Spectral energy distribution of the gamma-ray microquasar LS 5039

The microquasar LS 5039 has recently been detected as a source of very high energy (VHE) $\gamma$-rays. This detection, that confirms the previously proposed association of LS 5039 with the EGRET source 3EG~J1824$-$1514, makes of LS 5039 a special system with observational data covering nearly all the electromagnetic spectrum. In order to reproduce the observed spectrum of LS 5039, from radio to VHE $\gamma$-rays, we have applied a cold matter dominated jet model that takes into account accretion variability, the jet magnetic field, particle acceleration, adiabatic and radiative losses, microscopic energy conservation in the jet, and pair creation and absorption due to the external photon fields, as well as the emission from the first generation of secondaries. The radiative processes taken into account are synchrotron, relativistic Bremsstrahlung and inverse Compton (IC). The model is based on a scenario that has been characterized with recent observational results, concerning the orbital parameters, the orbital variability at X-rays and the nature of the compact object. The computed spectral energy distribution (SED) shows a good agreement with the available observational data.

Effect of sex and prior exposure to a cafeteria diet on the distribution of sex hormones between plasma and blood cells

It is generally assumed that steroid hormones are carried in the blood free and/or bound to plasma proteins. We investigated whether blood cells were also able to bind/carry sex-related hormones: estrone, estradiol, DHEA and testosterone. Wistar male and female rats were fed a cafeteria diet for 30 days, which induced overweight. The rats were fed the standard rat diet for 15 additional days to minimize the immediate effects of excess ingested energy. Controls were always kept on standard diet. After the rats were killed, their blood was used for 1) measuring plasma hormone levels, 2) determining the binding of labeled hormones to washed red blood cells (RBC), 3) incubating whole blood with labeled hormones and determining the distribution of label between plasma and packed cells, discounting the trapped plasma volume, 4) determining free plasma hormone using labeled hormones, both through membrane ultrafiltration and dextrancharcoal removal. The results were computed individually for each rat. Cells retained up to 32% estrone, and down to 10% of testosterone, with marked differences due to sex and diet (the latter only for estrogens, not for DHEA and testosterone). Sex and diet also affected the concentrations of all hormones, with no significant diet effects for estradiol and DHEA, but with considerable interaction between both factors. Binding to RBC was non-specific for all hormones. Estrogen distribution in plasma compartments was affected by sex and diet. In conclusion: a) there is a large non-specific RBC-carried compartment for estrone, estradiol, DHEA and testosterone deeply affected by sex; b) Prior exposure to a cafeteria (hyperlipidic) diet induced hormone distribution changes, affected by sex, which hint at sex-related structural differences in RBC membranes; c) We postulate that the RBC compartment may contribute to maintain free (i.e., fully active) sex hormone levels in a way similar to plasma proteins non-specific binding.

Distribution of monocarboxylate transporters in the peripheral nervous system suggests putative roles in lactate shuttling and myelination.

Lactate, a product of glycolysis, has been shown to play a key role in the metabolic support of neurons/axons in the CNS by both astrocytes and oligodendrocytes through monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs). Despite such importance in the CNS, little is known about MCT expression and lactate function in the PNS. Here we show that mouse MCT1, MCT2, and MCT4 are expressed in the PNS. While DRG neurons express MCT1, myelinating Schwann cells (SCs) coexpress MCT1 and MCT4 in a domain-specific fashion, mainly in regions of noncompact myelin. Interestingly, SC-specific downregulation of MCT1 expression in rat neuron/SC cocultures led to increased myelination, while its downregulation in neurons resulted in a decreased amount of neurofilament. Finally, pure rat SCs grown in the presence of lactate exhibited an increase in the level of expression of the main myelin regulator gene Krox20/Egr2 and the myelin gene P0. These data indicate that lactate homeostasis participates in the regulation of the SC myelination program and reveal that similar to CNS, PNS axon-glial metabolic interactions are most likely mediated by MCTs.

The Spatial Distribution of Spanish Transport Infrastructure between 1860 and 1930

The origin of Spanish regional economic divergence can be traced back at least until the seventeenth century, although its full definition took place during industrialisation. Historians have often included uneven regional infrastructure endowments among the factors that explain divergence among Spanish regions, although no systematic analysis of the spatial distribution of Spanish infrastructure and its determinants has been carried out so far. This paper aims at filling that gap, by offering a description of the regional distribution of the main Spanish transport infrastructure between the middle of the nineteenth century and the Civil War. In addition, it estimates a panel data model to search into the main reasons that explain the differences among the Spanish regional endowments of railways and roads during that period. The outcomes of that analysis indicate that both institutional factors and the physical characteristics of each area had a strong influence on the distribution of transport infrastructure among the Spanish regions.

