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At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources

Tunneling electron induced bromine hopping on Si(100)-(2 x 1).

Tunneling electrons from the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope can be used to induce adatom hopping on Br-terminated Si(100)-(2x1) at low current and without voltage pulses. Hopping does not occur when electrons tunnel from a sample to a tip. The threshold energy is +0.8 V, and tunneling spectroscopy shows antibonding Si-Br states 0.8 eV above the Fermi level. Electron capture in these states is a necessary condition for hopping, but repulsive adsorbate interactions that lower the activation barrier are also required. Such interactions are strong near saturation for Br but are insufficient when the coverage is low or when Br is replaced by Cl.

Journal Article↗

Charge transfer between a superconductor and a hopping insulator.

We develop a theory of the low-temperature charge transfer between a superconductor and a hopping insulator. We show that the charge transfer is governed by the coherent two-electron-Cooper pair conversion process time-reversal reflection, where electrons tunnel into a superconductor from the localized states in the hopping insulator located near the interface, and calculate the corresponding interface resistance. A specific feature of this problem is the interplay between the time-reversal reflection at the interface and transport through the percolation cluster. To allow for this interplay, we have generalized the connectivity criterion of the percolation theory to include surface effects. We show that the time-reversal interface resistance is accessible experimentally, and that in mesoscopic structures it can exceed the bulk hopping resistance.

Journal Article↗

Inhibitory effect of 11 beta-hydroxypregna-1,4-diene-3,20-dione (delta HOP) on lymphocyte proliferation.

We have compared the immunosuppressive effect of delta HOP and glucocorticoids on lymphocyte proliferation and IL-1 secretion. The new synthetic steroid only inhibited proliferation of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated human lymphocyte at high concentrations and the effect did not persist after washing out the steroid. In contrast, glucocorticoids produced the classical dose-response inhibition and the effect persisted when they were removed from the cultured medium. Although both steroids decreased IL-1 secretion from human monocytes stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), they exert the same effect through a different mechanism. The experiments we report suggest that the decrease of IL-1 synthesis produced by delta HOP could be caused by inhibition of LPS phagocytosis. These results support our hypothesis that delta HOP exerts its immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effect by a non-genomic mechanism.

Adult↗

Stabilometry and one-leg hop test have high test-retest reliability.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of repeated measurements and a possible learning or tiring process in single-limb stabilometry and one-leg hop test. An additional purpose was to study the correlation between different stabilometric variables. Seventy-five healthy subjects were examined twice with a median interval of 7 d, and with three consecutive measurements on each occasion. Single-limb stabilometry and one-leg hop test were found to have high reliability (ICC r = 0.68-0.83 and 0.96, respectively). The correlation between consecutive measurements was acceptable to high in stabilometry (r = 0.42-0.90, P = 0.002-P < 0.001) and high in the one-leg hop test (r = 0.91-0.97, P < 0.001). A learning process over time was observed. The correlation between the stabilometric variables was high (r = 0.73-0.95, P < 0.001).

Adolescent↗

The determinants of the step frequency in running, trotting and hopping in man and other vertebrates.

1. During each step of running, trotting or hopping part of the gravitational and kinetic energy of the body is absorbed and successively restored by the muscles as in an elastic rebound. In this study we analysed the vertical motion of the centre of gravity of the body during this rebound and defined the relationship between the apparent natural frequency of the bouncing system and the step frequency at the different speeds. 2. The step period and the vertical oscillation of the centre of gravity during the step were divided into two parts: a part taking place when the vertical force exerted on the ground is greater than body weight (lower part of the oscillation) and a part taking place when this force is smaller than body weight (upper part of the oscillation). This analysis was made on running humans and birds; trotting dogs, monkeys and rams; and hopping kangaroos and springhares. 3. During trotting and low-speed running the rebound is symmetric, i.e. the duration and the amplitude of the lower part of the vertical oscillation of the centre of gravity are about equal to those of the upper part. In this case, the step frequency equals the frequency of the bouncing system. 4. At high speeds of running and in hopping the rebound is asymmetric, i.e. the duration and the amplitude of the upper part of the oscillation are greater than those of the lower part, and the step frequency is lower than the frequency of the system. 5. The asymmetry is due to a relative increase in the vertical push. At a given speed, the asymmetric bounce requires a greater power to maintain the motion of the centre of gravity of the body, Wext, than the symmetric bounce. A reduction of the push would decrease Wext but the resulting greater step frequency would increase the power required to accelerate the limbs relative to the centre of gravity, Wint. It is concluded that the asymmetric rebound is adopted in order to minimize the total power, Wext + Wint.

