. After exposure, the samples were analysed in the laboratory for the following endpoints: Release of cytokines, expression of surface markers, cell proliferation and levels of cytosolic free-calcium. Results: Exposure to MF for 2 h and subsequent in vitro stimulation in the pres…

Suppressive effects of C3b on monocyte-dependent T cell proliferation.

1987

The effect of C3b treatment of human monocytes on secondary antigen-dependent T cell response was studied. When antigen-specific T cell blasts were cultivated together with C3b-treated monocytes the proliferative response was inhibited in a dose-dependent fashion. This suppressive effect was specific for C3b because heat-inactivated C3b or buffer alone had no influence on T cell proliferation. In part, this suppressive effect is mediated through a C3b-induced decreased expression of class II antigens on the surface of treated monocytes, but another suppressive mechanism exists because the C3b pretreatment of monocytes also led to an inhibition of the proliferative response in a class II ant…

STAT3 activation: A key factor in tumor immunoescape.

2012

Cancer growth is controlled by cancer cells (cell intrinsic phenomenon), but also by the immune cells in the tumor microenvironment (cell extrinsic phenomenon). Thus cancer progression is mediated by the activation of transcription programs responsible for cancer cell proliferation, but also induced proliferation/activation of immunosuppressive cells such as Th17, Treg or myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). One of the key transcription factors involved in these pathways is the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). In this review we will focus on STAT3 activation in immune cells, and how it impacts on tumor progression.

Induction of apoptosis in a leukemia cell line by triterpene saponins from Albizia adianthifolia

2004

Abstract Triterpenoid saponins, which are present in plants and some marine animals, exert various important pharmacological effects. The present study examines the effects of adianthifoliosides A, B, and D (AdA, AdB, and AdD) together with two prosapogenins (Pro1 and Pro2) obtained from Albizia adianthifolia (Mimosaceae) on human leukemia T-cells (Jurkat cells) and on splenocytes. AdA, AdB, and AdD were found to exhibit a cytotoxic effect on Jurkat cells, whereas the prosapogenins were found to exert a lymphoproliferative effect on this cell type. Furthermore, all tested compounds were found to exert a synergistic lymphoproliferative activity with concanavalin A (ConA) on splenocytes. The …