The properties of negative-ion beams are very important for designing negative-ion apparatus and applications of negative-ion beams, especially, electron detachment cross-sections at the interaction between negative-ion beams and gas particles in the transport system, and secondary-electron emission factors when negative ions are incident on solid surfaces. These properties of negative-ion beams were investigated experimentally as a function of the ion energy under 50 keV. The single electron detachment cross-sections are almost constant in the other of 10[sup -15] cm[sup 2] in this energy range, but double electron detachment cross-sections increase in proportion to the ion velocity and much smaller than the single one. As for the secondary-electron emission factor, the emission factors for ...
The properties of negative-ion beams are very important for designing negative-ion apparatus and applications of negative-ion beams, especially, electron detachment cross-sections at the interaction between negative-ion beams and gas particles in the transport system, and secondary-electron emission factors when negative ions are incident on solid surfaces. These properties of negative-ion beams were investigated experimentally as a function of the ion energy under 50 keV. The single electron detachment cross-sections are almost constant in the other of 10"-"1"5 cm"2 in this energy range, but double electron detachment cross-sections increase in proportion to the ion velocity and much smaller than the single one. As for the secondary-electron emission factor, the emission factors for ...
The radiation life time of reactor pressure vessel (RPV) is the most important limiting factor for the term of exploitation of the whole power unit. The main degradation mechanism of RPV metal is the neutron induced embrittlement. Processes of radiation ageing running in RPV metal lead to fracture toughness decrease and to increased probability of brittle fracture of the vessel under thermal shocks. This explains the importance of RPV integrity assessment and rest life time management
The photon rupture method, by which oxide film and metal are removed by focused pulsed Nd-YAG laser beam irradiation, was applied to form artificial micro-pits in Zn-5 mass% Al alloy-coated steel. The zinc alloy-coated layer was removed by pulsed laser irradiation treatment for about one second in a neutral buffer solution with NaCl. The rest potential transient with the laser treatment was measured. In the early stage of the laser treatment the rest potential of zinc alloy-coated steel changed to the negative direction immediately after every irradiation of a laser pulse and then returned to the previous value. However, after the steel substrate was exposed to the solution, the rest potential moved to the positive direction immediately after every irradiation of a laser pulse and then returned to the previous value. The amplitude and duration of the potential change after the laser irradiation ...
An ``energy snapshot`` article is included on housing characteristics in 1993 (survey of 7,111 households). The rest of the document is divided into: energy overview, energy consumption, petroleum, natural gas, oil and gas resource development, coal, electricity, nuclear energy, energy prices, international energy, and appendices (conversion factors, CO2 emission factors from coal, index, glossary).
We studied regional myocardial perfusion by scintigraphic computer-assisted analysis of initial distribution, washout rates, and residual activity of "1"3"3Xe injected into the left coronary artery of four patients with normal arteriograms and 14 patients with coronary stenosis. At rest, residual activity in poststenotic regions was always greater than in control regions, but initial washout rates were not slower. During angina, following xenon injections, the amount of indicator distributed to the poststenotic regions was markedly reduced; the increase of the initial washout rates was smaller than in control regions relative to rest, and residual activity was higher. Initial washout rates did not differ as much as from those of normal myocardium because in severe ischemia too little indicator is deposited initially in these regions to produce a change of any magnitude. Indeed, when angina was induced immediately after the xenon injection, ...
The giant alga Chara corallina generates action potentials (APs) in response to mechanical stimulation, injury, or direct electrical stimulation. Students examine the waveform characteristics of these APs using standard intracellular recording techniques. Intracellular recording is easier than with neurons because of the large size of the Chara cell. Students observe very negativeresting potentials (up to -250 mV), large AP amplitudes with depolarizing peaks approaching 0 mV, AP durations of seconds, and refractory periods up to several minutes. Students calculate Nernst potentials for the ions distributed across the Chara cell membrane to hypothesize the ions responsible for the resting potential and for the depolarizing phase of the AP. These calculations suggest that K+ is responsible for the resting potential and that Ca2+ influx and Ca2+-activated Cl- efflux are responsible for depolarizing phases ...
Introduction: Previous studies have published the correlation between myocardial perfusion SPECT (MP) during cold pressor test (CPT) and intracoronary acetylcholine and its usefulness as independent marker of endothelial dysfunction (ED). Objective: To analyze the incidence of positivization of MP exercise studies in the follow up of asymptomatic patients with moderate cardiovascular risk (CV) and ED detected by PF. Material and Methods: Of 301 patients of the PARADIGMA Registry (normal exercise MP SPECT and clinical probability < 20% of events at 10 years [moderate risk by Framingham index]) 55 had positive PF (+) (18.3%). Prospectively and consecutively, 15 asymptomatic patients with PF (+), and a control group (CG) of 15 patients with negative PF, with paired sex, age and coronary risk factors (CRF), that accomplished a 12 #+-# 2 months follow up, and that underwent a new exercise and resting MP SPECT were analyzed. ...
Molar excess volumes, V/sup E/, and molar excess enthalpies, H/sup E/, have been determined at 298.15 K by using dilatometer and an LKB flow microcalorimeter, respectively, for benzene (A), toluene (A), o-xylene (A), m-xylene (A), or rho-xylene (A) + o-chlorotoulene (B) mixtures. While both the V/sup E/ and the H/sup E/ values are positive for benzene (A) = o-chlorotoluene (B) mixtures, they are negative for the rest of the binary mixtures. The data have also been compared with the available literature values.
Using aggregate data for the counties of England and Wales, a negative association is found between mean radon concentrations in dwellings and lung cancer standardised mortality ratios, when regional smoking variations, diet variations, social class variations and population density are controlled. Cornwall and Devon have the highest mean domestic radon gas concentrations, yet the number of lung cancer deaths there was within the range to be expected from relationships not involving radon observed in the rest of the country. While high values of radon exposure appear to concentrate in particular localities, the variations in lung cancer mortality between districts in Cornwall and Devon are small. These findings do not refute the linear exposure-risk hypothesis, but the evidence suggests that relatively few, if any, radon related deaths were associated with the dwellings where radon gas concentrations exceed the recommended action level.
The role of IGF-I in the negative regulation of GH expression and release is demonstrated by in vitro and in vivo models; however, the targets and mechanisms of IGF-I...Full Text Available
Osteoblasts are the primary cells responsible for bone formation. They also support osteoclast formation from bone marrow precursors in response to osteotropic factors by inducing receptor activator...Full Text Available
Ethane oxidation was studied in ethane-grown resting cells (mycelia) of an Acremonium sp. and in cell-free preparations of such mycelia. From resting cell experiments evidence was found for a pathway...Full Text Available
Effect of single and chronic irradiation on factors of hamsters natural immunity such as complement, lysozyme and antibodies in norm and in the cestode invasion has been investigated. Significant phase changes in the complement activity level, lysozyme content and specific antibodies tite have been shown to occur in hamster blood under the influence of ionizing radiation. Cestode invasion in irradiated host organism increases the negative effect of ionizing radiation on the hamster immyne system.
Purpose To evaluate disease failure patterns and overall survival (OS) of women with triple-negative (TN) breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving therapy (BCT) and to understand the relationship of TN tumors with other prognostic factors. Patients and Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry identified 562 women diagnosed and/or treated with unilateral invasive breast cancer during 2003?2004 at three Emory hospitals. After medical record review, 193 eligible women, with all tumor types, received BCT. Primary endpoints (local, regional, and distant recurrences) and secondary endpoint (OS) were evaluated using chi-square tests and Cox proportional hazards models. Results Of the 193 women, 33 (17.1%) had TN tumors and 160 (82.9%) had non-TN tumors. Patient...
Abstract Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- is a pro-inflammatory cytokine associated with psoriasis pathogenesis. Anti-TNF- therapies are effective in psoriasis. A significant weight gain has been reported in patients treated with anti-TNF- agents. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the body composition changes in psoriatic patients receiving anti-TNF- therapies according with disease phenotype. Forty patients affected with psoriasis were followed up for 24 weeks and divided into two groups: psoriasis vulgaris (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Anthropometric, blood biochemical, body composition parameters, resting metabolic rate, and disease activity indexes were measured at baseline and at week 24. After 24 weeks of anti-TNF- administration, the disease activity indexes and concen...
One proposed solution to the problem of ballast-mediated aquatic invasions involves chemically treating ballast water to kill key target organisms. Here, we examine the efficacy of three commercially available ballast water biocides using vegetative microalgae, dinoflagellate resting cysts and bacteria as test organisms. Chemicals tested were the ballast water biocides SeaKleen and Peraclean Ocean, and the chlorine dioxide biocide Vibrex. Results demonstrate that the applicability of each of the three chemical biocides as a routine ballast water treatment is limited by factors such as cost, biological effectiveness and possible residual toxicity of the discharged ballast water (assessed on the basis of impact on motility of vegetative marine microalgae). Of the three biocides tested, Perac...
The Thai natural rubber economy is described in the context of the world rubber market. An econometric model is estimated for 15 structural equations; it includes the Thai, US, and rest-of-the-world rubber economies. Several simulation experiments are analyzed for the period from 1984 to 1995. Impact and dynamic multipliers are reported for major endogenous variables in response to changes in US GDP, world crude oil price, Thai replanting cess tax and Thai natural rubber production. A 1%, one-time increase in the US GDP has a positive effect on the Singapore natural rubber price. A world crude oil price decline shock has a negative effect in both the short-run and the long-run. The INRO buffer stock stabilization policy as well as alternative domestic Thai policies of market intervention are analyzed. The simulation results show that buffer stock management which allows a price band of +/-20% around the price target has the most stabilized ...
Research performed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on the equilibrium and stability of a new class of ambient-temperature passive bearing systems is described. The basic concepts involved are: (1) Stability of the rotating system is only achieved in the rotating state. That is, disengaging mechanical systems are used to insure stable levitation at rest (when Earnshaw`s theorem applies). (2) Stable levitation by passive magnetic elements can be achieved if the vector sum of the force derivatives of the several elements of the system is net negative (i.e. restoring) for axial, transverse, and tilt-type perturbations from equilibrium. To satisfy the requirements of (2) using only permanent magnet elements we have employed periodic ``Halbach arrays.`` These interact with passive inductive loaded circuits and act as stabilizers, with the primary forces arising from axially symmetric permanent-magnet elements. Stabilizers and other ...
This paper presents a novel feature extraction scheme for roller bearing fault diagnosis utilizing generalized S transform and two-dimensional non-negative matrix factorization (2DNMF). The generalized S transform, which can make up the poor energy concentration of the standard S transform, is introduced to generate the time-frequency representation (TFR). Experiment results on simulated signal and vibration signals measured from rolling element bearings have revealed that the generalized S transform can obtain a more satisfactory TFR than other similar techniques. Furthermore, a new technique called two-dimensional non-negative matrix factorization (2DNMF), which can reduce the computation cost and preserve more structure information hiding in original 2D matrices compared to the NMF, is developed to extract more informative features from the time-frequency matrixes for accurate fault classification. ...
A versatile, high brightness, volume type, low power RF source, capable of producing positive ion beams with intensities as high as 1 mA from gaseous feed materials and microamperes of negative ion beams has been characterized. The source can also be operated as a plasma sputter negative ion source to generate up to 1 mA of a selected species. The performance of the source in the positive and negative volume modes of operation can be greatly enhanced by addition of a removable, water cooled filament assembly in place of the negative sputter probe. For examine, the material utilization efficiencies of gaseous feed species can be more than doubled, total current intensities increased up to 40%, molecular dissociation fractions increased by 20% and minimum operating pressures reduced by a factor of four when operated in the volume mode. These added electrons also favorably effect, as a ...
This Health and Safety (HSE) document offers technical information on the design of foundations for supports in offshore installations, and relates particularly to the North Sea. It is based largely on guidance offered earlier in Section 20 of the Fourth Edition of the Health and Safety Executive's 'Offshore Installations; Guidance on Design, Construction and Certification', which was withdrawn in 1998. The document contains a general section on foundations and the rest of the document comprises sections on: (a) piled foundations (planning, problems, pile make-up, steel stresses, design of pile foundations, axial pile capacity, factors of safety for piled foundations, load-deflection of piles, and piles for tethered buoyant structures); (b) foundations for gravity structures (foundation types, loads and reactions during installation, operating loads and reactions, foundation problems, cyclic load failure, ...
The rate and capacity for chloroform (CF) and trichloroethylene (TCE) transformation by a mixed methanotrophic culture of resting cells (no exogenous energy source) and formate-fed cells were measured....Full Text Available
Energetically costly behaviours, such as flight, push physiological systems to their limits requiring metabolic rates (MR) that are highly elevated above the resting MR (RMR). Both RMR and MR during...Full Text Available
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of respiratory quotient (RQ), a surrogate marker of substrate oxidation, as well as body composition and dietary intake to resting...Full Text Available
Eugenol, the principal chemical component of clove oil from Eugenia aromatica has been long known for its analgesic, local anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects. The interaction of the eugenol with ten different hydrophobic and hydrophilic antibiotics was studied against five different Gram negative bacteria. The MIC of the combination was found to decrease by a factor of 5-1000 with respect to their individual MIC. This synergy is because of the membrane damaging nature of eugenol, where 1mM of its concentration is able to damage nearly 50% of the bacterial membrane. Eugenol was also able to enhance the activities of lysozyme, Triton X-100 and SDS in damaging the bacterial cell membrane. The hydrophilic antibiotics such as vancomycin and b-lactam antibiotics which have ...
This study examined the psychometric properties of the Anti-fat Attitudes Scale (AFAS), a 5-item instrument developed by the authors to measure negative attitudes toward overweight individuals. A total of 4 studies were conducted among Canadian adolescents (n = 1,452) and university students (n = 424). Results suggested that the AFAS possessed a unidimensional factor structure and satisfactory reliability for both men and women. As predicted, men obtained higher scores than women on the AFAS, and antifat attitudes were positively associated with authoritarianism, homonegativity, and political conservatism. Participants who were overweight had lower scores on the AFAS than participants who were thin or average weight. Responses on the AFAS did not appear to be contaminated by social desirability bias. PMID:10457760
Soybean is one of the most economical and nutritious food packed with basic nutrients that combat diseases stemming from mal- and under-nutrition. Despite its rich nutritional profile, use of soybean in food has been limited because soybean proteins are often associated with compounds, which could exert a negative impact on the nutritional quality of the protein. Trypsin inhibitor (TI) is one of the important anti-nutritional factors that exert negative effect by causing growth inhibition. Soybean cultivar VLS-2 was irradiated with 250 Gy gamma rays in a gamma cell (200) with 60Co source installed at BARC to induce mutations for low trypsin inhibitor content. Three mutants with lower levels of TI content were identified and can be utilized for developing elite varieties of soybean. (author)
The emittances of hydrogen and deuterium negative ion beams produced by volume ion sources have been measured in a transverse plane normal to the beam trajectory. The extraction voltage was varied from 10 to 40 kV, and the transverse magnetic field in the Penning discharges was varied from 0.1 to 0.2 T. Measurements were made on beams with current densities up to 60 mA/cm/sup 2/ at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with an emittance scanner originally developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The beam profile at the scanner can be used to improve the accuracy of the emittance measurements. Other factors affecting emittance measurements are discussed. This analysis may be applicable to other ion sources. 6 figs.
We present a Poincare covariant Faddeev equation, which enables the simultaneous prediction of meson and baryon observables using the leading order in a truncation of the Dyson-Schwinger equations that can systematically be improved. The solution describes a nucleon's dressed-quark core. The evolution of the nucleon mass with current-quark mass is discussed. A nucleon-photon current, which can produce nucleon form factors with realistic Q{sup 2} evolution, is described. Axial-vector diquark correlations lead to a neutron Dirac form factor that is negative, with r{sub 1}{sup nu}>r{sub 1}{sup nd}. The proton electric-magnetic form factor ratio falls with increasing Q{sup 2}.
Increased levels of epidermal growth factor receptor have been reported in a variety of tumors, including pulmonary squamous cell carcinomas in man. The purpose of this study was to determine if increased levels of epidermal growth factor (EGFR) were present in lung tumors from Beagle dogs that had been exposed to "2"3"9PuO_2- Using immunohistochemical techniques, sections from 17 lung tumors were examined for the presence of EGFR. Seven of the tumors were strongly positive for EGFR; the remainder of the tumors and the normal lung sections were negative. The positive immunostaining could not be correlated with the histologic phenotype of the tumors. Work is in progress to determine the level of EGFR in preneoplastic, proliferative epithelial foci in the Iung. (author)
Erythroid differentiation regulator (Erdr1) was first discovered in mouse leukemia cell lines and functions as a stress-related survival factor. This study investigated whether Erdr1 regulates murine melanoma progression, as well as the mechanism involved in Erdr1-regulated metastasis. The expression of Erdr1 is negatively correlated with IL-18 expression, which has a pro-cancer effect in melanoma. To study the role of Erdr1 as an anti-cancer factor, cell migration, invasion, and proliferation were measured. Erdr1 overexpression markedly inhibited the level of cell migration, invasion, and proliferation in B16F10 cells in vitro. In addition, Erdr1 overexpression significantly suppressed melanoma lung colonization, metastasis, and tumor growth in vivo. To identify the factors involved in Er...
The energy distribution of ion beams is important especially for low energy ion beam applications. The energy distributions of negative-ion beams produced through secondary ion emission by sputtering were measured and compared with theoretically estimated distributions by use of four different negative-ion production probability equations (modified surface ionization model, exponential velocity dependence model, and our modified exponential velocity dependence models (modified decaying factor model and combination model of velocity dependence and surface ionization)). In the measurements, the energy distributions of C"- and Ag"- beams had a peak at a few to several eV and the full width at half maximum were 15 eV and 11 eV, respectively. These results could be well explained by the estimated distributions by virtue of our combination model or the modified surface ionization model. copyright 1996 American Institute of ...
A protocol adapter ideally suited to enable enterprises to gradually transition from SOAP Web Services to RESTful HTTP Web Services without impacting existing clients is presented in this paper. The inherent advantage of such a transition is the visibility of RESTful HTTP messages to Web intermediaries such as caches. In contrast, SOAP messages are opaque, which disables Web intermediaries. While both approaches can use HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) for message transfer, the paradigms contrast sharply. SOAP uses an interface specific approach whereas RESTful HTTP uses a Uniform Interface approach. SOAP marks up its payload with eXtensible Markup Language (XML) whereas in certain situations RESTful HTTP requires no XML. We present the disadvantages of the SOAP approach and outline how ...
Superconducting rf cavities are increasingly used in accelerators. Gradient is a parameter of particular importance for the ILC. Much progress in gradient has been made over the past decade, overcoming problems of multipacting, field emission, and breakdown triggered by surface impurities. However, the quenching limit of the surface magnetic field for niobium remains a hard limitation on cavity fields sustainable with this technology. Further exploration of materials and preparation may offer a path to surpassing the current limit. For this purpose, we have designed a resonant test cavity. One wall of the cavity is formed by a flat sample of superconducting material; the rest of the cavity is copper or niobium. The H field on the sample wall is 75% higher than on any other surface. Multipacting is avoided by use of a mode with no surface electric field. The cavity will be resonated through a coupling iris with high-power rf at superconducting temperature until the ...
Accretion processes in quasars and active galactic nuclei are still poorly understood, especially as far as the connection between observed spectral properties and physical parameters is concerned. Quasars show an additional degree of complexity compared to stars that is related to anisotropic emission/obscuration influencing the observed properties in most spectral ranges. This complicating factor has hampered efforts to define the equivalent of an Hertzsprung-Russel diagram for quasars. Even if it has recently become possible to estimate black hole mass and Eddington ratio for sources using optical and UV broad emission lines, the results are still plagued by large uncertainties. Nevertheless, robust trends are emerging from multivariate analysis of large spectral datasets of quasars. A firm observational basis is being laid out by accurate measurements of broad emission line properties especially when the source rest-frame is known. We ...
We report a new measurement of the exclusive electroproduction reaction {gamma}*p{yields}{pi}{sup 0}p to explore the evolution from soft nonperturbative physics to hard processes via the Q{sup 2} dependence of the magnetic (M{sub 1+}), electric (E{sub 1+}), and scalar (S{sub 1+}) multipoles in the N{yields}{delta} transition. 9000 differential cross section data points cover W from threshold to 1.4 GeV/c{sup 2}, 4{pi} center-of-mass solid angle, and Q{sup 2} from 3 to 6 GeV{sup 2}/c{sup 2}, the highest yet achieved. It is found that the magnetic form factor G{sub M}* decreases with Q{sup 2} more steeply than the proton magnetic form factor, the ratio E{sub 1+}/M{sub 1+} is small and negative, indicating strong helicity nonconservation, and the ratio S{sub 1+}/M{sub 1+} is negative, while its magnitude increases with Q{sup 2}.
The Drosophila melanogaster tissue-specific transcription factor NTF-1 was originally identified in vitro as a protein that could bind to and activate transcription from the Dopa decarboxylase (Ddc) gene. A structure-function analysis of NTF-1 led to the identification of a discrete amino-terminal activation domain. Here, we report that an NTF-1 mutant lacking the activation domain acts as a trans-dominant inhibitor of NTF-1 activation in tissue culture cells by forming inactive heterodimers with the full-length protein. Ectopically expressing this dominant-negative protein or the full-length protein in developing Drosophila embryos leads to dire developmental consequences. Overexpressing the trans-dominant NTF-1 leads to lethality, while overexpressing full-length NTF-1 results in both lethality and morphogenetic defects. Our results suggest that both the activity and the regulation of NTF-1 are critical for viability and proper development of ...
The Fermi National Laboratory (Fermilab) operates the Tevatron proton-antiproton collider at a center-of-mass energy of {radical}s = 1.96 TeV, the is therefore the only collider which is today able to produce the heaviest known particle, the top quark. The top quark was discovered at the Tevatron by the CDF and D0 collaborations in 1995. At the Tevatron, most top quarks are produced via the strong interaction, whereby quark-antiquark annihilation dominates with 85%, and gluon fusion contributes with 15%. Considering next-to-leading order (NLO) contributions in the cross section of top-antitop quark production, leads to a slight positive asymmetry in the differential distribution of the production angle {alpha} of the top quarks. This asymmetry is due to the interference of certain NLO contributions. The charge asymmetry A in the cosine of {alpha} is predicted [14] to amount to 4-6%. Information about the partonic rest frame, necessary for a measurement of A in the ...
This research investigates the impact of national culture and several institutional factors on the safety performance of society and establishes statistically significant relationships between those variables. As expected, the research results reveal that some cultural variables such as uncertainty avoidance, gender orientation and institutional variables such as the degree of law avoidance can directly influence the safety performance of the society. The findings also support the inverted u-curve (Safety Kuznet curve) hypothesis indicating even if we expect a negative trend at the beginning stage of industrialization, we can expect a positive trend in safety performance as their income level continues to improve beyond a certain point.
Immidacloprid is a cyclodiene organochlorine used as an insecticide all over the world and possessing a serous environmental threat. It is mostly used for cotton insects (bollworm, aphid and white fly). For isolation of imidacloprid degrading bacteria, two soil samples were collected from industrial contaminated sites of Kala Shah Kahu district sheikupura, having ten year history of use. Soil samples were analyzed by measuring pH and electric conductivity. The isolation of imidacroprid degrading bacteria was performed by enrichment technique. Eight bacterial strains, S/sub 1-a/ S/2-2-b/ S/2-c/ S/2-d/ S/2-e/ S/sub 2-f/ and S/sub 2-g/ and S/sub e-a/ were isolated on the basis of their colony morphologies. The purified colonies were characterized morphologically, physiologically and biochemically. Gram staining was done and Gram negative strain were confirmed on MacConkey agar and Eosin Methylene Blue. Bacterial strains were also checked for different minimal media in ...