Animals↗

Constant and variable stiffness and damping of the leg joints in human hopping.

The present study deals with the stiffness and damping profiles of the leg joints during the ground-contact phase of hopping. A two-dimensional (sagittal plane) jumping model, consisting of four linked rigid segments and including the paired feet, shanks, thighs, and the head-arms-trunk segment, was developed. The segments were interconnected by damped torsional springs, representing the action of the muscles, tendons and ligaments across the joint and of the other joint tissues. A regressive function was used to express stiffness and damping, and included second-order dependence on angle and first-order dependence on angular velocity. By eliminating redundancies in the numerical solution using multicollinearity diagnostic algorithms, the model results revealed that the correct and sufficient nonlinearity for the joint stiffness is of the first order. Damping was found negligible. The stiffness profiles obtained were bell-shaped with a maximum near midstance and nonzero edge values. In predicting the joint moments, the obtained variable joint stiffnesses provided a closer agreement compared to a constant stiffness model. The maximal stiffness was found to be in linear correlation with the initial stiffness in each joint, providing support to the of muscles' preactivation strategy during the flight phase of hopping. All stiffnesses increased with increasing hopping frequency. The model presented provides an effective tool for future designing of artificial legs and robots and for the development of more accurate control strategies.

Adult↗

Metabolism of 8-prenylnaringenin, a potent phytoestrogen from hops (Humulus lupulus), by human liver microsomes.

The female flowers of hops are used throughout the world as a flavoring agent for beer. Recently, there has been increasing interest in the potential estrogenic properties of hop extracts. Among the possible estrogenic compounds in hops, 8-prenylnaringenin is perhaps most significant due to its high in vitro potency exceeding that of other known phytoestrogens. Since data regarding the pharmacokinetic properties of this compound are lacking, we investigated the in vitro metabolism of 8-prenylnaringenin by human liver microsomes. A total of 12 metabolites were identified, and biotransformation occurred on the prenyl group and the flavanone skeleton. The major site of oxidation was on the terminal methyl groups, and of the two possible isomers, the transisomer was more abundant. The double bond on the prenyl group was also oxidized to an epoxide that was opened by intramolecular reaction with the neighboring hydroxyl group. On the flavanone skeleton, the major site of oxidation was at 3'position on the B ring. Other metabolites included oxidation at carbon-3 as well as desaturation of the C ring to produce 8-prenylapigenin. An unusual hydroxy quinone product formed by ipso hydroxylation of the B ring of 8-prenylnaringenin was also detected. This product was probably an intermediate for the B ring cleavage product, 8-prenylchromone.

Chromatography, Liquid↗

Isolation of a hop-sensitive variant of Lactobacillus lindneri and identification of genetic markers for beer spoilage ability of lactic acid bacteria.

We have isolated a hop-sensitive variant of the beer spoilage bacterium Lactobacillus lindneri DSM 20692. The variant lost a plasmid carrying two contiguous open reading frames (ORF s) designated horB(L) and horC(L) that encode a putative regulator and multidrug transporter presumably belonging to the resistance-nodulation-cell division superfamily. The loss of hop resistance ability occurred with the loss of resistance to other drugs, including ethidium bromide, novobiocin, and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide. PCR and Southern blot analysis using 51 beer spoilage strains of various species of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) revealed that 49 strains possessed homologs of horB and horC. No false-positive results have been observed for nonspoilage LAB or frequently encountered brewery isolates. These features are superior to those of horA and ORF 5, previously reported genetic markers for determining the beer spoilage ability of LAB. It was further shown that the combined use of horB/horC and horA is able to detect all 51 beer spoilage strains examined in this study. Furthermore sequence comparison of horB and horC homologs identified in four different beer spoilage species indicates these homologs are 96.6 to 99.5% identical, which is not typical of distinct species. The wide and exclusive distribution of horB and horC homologs among beer spoilage LAB and their sequence identities suggest that the hop resistance ability of beer spoilage LAB has been acquired through horizontal gene transfer. These insights provide a foundation for applying trans-species genetic markers to differentiating beer spoilage LAB including previously unencountered species.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

A neural network controller for the path tracking control of a hopping robot involving time delays.