Tissue distribution of retinoids in common dolphins (Delphinus delphis).

Exposure to organochlorines induces retinoid deficiency in mammals; hence, retinoids are potential biomarkers of the impact of these pollutants. Appropriate target tissues to monitor retinoids in cetaceans have not been properly identified because of a lack of information on the contribution of each tissue to total body retinoids. Therefore, we have addressed this issue by studying the contribution of the main body tissues to retinoids in 21 common dolphins obtained from incidental catches and in apparent good health and nutritive condition. Although concentrations in the liver were highest, those in blubber were also high and accounted for 43% of the total retinoid load of the compartments examined. As blubber can be obtained using non-invasive biopsy techniques, this tissue is proposed as a reliable indicator of retinoid status in cetaceans. However, blubber topographical variation in structure and composition requires standardization of sampling sites. Retinoid concentrations did not differ significantly between sexes or with body size for any of the tissues, but the lipid content of blubber strongly influenced these concentrations. Biopsies from healthy, free-ranging individuals are preferred to samples from stranded animals. Further research on the influence of factors (age, sex, reproductive condition, diet) that potentially affect retinoid levels is required to implement the use of retinoids as biomarkers of pollutant exposure in cetaceans.

The Spatial Distribution of Human Capital: Can It Really Be Explained by Regional Differences in Market Access?

This paper tests the robustness of estimates of market access impact on regional variability in human capital, as previously derived in the NEG literature. Our hypothesis is that these estimates of the coefficient of market access, in fact, capture the effects of regional differences in the industrial mix and the spatial dependence in the distribution of human capital. Results for the Spanish provinces indicate that the estimated impact of market access vanishes and becomes non-significant once these two elements are included in the empirical analysis.

Polarized distribution of inducible nitric oxide synthase regulates activity in intestinal epithelial cells.

Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) functions as a homodimer. In cell extracts, iNOS molecules partition both in cytosolic and particulate fractions, indicating that iNOS exists as soluble and membrane associated forms. In this study, iNOS features were investigated in human intestinal epithelial cells stimulated with cytokines and in duodenum from mice exposed to flagellin. Our experiments indicate that iNOS is mainly associated with the particulate fraction of cell extracts. Confocal microscopy showed a preferential localization of iNOS at the apical pole of intestinal epithelial cells. In particulate fractions, iNOS dimers were more abundant than in the cytosolic fraction. Similar observations were seen in mouse duodenum samples. These results suggest that, in epithelial cells, iNOS activity is regulated by localization-dependent processes.

The regional distribution of unemployment. What do micro-data tell us?

Regional disparities in unemployment rates are large and persistent. The literature provides evidence of their magnitude and evolution, as well as evidence of the role of certain economic, demographic and environmental factors in explaining the gap between regions of low and high unemployment. Most of these studies, however, adopt an aggregate approach and so do not account for the individual characteristics of the unemployed and employed in each region. This paper, by drawing on micro-data from the Spanish wave of the Labour Force Survey, seeks to remedy this shortcoming by analysing regional differentials in unemployment rates. An appropriate decomposition of the regional gap in the average probability of being unemployed enables us to distinguish between the contribution of differences in the regional distribution of individual characteristics from that attributable to a different impact of these characteristics on the probability of unemployment. Our results suggest that the well-documented disparities in regional unemployment are not just the result of regional heterogeneity in the distribution of individual characteristics. Non-negligible differences in the probability of unemployment remain after controlling for this type of heterogeneity, as a result of differences across regions in the impact of the observed characteristics. Among the factors considered in our analysis, regional differences in the endowment and impact of an individual’s education are shown to play a major role.

In Vivo Profiling and Distribution of Known and Novel Phase I and Phase II Metabolites of Efavirenz in Plasma, Urine, and Cerebrospinal Fluid.

