PDE3 regulates cAMP-mediated signaling in the heart, and PDE3 inhibitors augment contractility in patients with heart failure. Studies in mice showed that PDE3A, not PDE3B, is the subfamily responsible for these inotropic effects, and that murine PDE3A1 associates with SERCA2, PLB and AKAP18 in a multi-protein signalosome in human SR. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that PDE3A co-localiz

Aqueous dispersions of Ca montmorillonite contain small clusters of clay platelets, often named "tactoids". In these tactoids, the platelets are arranged parallel to each other with a constant spacing of 1 nm. We have used small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to determine the average number of platelets per tactoid, < N >. We found that this number depends on the platelet size, with larger platelet

This brief presents a low-complexity system for digitally assisting a channel select filter (CSF) to mitigate both even- and odd-order nonlinearities. The proposed solution is scalable and can be utilized for nonlinearity mitigation in different analog transceiver blocks. The system consists of an auxiliary path with a low-resolution analog to digital converter (ADC) enabling digital recreation an

Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications have received increasingattention lately, but there is a lack of reported results regarding important quantities such as path loss. This paper presents parameterized path loss models for V2V communications based on extensive sets of measurement data collected mainly under line-of-sight conditions in four different propagation environments: highway, rural, ur

This paper examines whether combining non-monetary and monetary incentives increases municipal solid waste sorting. We empirically investigate this issue, exploiting the exogenous variation in waste management policies experienced during the years 1999–2008 by the 95 municipalities in the district of Treviso (Italy). Using a panel regression analysis, we estimate that pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) incen

A numerical model of undertow due to random waves is developed. The model includes three sub-models: (i) a model for multi-directional and multi-frequency random wave transformation, (ii) a surface roller evolution model, and (iii) a model for calculating the vertical distribution and the mean value of the undertow velocity. The calculation of wave trough level is performed based on a theory for t

The development of new therapies for the treatment of type 2 diabetes requires robust, reproducible and well validated in vivo experimental systems. Mice provide the most ideal animal model for studies of potential therapies. Unlike larger animals, mice have a short gestational period, are genetically similar, often give birth to many offspring at once and can be housed as multiple groups in a sin

Objective. The purpose of this work was to develop an inexpensive phantom for simplified image quality assurance (IQA) together with algorithms for objective evaluation of image quality parameters and to integrate these components into an easy-to-use software package. This should help make quality control of dental cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) units accessible, easy, and affordable for any

A novel concept for remote in situ detection of soot emissions by a combination of laser-induced incandescence (LII) and light detection and ranging (lidar) is presented. A lidar setup based on a picosecond Nd:YAG laser and time-resolved signal detection in the backward direction was used for LII measurements in sooty premixed ethylene-air flames. Measurements of LII-lidar signal versus laser flue

We report on the use of time resolved X-ray diffraction to measure the dynamics of strain in laser-excited graphite film of nanometer thickness, obtained by chemical vapour deposition (CVD). Heat transport in the CVD film is simulated with a 1-dimensional heat diffusion model. We find the experimental data to be consistent with a c-axis thermal conductivity of similar to 0.7 Wm(-1) K-1. This value

Arguments from explanation, i.e. arguments in which the explanatory value of a hypothesis or premise is appealed to, are common in science, and explanatory considerations are becoming more popular in metaphysics. The paper begins by arguing that explanatory arguments in science—even when these are metaphysical explanations—may fail to be explanatory in metaphysics; there is a distinction to be dra

Optimization of aerodynamic shapes using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approaches has been successfully demonstrated over a number of years; however, the typical optimization approaches employed utilize gradient algorithms that guarantee only the local optimality of the solution. While numerous global optimization techniques exist, they are usually too time consuming in practice. In this brie

Reactive nitrogen (N-r) compounds have different fates in the atmosphere due to differences in the governing processes of physical transport, deposition and chemical transformation. N-r compounds addressed here include reduced nitrogen (NHx: ammonia (NH3) and its reaction product ammonium (NH4+)), oxidized nitrogen (NOy: nitrogen monoxide (NO) + nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and their reaction products)

Accurate and internationally comparable human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA genotyping is essential for HPV vaccine research and for HPV surveillance. The HPV Laboratory Network (LabNet) has designed international proficiency studies that can be issued regularly and in a reproducible manner. The 2011 HPV genotyping proficiency panel contained 43 coded samples composed of purified plasmids of 16 HPV typ

A plethora of peptides are generated intracellularly, and most peptide-human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-I interactions are of a transient, unproductive nature. Without a quality control mechanism, the HLA-I system would be stressed by futile attempts to present peptides not sufficient for the stable peptide-HLA-I complex formation required for long term presentation. Tapasin is thought to be central

High-resolution neutron counting sensors with microchannel plates coupled to a Timepix readout enable high spatial (similar to 55 mu m) and temporal (similar to 1 mu s) accuracy for each detected thermal and cold neutron. One of the attractive applications for those sensors is the high-resolution strain mapping in engineering samples through transmission Bragg edge diffraction. The unique combinat