In this paper a hopping robot motion with offset mass is discussed. A mathematical model has been considered and an efficient single layered neural network has been developed to suit to the dynamics of the hopping robot, which ensures guaranteed tracking performance leading to the stability of the otherwise unstable system. The neural network takes advantage of the robot regressor dynamics that expresses the highly nonlinear robot dynamics in a linear form in terms of the known and unknown robot parameters. Time delays in the control mechanism play a vital role in the motion of hopping robots. The present work also enables us to estimate the maximum time delay admissible with out losing the guaranteed tracking performance. Further this neural network does not require offline training procedures. The salient features are highlighted by appropriate simulations.

Algorithms↗

Interaction of leg stiffness and surfaces stiffness during human hopping.

When mammals run, the overall musculoskeletal system behaves as a single linear "leg spring". We used force platform and kinematic measurements to determine whether leg spring stiffness (k(leg)) is adjusted to accommodate changes in surface stiffness (ksurf) when humans hoop in place, a good experimental model for examining adjustments to k(leg) in bouncing gaits. We found that k(leg) was greatly increased to accommodate surfaces of lower stiffnesses. The series combination of k(leg) and ksurf [total stiffness (ktot)] was independent of ksurf at a given hopping frequency. For example, when humans hopped at a frequency of 2 Hz, they tripled their k(leg) on the least stiff surface (ksurf = 26.1 kN/m; k(leg) = 53.3 kN/m) compared with the most stiff surface (ksurf = 35,000 kN/m; k(leg) = 17.8 kN/m). Values for ktot were not significantly different on the least stiff surface (16.7 kN/m) and the most stiff surface (17.8 kN/m). Because of the k(leg) adjustment, many aspects of the hopping mechanics (e.g., ground-contact time and center of mass vertical displacement) remained remarkably similar despite a > 1,000-fold change in ksurf. This study provides insight into how k(leg) adjustments can allow similar locomotion mechanics on the variety of terrains encountered by runners in the natural world.

Aged↗

Mechanism of leg stiffness adjustment for hopping on surfaces of different stiffnesses.

When humans hop in place or run forward, leg stiffness is increased to offset reductions in surface stiffness, allowing the global kinematics and mechanics to remain the same on all surfaces. The purpose of the present study was to determine the mechanism for adjusting leg stiffness. Seven subjects hopped in place on surfaces of different stiffnesses (23-35,000 kN/m) while force platform, kinematic, and electromyographic data were collected. Leg stiffness approximately doubled between the most stiff surface and the least stiff surface. Over the same range of surfaces, ankle torsional stiffness increased 1.75-fold, and the knee became more extended at the time of touchdown (2.81 vs. 2.65 rad). We used a computer simulation to examine the sensitivity of leg stiffness to the observed changes in ankle stiffness and touchdown knee angle. Our model consisted of four segments (foot, shank, thigh, head-arms-trunk) interconnected by three torsional springs (ankle, knee, hip). In the model, an increase in ankle stiffness 1.75-fold caused leg stiffness to increase 1.7-fold. A change in touchdown knee angle as observed in the subjects caused leg stiffness to increase 1.3-fold. Thus both joint stiffness and limb geometry adjustments are important in adjusting leg stiffness to allow similar hopping on different surfaces.

Adult↗

Passive dynamics change leg mechanics for an unexpected surface during human hopping.