Abstract Male infertility continues to be a clinical challenge of increasing significance. While male factors such as decreased semen quality are responsible for 25% of all infertility issues, the etiology of suboptimal semen quality is poorly understood. Many physiological, environmental, and genetic factors have been implicated, including oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), or free radicals, and although ROS are required for critical aspects of sperm function, excessive levels of ROS can negatively impact sperm quality. The origin of ROS generation, and the etiologies of increased ROS in men with suboptimal sperm quality have only recently been elucidated, offering multiple targets for potential therapy. Here, we present a critical review of th...
Mapping the distribution of invasive alien plant species is significant for testing ecological hypotheses and for guiding effective management. Little is known about the distribution of invasive plants at landscape scale, and the factors controlling their dispersal and establishment are still poorly understood. This is the case for Rosa rugosa, an invasive shrub with negative effects on biodiversity in dune ecosystems of NW Europe. The aim of the study was to identify the factors which determine the distribution of R. rugosa in coastal dunes. In a large semi-natural dune area of NW Denmark (2364ha) all patches of the species (1321, 1.3-59.1m2) were GPS mapped. Patch distribution was GIS analysed, based on aerial photographs and vegetation maps. The distance of R. rugosa from the most consp...
The study was conducted during 2000 to determine the role of various chemical plant factors viz., total minerals, nitrogen, fat contents, carbohydrate, macro an micro nutrients in the leaves of five genotypes of sugarcane i.e., BF-162, SPSG-26, L-118, CP-43/33 and CP-72/2086 by correlating the infestation of top borer, Scirpophaga Nivella F. at tillering stage. None of the genotype was found completely resistant to the pest. CP-43/33 and BF-162 proved susceptible and resistant varieties, respectively. Total mineral, manganese and copper contents did not show significant correlation with the pest infestation, whereas nitrogen, potassium, calcium, magnesium and ferrous contents played a positive and significant role. Phosphorous, carbohydrates, fats and zinc contents played a significant and negative effect on the pest infestation at tillering stage. (author)
Adsorption by activated red mud (ARM) is investigated as a possible alternative to the conventional methods of Cr(VI) removal from aqueous synthetic solutions and industrial effluents. Adsorption characteristics suggest the heterogenous nature of the adsorbent surface sites with respect to the energy of adsorption. Various factors such as pH, contact time, Cr(VI) concentration, amount of adsorbent, and temperature are taken into account, and promising results are obtained. The applicability of the Langmuir as well as Freundlich adsorption isotherms for the present system is tested. The loading factor (i.e., milligrams Cr(VI) adsorbed per gram of ARM) increased with initial Cr(VI) concentration, whereas a negative trend was observed with increasing temperature. The influence of the addition of anions on the adsorption of Cr(VI) depends on the relative affinity of the anions for the surface and the relative concentrations of ...
An attempt was made to quantify the radiation risk of diagnostic radiology. After a general introduction of terms as radiation damage, radiation risk and effective dose equivalent, based on publications of the ICRP, somatic dose indexes were computed for several radiologic investigations, that comprise organ doses committed to red bone marrow, lung, female breast and thyroid with and without considering the rest of the body. The dose for the rest of the body was assumed to be equal to the dose received by the red bone marrow, that is also distributed over the whole body. Neglecting the exposure of the rest of the body resulted in an insignificant increase in the estimated somatic risk, with its experimental determination not being necessary. (author).
NEWTON's first law prohibits the coupling of free tachyons to ordinary matter, if it is interpreted as selection rule interdicting emission without change of the rest-mass of the emitting system.
Opinion statementCritical limb ischemia (CLI), defined as chronic ischemic rest pain, ulcers, or gangrene attributable to objectively proven arterial occlusive disease, is the most advanced...Full Text Available
Among KEPCO's 9 nuclear power units, Korea Nuclear Unit No. 3, the Wolsung Nuclear Power Plant is the only CANDU-PHWR Unit, while the rest of 8 others are PWR units. The unit was designed by Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd. of Canada, who also performed overall project management for the plant construction under the provisions and arrangement of the relevant contracts. The gross electrical output of the plant is 678.7 MWe and thermal output of the reactor is 2061 MWth. While these figures lead to lower plant efficiency than LWR counterparts, unit energy cost for fuel is more favorable than LWRs because natural uranium is utilized for the fuel bundles, some of which are already being fabricated domestically. Annual capacity factors for 1983 and 1984 could have been improved, if two major planned outages for the modification works on steam generator internals and one major forced outage from the heavy water spill incident could be ...
The blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal response to neural stimulation is influenced by many factors that are unrelated to the stimulus. These factors are physiological, such as the resting venous cerebral blood volume (CBV(v)) and vessel size, as well as experimental, such as pulse sequence and static magnetic field strength (B(0)). Thus, it is difficult to compare task-induced fMRI signals across subjects, field strengths, and pulse sequences. This problem can be overcome by normalizing the neural activity-induced BOLD fMRI response by a global hypercapnia-induced BOLD signal. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the BOLD normalization approach, gradient-echo BOLD fMRI at 1.5, 4, and 7 T and spin-echo BOLD fMRI at 4 T were performed in human subjects. For neural stimulation, subjects performed sequential finger movements at 2 Hz, while for global stimulation, ...
To reduce the radiation dose that accumulated on the reactor coolant pump, decontamination work was carried out at the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant. A four-step alkaline permanganate (AP)-CanDecon process was applied to remove the activity on the turning vane diffuser and pump impeller. The first step consisted of 8 h of AP treatment and 7 h of decontamination. It was followed by 2.5 h of AP treatment and 5 h of decontamination. An average decontamination factor of 2.9 was obtained. To understand the corrosion of the decontaminating reagents on the materials, coupons were installed in the decontamination tank. These were as-received and sensitized 304SS, alloy 600, casting stainless steel (CF-8), stellite-6, and carbon steels (A508 and A533). The exposure rates (mR h"-"1) of the carbon steels were approximately five times higher in magnitude than those of the other materials. The decontamination levels (dpm per 100 cm"2) of the A508 and A533 carbon steels were 5432 ...
Neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF) binds its consensus element to repress the transcription of various genes. The dominant-negative form (dnNRSF) has a hypertrophic effect on cardiogenesis through an unidentified mechanism. We examined the involvement of transient receptor potential (TRP) channel proteins, using transgenic mice overexpressing dnNRSF (dnNRSF mice). Electrophoretic mobility-shift assays revealed an interaction between NRSF and a neuron-restrictive silencer element-like sequence in intron 4 of TRPC1 genomic DNA. According to RT-PCR and Western analyses, TRPC1 was up-regulated in dnNRSF mouse heart. Transient overexpression of TRPC1 in HEK 293T cells increased the activity of the nuclear factor in activated T cells (NFAT) promoter and stimulated store-operated Ca"2"+ channel (SOCC)-mediated Ca"2"+ entry. Transfection of TRPC1 into primary cardiomyocytes increased NFAT activity, indicating a major role ...
We examined fat phobia, defined as a pathological fear of fatness, by constructing the Fat Phobia Scale, determining its reliability and validity, examining correlates of fat phobia, and using a treatment approach designed to decrease fat phobia. Study 1 describes the development of the Fat Phobia Scale, a 50-item, modified 5-point semantic differential scale. Subjects (974 females and 117 males) completed the scale; factor analysis yielded six factors. Respondents who are average weight, female, younger, have more than a high school education, or are nonmedical professionals are more likely to have fat phobic attitudes. Study 2 examines fat phobic attitudes of women (N = 40) who had negative feelings about their bodies. Subjects completed the Fat Phobia Scale before and after a treatment approach designed to reduce their feelings of responsibility for fatness. Total scores on the Fat Phobia Scale and scores on all six ...
To illustrate the implementation of a bottom-up approach to the study of culture in health disparities, this article describes the development of a cultural cancer screening scale (CCSS) using mixed methodologies. The aim was to identify cultural factors relevant to breast and cervical cancer screening, develop an instrument to assess them and examine its preliminary psychometric properties among Latin American (Latino) and non-Latino White (Anglo) women in Southern California. Seventy-eight Latino and Anglo women participated in semi-structured interviews, which were content coded based on Triandis' methods for the analysis of subjective culture. Based on the emerging cultural elements, items relevant to cancer screening were developed and pilot tested with 161 participants. After the instrument was refined, 314 Latino and Anglo women from various socioeconomic backgrounds completed the CCSS and data were factor analyzed resulting in five ...
The hydrogen bonding of ligated water in ferric, high-spin, resting-state substrate complexes of heme oxygenase from Neisseria meningitidis has been systematically perturbed...Full Text Available
Although the public generally hold positive attitudes towards wind energy, proposals for the construction of new wind farms are often met with strong resistance. In New Zealand, where the government has recently introduced ambitious policy targets for renewable energy generation, negative perceptions of wind farms are increasingly evident and have the potential to prevent the achievement of these targets. This research sets out to examine what influences social resistance to wind farms in New Zealand. Drawing from public submissions on three wind farm proposals, a framework developed by Devine-Wright [Devine-Wright, P., 2005a. Beyond NIMBYism: towards an integrated Framework for Understanding Public Perceptions of Wind Energy. Wind Energy 8, 125-139.] was used as the basis for identification of factors affecting public perceptions of wind farms. The research found firstly that there was no apparent relationship between the proximity of ...
Although the public generally hold positive attitudes towards wind energy, proposals for the construction of new wind farms are often met with strong resistance. In New Zealand, where the government has recently introduced ambitious policy targets for renewable energy generation, negative perceptions of wind farms are increasingly evident and have the potential to prevent the achievement of these targets. This research sets out to examine what influences social resistance to wind farms in New Zealand. Drawing from public submissions on three wind farm proposals, a framework developed by Devine-Wright [Devine-Wright, P., 2005a. Beyond NIMBYism: towards an integrated Framework for Understanding Public Perceptions of Wind Energy. Wind Energy 8, 125-139.] was used as the basis for identification of factors affecting public perceptions of wind farms. The research found firstly that there was no apparent relationship between the proximity of ...
Tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-?) antagonist drugs have been associated with increased risk of tuberculosis (TB). Tuberculin skin test (TST) is the most frequently used tool for identification of latent TB infection. We herein aimed to analyse the effect of TNF-? antagonists on the TST responses in a prospective study. The study group consisted of 182 patients (99 female, 83 male) who received TNF-? antagonists for various rheumatic disorders. All patients were evaluated with TST along with other parameters on the day of referral and on the 12th month visit. For those patients with a response of <5?mm induration at the initial evaluation, the TST was repeated to observe the booster effect. Out of 182 patients, 87 patients (48%) had a negative (0?4?mm) and 95 (52%) had a positive (?5?mm)...
A photoacoustic (PA) imaging system based on an ultrasonic Fresnel zone plate (FZP) transducer is developed for the purpose of imaging biological tissue. This FZP transducer has a two-zone negative zone plate piezoelectric material pattern, and an optical fibre is integrated with the transducer on the symmetric axis of the zone plates to deliver laser pulses to the sample. The focal characteristic of the FZP transducer is analysed by theoretical prediction and experimental measurement, and the measured results are in good agreement with the predicted results. The limited-field back-projection deconvolution algorithm combined with the coherence-factor weighting technique is used to reconstruct the optical absorption distribution. The experiments were performed with phantoms and the blood vessels of chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane. The results demonstrate that PA imaging using the FZP transducer has the ability to image biological tissue ...
Variability in production is one of the largest factors that negatively impacts construction project performance. A common construction practice to protect production systems from variability is the use of buffers (Bf). Construction practitioners and researchers have proposed buffering approaches for different production situations, but these approaches have faced practical limitations in their application. A multiobjective analytic model (MAM) is proposed to develop a graphical solution for the design of Work-In-Process (WIP) Bf in order to overcome these practical limitations to Bf application, being demonstrated through the scheduling of repetitive building projects. Multiobjective analytic modeling is based on Simulation?Optimization (SO) modeling and Pareto Fronts concepts. Simulation...
This paper analyzes the diffusion of mobile telecommunications services in Vietnam and examines how telecommunications regulation and potential substitute/complement services affect the growth of the number of mobile telephone subscribers. Using a logistic diffusion model, it is found that fixed telephone services are a complement while data services have a negative relation to mobile telephone services in Vietnam. As for regulation, the policy of introducing competition has been found to be the most effective in influencing the adoption of mobile services. Another important result is that the estimated potential market is roughly 76% of the total population. The findings suggest that suitable regulation that guarantees competition in the mobile telecommunications market in a developing co...
Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors have been actively exploited as potential anticancer agents. To identify gene targets of HDAC inhibitors, we found that HDAC inhibitors such as sodium butyrate, scriptaid, apicidin and oxamflatin induced the expression of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), a potential cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) antagonist and tumor suppressor, in a time and concentration dependent manner in A549 and H1435 lung adenocarcinoma cells. Detailed analyses indicated that HDAC inhibitors activated the 15-PGDH promoter-luciferase reporter construct in transfected A549 cells. A representative HDAC inhibitor, scriptaid, and its negative structural analog control, nullscript, were further evaluated at the chromatin level. Scriptaid but not nullscript induced a signific...
Cytoreductive conditioning regimes designed to allow for successful allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) paradoxically are also detrimental to recovery of the immune system in general but lymphopoiesis in particular. Post-transplant immune depletion is particularly striking within the T cell compartment which is exquisitely sensitive to negative regulation, evidenced by the profound decline in thymic function with age. As a consequence, regeneration of the immune system remains a significant unmet clinical need. Over the past decade studies have revealed several promising therapeutic strategies to address ineffective lymphopoiesis and post-transplant immune deficiency. These include the use of cytokines such as IL-7, IL-12 and IL-15; growth factors and hormones li...
The glass gene is required for proper photo-receptor differentiation during development of the Drosophila eye glass codes for a DNA-binding protein containing five zinc fingers that we show is a transcriptional activator. A comparison of the sequences of the glass genes from two species of Drosophila and a detailed functional domain analysis of the Drosophila melanogaster glass gene reveal that both the DNA-binding domain and the transcriptional-activation domain are highly conserved between the two species. Analysis of the DNA-binding domain of glass indicates that the three carboxyl-terminal zinc fingers alone are necessary and sufficient for DNA binding. We also show that a deletion mutant of glass containing only the DNA-binding domain can behave in a dominant-negative manner both in vivo and in a cell culture assay that measures transcriptional activation. PMID:7604032
Active contrast material extravasation can be recognized with conventional CT scanners, though it has been considered a rare finding. Helical CT seems to increase the detection rate and especially to boost the radiologist's confidence in this diagnosis. Though active bleeding is defined in severely-injured subjects requiring urgent intervention and may be associated with findings of hypovolaemic shock, it should not be considered itself as a negative prognostic factor. Contrast extravasation is due to ongoing hemorrhage and its detection is critical for urged treatment. Accurate anatomical location permits to choose surgical management or transcatheter embolization and thus decreases time consumption for precis e bleeding site identification.
First generation biofuels provide a number of ecosystem services (e.g., fuel, climate regulation) but they also compromise other ecosystem services (e.g., food, freshwater services) which are of paramount value to human wellbeing. However, this knowledge is fragmented and little is known about how the ecosystem services provided and/or compromised by biofuels link to human wellbeing. In fact, whether biofuels production and use can have a negative or positive impact on the environment and society depends on several interconnected factors. This paper provides a critical review of the drivers, impacts and tradeoffs of biofuel production and use. In particular, it rationalizes the evidence coming from diverse academic disciplines and puts it into perspective by employing the ecosystem service...
The aim of this study was the evaluation of contralateral hip fractures after a previous hip fracture. For this retrospective analysis patients were selected from the database of the LUMC, a teaching hospital in the south-west of the Netherlands. We analyzed all patients with a second fracture of a hip between 1992 and 2007. The exclusion criteria were high impact trauma and patients with diseases or medication known to have a negative effect on bone metabolism. A total of 1,604 hip fractures were identified. The possible predictive factors for the second fracture and descriptive statistics related to surgery (Hb and HT before and after the operation, total amount of intra- and postoperative blood loss, type of osteosynthesis, complications, time of death after the last fracture, time betw...
Philosophical semantics requires an ontology that includes negative as well as positive states of affairs as truth-makers and truth-breakers. Theories that try to do without negative states of affairs while interpreting propositional truth as positive correspondence with existent states of affairs are inherently inadequate and incomplete. A semantics and ontology of negative states of affairs can also do justice to positive states of affairs, since the iterated negative state of affairs that a negative state of affairs exists describes a positive state of affairs, but the iterated positive state of affairs that a positive state of affairs exists never describes a negative state of affairs. Negative states of affairs are not only essential to semantics, but to a complete description of the ...
Negative ion based neutral beam injector is one of the most attractive heating system in future fusion reactors. In realizing the system, the crucial device which has to be developed is a high intensity negative ion source. Significant progress has been made on the negative ion source in these years. Among them, a few ampere negative ion beam were produced stably, while the divergence of negative ion beams becomes to be as low as < 10 mrad. We consider these results are demonstrating the potential of the negative ion source for the heating device in future reactors.
To investigate mechanisms responsible for positive and negative transcriptional control, the authors have utilized two types of promoters that are diffferentially regulated by thyroid hormone (T{sub 3}) receptors. Promoters containing the palindromic T{sub 3} response element TCAGGTCA TGACCTGA are positively regulated by the T{sub 3} receptor after the administration of T{sub 3}, whereas otherwise identical promoters containing the estrogen response element TCAGGTCA CTG TGACCTGA can be regulated negatively; converse effects are observed with the estrogen receptor. They describe evidence that the transcriptional inhibitory effects of the T{sub 3} or estrogen receptors on the estrogen or T{sub 3} response elements, respectively, are imposed by amino acid sequences in the C'-terminal region that colocalize with dimerization and hormone-binding domains and that these sequences can transfer inhibitory functions to other classes of ...
We investigate two routes to obtain negative group velocity bands in two-dimensional phononic crystal structures. The negative dispersion originates from the resonances of sub-wavelength building blocks and as such, the system should be regarded as acoustic metamaterials. The first kind of acoustic metamaterial exhibits effectively negative bulk modulus and negative mass density simultaneously. Monopolar and dipolar Mie resonances are combined to achieve an effective medium with negative refractive index. In particular, we present a double negative metamaterial for airborne sonic waves. We then show that we can obtain negative group velocity from quadrupole resonances, and the result is explained using the quasi-static approximation. The negative dispersion in quadrupole bands cannot be de...
TRIGA-SSR is a steady state research and material test reactor that has been in operation since 1980. The original TRIGA fuel was HEU (highly enriched uranium) with a U"2"3"5 enrichment of 93 per cent. Almost all TRIGA HEU fuel bundles are now burned-up. Part of the spent fuel was loaded and transferred to US, in a Romania - DOE arrangement. The rest of the TRIGA fuel bundles have to be temporarily stored in the TRIGA facility. As the storage conditions had to be established with caution, neutron and thermal hydraulic evaluations of the storage conditions were required. Some criticality evaluations were made based on the SAR (Safety Analysis Report) data. Fuel constant axial temperature approximation effect is usual for criticality computations. TRIGA-SSR fuel bundle geometry and materials model for SCALE5-CSAS module allows the introduction of a fuel temperature dependency for the entire fuel active height, using different materials for each fuel bundle region. ...
We study the relation between size and star formation activity in a complete sample of 225 massive (M_* > 5 x 10"1"0 M _s_u_n) galaxies at 1.5 < z < 2.5, selected from the FIREWORKS UV-IR catalog of the CDFS. Based on stellar population synthesis model fits to the observed rest-frame UV-NIR spectral energy distributions, and independent MIPS 24 #mu#m observations, 65% of the galaxies are actively forming stars, while 35% are quiescent. Using sizes derived from two-dimensional surface brightness profile fits to high-resolution (FWHM_P_S_F #approx# 0.''45) ground-based ISAAC data, we confirm and improve the significance of the relation between star formation activity and compactness found in previous studies, using a large, complete mass-limited sample. At z #approx# 2, massive quiescent galaxies are significantly smaller than massive star-forming galaxies, and a median factor of 0.34 #+-# 0.02 smaller than galaxies of similar mass in ...
We use UV/optical and X-ray observations of 272 radio-quiet Type 1 active galactic nuclei and quasars to investigate the C IV Baldwin Effect (BEff). The UV/optical spectra are drawn from the Hubble Space Telescope, International Ultraviolet Explorer and Sloan Digital Sky Survey archives. The X-ray spectra are from the Chandra and XMM-Newton archives. We apply correlation and partial-correlation analyses to the equivalent widths (EWs), continuum monochromatic luminosities, and ?ox, which characterizes the relative X-ray to UV brightness. The EW of the C IV ?1549 emission line is correlated with both ?ox and luminosity. We find that by regressing l?(2500 A) with EW(C IV) and ?ox, we can obtain tighter correlations than by regressing l?(2500 A) with only EW(C IV). Both correlation and regression analyses imply that l?(2500 A) is not the only factor controlling the changes of EW(C IV); ?ox (or, equivalently, the soft X-ray emission) plays a fundamental role in the ...
Understanding the structure of the nucleon is a fundamental question in subatomic physics, and it has been under intensive investigation for the last several years. Modern research focuses in particular on the spin structure of the nucleon. Experimental and theoretical investigations worldwide over the last few decades have established that, contrary to nave quark model expectations, quarks carry only about 30% of the totd spin of the proton. The origin of the remaining spin is the key question in current hadronic physics and also the major driving forces for the current and future experiments, such as RHIC and CEBAF in US, JPARC in Japan, COMPASS at CERN in Europe, FAIR at GSI in Germany. Among these studies, the transverse-spin physics develops actively and rapidly in the last few years. Recent studies reveal that transverse-spin physics is closely related to many fundamental properties of the QCD dynamics such as the factorization, the non-trivial universality ...
The subjective experience of one's environment is constructed by interactions among sensory, cognitive, and affective processes. For centuries, meditation has been thought to influence such processes by enabling a nonevaluative representation of sensory events. To better understand how meditation influences the sensory experience, we used arterial spin labeling functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the neural mechanisms by which mindfulness meditation influences pain in healthy human participants. After 4 d of mindfulness meditation training, meditating in the presence of noxious stimulation significantly reduced pain unpleasantness by 57% and pain intensity ratings by 40% when compared to rest. A two-factor repeated-measures ANOVA was used to identify interactions between meditation and pain-related brain activation. Meditation reduced pain-related activation of the contralateral primary somatosensory cortex. Multiple regression ...
Abstract in english The principal vector of malaria in eastern Venezuela, Anopheles aquasalis, is exophagic and exophilic. Control using indoor insecticide house sprays has failed to lower the number of malaria cases. Therefore, studies were initiated in two villages of the eastern coastal state of Sucre to better understand this vector's biology and develop a more integrated control program. An. aquasalis was found to have a crepuscular biting behavior with a major peak at dusk and a minor (more) peak at dawn. Mosquitos were collected more outdoors than indoors. Forty-seven percent of the biting took place before people went to bed (22:30 hr) and 69% of the mosquitos biting during this time period bite outdoors. Outdoor biting could be the reason why indoor spraying alone did not lower malaria cases. Seasonal abundance was greater in the rainy season compared to the dry season. Seasonal parous rates were high (78.3%-100%) and similar indoors and outdoors and between dry and wet season ...