Efavirenz (EFV) is principally metabolized by CYP2B6 to 8-hydroxy-efavirenz (8OH-EFV) and to a lesser extent by CYP2A6 to 7-hydroxy-efavirenz (7OH-EFV). So far, most metabolite profile analyses have been restricted to 8OH-EFV, 7OH-EFV, and EFV-N-glucuronide, even though these metabolites represent a minor percentage of EFV metabolites present in vivo. We have performed a quantitative phase I and II metabolite profile analysis by tandem mass spectrometry of plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and urine samples in 71 human immunodeficiency virus patients taking efavirenz, prior to and after enzymatic (glucuronidase and sulfatase) hydrolysis. We have shown that phase II metabolites constitute the major part of the known circulating efavirenz species in humans. The 8OH-EFV-glucuronide (gln) and 8OH-EFV-sulfate (identified for the first time) in humans were found to be 64- and 7-fold higher than the parent 8OH-EFV, respectively. In individuals (n = 67) genotyped for CYP2B6, 2A6, and CYP3A metabolic pathways, 8OH-EFV/EFV ratios in plasma were an index of CYP2B6 phenotypic activity (P < 0.0001), which was also reflected by phase II metabolites 8OH-EFV-glucuronide/EFV and 8OH-EFV-sulfate/EFV ratios. Neither EFV nor 8OH-EFV, nor any other considered metabolites in plasma were associated with an increased risk of central nervous system (CNS) toxicity. In CSF, 8OH-EFV levels were not influenced by CYP2B6 genotypes and did not predict CNS toxicity. The phase II metabolites 8OH-EFV-gln, 8OH-EFV-sulfate, and 7OH-EFV-gln were present in CSF at 2- to 9-fold higher concentrations than 8OH-EFV. The potential contribution of known and previously unreported EFV metabolites in CSF to the neuropsychological effects of efavirenz needs to be further examined in larger cohort studies.

Prevalence and Distribution of Leishmania RNA Virus 1 in Leishmania Parasites from French Guiana.

In South America, the presence of the Leishmania RNA virus type 1 (LRV1) was described in Leishmania guyanensis and Leishmania braziliensis strains. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence distribution of LRV1 in Leishmania isolates in French Guiana given that, in this French overseas department, most Leishmania infections are due to these parasite species. The presence of the virus was observed in 74% of Leishmania spp. isolates, with a highest presence in the internal areas of the country.

The evolution and distribution of second-hand house prices in Barcelona

The aim of this study is to collect and analyze variables that could have a relationship with the second-hand house prices in Barcelona, as much disaggregated as possible from 2008 to 2011 and make a statistical analysis. The study consists of two parts. The first part is the preliminary study of the data and the second part is the econometric analysis of the data to see if there is any relationship between the second-hand house prices and the variables chosen. Finally, we looked at if there was any atypical observation and if the model presented multicollinarity. With all this information, we extract some conclusions and then, we analyzed more deeply the information.

Influence of baffles and fish presence in the velocities distribution of a multivortex tank

Postprint (published version)

The Effect of Operational Disturbances on Reliability and Operation Time Distribution of NCmachine Tools in FMS

This thesis concentrates on studying the operational disturbance behavior of machine tools integrated into FMS. Operational disturbances are short term failures of machine tools which are especially disruptive to unattended or unmanned operation of FMS. The main objective was to examine the effect of operational disturbances on reliability and operation time distribution for machine tools. The theoretical part of the thesis covers the fimdamentals of FMS relating to the subject of this study. The concept of FMS, its benefits and operator's role in FMS operation are reviewed. The importance of reliability is presented. The terms describing the operation time of machine tools are formed by adopting standards and references. The concept of failure and indicators describing reliability and operational performance for machine tools in FMSs are presented. The empirical part of the thesis describes the research methodology which is a combination of automated (ADC) and manual data collection. By using this methodology it is possible to have a complete view of the operation time distribution for studied machine tools. Data collection was carried out in four FMSs consisting of a total of 17 machine tools. Each FMS's basic features and the signals of ADC are described. The indicators describing the reliability and operation time distribution of machine tools were calculated according to collected data. The results showed that operational disturbances have a significant influence on machine tool reliability and operational performance. On average, an operational disturbance occurs every 8,6 hours of operation time and has a down time of 0,53 hours. Operational disturbances cause a 9,4% loss in operation time which is twice the amount of losses caused by technical failures (4,3%). Operational disturbances have a decreasing influence on the utilization rate. A poor operational disturbance behavior decreases the utilization rate. It was found that the features of a part family to be machined and the method technology related to it are defining the operational disturbance behavior of the machine tool. Main causes for operational disturbances were related to material quality variations, tool maintenance, NC program errors, ATC and machine tool control. Operator's role was emphasized. It was found that failure recording activity of the operators correlates with the utilization rate. The more precisely the operators record the failure, the higher is the utilization rate. Also the FMS organizations which record failures more precisely have fewer operational disturbances.