Humans running and hopping maintain similar center-of-mass motions, despite large changes in surface stiffness and damping. The goal of this study was to determine the contributions of anticipation and reaction when human hoppers encounter surprise, expected, and random changes from a soft elastic surface (27 kN/m) to a hard surface (411 kN/m). Subjects encountered the expected hard surface on every fourth hop and the random hard surface on an average of 25% of the hops in a trial. When hoppers on a soft surface were surprised by a hard surface, the ankle and knee joints were forced into greater flexion by passive interaction with the hard surface. Within 52 ms after subjects landed on the surprise hard surface, joint flexion increased, and the legs became less stiff than on the soft surface. These mechanical changes occurred before electromyography (EMG) first changed 68-188 ms after landing. Due to the fast mechanical reaction to the surprise hard surface, center-of-mass displacement and average leg stiffness were the same as on expected and random hard surfaces. This similarity is striking because subjects anticipated the expected and random hard surfaces by landing with their knees more flexed. Subjects also anticipated the expected hard surface by increasing the level of EMG by 24-76% during the 50 ms before landing. These results show that passive mechanisms alter leg stiffness for unexpected surface changes before muscle EMG changes and may be critical for adjustments to variable terrain encountered during locomotion in the natural world.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

In vivo muscle force and elastic energy storage during steady-speed hopping of tammar wallabies (Macropus eugenii)

In order to evaluate the role of elastic energy recovery in the hopping of macropodids, in vivo measurements of muscle&shy;tendon forces using buckle force transducers attached to the tendons of the gastrocnemius (G), plantaris (PL) and flexor digitorum longus (FDL) of tammar wallabies were made as the animals hopped on a treadmill at speeds ranging from 2.1 to 6.3 m s-1. These muscles and tendons constitute the main structures that are most important in energy storage and recovery. Electromyographic recordings from the lateral gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles, together with high-speed films (200 frames s-1) and video (60 fields s-1), were also used to correlate muscle activation and kinematic patterns of limb movement with force development. On the basis of in situ calibrations of the buckle transducers, we found that muscle forces and elastic energy storage increased with increased hopping speed in all three muscle&shy;tendon units. Elastic energy recovery reached a maximum of 25 % of metabolic energy expenditure at 6.3 m s-1 and is probably greater than this at higher speeds. Force sharing among the three muscles was consistently maintained over this range of speeds in terms of recruitment. Although forces and stresses were generally comparable within the gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles, maximal tendon stresses were considerably greater in the gastrocnemius, because of its smaller cross-sectional area (peak muscle stress: 227 versus 262 kPa; peak tendon stress: 36 versus 32 MPa, G versus PL). As a result, energy storage was greatest in the gastrocnemius tendon despite its much shorter length, which limits its volume and, hence, energy storage capacity, compared with PL and FDL tendons. Forces and stresses (17 MPa maximum) developed within the FDL tendon were consistently much lower than those for the other two tendons. Peak stresses in these three tendons indicated safety factors of 3.0 for G, 3.3 for PL and 6.0 for FDL. The lower stresses developed within the tendons of the plantaris and, especially, the flexor digitorum longus may indicate the need to maintain sufficient stiffness for phalangeal control of foot placement, at the expense of reduced strain energy recovery.

Journal Article↗

Cloning and analysis of valerophenone synthase gene expressed specifically in lupulin gland of hop (Humulus lupulus L.).

Resin and essential oil derived from hop (Humulus lupulus L.) cones are very important compounds for beer brewing, and they specifically accumulate in the lupulin gland of hop cones. In order to identify the genes responsible for the biosynthetic pathway of these compounds and use the identified genes for hop breeding using Marker Assisted Selection and transformation techniques, genes expressed specifically in the lupulin gland were cloned and sequenced. One of them was suggested to be similar to the chalcone synthase gene from the DNA sequence. The translation product of the gene had the activity of valerophenone synthase, which catalyzes a part of the synthesis reaction of alpha-acid and beta-acid. Northern analysis showed that the valerophenone synthase gene seemed to be expressed specifically in the lupulin gland.

Acyltransferases↗

Wide-bandwidth mode-hop-free tuning of extended-cavity GaN diode lasers.