The main physical processes allowing negative ion production by surface sputtering for further acceleration in tandem acceleration are briefly reviewed. The sputtering yield and the probability of negative ion ejection are discussed. The properties of negative ion beams for an efficient acceleration in tandem accelerators are also discussed, with an emphasis on space charge problems. The main features and performances of the heavy negative ion injector of the Bucharest tandem accelerator are given.
Radiowave scintillation in the presence of ionospheric disturbances has the potential to disrupt numerous transionospheric radio and radar systems. This report describes development of a model characterizing the plasma density irregularities that produce scintillation in the naturally disturbed mid-latitude F layer. The model will be incorporated into Program WBMOD, which includes subroutines for computing both link geometry and scintillation indices, the latter by means of phase screen diffraction theory. Earlier versions of WBMOD, were based on extensive analysis of scintillation data collected in the auroral and equatorial zones in Wideband Satellite Mission. The model described herein is based on similarly extensive analysis of Wideband data from one mid latitude station and of data collected from HiLat satellite at another mid latitude station. The model describes irregularities at an effective height of 350 km that are isotropic across the geomagnetic field and elongated by a ...
X-ray magnetic diffraction (XMD) technique was applied to an orbital ordering compound of ferromagnetic YTiO_3 for the first time. The orbital-magnetic form factor #mu# _L(k) and the spin-magnetic form factor #mu# _S(k) were independently measured by utilizing the LS separation ability of the XMD. The #mu# _L(k) was measured for ten reciprocal-lattice points. No significant values of the #mu# _L(k) were observed for most of the reciprocal-lattice points within the estimated statistical errors, which suggested quenching of the orbital moment. The #mu# _S(k) was measured for 22 reciprocal-lattice points. Fourier synthesis of the #mu# _S(k) gave the spin density distribution m _S(r) in the real space. The obtained m _S(r) map shows the characteristic feature of the electron distribution of 3d electron in the t_2_g state of a Ti atom coordinated by O"2"- ions, in which the electrons are distributed away from the negative O"2"- ...
This paper reports regulation of hypoxia inducible factor-1 ? (HIF-1 ?)in hepatoma cells by irradiation. Cobalt chloride (CoCl2), a chemical mimic agent for hypoxia research, was utilized to induce the stable expression of HIF-1 ? in HepG2 cells. The HepG2 cells were irradiated to different doses to observe the changes of HIF-1 ?. The level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was assayed by fluorescent microscope and flow cytometry (FCM). The results showed that there were obvious changes in expression of HIF-1 ? after HepG2 cells exposed to radiation, and the changes were positively related with the irradiation dose from 1 Gy to 5 Gy. Moreover, contents of incellular ROS were negatively correlated with above levels of HIF-1 ? from 1 Gy to 3 Gy. The results indicate that irradiation may enhance hypoxic cells HIF-1 ?, and the reduction of intracellular ROS can contribute to the regulation of ionizing radiation on HIF-1 ?. (authors)
Abstract We address the fundamental question of matching the rest-frame K-band luminosity function (LF) of galaxies over the Hubble time using semi-analytic models after modification of the stellar population modelling. We include the Maraston evolutionary synthesis models, which feature a higher contribution by the thermally pulsating asymptotic giant branch (TP-AGB) stellar phase, into three different semi-analytic models, namely the De Lucia and Blaizot version of the Munich model, morgana and the Menci model. We leave all other input physics and parameters unchanged. We find that the modification of the stellar population emission can solve the mismatch between models and the observed rest-frame K-band luminosity from the brightest galaxies derived from UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey d...
In this study, we examined the relationship between trait-like communication apprehension (CA) and resting alpha range asymmetry in the anterior cortex (AC). Although theory and research in cognitive neuroscience suggest that asymmetry in the AC constitutes a relatively stable, inborn, substrate of emotion, some studies indicate that asymmetry can be increased by experimentally induced transitory anxiety. Transitory anxiety produced by interaction with strangers covaries with trait-like CA, raising questions regarding whether asymmetrical electrical activity in the AC during data collection represents resting levels as assumed in the literature or transitory reactions to dyadic interaction with the experimenter. Because the question if unanswered poses issues for theory and approaches to r...
The p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75"N"T"R) is a death receptor which belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor super-family of membrane proteins. This study shows that p75"N"T"R retarded cell cycle progression by induced accumulation of cells in G0/G1 and a reduction in the S phase of the cell cycle. The rescue of tumor cells from cell cycle progression by a death domain deleted (#DELTA#DD) dominant-negative antagonist of p75"N"T"R showed that the death domain transduced anti-proliferative activity in a ligand-independent manner. Conversely, addition of NGF ligand rescued retardation of cell cycle progression with commensurate changes in components of the cyclin/cdk holoenzyme complex. In the absence of ligand, p75"N"T"R-dependent cell cycle arrest facilitated an increase in apoptotic nuclear fragmentation of the prostate cancer cells. Apoptosis of p75"N"T"R expressing cells occurred via the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway leading to a ...
The signature of the negative snakes from the soft X-ray cameras is very similar to the more usual snakes except that the localised region of the snake has, compared with its surroundings, decreased rather than increased emission. Circumstances where negative snakes have been seen are reviewed. The negative snake appears as a region of increased resistance and of increased impurity density. The relationship between the shear and the current perturbation is shown, and it seem probable that the magnetic shear is reversed at the point of the negative snake, i.e. that q is decreasing with radius. 6 refs., 6 figs.
A new scheme of the longitudinal emittance measurement for high energy negative ion beam is proposed. The energy distribution of the detached electron from the negative ions by the photodetachment process, if the photon energy is almost equal to the electron binding energy of the negative ion (=electron affinity of the atom), reflects that of the original negative ions. Therefore, by introducing the photon in a short width comparing with the bunch width of the negative ion beam, the longitudinal energy distribution of each phase of the beam, that is the longitudinal emittance, can be measured. (author).
The desire to study negative ion structure and negative ion-photon interactions has spurred the development of ion sources for use in research and industry. The many different types of negative ion sources available today differ in their characteristics and abilities to produce anions of various species. Thus the importance of choosing the correct type of negative ion source for a particular research or industrial application is clear. In this study, the results of an investigation on the production of beams composed of negatively-charged rare-earth ions from a cylindrical-cathode-geometry, cesium-sputter-type negative ion source are presented. Beams of atomic anions have been observed for most of the first-row rare-earth elements, with typical currents ranging from hundreds of picoamps to several nanoamps.
Although coagulase-negative staphylococci (C-NS) have been implicated in certain human infections, they are generally regarded as contaminants, and their clinical significance is questioned. To assess...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the anticancer activity and mechanism of action of Noscapine alone and in combination with Doxorubicin against triple negative...Full Text Available
Refractory ascites can occur in patients with various conditions. Although several procedures based on the reinfusion of ascitic fluid have been reported after the failure of bed rest, salt and water...Full Text Available
Two xyloglucan fractions have been isolated from the cotyledons of resting white-mustard seeds, the first by extraction with hot EDTA, and the second by subsequent extraction with alkali or lithium...Full Text Available
Background:An association has been reported between the dominant nostril through which we breathe and the cerebral hemisphere found to be active.Aims:To...Full Text Available
In this study, we aimed to demonstrate whether spontaneous fluctuations in the blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal derived from resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) reflect...Full Text Available
Incubation of resting cells of Sphingobium indicum B90A, Sphingobium japonicum UT26, and Sphingobium francense Sp+ showed that they were able...Full Text Available
OBJECTIVES: The ability to maximally generate active muscle tension during resistance training has been established to be a primary determinant for strength development. The influence of intrasession...Full Text Available
Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium) extract is widely used in dietary supplements for weight management and sports performance. Its primary protoalkaloid is p-synephrine....Full Text Available
Carbohydrate/citrate cometabolism in Lactococcus lactis results in the formation of the flavor compound acetoin. Resting cells of strain IL1403(pFL3) rapidly consumed citrate while...Full Text Available
The role of the ventricular ependyma in the elaboration of cerebrospinal fluid under resting conditions is well documented. In an attempt to elucidate its response to cerebrospinal fluid leakage, male...Full Text Available
Only half of the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels stays in the atmosphere. It is thought that the oceans absorb the rest. To understand the world's climate it is necessary to know how the atmosphere, ocean and biosphere interact.
BackgroundThe default mode network (DMN) is a set of brain regions that exhibit synchronized low frequency oscillations at resting-state, and is believed to be relevant to attention...Full Text Available
We entertain the idea that a suitable background of cold (very low momentum) pseudoscalar particles or condensate, may trigger a background that effectively generates Lorentz-invariance violation. This aether-like background induces a Chern-Simons modification of QED. Physics is different in different frames and, in the rest frame of the pseudoscalar background, high momentum photons can decay into pairs. The threshold for such decay depends quadratically on the rest mass of the particles. This mechanism could explain in a natural way why antiprotons are absent in recent cosmic ray measurements. A similar signal could be used as a probe of pseudoscalar condensation in heavy ion collisions.
Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reserve capacity (CRC) were measured by stable xenon computerized tomography (Xe-CT) and acetazolamide test in 15 patients with cerebrovascular disease before and after extracranial-intracranial (EC-IC) bypass surgery for minor stroke, reversible ischemic neurological deficit or transient ischemic attack. All had angiographically shown occlusive lesions of the major arterial trunk. In the present series, global analysis showed that the bypass did not increase the resting rCBF, but did increase the rCRC. We divided the patients into four groups according to the preoperative resting rCBF and rCRC. All 3 patients with normal resting rCBF and reduced rCRC showed postoperative improvement of rCRC. Of 6 patients with reduced CBF and reduced CRC, three had postoperative increase in resting CBF and four had increased CRC. One of two patients with reduced CBF and ...
Neutral beam systems for the next generation of magnetic fusion devices will be based on negative ions. Development are progressing steadily, and large negative ion-based systems are prepared for JT60-U and LHD, and are being considered for ITER. An overview of the physics of the production, acceleration and neutralization of large negative ion beams is given. the present state of the art in Research and Development is also surveyed. (author). 55 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab.
Neutral beam systems for the next generation of magnetic fusion devices will be based on negative ions. Developments are progressing steadily, and large negative ion-based systems are under preparation for JT60-U and LHD, and are being considered for ITER. An overview of the physics of the production, acceleration and neutralization of large negative ion beams is given. The present state of the art in R and D is also surveyed. (Author).
Negative ion intensities of over 3 x 10/sup 5/ A/m/sup 2/ at energies of 2 MeV have been measured in a magnetically insulated transmission line. This negative ion production can affect the power flow in multiterawatt pulsed power devices, and may also have applications in the generation of high-intensity neutral or negative ion beams.
A spherical-geometry, self-extraction negative ion source has been designed and fabricated. The source utilizes direct surface ionization to form negative ion beams resulting from interactions between high electron affinity gaseous elemental or molecular materials and a negatively biased, spherical-sector LaB{sub 6} surface ionizer maintained at {similar to}1300 K. The design features of this source and principles upon which the source is based are discussed in this report.
The present invention concerns a negative ion source electrode which can be preferably used in a neutral particle injection device using negative ions for a thermonuclear reactor. Negative ion beams are deflected to the direction opposite to the deflecting direction by magnetic fields by using an electron suppression electrode having electrode holes with the position previously displaced before negative ion beams are accelerated to have a high energy by an accelerator thereby correcting the orbit of the negative ion beams easily. In addition, since the deflection correction electrode having the electrode holes is disposed, a proper voltage is applied to the deflection correction electrode to correct the orbit of the negative ion beams conveniently. Since the deflection correction electrode has a simple structure of a thin flat plate having electrode holes, the ...
Most prior climate change assessments for U.S. agriculture have focused on major world food crops such as wheat and maize. While useful from a national and global perspective, these results are not particularly relevant to the Northeastern U.S. agriculture economy, which is dominated by dairy milk production, and high-value horticultural crops such as apples (Malus domestica), grapes (vitis vinifera), sweet corn (Zea mays var. rugosa), cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata), and maple syrup (sugar maple, Acer saccharum). We used statistically downscaled climate projections generated by the HadCM3 atmosphere-ocean general circulation model, run with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change future emissions scenarios Alfi (higher) and B1 (lower), to evaluate several climate thresholds of direct relevance to agriculture in the region. A longer (frostfree) growing season could create new opportunities for farmers with enough capital to take risks on new crops (assuming a market for new ...
The human olfactomedin 4 gene (OLFM4) encodes an olfactomedin-related glycoprotein. OLFM4 is normally expressed in a limited number of tissues, including the prostate, but its biological functions in prostate are largely unknown. In this study, we found that OLFM4 messenger RNA was reduced or undetectable in prostate cancer tissues and prostate cancer cell lines. To study the effects of OLFM4 on prostate cancer progression, we transfected PC-3 prostate cancer cells with OLFM4 to establish OLFM4-expressing PC-3 cell clones. The OLFM4-expressing PC-3 cell clones were found to have decreased proliferation and invasiveness compared with vector-transfected control PC-3 cells in vitro. In addition, nude mice injected with OLFM4-expressing PC-3 cells demonstrated reduced tumor growth and bone invasion and metastasis compared with mice injected with vector-transfected control cells. Mechanistic studies revealed that OLFM4 may exhibit its anticancer effects through regulating cell autophagy by ...
The results of an investigation on the production of Group IIA atomic and molecular negative ion beams formed in a cesium-sputter negative ion source are presented. The sputtering material was formed by pressing pellets of stoichiometric mixtures of the Group IIA element carbonates and 10% copper powder. Negative ions of several alkaline-earth elements and their oxides have been observed. Beam intensities as high as 180 pA have been observed for Sr{sup -}and 20 nA for SrO{sup -}. (orig.).
The results of an investigation on the production of Group IIA atomic and molecular negative ion beams formed in a cesium-sputter negative ion source are presented. The sputtering material was formed by pressing pellets of stoichiometric mixtures of the Group IIA element carbonates and 10% copper powder. Negative ions of several alkaline-earth elements and their oxides have been observed. Beam intensities as high as 180 pA have been observed for Sr"-and 20 nA for SrO"-. (orig.).
We fabricated a double negative acoustic metamaterial which consisted of Helmholtz resonators and membranes. Experimental data on the transmission and dispersion relation are presented. The system exhibits three frequencies where the acoustic state makes sharp transitions from density negative ({\\rho} -NG) to double negative (DNG), modulus negative (B-NG), and double positive (DPS) in sequence with the frequency. We observed a wide range of negative refractive index from -0.06 to -3.7 relative to air, which will allow for new acoustic transformation techniques.
Recent studies have shown Y chromosome microdeletions associated with male infertility. The factors responsible for Y chromosome microdeletions in spermatozoa remain unresolved. However, the environmental pollutants are known to damage DNA in differentiating and maturing germ cells in the male reproductive tract. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of seminal hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) and its isomers, an environmental pollutant, in 50 fertile and 50 infertile males in relation to semen quality and the incidence of Y chromosome microdeletion in azoospermic factor (AZF) region. As compared to control, an increased HCH level and significantly decreased semen quality were observed in the infertile males. A positive significant association was found between sperm count with alpha-HCH and beta-HCH in the infertile males. A negative significant association was observed between sperm counts with ...
Eukaryotic genomes encode a zinc finger protein (ZPR1) with tandem ZPR1 domains. In response to growth stimuli, ZPR1 assembles into complexes with eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A (eEF1A) and the survival motor neurons protein. To gain insight into the structural mechanisms underlying the essential function of ZPR1 in diverse organisms, we determined the crystal structure of a ZPR1 domain tandem and characterized the interaction with eEF1A. The ZPR1 domain consists of an elongation initiation factor 2-like zinc finger and a double-stranded {beta} helix with a helical hairpin insertion. ZPR1 binds preferentially to GDP-bound eEF1A but does not directly influence the kinetics of nucleotide exchange or GTP hydrolysis. However, ZPR1 efficiently displaces the exchange factor eEF1B from preformed nucleotide-free complexes, suggesting that it may function as a negative regulator of eEF1A activation. ...
The Reduced-Moderation Water Reactor (RMWR) is a next generation water-cooled reactor, based on the experienced light water reactor (LWR) technology, aiming at effective utilization of uranium resources, high burn-up and long operation cycle and plutonium multiple recycling. These characteristics can be achieved by the high conversion ratio from {sup 238}U to {sup 239}Pu resulted from the higher neutron energy spectrum in comparison to conventional LWRs. Considering the extension of LWR utilization, Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI) started the research on it in 1997 and then started a collaboration in the conceptual design study with the Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) in 1998, under technical cooperation with three Japanese reactor vendors. In the core design study of the RMWR, several basic core designs with the high conversion ratio more than 1 and the negative void reactivity coefficient have been proposed, and then, subsequent investigation on ...
The electromagnetic properties of the baryon decuplet are calculated in quenched QCD on a 20{sup 3}x40 lattice with a lattice spacing of 0.128 fm using the fat-link irrelevant clover fermion action with quark masses providing a pion mass as low as 300 MeV. Magnetic moments and charge radii are extracted from the electric and magnetic form factors for each individual quark sector. From these, the corresponding baryon properties are constructed. We present results for the higher-order moments of the spin-3/2 baryons, including the electric-quadrupole moment E2 and the magnetic-octupole moment M3. The world's first determination of a nonzero M3 form factor for the {delta} baryon is presented. With these results we provide a conclusive analysis which shows that decuplet baryons are deformed. We compare the decuplet-baryon results from a similar lattice calculation of the octet baryons. We establish that the environment sensitivity is far ...
Since 1994 the radon studies group at the Institut de Techniques Energetiques (INTE) of the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain, has carried out a campaign of continuous measurements of the equilibrium factor (F) and the unattached fraction (f_p) of radon decay products at four sites which are representative of different environmental characteristics on the Mediterranean littoral of Catalonia, Spain. It has been established that these parameters vary widely, F(0.03--0.87) and f_p (0--0.72), from one site to another and with time, according to the characteristics on the site and climate. In spite of this variation, the F and f_p parameters are log-normally or normally distributed. The measurements of F and f_p show that f_p is negatively correlated to F by a log-power equation, Ln(1/f_p)=1.90[Ln(1/F)]"-"0"."6"8, which can be used in all the F range, instead of the commonly used power equation f_p=aF"b suggested by Stranden ...
When preadipocytes differentiate into adipocytes, several differentiation-linked genes are activated. Lipo-protein lipase (LPL) is one of the first genes induced during this process. To investigate early events in adipocyte development, we have focused on the transcriptional activation of the LPL gene. For this purpose, we have cloned and fused different parts of intragenic and flanking sequences with a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter gene. Transient transfection experiments and DNase I hypersensitivity assays indicate that several positive as well as negative elements contribute to transcriptional regulation of the LPL gene. When reporter gene constructs were stably introduced into preadipocytes, we were able to monitor and compare the activation patterns of different promoter deletion mutants at selected time points representing the process of adipocyte development. We could delimit two cis-regulatory elements important for gradual activation of the ...
For the intermetallic system CaCdsub(1-x)Tlsub(x), 0 <= x <= 1, the Knight shift Ksub(s) of the Cd-NMR and the Tl-NMR were calculated as a function of x, Ksub(s) = Ksub(s)(x). The theoretical investigations were performed on the basis of relativistic augmented-plane-wave (RAPW) band-structure calculations for the boundary phases CaCd and CaTl respectively, and by using the rigid band model for the ternary phases. The density of states and the matrix elements of the relativistic hyperfine operator for electron states at the Fermi surface were calculated in detail. The obtained values were compared with nonrelativistic calculations. The effect of using different exchange potentials was studied for Ksub(s)(Tl). For the Cd-NMR the relativistic effects enhance the nonrelativistic results by a factor of about 1.4. The theoretical value for the Knight shift is smaller than the experimental one by a factor of 1.13. The band structure for CaTl ...
Myostatin is a member of the transforming growth factor-{beta} (TGF-{beta}) family and a strong negative regulator of muscle growth. Here, we present the crystal structure of myostatin in complex with the antagonist follistatin 288 (Fst288). We find that the prehelix region of myostatin very closely resembles that of TGF-{beta} class members and that this region alone can be swapped into activin A to confer signalling through the non-canonical type I receptor Alk5. Furthermore, the N-terminal domain of Fst288 undergoes conformational rearrangements to bind myostatin and likely acts as a site of specificity for the antagonist. In addition, a unique continuous electropositive surface is created when myostatin binds Fst288, which significantly increases the affinity for heparin. This translates into stronger interactions with the cell surface and enhanced myostatin degradation in the presence of either Fst288 or Fst315. Overall, we have identified ...
Household demand for better environmental quality is the key factor in the long-term global applicability of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. We argue that, for given consumer preferences, the threshold income level at which the EKC turns downwards or the equilibrium income elasticity changes sign from positive to negative depends on the ability to spatially separate production and consumption. We test our hypothesis by estimating the equilibrium income elasticities of five pollutants, using 1990 data for the United States. We find that the change in sign occurs at lower income levels for pollutants for which spatial separation is relatively easy as compared to pollutants for which spatial separation is difficult. Our results suggest that even high-income households in the United States have not yet reached the income level at which their demand for better environmental quality is high enough to cause the income-pollution ...
We study the redshift evolution of galaxy pair fractions and merger rates for different types of galaxies using kinematic pairs selected from the DEEP2 Redshift Survey. Parameterizing the evolution of the pair fraction as (1+z)^{m}, we find that the companion rate increases mildly with redshift with m = 0.41+-0.20 for all galaxies with -21 < M_B^{e} < -19. Blue galaxies show slightly faster evolution in the blue companion rate with m = 1.27+-0.35 while red galaxies have had fewer red companions in the past as evidenced by the negative slope m = -0.92+-0.59. We find that at low redshift the pair fraction within the red sequence exceeds that of the blue cloud, indicating a higher merger probability among red galaxies compared to that among the blue galaxies. With further assumptions on the merger time scale and the fraction of pairs that will merge, the galaxy major merger rates for 0.1 < z <1.2 are estimated to be ~10^{-3}h^{3}Mpc^{-3}Gyr^{-1} with a ...
The ability of "9"9"mTc-IgG scintigraphy to predict the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in 47 patients with arthralgia was investigated. "9"9"mTc-IgG scintigraphy and the serum test for rheumatoid factor (RF), measured at the beginning of a year long study, were compared for their ability to predict RA. During the study 8 patients developed RA. The specificity and positive predictive values of RF in predicting RA were 79% and 50% respectively, and for "9"9"mTc-IgG scintigraphy 97% and 88%. The sensitivity and negative predictive values of RF were 100% and of "9"9"mTc-IgG-scintigraphy 88% and 97%, respectively. In conclusion, "9"9"mTc-IgG scintigraphy has additional value to RF with respect to the prediction of the development of RA in patients with arthralgia. 27 refs.
The transfer kinetics of the negatively charged glycosphingolipid II"3-N-acetylneuraminosyl-gangliotetraosylceramide (GM_1) were investigated by monitoring tritiated GM_1 movement between donor and acceptor vesicles. After appropriate incubation times at 45 "0C, donor and acceptor vesicles were separated by molecular sieve chromatography. Donors were small unilamellar vesicles produced by sonication, whereas acceptors were large unilamellar vesicles produced by either fusion or ethanol injection. Initial GM_1 transfer to acceptors followed first-order kinetics with a half-time of about 40 h assuming that GM_1 is present in equal mole fractions in the exterior and interior surfaces of the donor vesicle bilayer and that no glycolipid flip-flop occurs. GM_1 net transfer was calculated relative to that of ["1"4C]cholesteryl oleate, which served as a nontransferable marker in the donor vesicles. Factors affecting the GM_1 interbilayer transfer rate ...
We examined whether or not BMD or bone markers were useful for assessing the risk of vertebral fractures in 248 Japanese men with type 2 diabetes. We analyzed the relationships between bone markers (osteocalcin [OC], bone-specific alkaline phosphatase [BAP], urinary N-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type-I collagen) or BMD and HbA1c, urinary C-peptide, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), parathyroid hormone, 1,25(OH)2 vitamin D, and the presence of prevalent vertebral fractures. Multiple regression analysis adjusted for age, body height, weight, duration of diabetes, and serum creatinine showed that serum OC and OC/BAP ratio were correlated negatively with HbA1c (P?P?P?0.05). This association was still significant after additional adjustment for lumbar or femoral neck BMD. Our res...
The ability of Yersinia pestis to forestall the mammalian innate immune response is a fundamental aspect of plague pathogenesis. In this study, we examined the effect of Ail, a 17-kDa outer membrane protein that protects Y. pestis against complement-mediated lysis, on bubonic plague pathogenesis in mice and rats. The Y. pestis ail mutant was attenuated for virulence in both rodent models. The attenuation was greater in rats than in mice, which correlates with the ability of normal rat serum, but not mouse serum, to kill ail-negative Y. pestis in vitro. Intradermal infection with the ail mutant resulted in an atypical, subacute form of bubonic plague associated with extensive recruitment of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN or neutrophils) to the site of infection in the draining lymph node and the formation of large purulent abscesses that contained the bacteria. Systemic spread and mortality were greatly attenuated, however, and a productive adaptive immune ...
The latest electronic circuit technology that can be used for the electric railway traction system fed by an AC/DC dual power line was developed. This system consists of reverse conducting GTO thyristors, microprocessors, and DSP`s. In the AC power supply line section, the line converter is controlled by PWM technology to secure a high power factor and reduce the higher harmonic generation of an input current as far as possible. The line converter and motor converter use reverse conducting GTO thyristors. Since these converters are cooled using a heat pipe cooler, they are reduced in size and weight. The electric grounding point of the main power circuit is set to the negative side of the DC line for AC and DC line sections. Therefore, the AC/DC selector switch was simplified in structure. Moreover, the DC input for the auxiliary power supply can be obtained from multiple line converters using diodes. As the result of the actual operational ...
Recent progress in the metallic conducting Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films built from TTF derivative and fatty acids is reported. A simple LB method of transferring the mixed Langmuir (L) film of BEDO-TTF (BO) and stearic acid (SA) onto substrates provided metallic conducting LB films. A homogeneous L film formation on the water surface observed by Brewster angle microscope (BAM) is an essential factor for the well-ordered LB films. In the L film, the carboxylate group of fatty acid forms anion layer bringing about a spontaneous formation of mixed valence state (MVS) of BO layer. Similar spontaneous formation was also found in the molecular combination of nonoxygen-substituted donor of EDT-TTF and octadecanesulfonic acid (OS). This type of reaction would be useful for obtaining conducting LB films. For the LB films of BEDO-TTF and stearic acid, we found a negative transverse magnetoresistance at low temperature that was interpreted in the weak ...
High surface ozone concentration is increasingly being recognized as a factor that negatively affects crop yields in Asia. However, little progress has been made in developing ozone-tolerant genotypes of rice-Asias major staple crop. This study aimed to identify possible tolerance mechanisms by characterizing two quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that were previously shown to influence visible leaf symptoms under ozone exposure (120 nl l-1, 7 h d-1, 13 d). Two chromosome segment substitution lines (SL15 and SL41) that carried introgressions of the QTLs OzT3 and OzT9, respectively, were exposed to ozone at 120 nl l-1 along with their parent Nipponbare. In accordance with the expected QTL effect, SL15 showed stronger visible symptoms of ozone damage than Nipponbare, whereas SL41 had fewer sympt...
In this paper we present results of our investigation into the relationship between urban microclimate and the local density of tree cover as measured in Sacramento, California. These results were obtained through analysis of data collected in a two-month long monitoring program with automatic weather stations installed at 15 residential locations throughout the city. Measured wind speeds showed a highly negative correlation with respect to tree cover. Daily peak air temperatures showed significant variation often differing from site to site by 2 to 4{degrees}C ({approx}3.5 to 7{degrees}F). A complex interaction between several competing factors is discussed leading to the conclusion that additional tree cover may actually increase urban air temperatures on synoptically cool days. It is suggested that this does not have a significant adverse affect in terms of overall summer urban cooling load. This is supported by an integrated analysis of the ...
The primary aim was to evaluate delayed contrast-enhanced MRI in depicting perineural spread of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (CCC) and consequently to determine the capability of MRI/MRCP for staging CCC. Fifteen patients that underwent MRI/MRCP and surgical treatment were retrospectively included. Two radiologists evaluated MR images to assess delayed periductal enhancement, extent of bile duct stenosis, liver parenchymal and vascular involvement and presence of liver atrophy. An agreement between delayed enhancement of the bile duct walls and perineural neoplastic spread showed a very good correlation factor (0.93). The overall accuracy in detecting biliary neoplastic invasion was higher for delayed T1-weighted images (93.3%) than for the MRCP images (80%), and T1-delayed image increased the MR accuracy in assessing the neoplastic resectability (p < 0.05). MRI correctly predicted vascular involvement in 73% and liver involvement in 80% of the cases. The number of ...
Physicochemical and benthos data were collected from 12 marine monitoring stations in Daya Bay, during 2001-2004. 12 stations in Daya Bay could be grouped into three clusters: cluster I consisted of stations in the southern part of Daya Bay (stations S1, S2 and S6); cluster II consisted of stations in the cage culture areas (stations S3, S4, S5 and S8); cluster III consisted of stations in the southwest, the middle and the northeast of the Bay (stations S7, S9, S10, S11 and S12). Calculation with bivariate correlations between benthos and major physicochemical factors showed that the density of benthos in all stations correlated positively with temperature, DO, pH, NH4-N, SiO3-Si, SiO3-Si /PO4-P and chlorophyll a and was negatively correlated with salinity, Secchi, COD, NO3-N, NO2-N, TIN, ...
The Drosophila hairy gene encodes a basic helix- loop-helix protein that functions in at least two steps during Drosophila development: (1) during embryogenesis, when it partakes in the establishment of segments, and (2) during the larval stage, when it functions negatively in determining the pattern of sensory bristles on the adult fly. In the rat, a structurally homologous gene (RHL) behaves as an immediate-early gene in its response to growth factors and can, like that in Drosophila, suppress neuronal differentiation events. Here, the authors report the genomic cloning of the human hairy gene homolog (HRY). The coding region of the gene is contained within four exons. The predicted amino acid sequence reveals only four amino acid differences between the human and rat genes. Analysis of the DNA sequence 5[prime] to the coding region reveals a putatitve untranslated exon. To increase the value of the HRY gene as a genetic marker and to assess ...
This report examines the concept of climate surprise and its implications for environmental policymaking. Although most integrated assessment models of climate change deal with average values of change, it is usually the extreme events or surprises that cause the most damage to human health and property. Current models do not help the policymaker decide how to deal with climate surprises. This report examines the literature of surprise in many aspects of human society: psychology, military, health care, humor, agriculture, etc. It draws together various ways to consider the concept of surprise and examines different taxonomies of surprise that have been proposed. In many ways, surprise is revealed to be a subjective concept, triggered by such factors as prior experience, belief system, and level of education. How policymakers have reacted to specific instances of climate change or climate surprise in the past is considered, particularly with regard to the choices ...
The C isotopic composition of CH4 emissions are strongly influenced by the pathway of CH4 formation. Contrary to data from other freshwater systems, soil gas and surface flux measurements made in the tropical rain forests of Puerto Rico strongly suggest that CH4 produced in these environments was derived from CO2 reduction, rather than from acetate consumption. This study explored the effects of bacterial competition for acetate, pH, and soil structure on the pathways of CH4 formation in tropical rain forest soils. Our goal was to test two principal hypotheses: (1) ferric iron-reducing bacteria out-competed methanogens for acetate, resulting in greater CO2 reduction rather than aceticlastic methanogenesis, and (2) the low pH of tropical rain forest soils favors CO2 reduction rather than aceticlastic methanogenesis. In addition, this study also investigated the effect of destroying soil aggregate structure on the pathways and rates of CH4 production. Ferric iron-reducing bacteria ...
This report reviews Soviet R and D of (1) high-intensity negative ion sources and (2) transport and focusing of negative ion beams, using Soviet open literature of the past ten years, and correlates this data with data on Soviet institutes responsible for negative ion beam development. The Soviets are developing intense negative ion beams as the basis for creating neutral beams for injection into mirror traps and tokamaks, for inertial confinement fusion, and possibly for exoatmospheric beam weapon applications. The report focuses specifically on surface-plasma-type ion sources, which were first developed in the USSR and which show great promise for creating beams of high intensity, high brightness, and low emittance. Mechanisms for optimum negative ion beam transport are also discussed.
Ion beams of halogens can be produced either positively or negatively charged, depending on the employed ion source. At CERN-ISOLDE, although positively charged fluorine and astatine can be obtained from a hot plasma ion source, they are often contaminated by isobars and molecular sidebands. This has generated a request from the scientific community for fluorine and astatine negative ion beams free of contaminants. The high selectivity ensured by the surface ionisation process also makes negative beams of chlorine, bromine and iodine highly attractive. However, the efficiency figures for negative surface ionisation of fluorine and astatine were lower than the ones from the hot plasma. Here we report our R and D on new surface ion sources suitable for the production of negative halogen beams.
Local blood flow in the thigh was measured with /sup 133/Xe clearance technique in eight male distance runners after compression with a foam rubber compress and a standard elastic bandage. Two degrees of compression were tested, and an initial experiment with rested subjects was followed by a similar experiment immediately after running. Maximum compression exerted a cutaneous pressure of 85 (+/- 8) mm Hg and caused an immediate cessation of intra-muscular blood flow in the compressed area. Moderate compression gave a cutaneous pressure of 40 (+/- 5) mm Hg and resulted in a reduction of blood flow by approximately 50%. During compression, there were no significant differences in the blood flow of rested subjects compared to subjects immediately after running. In acute soft tissue injuries, a maximum compression bandage should effectively reduce or eliminate the formation of an intra-muscular hematoma, and an additive effect on blood flow of ice ...
We study some aspects of the experimental behaviour of tachyons, in particular by finding out their <> shape. A Superluminal particle, which in its own rest frame is spherical or ellipsoidal (and with an infinite lifetime), would <> to a laboratory frame as occupying the whole region of space bound by a double cone and a two sheeted hyperboloid. Such a structure (the tachyon <>) rigidly travels with the speed of the tachyon. However, if the Superluminal particle has a finite lifetime in its rest frame, then in the laboratory frame it gets a finite space extension. As a by-product, we are able to interpret physically the imaginary units entering - as is well known - the transverse co-ordinates in the Superluminal Lorentz transformations. The various particular or limiting cases of the tachyon shape are thoroughly considered. Finally, some brief considerations concerning possible ...
...3 MtC, with 78% of these emissions from integrated steel making (26.9 MtC) and the rest (22%)...6 MtC, with 71% of these emissions from integrated steel making (21.9 MtC) and the rest (29%)...1 million ton of carbon (MtC) in 1994 (3.9 MtC from integrated steel making, and 2.2 MtC from secondary ...7 MtC in 2002 (3.7 MtC from integrated steel making, and 2.0 MtC from secondary steel making), corresponding ...
The performance of PAN-based composite absorbers was evaluated in dynamic experiments at flow rates ranging from 25--100 bed volumes (BV) per hour. Composite absorbers with active components of ammonium molybdophosphate (AMP) PAN and K-Co ferrocyanide (KCoFC) PAN were used for separating Cs from a 1 M HNO{sub 3} + 1 M NaNO{sub 3} + 2 {times} 10{sup {minus}5} M CsCl acidic simulant solution. KCoFC-PAN and two other FC-based composite absorbers were tested for separating Cs from alkaline simulant solutions containing 0.01 M to 1 M NaOH and 1 M NaNO{sub 3} + x {times} 10{sup {minus}4} M CsCl. The efficiency of the Cs sorption on the AMP-PAN absorber from acidic simulant solutions was negatively influenced by the dissolution of the AMP active component. At flow rates of 50 BV/hr, the decontamination factor of about 10{sup 3} could be maintained for treatment of 380 BV of the feed. With the KCoFC-PAN absorber, the decontamination ...
The objective of this work is to develop a model for the simultaneous mass transfer of two acid gases in tertiary amines accompanied by reversible chemical reactions. The model has been applied to the industrially important system of simultaneous absorption or desorption of CO/sub 2/ and H/sub 2/S in aqueous methyldiethanolamine (MDEA). In most applications the treated gas must be virtually free of H/sub 2/S; however, it is often not necessary or economical to remove substantial amounts of CO/sub 2/. Hence, selective removal of H/sub 2/S from gas streams such as natural or synthetic gases which contain CO/sub 2/ is desirable. In this research a film theory model describing the simultaneous diffusion and reversible reaction of two gases into reactive liquid has been used to predict the mass transfer enhancement factors of CO/sub 2/ and H/sub 2/S in aqueous MDEA solutions. The resulting unstable two point boundary value problem has been solved numerically for a range ...
Radiowave scintillation in the presence of natural and/or high-altitude nuclear disturbances has the potential to disrupt numerous transionospheric radio and radar systems. This report develops a model characterizing the plasma-density irregularities that produce scintillation in the naturally disturbed equatorial F layer. The model is incorporated into Program WBMOD along with subroutines for computing both link geometry and scintillation indices, the latter by means of phase screen diffraction theory. The model is based on similarly extensive analysis of wideband data from two equatorial stations. It describes irregularities at an effective height of 350 km that are isotropic across the geomagnetic field and elongated by a factor of 50 along the field and whose one-dimensional spatial power spectrum obeys a single-regime power law with a (negative) spectral index of 1.5. The height-integrated spectral strength of the irregularities is modeled ...
X-ray magnetic diffraction (XMD) technique was applied to an orbital ordering compound of ferromagnetic YTiO{sub 3} for the first time. The orbital-magnetic form factor {mu} {sub L}(k) and the spin-magnetic form factor {mu} {sub S}(k) were independently measured by utilizing the LS separation ability of the XMD. The {mu} {sub L}(k) was measured for ten reciprocal-lattice points. No significant values of the {mu} {sub L}(k) were observed for most of the reciprocal-lattice points within the estimated statistical errors, which suggested quenching of the orbital moment. The {mu} {sub S}(k) was measured for 22 reciprocal-lattice points. Fourier synthesis of the {mu} {sub S}(k) gave the spin density distribution m {sub S}(r) in the real space. The obtained m {sub S}(r) map shows the characteristic feature of the electron distribution of 3d electron in the t{sub 2g} state of a Ti atom coordinated by O{sup 2-} ions, in which the electrons are ...
No research has compared expressions of weight bias across different subgroups of obese individuals. This study compared attitudes toward and beliefs about obesity in women with and without binge eating disorder (BED) and examined whether these attitudes are related to psychological factors. Fifty obese women with BED were compared with an age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched group of 50 obese women without BED on a battery of established measures of anti-fat attitudes and beliefs about weight controllability and psychological factors (self-esteem, depression, and eating disorder features). The ageand BMI-matched groups did not differ with respect to beliefs about obesity or attitudes toward obese persons, or in self-esteem or depression. Correlational analyses conducted separately within each group revealed that women with BED who reported more favorable attitudes towards obese persons had higher self-esteem and lower levels of depression, ...
Transport of negative ion beams through plasma is reviewed. The effect of space charge on beam stability and beam emittance is discussed. The approaches to the beam transport problem developed at Los Alamos, Berkeley, Oak Ridge and Culham Laboratory are intercompared. (AIP)
Available data are presented which support the supposition that metals and alloys with a negative low-temperature Hall coefficient are apparently not superconducting. (author).
A constructive method is proposed to solve a class of massive Feynman integrals within the Negative Dimensional Integration Method. The results are compared with the ones given by known positive D models and expressed in terms of dimensionally and analytically regularized integrals 3 refs.
A 42% (70 of 167 isolates) incidence of resistance to 20 micrograms of trimethoprim per ml was found among clinical isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci from two hospitals. A specific trimethoprim...Full Text Available
... trees, data showing a better fit to a power model than to a negative exponential model. Invading Pinus ... power law models were significantly negative. The inverse power model accounted for a considerabl...
Delta-hemolysin of coagulase-negative staphylococcal strains was immunologically identical to delta-hemolysin of Staphylococcus aureus (Newman) but distinct from delta-hemolysin from a canine strain...Full Text Available
The electrode structure of an inverted cesium sputtering negative ion source has been modified to produce a convergent Cs/sup +/ beam. The intensities of negative ion beams produced with this electrode structure are approximately an order of magnitude greater than previously obtained.
The antibiotic resistance patterns of gram-negative fecal bacteria from pigs in three herds with different histories of antibiotic exposure were examined. In general, smaller proportions of antibiotic-resistant...Full Text Available
IntroductionVarious multigene predictors of breast cancer clinical outcome have been commercialized, but proved to be prognostic only for hormone receptor (HR) subsets overexpressing...Full Text Available
On Day 363, a negative 360-degree roll turn with spacecraft ... Ill. DSN Support Assessment. As an indication of the high level support provided by the ...
A metamaterial that is composed of solid viscoelastic elements with controllable properties is proposed in this Letter. This enables an adaptable and general acoustic metamaterial to be practically realised. An array of masses with a single elastic connection to a supporting viscoelastic structure, such as one that is dynamically equivalent to an array of Helmholtz resonators, only provides a system with negative effective mass. A local active control scheme applied to each of these masses can emulate additional elastic connections to the supporting structure. An array of masses with a suitable local control scheme can provide both the negative effective stiffness and mass required for negative refraction. The tuneable feedback control parameters determine the characteristics of the region...
This paper describes the design of a high-voltage negative ion source based on a magnetically insulated diode and generating microsecond pulses. Plane an cylindrical cathodes have been tested. The spatial and angular distributions of negative ions in the beam have been measured. The content of negative ions with different masses in the beam are given. The ion current density measured by a Faraday cup was up to 1 A/cm{sup 2} for the radial beam and 30-40 A/cm{sup 2}.
Two sources of negative ions are described. An rf source produces up to 14 ..mu..A beams of He/sup -/ by charge exchange in Rb vapor. The other Source of Negative Ions by Cesium Sputtering (SNICS) produces a wide variety of negative ion beams in the ..mu..A range. Two important features of SNICS are its simple, compact construction and its very good beam emittance (2 to 4..pi..mm mrad MeV/sup 1/2/). Both sources have lifetimes >200 hours and they are used extensively on the Wisconsin EN tandem.
The requirements for transporting high-current, negative-ion beams are presented with particular emphasis on applications involving negative-hydrogen-ion beams. In addition to the usual matching and steering problems, particular attention must be paid to beam emittance growth in the transport system. Depending on the application, a number of approaches have been developed using both magnetic and electric lenses. I discuss the design considerations for transporting and matching these beams to radiofrequency quadrupole accelerators, and present a survey of the various types of beamlines now used for negative-ion beams.
The requirements for transporting high-current, negative-ion beams are presented with particular emphasis on applications involving negative-hydrogen-ion beams. In addition to the usual matching and steering problems, particular attention must be paid to beam emittance growth in the transport system. Depending on the application, a number of approaches have been developed using both magnetic and electric lenses. I discuss the design considerations for transporting and matching these beams to radio-frequency quadrupole accelerators, and present a survey of the various types of beamlines now used for negative-ion beams.
The requirements for transporting high-current, negative-ion beams are presented with particular emphasis on applications involving negative-hydrogen-ion beams. In addition to the usual matching and steering problems, particular attention must be paid to beam emittance growth in the transport system. Depending on the application, a number of approaches have been developed using both magnetic and electric lenses. I discuss the design considerations for transporting and matching these beams to radiofrequency quadrupole accelerators, and present a survey of the various types of beamlines now used for negative-ion beams.
... negative diplooocci, to determine the type of pneumococi, to study staphylococa proteas, ehigla, sallmnefla, pasteurella, brucela, linters, leptosp ,s ...
The time dependence of negative corona current I, called by Gagarin like 'relaxing of CV-characteristics', is a observed phenomena. The observed phenomena was explained by two theoretical models considering the ion-molecule and chemical reactions in the negative corona discharges in air, especially the ozone production. In the presented paper the discrepancies of above mentioned models, re-examination the earlier experimental data and presumptions used in models in a light the latest experimentally confirmed facts are discussed.
During the present grant period we have continued our study of the photodetachment of atomic negative ions using cross-beam photoelectron detachment spectroscopy. The experimental technique involves the measurement of, under conditions of good energy and angular resolution, kinetic energies, yields and angular distributions of photoelectrons ejected from the interaction region between perpendicularly crossed laser and negative ion beams. 6 figs.
The possibility of applying the near infrared gas dynamic lasers (GDL) for neutralization of negative ion beams is examined. A criterion of neutralization is suggested. The use of the criterion makes it possible to select an optically active medium for a negative ion neutralization. To demonstrate the method media containing hydrohalogens as imitating molecules are taken. ((orig.))
Operation at ITER specifications of the Kamaboko III ion source for 1000 second pulses of deuterium negative ion beams is underway on the MANTIS test stand. Efficient production of negative ions at low arc power requires injection of cesium into the source, temperature control of the plasma grid, and a period of conditioning of several days. Two different concepts of temperature regulated plasma grids are currently being tested. (author)
The fundamental ionisation process of negative surface ionisation is described and two applications are discussed. One is in the so called surface-plasma sources which enable the production of intense negative ion beams. The second application is in the passive diagnosis of the charge exchange of neutrals emitted from hydrogen plasmas.
A new, magnetically insulated negative ion source has recently been discovered which can produce pulsed negative ion beams (H/sup -/, Li/sup -/, and C/sup -/) with intensities of 100-300 A/cm/sup 2/ at 1-4 MeV. This source may provide the basis for a high energy neutral beam system for heating large tokamaks.
This paper discusses the storage of spent nuclear fuel by countries around the world. At the present time, all countries are storing it. A small number of countries are reprocessing it for recycling. Essentially all countries are preparing for eventual disposal of end waste form. There is much uncertainty and controversy over what should and will happen.
... Although the rest of the country is less affected, if UK annual feeding and milling volumes of wheat are approximately 120,000t the drought will inevitably result in a shortfall. Looking back at the 2010 season the organic arable market performed strongly, with average feed wheat values since Christmas of 𧷐/tonne - 䀆/t higher then the same period last year. This provided a profitable ...
The invention deals with an offshore drilling or production platform in particular designed for quake-active areas. The platform rests on the sea bed with a low-gravitational weight and anchored to stabilized pile foundations absorbing the horizontal and vertical acting forces from earthquakes. The platform including pillars can be made of different materials, prestressed concrete in particular. 3 figs.
This document presents the activity of KiloFarad International (KFI), a trade association for the promotion of the interests of the international ultra-capacitor industry through education and representation. KFI provides a forum for the ultra-capacitor industry to work on non-competitive activities (standards, working groups, test procedures etc..). The rest of the document presents some informations about ultra-capacitors technology and some advanced applications in the automotive and telecommunication industries. (J.S.)