We present a new approach for extended-cavity diode-laser tuning to achieve wide mode-hop-free tuning ranges. By using a multiple piezoactuated grating mount, the cavity length and grating angle in the laser can be adjusted independently, allowing mode-hop-free tuning without the need for a mechanically optimized pivot-point mount. Furthermore, synchronized diode injection-current tuning allows diode lasers without antireflection coatings to be employed. In combination these two techniques make the construction of a cheap, efficient, and easily optimized extended-cavity diode laser possible. A theoretical analysis is presented for optimal control of piezoactuator displacements and injection current to achieve the widest possible mode-hop-free tuning ranges, and a comparison is made with measurements. The scheme is demonstrated for blue and violet GaN lasers operating at approximately 450 nm and approximately 410 nm, for which continuous tuning ranges exceeding 90 GHz have been achieved. Examples of applications of these lasers are also given.

Journal Article↗

Optical feedback induces polarization mode hopping in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers.

Vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers subjected to weak polarization-insensitive optical feedback are studied experimentally and theoretically. We find that the feedback induces random anticorrelated hopping between the two orthogonal linearly polarized modes. This polarization mode hopping is accompanied by rapid anticorrelated oscillations in the linearly polarized intensities at the external-cavity frequency. The study of a simple stochastic delay differential equation suggests that these oscillations generated by the delay are typical of any hopping phenomenon between states.

Journal Article↗

The gradual reduction of viroid levels in hop mericlones following heat therapy: a possible role for a nuclease degrading dsRNA.

A high concentration of hop latent viroid (HLVd) was detected in infected mericlones of Osvald's hops grown in vitro. This concentration was about 8-fold higher than in leaves of young, field-grown plants, reaching about 30 pg/mg of fresh mass. Treatment of these in vitro-grown plants at high temperature (35 degrees C) for two weeks lead to a dramatic (about 70-90%) decrease of HLVd content. More detailed investigations performed with mericlone 6147 of Osvald 31 showed that HLVd levels decrease gradually during subsequent cycles of heat treatment. A nuclease activity capable of cleaving HLVd and fully double-stranded RNA was shown to increase significantly in hop tissues during thermotherapy cycles, or after the heat shock. The nuclease activity was found to have similar properties to those extracted earlier from tobacco anthers. This enzyme resembles a sugar-unspecific nuclease which has a maximum activity at pH 5.5. Analysis of the activity with viroid and dsRNA showed that both, endo- and exonucleolytic activities were attributable to the enzyme. A strong tissue-specific gradient of viroid (the lowest level in stem apex and the highest level in roots) was observed in young plants, showing a negative correlation with the dsRNAse activity. In senescent plants, the highest viroid concentration was observed in maturated cones and in upper stems. High nuclease activity in the upper stem tissue suggests that viroid RNA must be protected in this tissue against degradation.

Chromatography, Gel↗

Studies on sperm storage in the vas deferens of the spinifex hopping mouse (Notomys alexis).

The cauda epididymidis, with its relatively cool temperature (32-35 degrees C), is considered to be the main site of sperm storage in male mammals. However, in the adult male spinifex hopping mouse, Notomys alexis, similar numbers of spermatozoa are found in the vas deferens to those in the cauda epididymidis. The present study shows that, unlike in the laboratory mouse in which spermatozoa of the vas deferens are found mainly in the epididymal region of the duct, spermatozoa in the hopping mouse are localized mainly to the middle and urethral regions of the vas deferens which lies in the inguinal and lower abdominal region of the body cavity. After ligation of the vas deferens close to its connection with the epididymis, many spermatozoa in the vas deferens retain the potential for motility for up to 2 weeks, indicating that the viability of spermatozoa is not compromised by being restricted to core body temperature. This urethral region of the vas deferens, in which spermatozoa reside, has a highly divergent structural organization compared with that of common laboratory rodents in which there is an expanded lumen with a network of epithelial folds. Ultrastructural observations of the cells lining the duct indicate that there are not any marked differences in morphology compared with the cells lining the duct in common laboratory murids, but the infoldings of the vas deferens of the hopping mouse are highly vascular which might facilitate supply of oxygen and nutrients to the spermatozoa residing in the lumen.

Animals↗