Using the Philips DRM distributed real-time multiprocessing system, designers can implement high-performance computer systems using VME hardware and the C programming language. The system provides a virtual-processing environment in which several 68000 CPUs share the workload. There are no centralized components, and tasks can be assumed by the rest of a system in the event of an individual processor's failure.
A 500 keV negative-ion based NBI system is under construction for NB current drive and plasma core heating in high density plasma in JT-60U. Part of the beamline and the high voltage power supply required for a verification test of an ion source was completed in March 1995. After having done a high potential test of the power supply, the negative-ion generation and acceleration tests started in June 1995 aiming at deuterium beams of 500 keV, 22A. In initial experiment, deuterium negative-ion beams of 410 keV, 6.1A (2.5 MW) for 0.2 sec, so far, have been achieved. This is the world highest D{sup {minus}} current and negative ion beam power. The construction of the total system will be completed by the beginning of 1996, and the beam injection will start in March 1996.
Negative frequency has a physical meaning, the complete description of a frequency signal is a rotating complex signal, in complete description, positive frequency signal exp(iwt) and negative frequency signal exp(-iwt) is two distinguishable and independent frequency signals. Because the real-carrier modulation and demodulation do not distinguish positive and negative frequency, so half of the spectrum resources and signal energy are wasted. The complex-carrier modulation uses the distinguishable positive frequency signal exp(iwt) and negative frequency signal exp(-iwt) as the carrier signals, they can carry different information, so the spectrum resources is full used, the complex-carrier demodulation does not lose signal energy, so the spectrum efficiency is improved.
Acoustic metamaterials with negative effective mass below a cut-off frequency are studied. An equivalent mass-spring structure is firstly proposed for such metamaterials, the effective mass is found to follow the Drude model: being negative below a specific frequency. The peculiar behavior is then verified by transmission experiments operating in the low-frequency regime. Inspired by the mass-spring model, we investigate the two-dimensional elastic waveguide with clamped boundaries and attribute the bandgap occurring below a critical frequency to negative effective mass density. The finding helps us to design a new acoustic Drude metamaterial, which enables shearing and bending deformations, in contrast to the membrane-type ones. Both simulation and experimental results show that the proposed metamaterial exhibits negative effective mass below 1200 Hz, thus opening broadband applications in vibration ...
New RNAA determinations of Ba, Sr, Zr, U, Re, Pd, Ag, Zn and Se and INAA measurements of Lu are added to published data for 21 other elements in the same suite of ten samples. On the average, 21 refractory elements are not significantly fractionated from one another. The mean of their enrichment factors relative to C1 chondrites is 17.5 +- 0.4, indicating that the high-temperature condensate inclusions represent 5.7 wt% of the total condensable matter. Os, Ir, Ru, Re and most of the W condensed in one or more refractory siderophile element alloys along with small fractions of the Pd, Co, Au and Ag. The bulk of the Eu and Sr condensed in solid solution in melilite. Sc, Zr, Hf, Ta, U and the remaining REE condensed in a phase whose abundance in the inclusions in negatively correlated with that of melilite, either diopside or one or more minor or trace phases, including perovskite. Ba condensed in a different phase, separately from all these ...
The purpose of this study was to clarify the benefits of digital lateral chest radiogram. In the basic study, the modulation transfer factor (MTF) and the wiener spectra (WS) of conventional screen film (CSF) and Fuji computed radiography (FCR) were measured. The visibility of the simulated nodules on FCR using 3 human bodies was subjectively compared with that on CSF by 13 observers. In the clinical study, the visibility of the normal structures on FCR was subjectively compared with that on CSF using 50 lateral chest radiograms by 10 observers. The diagnostic performance to detect pulmonary nodules on FCR was also compared with that on CSF using each 30 positive and negative cases by 8 observers. In the basic study, the MTF of FCR was superior to that of CSF, and the WS of FCR displayed in half size was superior to that of CSF. In all exposure conditions, the visibility of the nodules on FCR in the pulmonary apex was inferior to that on CSF, ...
The purpose of this study was to clarify the benefits of digital lateral chest radiogram. In the basic study, the modulation transfer factor (MTF) and the wiener spectra (WS) of conventional screen film (CSF) and Fuji computed radiography (FCR) were measured. The visibility of the simulated nodules on FCR using 3 human bodies was subjectively compared with that on CSF by 13 observers. In the clinical study, the visibility of the normal structures on FCR was subjectively compared with that on CSF using 50 lateral chest radiograms by 10 observers. The diagnostic performance to detect pulmonary nodules on FCR was also compared with that on CSF using each 30 positive and negative cases by 8 observers. In the basic study, the MTF of FCR was superior to that of CSF, and the WS of FCR displayed in half size was superior to that of CSF. In all exposure conditions, the visibility of the nodules on FCR in the pulmonary apex was inferior to that on CSF, ...
The IRG protein Irgm3 preserves cell survival during coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) infection. However, the molecular mechanisms are not clear. Here, we examined the effect of Irgm3 expression on ER stress triggered by pharmacological agents or CVB3 infection. In Tet-On/Irgm3 HeLa cells, Irgm3 expression suppressed either chemical- or CVB3-induced upregulation of glucose-regulated protein78. Further, Irgm3 strongly inhibited the activation of both the PERK and ATF6 pathways of ER stress responses, which further led to the diminished phosphorylation of eIF2?, reduced cleavage/activation of transcription factor SREBP1 and attenuated induction of proapoptotic genes CHOP and GADD34. These data were further supported by experiments using Irgm3 knockout mouse embryonic fibroblasts, in which the ER stress induced by CVB3 was not relieved due to the lack of Irgm3 expression. In addition, the tunicamycin-triggered ER stress promoted the subsequent CVB3 infection. The effect of ...
Quality of education is a determining factor in a nation's competitiveness. Although Mexico has made tremendous progress toward achieving universal basic education, school quality has not kept pace with enrollment increases, especially in rural areas. Innovations at the federal and state levels to raise the quality of basic education in Mexico include decentralizing the education system, thereby giving the states more control over education, and creating the Carrera Magisterial, a program of incentives and professional development for teachers. The first part of this paper shows that early in their professional lives, teachers in basic public schools are better paid than other comparable groups. The second part of the paper analyzes determinants of student achievement. Findings show that short-term teacher posts had a negative impact on learning achievement. Pedagogical efforts and teacher answers to student questions were highly correlated ...
The detailed features of the calculated energy-level schemes and of the single-particle, orbit-occupancy properties of the low-lying levels of the N=50 isotones "8"0Zn, "8"1Ga, "8"2Ge, "8"3As, "8"4Se, "8"5Br, "8"6Kr, and "8"7Rb are presented and discussed. These results are obtained with a new effective Hamiltonian operator obtained empirically from an iterative fit to experimental energies taken from all experimentally studied (A=82--96) N=50 nuclei. The model space for the calculations consists of active 0f/sub 5/2/, 1p/sub 3/2/, 1p/sub 1/2/, and 0g/sub 9/2/ proton orbits relative to a nominal "7"8Ni core. This space is truncated internally by restricting the number of particles excited from the negative-parity orbits into the g/sub 9/2/ orbit to be no greater than four. The typical structures predicted for these lighter N=50 isotones are found to be dominated by well-mixed combinations of fp-orbit configurations, with the g/sub 9/2/ orbit playing a minor role in ...
The detailed features of the calculated energy-level schemes and of thesingle-particle, orbit-occupancy properties of the low-lying levels of the/ital N/=50 isotones /sup 80/Zn, /sup 81/Ga,/sup 82/Ge, /sup 83/As, /sup 84/Se,/sup 85/Br, /sup 86/Kr, and /sup 87/Rb arepresented and discussed. These results are obtained with a new effectiveHamiltonian operator obtained empirically from an iterative fit to experimentalenergies taken from all experimentally studied (/ital A/=82--96)/ital N/=50 nuclei. The model space for the calculations consists ofactive 0/ital f//sub 5/2/, 1/ital p//sub 3/2/,1/ital p//sub 1/2/, and 0/ital g//sub 9/2/ proton orbits relativeto a nominal /sup 78/Ni core. This space is truncated internally byrestricting the number of particles excited from the negative-parity orbitsinto the /ital g//sub 9/2/ orbit to be no greater than four. The typicalstructures predicted for these lighter /ital N/=50 isotones are found tobe dominated by well-mixed ...
BACKGROUND: Immune suppressant medications such as thiopurines and anti-tumor necrosis factor agents are important for maintaining disease control in most patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs); however, their use has been associated with the development of malignant lymphoma. The purpose of this Dutch nationwide study was to estimate the relative risk of malignant lymphoma in IBD patients. METHODS: IBD patients who developed a lymphoma between 1997 and 2004 were identified using the Dutch National Database of PALGA. Data from confirmed cases were collected from individual hospitals, including data on Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The age-adjusted 8-year incidence of malignant lymphoma in the Netherlands was retrieved from the Central Bureau of Statistics. RESULTS: Forty-two hospitals were visited and 285 matches evaluated in the total cohort of 17,834 IBD patients. Forty-four lymphomas were observed, resulting in a relative risk of 1.27 (95% confidence ...
A low nephron endowment may be associated with hypertension. Nephrogenesis is the process that leads to the formation of nephrons until week 36 of gestation in humans and may be inhibited by many factors like intrauterine growth restriction and premature birth. To study the consequences of a low glomerular number, animal models have been developed. We describe a model of postnatal food restriction in the rat in which litter size is increased to 20 pups, which leads to growth restriction. In the rat, active nephrogenesis continues until postnatal day 8, which coincides with the growth restriction in our model. Design-based stereological methods were used to estimate glomerular number and volume. Our results show an approximately 25% lower glomerular number in rats after postnatal food restriction (30,800 glomeruli/kidney) compared with control rats (39,600 glomeruli/kidney, P < 0.001). Mean glomerular volume was increased by 35% in the growth-restricted rats (P = ...
Introduction. This study used Item-Response Theory (IRT) to model the psychometric properties of a false belief picture sequencing task. Consistent with the mental time travel hypothesis of paranoia, we anticipated that performance on this deductive theory of mind (ToM) task would not be associated with the presence of persecutory delusions but would be related to other clinical, cognitive, and demographic factors. Method. A large (N=237) and diverse clinical and nonclinical sample differing in levels of depression and paranoid ideation performed 2 ToM tasks: the false belief sequencing task and a ToM stories task that was used to assess the validity of the false belief sequencing task as a measure of ToM. Results. A unidimensional IRT model was found to fit the data well. Latent ToM ability as measured by the false belief sequencing task was negatively related with age and positively with IQ. In contrast to the ToM stories measure, there was ...
This report is composed of the following two parts and appendix. (I) Improvement of the Method for Evaluating Reactivity Based on Monte Carlo Perturbation Theory: Theoretical formulation in Monte Carlo perturbation method had been checked, and then introduced into a calculation code. There are some cases that the results of the change of eigenvalues becomes positive or negative by changing the estimator, and there is no reasonable difference in the results between the conventional method, which does not consider the change of neutron source distribution caused by a perturbation, and the new method, which consider that change. Thus it is still necessary to check the Monte Carlo perturbation code. (II) Improvement of Nodal Transport Method for 3-D Hexagonal Geometry: We can accurately evaluate hexagonal geometry FBR core by nodal transport calculation code for hexagonal-Z geometry named `NSHEX`. However it is also found that in very heterogeneous core the results is ...
Active contrast material extravasation can be recognized with conventional CT scanners, though it has been considered a rare finding. Helical CT seems to increase the detection rate and especially to boost the radiologist's confidence in this diagnosis. Though active bleeding is defined in severely-injured subjects requiring urgent intervention and may be associated with findings of hypovolaemic shock, it should not be considered itself as a negative prognostic factor. Contrast extravasation is due to ongoing hemorrhage and its detection is critical for urged treatment. Accurate anatomical location permits to choose surgical management or transcatheter embolization and thus decreases time consumption for precis e bleeding site identification. [Italian] Lo stravaso attivo del mdc e' rilevabile anche con appropriate apparecchiature TC tradizionali, sebbene sia stato considerato raro. La TC sprirale sembra aumentare la frequanza ...
Taking the development of large current, negative ion sources which is in progress aiming at nuclear fusion reactors and the development of high luminance ion sources planned as a part of the Omega Project as the examples, the technology for generating high power ion beams is explained. Both these projects are positioned at the limit of the present technology of high power ion beam application as their targeted beam power reaches several tens MW. Consequently, the requirement for the ion sources is severe, and in particular, the generation of the ion beams having large current density with good convergence is beyond all precedents. The application of high power ion sources has been realized as the neutral beam injectors for large tokamaks. Also the hydrogen negative ion source of large current and the electrostatic acceleration technology for negative ion beams have been developed. Large plasma sources, the method of ...
Production of intense negative ion beams in magnetically insulated diodes was studied in order to develop an understanding of this process by measuring the ion-beam parameters as a function of diode and cathode plasma conditions in different magnetically insulated diodes. A coral diode, a racetrack diode, and an annular diode were used. The UCI APEX pulse line, with a nominal output of 1MV, 140kA, was used under matched conditions with a pulse length of 50 nsec. Negative-ion intensity and divergence were measured with Faraday cups and CR-39 track detectors. Cathode plasma was produced by passive dielectric cathodes and later, by an independent plasma gun. Negative-ion currents had an intensity of a few A/cm{sup 2} with a divergence ranging between a few tenths milliradians for an active TiH{sub 2} plasma gun and 300 milliradians for a passive polyethelene cathode. Negative ions were usually emitted from ...
The Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) now under construction at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use the 25-MV tandem accelerator for the acceleration of radioactive ion beams to energies appropriate for research in nuclear physics; negative ion beams are, therefore, required for injection into the tandem accelerator. Because charge exchange is an efficient means for converting initially positive ion beams to negative ion beams, both positive and negative ion sources are viable options for use at the facility; the choice of the type of ion source will depend on the overall efficiency for generating the radioactive species of interest. A high-temperature version of the CERN-ISOLDE positive ion source has been selected and a modified version of the source designed and fabricated for initial use at the HRIBF because of its low emittance, relatively high ionization efficiencies and species versatility, and ...
The Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF) now under construction at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use the 25-MV tandem accelerator for the acceleration of radioactive ion beams to energies appropriate for research in nuclear physics; negative ion beams are, therefore, required for injection into the tandem accelerator. Because charge exchange is an efficient means for converting initially positive ion beams to negative ion beams, both positive and negative ion sources are viable options for use at the facility; the choice of the type of ion source will depend on the overall efficiency for generating the radioactive species of interest. A high-temperature version of the CERN-ISOLDE positive ion source has been selected and a modified version of the source designed and fabricated for initial use at the HRIBF because of its low emittance, relatively high ionization efficiencies and species versatility, and ...
A brief description of a method for producing relatively intense molecular negative ion beams for the difficult Group IIA elements is given which offers considerable improvement in terms of source operation and beam intensity stability over other methods conventionally utilized. It is particularly suited for use in cesium plasma sources such as the Aarhus geometry and axial geometry versions of the source. The method utilizes H/sub 2/ source feed gas for the production of a hydrogen-rich plasma discharge which sputters a negatively biased probe made of elemental or copper alloy material. Negative ion beams of MgH/sub 3//sup -/>=12 ..mu.. A have been realized during routine operation of the 25 MV tandem accelerator. Negative ion beam intensity data, typical source operational parameters, and examples of mass spectra associated with their production are given. Interesting intermetallic molecular ...
Two measurement methods to determine the rate of neutral free radical production by the photo-deionization of negative ion beams (PDINIB) are introduced. These methods, namely, photoelectron-current measurement by low-frequency electro-modulation probe (PMMP) and measurement of decrease in the negative-ion beam current (DNIC) were employed to evaluate the production rate in a trial surface-processing apparatus developed in the author's laboratory utilizing a steady-flux refined beam of neutral free radicals (RBNR) produced by the PDINIB procedure. A {sup 63}Cu{sup -} negative ion beam of kinetic energy E{sub i} varied up to 15 keV was irradiated with a 514.5 nm visible light beam from a 25 W CW Ar{sup +} ion laser. The detection limit of the production rate by the PMMP setup was as high as 6 x 10{sup 9} s{sup -1} under the condition that E{sub i}=15 keV, the negative-ion beam current I{sub i}=4 ...
A rechargeable cell is disclosed which is characterized in the following manner. A positive electrode is formed from a manganese oxide electrode material. This manganese oxide electrode material contains a heavy metal selected from the group comprising lead, bismuth, and mixtures of lead and bismuth. The cell also contains a negative electrode of zinc. A separator is provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. An alkaline electrolyte consisting essentially of an alcohol and an alkaline hydroxide is also contained in the rechargeable cell in contact with both the positive electrode and the negative electrode.
The production of polarized negative ion beams by collisional pumping is described. Collisional pumping utilizes repeated charge changing collisions in a thick electron-spin-polarized gas or vapor target to form a polarized fast atom beam. The polarized fast atom beam is then partially converted into a polarized negative ion beam in a vapor target. Analysis is presented for a hydrogen beam passing through either a thick polarized H atom target or a thick polarized alkali target. Large polarizations and large currents may be possible.
The production of polarized negative ion beams by ''collisional pumping'' is described. Collisional pumping utilizes repeated charge changing collisions in a thick electron-spin-polarized gas or vapor target to form a polarized fast atom beam. The polarized fast atom beam is then partially converted into a polarized negative ion beam in a vapor target. Analysis is presented for a hydrogen beam passing through either a thick polarized H atom target or a thick polarized alkali target. Large polarizations and large currents may be possible.
Plasma generated in low-density vapor by a negative ion beam has been studied experimentally and computationally. We show that space charge neutralization of the beam occurs at very low vapor density, and that correspondingly the electron density may be much less than the beam and plasma ion densities. When there is a large local gas density, as in a charge changing cell, the resulting high electron density is also localized to the same region. Therefore, very few electrons will reach a negative ion accelerator even if it is placed one or two beam diameters from such a cell.
The temperature and pressure dependence of the mobilities of negative charges injected into liquid hydrogen and deuterium have been measured. The authors propose the existence of two types of charge carriers in liquid parahydrogen. One is a bubble with an electron inside while the other has higher mobility. Relaxation of the current through liquid hydrogen was observed. It is suggested that in liquid and solid hydrogen under {beta}-irradiation neutral complexes are created which can trap the negative charges and have a lifetime of about 10 hours. 6 refs., 5 figs.
High-current implantation of Cu{sup {minus}} ions into silica glasses has been demonstrated using mA-class negative ion beams at 60 keV. Negative ion implantation has an advantage to alleviate specimen charging for insulating substrates and has attained high dose rates, up to 260 {micro}A/cm{sup 2}. Spherical Cu colloids form in the silica glasses without additional thermal annealing. Optical absorption and reflection of the implanted specimens vary with the current density, even at a fixed dose level. A beam-induced surface plasma may affect the high current implantation.
Average emittance data for ion beams extracted from cesium-sputter negative ion sources equipped with spherical, ellipsoidal, and cylindrical geometry cesium-surface ionizers are presented. The attributes of the respective source geometries are described in terms of their cesium ion optical properties. The results of recent measurement of the emittances of momentum-analyzed beams extracted from the ellipsoidal geometry source are also presented. These measurements indicate the presence of a species-dependent effect. The effect is believed to be attributable to differences in the energy spreads of the respective negative ion beams introduced by the sputter generation process.
Average emittance data for ion beams extracted from cesium-sputter negative ion sources equipped with spherical, ellipsoidal, and cylindrical geometry cesium-surface ionizers are presented. The attributes of the respective source geometries are described in terms of their cesium ion optical properties. The results of recent measurement of the emittances of momentum-analyzed beams extracted from the ellipsoidal geometry source are also presented. These measurements indicate the presence of a species-dependent effect. The effect is believed to be attributable to differences in the energy spreads of the respective negative ion beams introduced by the sputter generation process. 11 refs., 8 figs.
It is experimentally demonstrated that a relatively strong ion-rich sheath formed at a fixed negative bias of the grid can be changed to a rather weak ion sheath (sheath potential weakly retards electrons) only by increasing the discharge voltage in the system. At sufficiently high negative grid bias, an increase of discharge voltage enhances the ion collection current at the grid. An explanation is put forward in support of this experimental observation. A slight density enhancement with a fall in plasma electron temperature is also observed with the increasing negative grid bias. (authors)
The acoustic hyperlens can be realized by an alternating layered structure of water and fluid with negative mass density. Based on this alternating layered principle, we propose that an acoustic metamaterial consisting of three layers in water background can be designed to replace the fluid with negative mass density. The effective mass density and bulk modulus of the system which is composed of acoustic metamaterial and water are functions of the frequency. The effective mass density of such a system is close to the negative mass density of the fluid at a specific frequency; thus an acoustic metamaterial hyperlens can be achieved.
SUMMARYHomeostatic synaptic plasticity is a negative feedback mechanism neurons use to offset excessive excitation or inhibition by adjusting their synaptic strengths. Recent...Full Text Available
Ultraconserved elements (UCEs) are sequences that are identical between reference genomes of distantly related species. As they are under negative selection and enriched near or in specific classes...Full Text Available
Legionella pneumophila is a gram-negative bacterial species that is ubiquitous in almost any aqueous environment. It is the agent of Legionnaires’ disease, an acute and often...Full Text Available
BackgroundPhotorhabdus luminescens is a Gram-negative luminescent enterobacterium and a symbiote to soil nematodes belonging to the species Heterorhabditis...Full Text Available
BackgroundOptimal treatment of primary negative symptoms is important because their presence is associated with poor outcome.AimsTo systematically review all studies dealing with the efficacy of pharmacological agents on primary negative symptoms.MethodA comprehensive search of the relevant literature was undertaken using electronic database, reference lists and personal contact.ResultsThere is a lack of standardized research designs. Amisulpride is the most extensively studied drug with respect to efficacy against primary negative symptoms. At low doses it demonstrates a consistent, modest effect compared to placebo, though not to conventional antipsychotics and has yet to be tested against other atypicals. Evidence from multiple studies that used simple statistical analyses and inclusion...
Ozone production in a negative corona discharge has been studied experimentally at atmospheric pressure in mixtures of N_2O+O_2 at ambient temperature. Ozone formation was found to be dramatically reduced with increase in the content of N_2O in the mixture. The reaction of O("1D) with nitrous oxide is the most likely process reducing the rate of ozone generation. A considerable decrease in the mean discharge current at a constant voltage was also observed with increasing content of nitrous oxide in the mixture and is attributed to the formation of anions in the discharge. The low values of the calculated mobility of negative charge carriers in the drift region of the discharge is caused by the formation of O"- #centre dot# (N_2O)_n and NO"-#centre dot#(N_2O)_n cluster anions in the drift region of the negative corona discharge.
Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process that involves the invagination and degradation of cytoplasmic components through an autophagosomelysosome track. Autophagy functions...Full Text Available
Amotivation is a telling hallmark of negative symptomatology in schizophrenia, and it impacts nearly every facet of behavior, including inclination to attempt the difficult cognitive tasks involved...Full Text Available
Francisella tularensis is a gram negative facultative intracellular bacterium that causes the zoonotic disease tularemia. Free-living amebae, such as Acanthamoeba and...Full Text Available
Francisella tularensis is a Gram-negative bacterium capable of causing the zoonotic disease tularaemia in a large number of mammalian species and in arthropods. F. tularensis...Full Text Available
This exploratory research paper investigated the coping strategies of families of hospitalized psychiatric patients and identified their positive and negative coping strategies. In this paper, the coping...Full Text Available
Abstract Background: This study involves a multicentre surveillance of tigecycline and tetracycline activity against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria from primary care centres (PCCs), general hospital wards (GHWs) and intensive care units (ICUs) in Denmark (n == 9), Finland (n == 10), Norway (n == 7) and Sweden (n == 19). Methods: The hospitals were each asked to test 30 consecutive Gram-positive and 30 Gram-negative clinical isolates. Supportive information accompanying each isolate included the study centre, ward level (PCC, GHW, or ICU), patient identification and source of the isolate. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for tetracycline and tigecycline were determined with the Etest. Results: The isolates collected comprised 1610 Gram-negative and 1767 Gram-positive clini...
Investigations have been conducted to determine the feasibility of using collisional cooling for reducing the energy spreads and, consequently, the emittances of negative-ion beams. We have designed a gas-filled RF-quadrupole ion cooler equipped with provisions for retarding energetic negative ion beams to energies below thresholds for electron detachment at injection and for re-acceleration to high energies after the cooling process. The device has been used to cool O{sup -} and F{sup -} ion beams with initial energy spreads, {Delta}E > 10 eV to final energy spreads, {Delta}E {approx} 2 eV FWHM. Overall transmission efficiencies of {approx}14% for F{sup -} beams have been obtained. Experimental results show that electron detachment is the major loss mechanism for negative ions.
Investigations have been conducted to determine the feasibility of using collisional cooling for reducing the energy spreads and, consequently, the emittances of negative-ion beams. We have designed a gas-filled RF-quadrupole ion cooler equipped with provisions for retarding energetic negative ion beams to energies below thresholds for electron detachment at injection and for re-acceleration to high energies after the cooling process. The device has been used to cool O{sup -} and F{sup -} ion beams with initial energy spreads, {Delta}E > 10 eV to final energy spreads, {Delta}E {approx} 2 eV FWHM. Overall transmission efficiencies of {approx}14% for F{sup -} beams have been obtained. Experimental results show that electron detachment is the major loss mechanism for negative ions.
Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans is a facultative anaerobic gram-negative bacterium associated with severe forms of periodontitis. A leukotoxin, which belongs...Full Text Available
The minimum cardiac transit times (MTT's) at rest and following sub-maximum stresses were measured in 97 individual examinations of untrained persons and high performance athletes. It turned out that there is a strong dependence on cardiac frequency of the MTT's. This relation can be described quite satisfactorily by a hyperbolic function and in this way allows a frequency correction to be made of the MTT's. The MTT's standardized in this way (MTT.f values) represent the quotient of the end diastolic segment volume/beat volume. In the whole lesser circulatory system almost identical MTT.f values were found for the two groups under comparison at rest and following stress. In the ventricles, however, and especially so in the left ventricle, the MTT.f values were clearly higher with athletes than with untrained persons, but they strongly decreased after stresses, while the respective values remained almost constant in ordinary persons. (orig./RF).
Building 922 houses all of SNL/California`s ES and H Departments: Health Protection, Environmental Protection, Safety, and Environmental Operations. It covers approximately 10,000 square feet and houses about 80 people. The office personnel generate nonhazardous solid office wastes in their daily activities. To determine the types and amounts of waste generated, a special PPOA sorting team sorted all of the trash collected from the building for a period of one-week (including paper and aluminum cans in the recycling bins). The team sorted the trash into major categories: paper, plastic, metals, glass, wet garbage, rest room waste, and miscellaneous materials. They then sorted it into subcategories within each major category. Rest room waste was collected but not sorted. The waste in each category was weighed separately. The total amount of trash collected during the week was approximately 168.8 kg (371.4 lbs). The results of this PPOA indicate ...
ObjectivesThe main objective of this study is to address the following specific questions: 1. Are the delayed effects of poor early diet on whole organism performance and senescence contingent on, or exacerbated by, the subsequent occurrence of compensatory growth? 2. Does the rate of growth influence levels of resting metabolism and/or oxidative stress, and if so, for how long does this persist? 3. How are the levels of early nutrition, growth, resting metabolism and oxidative stress linked to the lev [continued...]DescriptionIt is now widely appreciated that, while animals may appear to recover from periods of poor food quality or quantity experienced in early development, adverse effects may occur later in adult life. Such effects can influence the performance of complete cohorts of animals, and have important consequences for population dynamics. The reasons why such delayed effects occur across the animals' lifetimes are poorly understood. ...
A rapid filtration technique has been used to measure at room temperature the kinetics of ADP and ATP transport in rat heart mitochondria in the millisecond time range. Transport was stopped by cessation of the nucleotide supply, without the use of a transport inhibitor, thus avoiding any quenching delay. The kinetics of ({sup 14}C)ADP transport in energized mitochondria were apparently monophasic. The rate of transport of ({sup 14}C)ATP in energized mitochondria was 5-10 times lower than that of ({sup 14}C)ADP. Upon uncoupling, the rate of ({sup 14}C)ATP uptake was enhanced, and that of ({sup 14}C)ADP uptake was decreased. However, the two rates did not equalize, indicating that transport was not exclusively electrogenic. Transport of ({sup 14}C)ADP and ({sup 14}C)ATP by resting mitochondria followed biphasic kinetics. Depletion of nucleotides in resting mitochondria resulted in a greater decrease in the extent of the slow phase than of the ...
Open descendants extend conformal field theory to unoriented surfaces with boundaries. The construction rests on two types of generalizations of the fusion algebra. The first is needed even in the relatively simple case of diagonal models. It leads to a new tensor that satisfies the fusion algebra, but whose entries are signed integers. The second is needed when dealing with non-diagonal models, where Cardy's ansatz does not apply. It leads to a new tensor with positive integer entries, that satisfies a set of polynomial equations and encodes the classification of the allowed boundary operators. (orig.).
The invention concerns an integrated nuclear reactor comprising natural convection cooling of the supporting skirt on which rests the shield closing the reactor vessel. Cooling is achieved by making the air circulate from the bottom to the top around the skirt and removing this air by a stack. The air can be atmospheric air or air taken from the low parts of the reactor. In the latter case, the stack emerges near a metal roof releasing its heat to the atmosphere by radiation, the air then dropping to the low parts. Application to fast nuclear reactors.
The magnetic susceptibility of the ternary compounds, RPd_2Si_2 (where R=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) has been measured. GdPd_2Si_2 and TbPd_2Si_2 order antiferromagnetically at 13 and 20 K respectively; the rest of the compounds do not show clear ordering down to 4.2 K. Palladium carries no moment in these compounds. The De Gennes formula is not obeyed indicating that the exchange interaction between the 4f moments via conduction electrons is not isotropic. (orig.).
The effects of {alpha} particle irradiation on a passive film formed on a 304 type stainless steel are studied in situ. The experimental arrangement minimizes the radiolysis effects due to the electrolyte. Under irradiation, a modification of the electronic structure of the oxide layers is revealed by photo-electrochemistry and impedance measurements. The influence of irradiation on the corrosion resistance of the passive film is investigated. Comparing the rest potential and the breakdown potential respectively under and without irradiation, a drop in the passivity range under irradiation is shown. this is interpreted as a decrease in the corrosion resistance. (author).
The effects of #alpha# particle irradiation on a passive film formed on a 304 type stainless steel are studied in situ. The experimental arrangement minimizes the radiolysis effects due to the electrolyte. Under irradiation, a modification of the electronic structure of the oxide layers is revealed by photo-electrochemistry and impedance measurements. The influence of irradiation on the corrosion resistance of the passive film is investigated. Comparing the rest potential and the breakdown potential respectively under and without irradiation, a drop in the passivity range under irradiation is shown. this is interpreted as a decrease in the corrosion resistance. (author).
One of the most complicated tasks during the assembly of the Wendelstein W7-X is the installation of the superconductive coil system. The entire magnet system is enclosed between the Outer Vessel and the plasma vessel in high vacuum at 4 K. The coils are supported by a support structure, the Central Support Structure (CSS). The CSS carries all 70 coils, and it is designed as a closed ring made of 5 modules (10 half modules). The whole structure is supported by 10 Cryolegs which rest on the machine base. This paper describes the final design and manufacture of these Cryolegs.
The composite wave variational version of the APW (augmented plane wave) method is used to obtain the electronic band structure of the compounds boron phosphide and boron arsenide at the high symmetry points #GAMMA#, X, and L. The tight binding interpolation scheme of Slater and Koster is used to calculate the rest of the band structure. The results show that both these materials are indirect band gap semiconductors. The density of states, and the imaginary part of the dielectric constant is also calculated. The theoretical results are compared with the reported experimental and theoretical data. (author).
Given a Schwarzschild black-hole, the frame sigma at rest with respect to the Schwarzschild metric are chosen as reference-frames. In this locally non-inertial frames, a free falling body is shown to reach the speed of light on the horizon and then to travel faster-than-light inside the horizon. The usual Szekeres-Kruskal (SK) coordinates represent themselves frames that (with respect to the frames sigma) travel at subliminal speed outside, at luminal speed on, and at superluminal speed inside the horizon (so that SK frames always describe any free falling body as a standard, slower-than-light object). At last, black-holes are shown to be possible sources of tachyons.
We present the results of Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) imaging of a sample of 19 high-mass passively evolving galaxies with 1.2 < z < 2, taken primarily from the Gemini Deep Deep Survey (GDDS). Around 80% of galaxies in our GDDS sample have spectra dominated by stars with ages #approx#>1 Gyr. Our rest-frame R-band images show that most of these objects have compact regular morphologies which follow the classical R "1"/"4 law. These galaxies scatter along a tight sequence in the size versus surface brightness parameter space which defines the Kormendy relation. Around one-third (3/10) of the massive red objects in the GDDS sample are extraordinarily compact, with effective radii under 1 kpc. Our NICMOS observations allow the detection of such systems more robustly than is possible with optical (rest-frame UV) data, and while similar systems have been seen at z #approx#> 2, this is the first time such ...
Very often in many textbooks the formalism of the general theory of relativity is applied to gravitational problems. We think that it would be didactically useful to show how it can be adopted also for describing physical situations in accelerated frames of reference by working out in detail a particular case. This choice will also offer an opportunity to discuss a classical topic of relativistic physics. Indeed, we deal analytically with a version of the so-called clock paradox in which the moving clock performs a circular motion. The rest clock is denoted as (1), the rotating clock is (2), the inertial frame in which (1) is at rest and (2) moves is I and, finally, the accelerated frame in which (2) is at rest and (1) rotates is A. By using the general theory of relativity in order to describe the motion of (1) as seen in A we will show the following features. (I) A differential ageing between (1) and (2) occurs at their ...
Purpose: To evaluate the initial and mid-term results of a new self-expanding low strut profile nitinol stent for treatment of atherosclerotic lesions stenoses and occlusions in the superficial femoral artery (SFA). Materials and Methods: In 8 patients (4 male, 4 female, mean age 74.8 {+-} 8.8 years) with SFA lesions and non-satisfying results after PTA treatment alone, 10 self-expanding nitinol Xpert stents were deployed via a 4 F sheath. Stent characteristics and handling were graded by the interventionalist. Fontaine classification, duplex flow measurements and ankle brachial index (ABI) at rest and stress were taken prior and one day after stent placement. Patients were followed 3, 6 and 12 months after the procedure obtaining the same parameters at each appointment. Results: Initial stent treatment was successful in all patients. Stent handling and positioning were rated very good and safe. All patients improved clinically by at least one Fontaine stage (range ...
We derive stellar masses, ages, and star formation histories (SFHs) of massive early-type galaxies in the z = 1.237 RDCS1252.9-2927 cluster and compare them with those measured in a similarly mass-selected sample of field contemporaries drawn from the Great Observatories Origin Deep Survey South Field. Robust estimates of these parameters are obtained by comparing a large grid of composite stellar population models with 8-9 band photometry in the rest-frame near-ultraviolet, optical, and IR, thus sampling the entire relevant domain of emission of the different stellar populations. Additionally, we present new, deep U-band photometry of both fields, giving access to the critical far-ultraviolet rest frame, in order to empirically constrain the dependence of the most recent star formation processes on the environment. We also analyze the morphological properties of both samples to examine the dependence of their scaling relations on their mass ...
To study the fatigue life of extruded AZ31 (3%Al, 1%Zn, 0.3%Mn, Mg - the rest), AM50 (5%Al, 0.4%Mn, Mg - the rest) and ZK60 (5%Zn, 0.5%Zr, Mg - the rest) Mg alloys in air and NaCl-based solutions, corrosion fatigue tests were carried out using a rotating beam type fatigue machine. For the analysis of the corrosion fatigue behavior of Mg alloys in different environments, fitted N{sub sol}/N{sub air} ratio considered as a relative corrosion fatigue life is used. Here N{sub sol} and N{sub air} are the numbers of cycles to failure in the solution and in air, respectively. An extruded ZK60 alloy shows very high fatigue and corrosion fatigue properties in comparison with other alloys. However, ZK60 shows the lowest values of the relative fatigue life (N{sub sol}/N{sub air} {proportional_to}10{sup -3}-10{sup -2}) compared to that for AM50 and AZ31 alloys (N{sub sol}/N{sub air} {proportional_to}10{sup -2} - 10{sup -1}). Generally, ...
A summary of the effects presented here is given in the table. The designation "factor present" implies that there is knowledge (from human or animal studies, or both) of a specific factor(s) present...Full Text Available
We investigate theoretically subwavelength imaging by acoustic metamaterial slabs immersed in the liquid matrix. A near-field subwavelength image formed by evanescent waves is achieved by a designed metamaterial slab with negative mass density and positive modulus. A subwavelength real image is achieved by a designed metamaterial slab with simultaneously negative mass density and modulus. These results are expected to shed some lights on designing novel devices of acoustic metamaterials.
BackgroundThe status of estrogen receptor-α (ERα) is critical to the clinical prognosis and therapeutic approach in breast cancer. ERα-negative breast cancer...Full Text Available
A large negative ion source for JT-60U produces high current ion beam from a wide extraction area of 45 cm x 110 cm. On the other hand, a cross-sectional area of the negative ion based neutral beam (NNB) injection port on JT-60U is narrow, about 50 cm x 60 cm. In order to inject the neutral beam at a high geometric efficiency, i.e. to suppress beam loss in the beamline, it is necessary to steer the beam for both compensation of undesirable beam deflection in extractor and focusing of the beam. For the JT-60U, two methods are provided for the required beam steering. Among them the results of beam steering experiment by aperture displacement and the design study are summarized in the present report. The experiment was carried out with 400 keV negative ion source, which has the three stage accelerator of similar structure as the JT-60U ion source, at Negative Ion Acceleration Test Stand (NIAS). High energy ...
It is proven that there do not exist any Bianchi type-IX universes which expand for an infinite time, provided only that the matter satisfies the dominant energy condition and has non-negative average pressure (i.e., a non-negative trace of the spatial projection of the stress-energy tensor). This generalizes a proof recently given by us for the case of diagonal Bianchi type-IX solutions.
It is proven that there do not exist any Bianchi type-IX universes which expand for an infinite time, provided only that the matter satisfies the dominant energy condition and has non-negative average pressure (i.e., a non-negative trace of the spatial projection of the stress-energy tensor). This generalizes a proof recently given by us for the case of diagonal Bianchi type-IX solutions.
Vibrio cholerae 638 (El Tor, Ogawa), a new CTXΦ-negative hemagglutinin/protease-defective strain that is a cholera vaccine candidate, was examined for safety and immunogenicity...Full Text Available
To suppress space charge blowup in an ion beam passing through a photoneutralizer, it is necessary to introduce some background gas. An analysis is presented of the neutralization of a high-energy, >200-keV negative deuterium ion beam, exposed to photodetachment while in the presence of deuterium. With a gas thickness of <0.01 Torr.cm, the neutral fraction in the output beam is found to be about the same as that gotten from the photoneutralizer operating in vacuum. Neutral atom beam injection for plasma heating is discussed.
An RF plasma sputter type heavy negative ion source, which can deliver mA-class negative ion beams (12.1 mA, 1.6 mA and 2.3 mA for Cu{sup -}, C{sup -} and C{sub 2}{sup -} currents, respectively) in dc-mode operation, has been developed. In ion source, a dense plasma of 10{sup 11} cm{sup -3} order was generated in the xenon gas pressure of 10{sup -3}-10{sup -2} Pa with an rf (13.56 MHz) power of 200 - 300 W by using an RF coil, and a relatively large sputtering target of 42 mm in diameter was used. As for intense negative ion beams of silicon or boron which are important dopants for semiconductor fabrication, negative ion extraction properties of the negative ion source was investigated. The extracted total negative ion currents of 4.4 mA for a silicon target and 2.8 mA for a LaB{sub 6} target were obtained after electrons were eliminated by magnetic field near ...
BackgroundResistance to third generation cephalosporins due to acquisition and expression of extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) enzymes among Gram-negative bacteria is...Full Text Available
Measurements of the double-electron-capture process in which a positive ion of iodine becomes a negative ion in a single collision with a magnesium atom are reported between 20 and 90 keV. The cross section is comparable to that for the rare gases and not as large as might be expected from a two-valence-electron atom. This process is probably insignificant in the production of negative ion beams using a magnesium-vapor target.
Antimicrobial susceptibilities of 233 Gram-positive and 180 Gram-negative strains to two novel bis-indoles were evaluated. Both compounds were potent inhibitors of Gram-positive bacteria, with MIC90...Full Text Available
A bone scan can be negative in Ewing's sarcoma. The bone scan during and after treatment can give prognostic information on the primary tumor site: A persisting hot spot strongly suggests the presence of local malignancy, while a hot spot becomming negative points to local cure of Ewing's sarcoma. (orig.).
Dysregulation of the alternative pathway of complement activation, caused by mutations or polymorphisms in the genes encoding factor H, membrane co-factor protein, factor I or factor B, is associated...Full Text Available
In the CNS, there are widespread and diverse interactions between growth factors and estrogen. Here we examine the interactions of estrogen and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), two...Full Text Available
Human Factor VIII/von Willebrand factor, purified by calcium citrate-cellulose chromatography and 4% agarose gel filtration was subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis on gels containing...Full Text Available
Most antibodies to factor VIII have recently been shown to react with discrete regions of the factor VIII light chain (within the C2 domain) and/or the factor VIII heavy chain (within the amino-terminal...Full Text Available
Two different techniques were used for measuring Rn-gas concentrations and Working Level (WL) in U-exploration galleries at El-Allouga Mine, Sinai, Egypt. The active techniques used EDA(RDA-200) with calibrated Lucas cell and Tri-Met-372 instruments and passive techniques used four different types of SSNTD. Twenty eight (28) stations inside the studied tunnels were located covering the different environmental conditions. The measurements were carried out during summer time, in the ventilated sector (16 stations), the average tunnel air temperature was 24.4 #+-# 2.2 degree C and relative humidity 38%. In the non-ventilated sector (12 stations), the average tunnel air temperature was 22.2#+-#0.4 degree C and relative humidity 70%. The Rn-gas concentrations using EDA(RDA-200) and calibrated Lucas cell, in the ventilated sector averaged 11.966 p Ci/l, while in the non-ventilated stations averaged 786.21 p Ci/l. Also for the Tisvoglu method, the values of (WL) in the ventilated stations ...
This paper presents recent results concerning the chemical and electrochemical synthesis, the electrochemical properties and the characterization of two new families of amorphous oxides of formula Li{sub x}MVO{sub 4} (1negative electrodes in high performance lithium-ion batteries. (J.S.) 19 refs.
Objective To investigate value of magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) using oral diluted gadolinium (Gd)-diethylenetriamine penta-acetic acid (DTPA) as negative contrast materials in diagnosis of juxtapapillary duodenal diverticulum with atypical imaging features. Methods Nineteen patients with juxtapapillary duodenal diverticula of which imaging findings were atypical underwent MRCP using oral diluted Gd-DTPA as negative contrast materials after conventional MRCP without any oral contrast materials. Results Twenty diverticula were revealed in the 19 patients. At conventional MRCP, the diverticula appeared as rounded lesion with high signal intensity. After oral administration of diluted Gd-DTPA, they disappeared at MRCP. These entities were diagnosed as duodenal diverticula...
The production of ozone in a negative corona discharge fed by carbon dioxide with embedded traces of oxygen and water has been studied. The presence of traces of oxygen in both pure and dry CO_2 leads to an increase in nascent ozone concentrations. In contrast, traces of water vapour (0-800 ppm) are shown to rapidly suppress ozone concentrations with the largest decreases being observed at lowest gas pressures in the discharge (300 Torr). The presence of water vapour did not considerably affect the electrical properties of negative dc corona suggesting that a chemical process is responsible for the ozone loss. We have shown that the addition of water up to a concentration of 1500 ppm has only a marginal effect on the processes of ozone formation but the catalytic cycle of ozone destruction involving OH radicals can be the reason for observed decrease in the total ozone concentration with increasing water concentration.
The operation of the negative ion based NBI system for JT-60U has been progressed since 1996. Most of the efforts in the operation for increasing beam power and energy have been concentrated to get over the troubles, caused by surge energy at the moment of the accelerator break-down, in the ion sources and high voltage power supplies. The ion source for the N-NBI, so far, has accelerated negative ion beams of 14.3 A at 380 keV with deuterium and 18.5 A at 360 keV with hydrogen against the target of 22 A. The neutral beam power injected into JT-60U has already reached 5.2 MW at 350 keV for 0.7 sec with deuterium. (author)
The world of antibiotic drug discovery and development is driven by the necessity to overcome antibiotic resistance in common Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens. However, the lack of Gram-negative activity among both recently approved antibiotics and compounds in the developmental pipeline is a general trend despite the fact that the plethora of covered drug targets are well-conserved across the bacterial kingdom. Such intrinsic resistance in Gram-negative bacteria is largely attributed to the activity of multidrug resistance (MDR) efflux pumps. Moreover, these pumps also play a significant role in acquired clinical resistance. Together, these considerations make efflux pumps attractive targets for inhibition in that the resultant efflux pump inhibitor (EPI)/antibiotic combination d...
We report experimental evidence of a previously unseen species-dependent effect in the transverse emittances of momentum-analyzed {sup 28}Si{sup {minus}}, {sup 58}Ni{sup {minus}}, and {sup 197}Au{sup {minus}} negative-ion beams generated by cesium-ion sputtering. The differences in the emittances are found to be principally correlated with differences in the energy spreads in the respective ion beams, which have their origins in the sputter-ejection negative-ion formation process. The experimental equipment and techniques utilized for emittance data acquisition and analysis, and evidence for a species-dependent effect in the emittances and brightnesses of the subject ion beams, are presented in this paper.
A concept of direct energy recovery system applying an alternating or rotating magnetic field is proposed for a negative-ion-based neutral beam injection system (NNB) to heat a plasma and/or drive a plasma current in a fusion reactor. Nearly same amounts of residual positive and negative hydrogen-isotope ion beams with beam energy of {approx}1 MeV are produced in an NNB using a gas neutralizing cell. Consequently, a recovered energy is obtained directly in the form of ac electric power, if these positive- and negative-ion beams are alternated or rotated and introduced to two or more recovery electrodes in turn by an alternating or rotating magnetic field. This concept will greatly reduce a technological difficulty in regeneration of a recovered electric energy with such a very high voltage. (author).
An apparatus capable of producing current or voltage controlled positive and negative ion beams in 1-atm oxidizing and nonoxidizing ambients between 25/sup 0/ and 950 /sup 0/C is presented. The apparatus utilizes a point-to-plane corona discharge in the gas phase. Room-temperature experiments revealed that the small differences in ion beam shape between the two polarities is primarily due to the difference in applied voltage required to produce the same current for the two polarities. Due to increased ion mobility and decreased threshold voltage at higher temperatures, a slight broadening of the ion beam current-density profiles for both positive and negative ions is predicted.
This study assesses the current state of undergraduate instruction in empirical research methods in communication and offers recommendations for enhancing such instruction. Responses to an online questionnaire were received from 149 communication-related programs at four-year colleges and universities. Just over 85% of responding programs offered an empirical methods course. Although the course often covered both qualitative and quantitative methods, instruction was heavily slanted toward quantitative methods and topics common to both qualitative and quantitative inquiry. The empirical methods course was usually required for graduation, but it was typically not well integrated with the rest of the curriculum and taken late in students' undergraduate careers. Additional analyses examined st...
High energy physics is a basic research domain with a well established European and international cooperation. Cooperation can be of different type depending on the size of the facilities involved (accelerators), on their financing, and on the type of experiments that use these facilities. The CERN, the European center for nuclear research, created in October 1954, is the best example of such a cooperation. This article examines first the juridical and scientifical structure of the CERN and the mode of organization of big experiments. Then, it presents the role of international committees in the establishment of a common scientific policy in Europe and in the rest of the world. Finally, the possible future evolution of the CERN towards a worldwide project is evoked. (J.S.)
Before expanding on the development of the Terra Nova oilfield, the author discussed the overall business strategy of Petro-Canada and identified where the Terra Nova and offshore Newfoundland oil have their place within this strategy. The principal basins and oilfields offshore Newfoundland were reviewed, then the emphasis shifted to rest on the Terra Nova development project. A whole range of topics were brought up, including the Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility, the modules layout, the FPSO located at Bull Arm, and the floating production systems. The physical environment of the Grand Banks was highlighted, and the next few sections were devoted to the Terra Nova FPSO, FPSO and drill centres, the Turret General Arrangement, and Spider buoy including the disconnect/reconnect. The last four sections dealt with the animation of riser movement, the wellhead protection animation, Henry Goodrich, and operations readiness.
Natural fractures and in situ stresses commonly dictate subsurface reservoir permeability and permeability anisotropy, as well as the effectiveness of stimulation techniques in low-permeability, natural gas reservoirs. This paper offers an initial prediction for the orientations of the fracture and stress systems in the tight gas reservoirs of the Frontier Formation, in the Green River basin of southwestern Wyoming. It builds on a previous report that addressed fractures and stresses in the western part of the basin and on ideas developed for the rest of the basin, using the principle that thrust faults are capable of affecting the stress magnitudes and orientations in little-deformed strata several hundreds of kilometers in front of a thrust. The prediction of subsurface stresses and natural fracture orientations is an undertaking that requires the willingness to revise models as definitive data are acquired during drilling. The predictions made in this paper are ...
We present physical properties of two submillimeter selected gravitationally lensed sources, identified in the Herschel Astrophysical Terahertz Large Area Survey. These submillimeter galaxies (SMGs) have flux densities > 100 mJy at 500 um, but are not visible in existing optical imaging. We fit light profiles to each component of the lensing systems in Spitzer IRAC 3.6 and 4.5 um data and successfully disentangle the foreground lens from the background source in each case, providing important constraints on the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the background SMG at rest-frame optical-near-infrared wavelengths. The SED fits show that these two SMGs have high dust obscuration with Av ~4 to 5 and star formation rates of ~100 M_sun/yr. They have low gas fractions and low dynamical masses compared to 850 um selected galaxies.
The literature regarding the free vibration analysis of Bernoulli?Euler and Timoshenko beams under various supporting conditions is plenty, but the free vibration analysis of Reddy?Bickford beams with variable cross-section on elastic soil with/without axial force effect using the Differential Transform Method (DTM) has not been investigated by any of the studies in open literature so far. In this study, the free vibration analysis of axially loaded and semi-rigid connected Reddy?Bickford beam with variable cross-section on elastic soil is carried out by using DTM. The model has six degrees of freedom at the two ends, one transverse displacement and two rotations, and the end forces are a shear force and two end moments in this study. The governing differential equations of motion of the r...
In order to investigate the potential role of arctic geese in the epidemiology, the spatial and temporal spread of selected avian diseases, in autumn 2002, a virological and serological survey designed as capture-mark-resighting study was conducted in one of the most important coastal resting sites for migratory waterfowl in Germany. Oropharyngeal, cloacal swabs and blood samples were collected from a total of 147 birds comprising of three different arctic geese species including White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons), Tundra Bean Goose (Anser fabalis rossicus), Pink-footed Goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) as well as from 29 non-migratory Canada Geese (Branta canadensis). Altogether, six adeno-like viruses (ALV; 95% CI, 1.74?9.92%) and two avian paramyxoviruses (APMV-4; 95% CI, 0.19?5.53%) were...
A significant number of biosorption studies on the removal of heavy metal from aqueous solutions have been conducted worldwide. Nearly all of them have been directed towards optimizing biosorption parameters to obtain the highest removal efficiency while the rest of them are concerned with the biosorption mechanism. Combinations of FTIR, SEM-EDX, TEM as well as classical methods such as titrations are extremely useful in determining the main processes on the surfaces of biosorbents. Diverse functional groups represented by carboxyl, hydroxyl, sulfate and amino groups play significant roles in the biosorption process. Solution pH normally has a large impact on biosorption performance. In brief, ion exchange and complexation can be pointed out as the most prevalent mechanisms for the biosorption of most heavy metals. (Abstract Copyright [2008], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
This Chapter develops a realist information-theoretic interpretation of the nonclassical features of quantum probabilities. On this view, what is fundamental in the transition from classical to quantum physics is the recognition that \\emph{information in the physical sense has new structural features}, just as the transition from classical to relativistic physics rests on the recognition that space-time is structurally different than we thought. Hilbert space, the event space of quantum systems, is interpreted as a kinematic (i.e., pre-dynamic) framework for an indeterministic physics, in the sense that the geometric structure of Hilbert space imposes objective probabilistic or information-theoretic constraints on correlations between events, just as the geometric structure of Minkowski space in special relativity imposes spatio-temporal kinematic constraints on events. The interpretation of quantum probabilities is more subjectivist in spirit than other ...
The existence of a cosmic neutrino background - the analogue of the cosmic microwave background - is a fundamental prediction of standard big bang cosmology. Up to now, the observational evidence for its existence is rather indirect and rests entirely on cosmological observations of, e.g., the light elemental abundances, the anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background, and the large scale distribution of matter. Here, we review more direct, weak interaction based detection techniques for the cosmic neutrino background in the present epoch and in our local neighbourhood. We show that, with current technology, all proposals are still off by some orders of magnitude in sensitivity to lead to a guaranteed detection of the relic neutrinos. The most promising laboratory search, based on neutrino capture on beta decaying nuclei, may be done in future experiments designed to measure the neutrino mass through decay kinematics. (orig.)
In the present investigation, the properties of plasma nitrided AISI 304 steel were studied by changing the presence of nitrogen in the gas mixture. The plasma nitriding was performed at temperature -560 deg C, pressure -4 mbar and duration 24 hours. The nitrided samples were characterized by evaluating the phase composition, micro hardness, and diffusion layer thickness. The phase analysis indicates the mixed phases of CrN and Fe_3N, Fe_3N and Fe_4N which has the highest intensity. The results show the glow discharge plasma nitriding in presence of N_2 (80 vol. %) and H_2 (rest) produced higher hardness as well as higher case depth. (author)
The alliance of J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientist, and Leslie R. Groves, military leader, is often interpreted as the classic example of the clash between the academic mind and the military style. Evidence suggests, instead, that it was a collaboration that led to the dawn of the nuclear age. Instead of a clash, it was collaboration and an implosion of the diverse talents needed for the success of this project. Discussion of these flawed and fascinating individuals still ignites controversy today. This presentation will explore the backgrounds and personalities of these two men and their work together to accomplish their mission. Was the aftermath inevitable, given a relationship based on respect, but perhaps not trust? The genesis of the modern military-industrial complex rested on the genius of these two men, though they personify two distinct American sub-cultures. What lessons can be drawn from their wartime and post-war relationship? What analogies can be drawn ...
We study a stochastic gossip model of continuous opinion dynamics in a society consisting of two types of agents: regular agents, who update their beliefs according to information that they receive from their social neighbors; and stubborn agents, who never update their opinions and might represent leaders, political parties or media sources attempting to influence the beliefs in the rest of the society. When the society contains stubborn agents with different opinions, opinion dynamics never lead to a consensus (among the regular agents). Instead, beliefs in the society almost surely fail to converge, and the belief of each regular agent converges in law to a non-degenerate random variable. The model thus generates long-run disagreement and continuous opinion fluctuations. The structure of the social network and the location of stubborn agents within it shape opinion dynamics. When the society is ``highly fluid'', meaning that the mixing time of the random walk on ...
The microstructure and tensile properties of Ti-44Al-6V-3Nb-0.3Y (at.%) alloy after canned forging were investigated. SEM results showed that the TiAl pancake exhibits inhomogeneous microstructure, which can be ascribed to the temperature drop and friction between billet and outer pack during forging, as well as the intrinsic anisotropy of lamellar colony. By means of TEM observation and EBSD analysis, the microstructure in the dominant area of the pancake was further characterized. This deformation area consists of 87.7% content of g grains plus some refined lamellar colonies and the rest of B2 grains. The grain size ranges between 1mm and 8.5mm. High-angle boundaries dominate the deformation microstructure, several substructures and twins are observed as well. Additionally, current forge...
The magnetic susceptibility of the ternary compounds, RPd/sub 2/Si/sub 2/ (where R=Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho and Er) has been measured. GdPd/sub 2/Si/sub 2/ and TbPd/sub 2/Si/sub 2/ order antiferromagnetically at 13 and 20 K respectively; the rest of the compounds do not show clear ordering down to 4.2 K. Palladium carries no moment in these compounds. The De Gennes formula is not obeyed indicating that the exchange interaction between the 4f moments via conduction electrons is not isotropic.
Arauzo-Carod J.-M. and Viladecans-Marsal E. Industrial location at the intra-metropolitan level: the role of agglomeration economies, Regional Studies. The objective of this paper is to analyse the influence of agglomeration economies on location decisions taken by new firms inside metropolitan areas. As it is assumed that these economies differ according to firms' level of technology, the sample comprises new firms from high-, intermediate- and low-technology industries. Of particularly interest is in analysing the effects of agglomeration economies that are felt over very short distances (inside the metropolitan areas). Introduced in the estimation is the effect of the central city as a determinant for the location of new firms in the rest of the metropolitan area. [image omitted] Arauzo...
Dysregulation of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis is associated with various pathological conditions and arrhythmogenesis of the heart. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of an acute increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) on the electrophysiology of ventricular myocytes by mimicking intracellular Ca2+ overload. The [Ca2+]i was clamped to either a controlled (65?100 nmol L?1) or increased (1 ?mol L?1) level. The transmembrane action potentials and ionic currents were recorded using whole-cell patch clamp techniques. We found that the acute increase in [Ca2+]i shortened the action potential duration, reduced the action potential amplitude, maximum depolarization velocity and resting membrane potential, caused delayed after-depolarizations (DADs), and tri...
"Pillar pain" is a relatively frequent complication after surgical release of the median nerve at the wrist. Its etiology still remains unknown although several studies highlight a neurogenic inflammation as a possible cause. Pillar pain treatment usually includes rest, bracing and physiotherapy, although a significant number of patients still complain of painful symptoms two or even three years after surgery. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of low-energy, flux density-focused extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in the treatment of pillar pain. We treated 40 consecutive patients with ESWT who had pillar pain for at least six months after carpal tunnel release surgery, and to our knowledge, this is the first study that describes the use of ESWT for treating this c...
The aim of this study is to compare, from an environmental point of view, different alternatives for the management of municipal solid waste generated in the town of Castellon de la Plana (Spain). This town currently produces 207ton of waste per day and the waste management system employed today involves the collection of paper/cardboard, glass and light packaging from materials banks and of rest waste at street-side containers. The proposed alternative scenarios were based on a combination of the following elements: selective collection targets to be accomplished by the year 2015 as specified in the Spanish National Waste Plan (assuming they are reached to an extent of 50% and 100%), different collection models implemented nationally, and diverse treatments of both the separated biodegrad...
The Effective Dose Equivalent Concept defined by the International Commission on Radiological Protection in 1977 considers the risk from irradiation including both hereditary and somatic effects. This paper will deal with the definition of a concept for somatic effects only, the somatically significant dose equivalent. This is defined as the dose equivalent which if received by every member of the population, would be expected to produce the same total somatic injury to the population as does the actual dose equivalent received by various individuals. The somatically effective dose equivalent for a particular radiopharmaceutical is the weighted sum of the average dose equivalent to various organs. The dose equivalent to various organs can be derived from an extended MIRD formalism also considering the rest of body excluding the source volumes and the re iden e times in total body and the target organs. Examples are given for the calculation of somatically effective ...
The Effective Dose Equivalent Concept defined by the International Commission on Radiological Protection in 1977 considers the risk from irradiation including both hereditary and somatic effects. This paper will deal with the definition of a concept for somatic effects only, the somatically significant dose equivalent. This is defined as the dose equivalent which if received by every member of the population, would be expected to produce the same total somatic injury to the population as does the actual dose equivalent received by various individuals. The somatically effective dose equivalent for a particular radiopharmaceutical is the weighted sum of the average dose equivalent to various organs. The dose equivalent to various organs can be derived from an extended MIRD formalism also considering the rest of body excluding the source volumes and the re iden e times in total body and the target organs. Examples are given for the calculation of somatically effective ...
During sporting events, injured athletes often return to competition after icing because of the reduction in pain. Although some controversy exists, several studies suggest that cryotherapy causes a decrease in muscle activity, which may lead to a higher risk of injury upon return to play. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a 20-min knee joint cryotherapy application on the electromyographic activity of leg muscles during a single-leg drop jump in twenty healthy subjects, randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. After the pre-tests, a crushed-ice bag was applied to the knee joint of the experimental group subjects for 20min, while the control group subjects rested for 20min. All subjects were retested immediately after this period and retested again...
The present contribution focuses on the input side of individual process techniques. It shows on the basis of example calculations how two parameters describing the incinerable (residual) waste that are of particular importance for unconventional thermal treatment methods, namely ``pollutant load`` and ``calorific value``, can be influenced by a recycling stage and then further by mechanical-biological pretreatment. [Deutsch] Im folgenden soll das Hauptaugenmerk auf die Inputseite zu den einzelnen thermischen Verfahren gelegt werden und anhand einer Beispielrechnung aufgezeigt werden, wie sich die fuer einen Einsatz in nichtkonventionellen thermischen Verfahren besonders wichtigen Parameter des aufbereiteten (Rest)Abfalls `Schadstoffbelastung` und `Heizwert` zunaechst durch eine Verwertung und weiter durch eine mechanisch-biologische Vorbehandlung veraendern. (orig./SR)
Applied science may once again play a decisive role in changing the face of armed conflict, and the rest of human affairs, by shifting the battlefield to our very brains. The national-security establishment--and particularly the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)--supports research at the intersection of neuroscience and national security that could ultimately enable authorities to do things like enhance (or muddle, or erase) memory, monitor crowds for individuals whose brain patterns correlate with aggressive behaviors, or control weapons from afar merely with thoughts. What are the dangers of such information falling into "the wrong hands," and are there any "right hands" for this kind of knowledge? Is any extension of human abilities justified by the need for government to protect its society? PMID:15986543
A chemical-looping process is proposed for the clean combustion of solid fuels for electric power or heat generation. The process is based on coal gasification with CO_2 to produce CO. The CO then reduces CaSO_4, which is used as an oxygen carrier, in a separate reactor to give CaS and CO_2. A portion of the CO_2 is recycled for the gasification stage and the rest can be sent for sequestration. The CaS is sent to another reactor for oxidation with air and to generate heat or power. The overall thermal effect is the same as direct combustion, but separation of CO_2 and other pollutants, such as sulphur, is achieved. In comparison with conventional chemical-looping combustion of natural gas, much less water is present in the CO_2 product, and hence the loss of heat energy and corrosion of the fuel-reactor system can be reduced.
Excessive physical activity plays an important role in the progression of anorexia nervosa (AN) by accelerating weight loss during dietary restriction. To search for mechanisms underlying this trait, a panel of mouse chromosome substitution strains derived from C57BL/6J and A/J strains was exposed to a scheduled feeding paradigm and to voluntary running wheel (RW) access. Here, we showed that A/J chromosomes 4, 12 and 13 contribute to the development of a disrupted RW activity in response to daily restricted feeding. This pattern is characterized by intense RW activity during the habitual rest phase and leads to accelerated body weight loss. Regions on mouse chromosomes 4, 12 and 13 display homology with regions on human chromosomes linked with anxiety and obsessionality in AN cohorts. The...
The thermal recovery of superconducting elements working as secondaries in fault current limiters can be enhanced by taking advantage of the removal of heat by conduction from an array of artificial weak zones (AWZ) distributed along the superconductor perimeter (hot parts) to the non-weak segments (cold parts). These results were obtained by studying samples with weak parts in the shape of grooves, all identical in size. In this paper we consider the case in which one of the AWZ is slightly different from the rest. Our results show that a change in its length has a negligible effect. On the contrary, a groove which is slightly deeper can be overheated and hence can strongly determine the recovery time of the whole limiter.
Iodo(/sup 14/C)antipyrine autoradiography was used to measure gastric mucosal blood flow in anesthetized rats and to study regional distribution. Blood flows of 61 +/- 8 ml.100 g-1.min-1 (means +/- SE) in corpus and 84 +/- 9 ml.100 g-1.min-1 in antral mucosa compared well with previously reported measurements by hydrogen clearance. Blood flow in the crests of corpus mucosal folds was significantly higher than in the valleys between folds, indicating that the greater susceptibility of the former areas to acute injury, documented in several studies, is not associated with a perfusion defect in the resting stomach. Corpus mucosal blood flow was also higher in the side walls of the stomach than in the greater curvature region, and in distal than in proximal locations. No systematic regional variations within antral mucosa were demonstrated.
The mechanism of the IndolPhos-Rh-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral olefins has been investigated by means of X-ray crystal structure determination, kinetic measurements, high-pressure NMR spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. The mechanistic study indicates that the reaction follows an unsaturate/dihydride mechanism according to Michaelis-Menten kinetics. A large value of KM (KM=5.01+-0.16 M) is obtained, which indicates that the Rh-solvate complex is the catalyst resting state, which has been observed by high-pressure NMR spectroscopy. DFT calculations on the substrate-catalyst complexes, which are undetectable by experimental means, suggest that the major substrate-catalyst complex leads to the product. Such a mechanism is in accordance with previous studies on the mechanism...
The methanol and aqueous extracts of 10 plant species (Acacia nilotica, Azadirachta indica, Carissa edulis, Fagaropsis angolensis, Harrissonia abyssinica, Myrica salicifolia, Neoboutonia macrocalyx, Strychnos heningsii, Withania somnifera and Zanthoxylum usambarensis) used to treat malaria in Meru and Kilifi Districts, Kenya, were tested for brine shrimp lethality and in vitro anti-plasmodial activity against chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum (NF54 and ENT30). Of the plants tested, 40% of the methanol extracts were toxic to the brine shrimp (LD5050N. macrocalyx had the highest toxicity to brine shrimp nauplii (LD50 21.04+-1.8mg/ml). Methanol extracts of the rest of the plants exhibited mild or no brine shrimp toxicity (LD50>50mg/ml). The aqueo...
Three experiments were conducted to study the behaviour of the new horizontal steam generator construction of the PACTEL test facility. In the experiments the secondary side coolant level was reduced stepwise. The experiments were calculated with two computer codes RELAP5/MOD3.1 and APROS version 2.11. A similar nodalization scheme was used for both codes so that the results may be compared. Only the steam generator was modeled and the rest of the facility was given as a boundary condition. The results show that both codes calculate well the behaviour of the primary side of the steam generator. On the secondary side both codes calculate lower steam temperatures in the upper part of the heat exchange tube bundle than was measured in the experiments. (orig.) 4 refs.
Three experiments were conducted to study the behaviour of the new horizontal steam generator construction of the PACTEL test facility. In the experiments the secondary side coolant level was reduced stepwise. The experiments were calculated with two computer codes RELAP5/MOD3.1 and APROS version 2.11. A similar nodalization scheme was used for both codes so that the results may be compared. Only the steam generator was modeled and the rest of the facility was given as a boundary condition. The results show that both codes calculate well the behaviour of the primary side of the steam generator. On the secondary side both codes calculate lower steam temperatures in the upper part of the heat exchange tube bundle than was measured in the experiments. (orig.).
This paper presents a patient specific deformable heart model that involves the known electrical and mechanical properties of the cardiac cells and tissue. The whole heart model comprises ten Tusscher's ventricular and Nygren's atrial cell models, the anatomical and electrophysiological model descriptions of the atria (introduced by Harrild et al.) and ventricle (given by Winslow et al.), and the mechanical model of the periodical cardiac contraction and resting phenomena proposed by Moireau et al. During the propagation of the depolarization wave, the kinetic, compositional and rotational anisotropy is handled by the tissue, organ and torso model. The applied patient specific parameters were determined by an evolutionary computation method. An intensive parameter reduction was performed u...
Type IV secretion systems (T4SSs) play a central role in the pathogenicity of many important pathogens, including Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Helicobacter pylori, and...Full Text Available
Borna disease virus (BDV) uses a unique strategy of replication and transcription which takes place in the nucleus, unlike other known, nonsegmented, negative-stranded RNA viruses of animal origin....Full Text Available
SummaryBrown fat is specialized in energy expenditure, a process that is principally controlled by the transcriptional co-activator PGC-1α. Here we describe a molecular...Full Text Available
Many bacteria, both gram positive and gram negative, extrude in an energy-dependent manner the fluorescent pH indicator 2',7'-bis-(2-carboxyethyl)-5[and -6]-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF) (D. Molenaar,...Full Text Available
BackgroundNFκB signaling is of paramount importance in the regulation of apoptosis, proliferation, and inflammatory responses during human development and homeostasis, as...Full Text Available
We ran a comparative analysis of all patients for whom a positive culture of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was available between April 2004 and October 2005 and whose HIV serology...Full Text Available
BackgroundSeverely disabling chronic pain in the adult population is strongly associated with a range of negative health consequences for individuals and high health care costs,...Full Text Available
It is shown analytically and experimentally that thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurements at negative bias incompletely describe oxide-trap charge in SIMOX and bipolar base oxides irradiated at 0 V. Positive-bias TSC is also required.
The Neurofibromatosis-2 (NF2) tumor suppressor merlin negatively regulates cell proliferation in numerous cell types. We have previously shown that the NF2...Full Text Available
Breast cancer is a progressive and potentially fatal disease that affects women of all ages. Like all progressive diseases, early and reliable diagnosis is the key for successful treatment and annihilation....Full Text Available
The properties of an atypical Brucella strain isolated from lymph node tissue of a cow slaughtered as a brucellosis reactor were examined. The organism was Gram negative and highly pleomorphic, existing...Full Text Available
It is proven that there do not exist any diagonal Bianchi type-IX universes which expand for an infinite time, provided only that the matter satisfies the dominant energy condition and has non-negative average principal pressures.
It is proven that there do not exist any diagonal Bianchi type-IX universes which expand for an infinite time, provided only that the matter satisfies the dominant energy condition and has non-negative average principal pressures.
A substantial proportion of lymph node-negative patients who receive adjuvant chemotherapy do not derive any benefit from this aggressive and potentially toxic treatment. However, standard histopathological...Full Text Available
Rapamycin inhibits the mTOR (target of rapamycin) pathway and extends lifespan in multiple species. The tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) protein is a negative regulator of mTOR. In humans, loss of the...Full Text Available
Ninety-four patients with peripheral arterial injuries were subjected to acute repair, negative exploration, or late repair of the complications of the arterial injury (false aneurysm, A-V fistula,...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe genus Vibrio is a diverse group of Gram-negative bacteria comprised of 74 species. Furthermore, the genus has and is expected to continue expanding...Full Text Available
In the adult mammalian CNS, the growth inhibitors oligodendrocyte-myelin glycoprotein (OMgp) and the reticulon RTN4 (Nogo) are broadly expressed in oligodendrocytes and neurons. Nogo and OMgp...Full Text Available
The chaperone-encoding groESL and dnaK operons constitute the CIRCE regulon of Bacillus subtilis. Both operons are under negative control of the repressor...Full Text Available
A new strain of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) was isolated from pooled gut suspensions from an epizootic of lethal enteritis in newborn mice. Negative-contrast electron microscopy showed an abundance...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe construction of cDNA libraries is a useful tool to understand gene expression in organisms under different conditions, but random sequencing of unbiased cDNA collections...Full Text Available
Nemonoxacin (TG-873870) is a novel nonfluorinated quinolone with broad-spectrum activities against Gram-positive and Gram-negative aerobic, anaerobic, and atypical pathogens, as well as against methicillin-resistant...Full Text Available
Methylosulfonomonas methylovora M2 is an unusual gram-negative methylotrophic bacterium that can grow on methanesulfonic acid (MSA) as the sole source of carbon and energy. Oxidation...Full Text Available
The electron affinities of indium and thallium were measured in separate experiments using the laser-photodetachment electron spectroscopy technique. The measurements were performed at the University of Nevada, Reno. Negative ion beams of both indium and thallium were extracted from a cesium-sputter negative ion source, and mass analyzed using a 90{sup o} bending magnet. The negative ion beam of interest was then crossed at 90{sup o} with a photon beam from a cw 25-Watt Ar{sup +} laser. The resulting photoelectrons were energy analyzed with a 160{sup o} spherical-sector spectrometer. The electron affinity of In({sup 2}P{sub 1/2}) was determined to be 0.404 {+-} 0.009 eV and the electron affinity of thallium was determined to be 0.377 {+-} 0.013 eV. The fine-structure splittings in the ground states of the negative ions were also determined. The experimental measurements will be compared to several ...
Although research demonstrates many negative family outcomes associated with single-parent households, little is known about processes that lead to positive outcomes for these families. Using...Full Text Available
Two gram-negative, motile bacteria isolated from deep subsurface sediments mineralized the nitrogen-containing polyaromatic hydrocarbon quinoline under aerobic conditions and transformed quinoline to...Full Text Available
A yellow-pigmented, gram-negative, gliding bacterium isolated from an industrial water spray air humidification system was implicated as a causative agent in several occurrences of lung disease with...Full Text Available
The physicochemical nature of a silicoaluminophosphate with the faujasite structure has been studied. The molecular sieve framework contains a homogeneous distribution of silicon, aluminum, and phosphorus and is negatively charged. Combustion in air of the charge-compensating organic cations produces hydroxyl groups which exhibit Broensted acidity.
In Experiment I, lever pressing by squirrel monkeys was maintained under a sequence of variable-interval, multiple variable-interval variable-interval, and multiple variable-interval extinction schedules...Full Text Available
Electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources possess several advantages over ion sources conventionally used for injectors of electrostatic accelerators: improved reliability, high efficiency, simplicity, and the capability of generating bright, high-current ion beams. We have adapted a high-current ECR source originally developed as an injector for a CW RFQ proton linac to serve as a source of intense negative-ion beams for the Tandem Accelerator Superconducting Cyclotron (TASCC) facility at Chalk River. The range of ion species of the source has been extended from H{sup 1+} alone up to Bi{sup 1+}, with both gaseous and nonvolatile feeds. Two intense negative-ion beams of He{sup -} and O{sup -} have been generated so far with the source coupled to a standard charge-exchange canal. We foresee no major problems generating a broad range of negative ions with this system. (author)
Electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion sources possess several advantages over ion sources conventionally used for injectors of electrostatic accelerators: improved reliability, high efficiency, simplicity, and the capability of generating bright, high-current ion beams. We have adapted a high-current ECR source originally developed as an injector for a CW RFQ proton linac to serve as a source of intense negative-ion beams for the Tandem Accelerator Superconducting Cyclotron (TASCC) facility at Chalk River. The range of ion species of the source has been extended from H1+ alone up to Bi1+, with both gaseous and nonvolatile feeds. Two intense negative-ion beams of He- and O- have been generated so far with the source coupled to a standard charge-exchange canal. We foresee no major problems generating a broad range of negative ions with this system. (author)
The gram-negative plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas campestris pv. vesicatoria is the causative agent of bacterial spot disease in pepper and tomato plants, which leads to economically...Full Text Available
Previous experimental data from various laboratories indicate that endotoxin of gram-negative oral microorganisms might be one of the most important bacterial products involved in bone resorption during...Full Text Available
BackgroundASCL1 role in pancreatic endocrine tumourigenesis has not been established. Recently it was suggested that ASCL1 negatively controls expression of the...Full Text Available
Features: CHUQUICAMATA, LARGE OPEN PIT MINING OPERATIONS, ROADS, HILLS Center Point Latitude: -22.3 Center Point Longitude: -68.9 (Negative numbers indicate ...
Features: CHUQUICAMATA, LARGE OPEN PIT MINING OPERATIONS, ROADS, HILLS Center Point Latitude: -22.3 Center Point Longitude: -68.9 (Negative numbers indicate ...
Chronic colonization of the human stomach by Helicobacter pylori, a Gram-negative bacterium, is the major cause of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. Recent...Full Text Available
BackgroundCalcium homeostasis is a known target of several environmental toxicants including lead and mercury.ObjectiveOur goal was to determine...Full Text Available
BackgroundThe Gram-negative bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei (Bp) is the causative agent of the human disease melioidosis. To understand the evolutionary mechanisms...Full Text Available
Peer relationships are commonly thought to be critical for adolescent socialization, including the development of negative health behaviors such as alcohol and tobacco use. The interplay between...Full Text Available
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) constitute a key antibiotic-resistance mechanism affecting Gram-negative bacteria, and also an excellent model for studying evolution in real time. A shift in...Full Text Available
BackgroundCompared to healthy controls, cancer patients have a higher risk of unemployment, which has negative social and economic impacts on the patients and on society at large....Full Text Available
Colistin is increasingly used as last-line therapy against Gram-negative pathogens. The pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) index that best correlates with the efficacy of colistin remains undefined....Full Text Available
Periodontal diseases are infections of the tissues supporting the dentition. Recognition that relatively specific microfloras are associated with distinct clinical forms of periodontal disease has prompted...Full Text Available
A dissipative particle swarm optimization is developed according to the self-organization of dissipative structure. The negative entropy is introduced to construct an opening dissipative system that is far-from-equilibrium so as to driving the irreversible evolution process with better fitness. The testing of two multimodal functions indicates it improves the performance effectively
Normal reproductive functioning may require secretion of LH independently of FSH. Variation in GnRH pulse frequency and inhibin negative feedback are mechanisms for differential gonadotropin regulation;...Full Text Available
BackgroundChronic wasting disease (CWD) of cervids is a prion disease distinguished by high levels of transmissibility, wherein bodily fluids and excretions are thought to play an...Full Text Available
The Gram-negative bacterium Francisella tularensis is the causative agent of tularemia. Interest in this zoonotic pathogen has increased due to its classification as a category A agent...Full Text Available
For sufficiently cool remote gases, the cylindrical stretched flame shows classical ignition-extinction behavior. For remote gas temperatures close to the adiabatic flame temperature, the flame response is qualitatively different, with negative flame speed solutions which may be physically accessible.
Cryptococcus neoformans is a ubiquitously distributed human pathogen. It is also a model system for studying fungal virulence, physiology and differentiation. Light is known to inhibit...Full Text Available
BackgroundPolyethyleneimine (PEI), which can interact with negatively charged DNA through electrostatic interaction to form nanocomplexes, has been widely attempted to use as a gene...Full Text Available
BackgroundMeropenem is a carbapenem that has an excellent activity against many gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic, facultative, and anaerobic bacteria. The major objective...Full Text Available
Studies have been conducted to determine the feasibility of using collisional cooling for reducing emittances and energy spreads in negative-ion beams to levels commensurate with effective isobaric purification with conventional high-resolution electromagnetic isobar separators as required for use at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility (HRIBF). We have designed a gas-filled radio frequency quadrupole ion cooler equipped with provisions for retarding energetic negative-ion beams to energies below thresholds for electron detachment at injection and for re-acceleration to initial energies after the cooling process. The device has been used to cool several ion beams with initial energy spreads, {delta}E>10 eV to final energy spreads, {delta}E{approx}2 eV FWHM, including O{sup -} and F{sup -}. Overall transmission efficiencies of {approx}14% for F{sup -} beams have been obtained. Experimental results show that electron detachment is ...
BackgroundEvent-related potentials (ERPs) may be used as a highly sensitive way of detecting subtle degrees of cognitive dysfunction. On the other hand, impairment of cognitive skills...Full Text Available
IntroductionApproximately 25–30% of breast cancers are assumed to be HER-2/neu positive. It is well known that HER-2/neu-positive cancers after treatment with trastuzumab...Full Text Available
The negative consequences of baling hay before it is adequately dried are widely known to producers. Frequently, these problems are created by uncooperative weather conditions that prevent forages from drying (rapidly) to moisture levels that allow safe and stable storage of harvested forages. When ...
The BNL Neutral Beam Development Group has been active in the program for the development of high energy, high power neutral beam systems since 1973. These injectors are based on the production, acceleration and neutralization of negative hydrogen or deuterium ions and are supposed to be used for plasma heating and current drive in the next generation of fusion devices. Over the span of 10 years the group has studied plasma-surface type of negative hydrogen ion sources, transport and acceleration of negative ion beams and neutralization of negative ions in gases and plasmas. As the required source parameters (current, pulse length, efficiency) were changing over this period of time, the group developed several types of sources, resulting finally in the design of a steady state device operating with an excellent gas efficiency and having the possibility of scaling-up to the size necessary for a high ...
BackgroundPrevious research has demonstrated that exposure to images depicting the thin female ideal has negative effects on some females' levels of body dissatisfaction. Much of...Full Text Available
Many species introduced by humans for social and economic benefits have invaded new ranges by escaping from captivity. Such invasive species can negatively affect biodiversity and economies. Understanding...Full Text Available
Mice injected with rat erythrocytes developed anti-erythrocyte autoantibodies which reached a plateau at 4-12 weeks, then gradually declined until at about 24 weeks the majority of mice were negative....Full Text Available
BackgroundThe Gram-negative, xylem-limited phytopathogenic bacterium Xylella fastidiosa is responsible for causing economically important diseases in grapevine,...Full Text Available
Isobaric contaminants are often problematical in accelerated negative ion beams for research at certain radioactive ion beam (RIB) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) facilities since their presence in low-intensity rare isotopic beams seriously compromise experimental results. This article describes a non-resonant, laser-based photo-detachment apparatus for use at these facilities, which, according to calculations efficiently removes isobaric contaminants from these beams. The advantage of the system for isobaric contaminant removal over other systems proposed to date lies in its ability to efficiently capture easily transportable energetic negative ion beams with low, intermediate or high energy spreads by a superconducting solenoid magnetic field. The ability to change the diameter of captured beams by adjusting the magnetic field strength permits optimum control of the radial overlap of the laser/negative ion beam ...
Amino acid transport was studied in membranes of the peptidolytic, thermophilic, anaerobic bacterium Clostridium fervidus. Uptake of the negatively charged amino acid L-glutamate, the neutral amino...Full Text Available
The in vitro activity of chephaloridine, cephalexin, cefatrizine (BL-S640), and cephapirin (BL-P-1322) was evaluated by the serial dilution method against pathogenic gram-positive and gram-negative...Full Text Available
BackgroundBacterial constituents, such as Gram-negative derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS), can initiate inflammatory bone loss through induction of host-derived inflammatory...Full Text Available
We give a theoretical design for a locally resonant two-dimensional cylindrical structure involving a pair of C-shaped voids in an elastic medium which we term as double 'C' resonators (DCRs) and imbedded thin stiff bars, that displays the negative refraction effect in the low frequency regime. DCRs are responsible for a low frequency band gap which hybridizes with a tiny gap associated with the presence of the thin bars. Using an asymptotic analysis, typical working frequencies are given in closed form: DCRs behave as Helmholtz resonators modeled by masses connected to clamped walls by springs on either side, while thin bars behave as a periodic bi-atomic chain of masses connected by springs. The discrete models give an accurate description of the location and width of the stop band in the case of the DCR and the first two dispersion bands for the periodic thin bars. We then combine our asymptotic formulae for arrays of DCR and thin-bars to ...
We give a theoretical design for a locally resonant two-dimensional cylindrical structure involving a pair of C-shaped voids in an elastic medium which we term as double 'C' resonators (DCRs) and imbedded thin stiff bars, that displays the negative refraction effect in the low frequency regime. DCRs are responsible for a low frequency band gap which hybridizes with a tiny gap associated with the presence of the thin bars. Using an asymptotic analysis, typical working frequencies are given in closed form: DCRs behave as Helmholtz resonators modeled by masses connected to clamped walls by springs on either side, while thin bars behave as a periodic bi-atomic chain of masses connected by springs. The discrete models give an accurate description of the location and width of the stop band in the case of the DCR and the first two dispersion bands for the periodic thin bars. We then combine our asymptotic formulae for arrays of DCR and thin-bars to design a composite ...
The biosynthetic costs of phenylpropanoid-derived condensed tannins (CTs) and phenolic glycosides (PGs) are substantial. However, despite reports of negative correlations between leaf phenolic content...Full Text Available
The global acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) pandemic is thought to have arisen by the transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1)-like viruses from chimpanzees in southeastern...Full Text Available
BackgroundStorage of RBCs is necessary for an adequate blood supply. However, reports have identified potential negative sequelae of transfusing stored RBCs. An animal...Full Text Available
Firstly the so called 'conformal relativity' in the 6-dimensional conformal space is formulated. In particular the concept of dilatational degree of freedom - scale - is introduced. The special conformal transformations are interpreted as the transformations connecting dilatationally moving frames (and objects). The ideas, similar to those by Kaluza and Klein, can be applied to the conformal space to obtain a unification of gravitation and electromagnetism. Lastly the conformal symmetry is extended to imaginary scales and to negative scales. Particles having imaginary scales are shown to be tachyons, whilst particles with negative scales correspond to antiparticles. (Auth.).
The calculations of the photodetachment cross section for the C{sup -} negative ion has been performed within the newly-developed many-body theory method, the RPAE interchannel interaction and dynamic relaxation and polarization corrections being included. The 2s{sup 1}2p{sup 4} shape resonance is shifted to a higher photon energy and broadens as compared to the resonance parameters determined earlier within the RPAE, which is consistent with the experimental evidence and the recent R-matrix calculations. (orig.) 18 refs.
Densities were measured with a vibrating-tube densimeter for binary mixtures of dimethyl sulfoxide + thiophene at temperatures from 293.15 to 313.15 K as a function of composition. Molar excess volumes V[sup E] for the mixtures, determined from the density data, are negative and become more negative with an increase in temperature. The coefficients of thermal expansion were also evaluated from the temperature dependence of the density.
The sheath plasma characteristics changing with the negative bias applied to the substrate during electron cyclotron resonance plasma nitriding are studied. The sheath characteristics obtained by a Langmuir single probe and an ion energy analyzer show that when the negative bias applied to the substrate is increasing, the most probable energy of ions in the sheath and the full width of half maximum of ions energy distribution increase, the thickness of the sheath also increases, whereas the saturation current of ion decreases. It has been found from the optical emission spectrum that there are strong lines of N_2 and N_2"+. Based on the experiment results the mechanism of plasma nitriding is discussed
Reflection coefficients of electromagnetic waves in a nonuniform plasma layer with electrons, positive ions and negative ions, covering a metal surface are investigated by using the finite-difference-time-domain method. It is shown that the reflection coefficients are influenced greatly by the density gradient on the layer edge, layer thickness and electron proportion, i.e., the effect of the negative ions. It is also found that low reflection or high attenuation can be reached by properly choosing high electron proportion, thick plasma layer, and smooth density gradient in the low frequency regime, but sharp density gradient in the high frequency regime. (authors)
Cesium recovery from the polluted layers in the 1/3 scale hydrogen negative ion source for LHD-NBI system has tested. It was found, that the cesium recovery can be produced by additional discharges as from the cesium layer, aged by tungsten and residual gas, so as from the cesium layers, polluted by an occasional water leak. The highest cesium recovery to NI production was produced by a xenon arc, while glow discharge and arcing in hydrogen were less effective. The mechanism of recovery is the ejection of cesium from the underlying enriched layer by the arc and its transport to the surface. (author)
Methods and apparatus are described for efficient photodetachment and purification of negative ion beams. A method of purifying an ion beam includes: inputting the ion beam into a gas-filled multipole ion guide, the ion beam including a plurality of ions; increasing a laser-ion interaction time by collisional cooling the plurality of ions using the gas-filled multipole ion guide, the plurality of ions including at least one contaminant; and suppressing the at least one contaminant by selectively removing the at least one contaminant from the ion beam by electron photodetaching at least a portion of the at least one contaminant using a laser beam.
Malnutrition?in the form of insufficient energy intakes?affects millions of people worldwide and the negative impact of this kind of hunger is well acknowledged, not least by agronomists trying to increase yields to ensure a sufficient supply of food. This review focuses on another, more particular and ?hidden? form of malnutrition, namely mineral malnutrition. It illustrates the burden of disease that is caused by mineral deficiencies and the social and economic consequences they bring about. Mineral malnutrition has a considerable negative impact on individual well-being, social welfare and economic productivity. Agricultural scientists should keep the nutritional qualities of food in mind and?next to optimizing the agricultural properties of crops that are paramount for their adoption b...
An electrostatic beam steering mechanism (ESM) has been designed and tested to deflect negative ion beams consisting of multi-beamlets. A steering angle of 10 mrad was obtained within the deviation of less than 1 mrad by biasing two electrodes at 0.5 kV and -0.75 kV for 120 keV H{sup -} ion beam. The current flowing to the positive electrode was no more than 10% of the beam current at a pressure of 2.8x10{sup -5} Torr. (author)
Two thirds of the neutrinos produced in the sun are not detected. In the last decade several experiments have allowed to give a limit to the neutrino mass and in some cases a negative value of the square of the mass was proposed. A negative value is inconsistent theoretically except in the case of tachyons which are particles allowed to travel faster than light. Consider neutrinos as tachyons could be a solution to find the answers to some of the riddles set by neutrinos. (A.C.)
The development of high energy (> 150 keV) neutral beams for heating and fueling magnetic fusion devices depends on the ability to produce well-collimated negative ion beams. The double capture charge-exchange technique is a known, scalable method. In order to maximize the overall efficiency of the process and to achieve the desired beam characteristics, it is necessary to examine the optical qualities of the beams as well as the total efficiency of beam production. A combined modeling and experimental study of the angular scattering effects in negative ion formation and loss processes has therefore been undertaken.
This paper describes a search algorithm to locate values of t where the real part of the Riemann zeta function, zeta(sigma+it), is negative for sigma>1. The run-time to execute the search is much less than a brute-force approach and relies on certain symmetries of congruence equations related to the zeta function. Initial results show the smallest value of t where this begins to occur is much nearer to the real axis than conservative estimates would suggest.
We discuss the consequence of local duality for elastic scattering, and derive a model-independent equation between structure functions at x ? 1 and elastic electromagnetic form factors. Then the electromagnetic form factors of proton are discussed using the quark-hadron duality theory. We also debate the form factor of proton in a bound state. It may be an effective approach to study the form factor of proton in media.
The transformation and the accommodation of National Power System (SEN) units to a new management system, own to a decentralized economy and having financial support from both native capital and foreign capital, in uncertain proportion at the moment and being in a continuous adjustment determined by the reasons and the motivations first of all political, generated conceptual changes in the so-called modern management theory. The accommodation of this theory to the concrete situation from SEN units imposed the concept of negative selection. It is a concept which represents author's desire to be created as an original contribution to the contemporary management theory. Unlike the selection at the hiring (or positive selection), the negative selection is achieved on personal already employed, in the conditions of activities of a decreased number of personnel and also of a redistribution of personnel on the other side. The ...
The Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility now under construction at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will use the 25 MV tandem accelerator for the acceleration of radioactive ion beams to energies appropriate for research in nuclear physics; negative ion beams are, therefore, required for injection into the tandem accelerator. Because charge exchange is an efficient means for converting initially positive ion beams to negative ion beams, both positive and negative ion sources are viable options for use at the facility. The choice of the type of ion source will depend on the overall efficiency for generating the radioactive species of interest. Although direct-extraction negative ion sources are clearly desirable, the ion formation efficiencies are often too low for practical consideration; for this situation, positive ion sources, in combination with charge exchange, are the logical choice. The ...
The first long pulse production of high power D"- ion beams has been demonstrated in the JT-60 U negative ion sources, each of which was designed to produce 22 A, 500 keV D"- ion beams. Voltage holding capability and the grid power loading were examined for long pulse production of high power D"- ion beams. From the correlation between voltage holding and the light intensity of cathodoluminescence from the Fiber Reinforced Plastic insulators, the acceleration voltage for stable voltage holding capability was found to be less than 320-340 kV where the light was sufficiently suppressed. By tuning the extraction voltage, the grid power loadings in the ion sources were decreased to the allowable levels for long pulse injection without a significant reduction of the beam power. After tuning the acceleration and extraction voltages, D"- ion beams of 12.5 and 9.8 A were produced at 340 keV with cesium seeding at a rate of #approx#14 #mu#g/s into the ion sources. The pulse ...
Negative ions have attractive features as drivers for inertial confinement fusion, because they will avoid electron cloud effects, and could be efficiently photodetached to neutrals after the final focus, which could also be beneficial in heating warm dense matter targets. The halogens have large electron affinities, and thus should be able to produce high current densities of relatively robust negative ions. Recent experiments comparing chlorine beams to argon beams using the same source, extraction optics, and diagnostics have demonstrated that Cl"- beams can be produced with similar emittance to Ar"+ beams, and with about 34 the current density from the same configuration. The observed effective beam temperature of about 13eV, and the similarity of current densities show that negative halogen beams can meet the current density and emittance requirements of heavy ion fusion. The near equivalence of the Cl"- and ...
A working visit was made to the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics, Tsukuba, Japan, during the time periods May 16, 1988--June 15, 1988 for the purposes of further evaluation of the high intensity plasma sputter negative ion source and to test the response of the University of Tsukuba 13-MV tandem accelerator to mA intensity level pulsed mode heavy negative ion beams. During the visit, the traveler worked in collaboration with Japanese scientists in installing and testing of the source on the University of Tsukuba tandem electrostatic accelerator injector. During the course of preliminary testing of the ion source and prior to actual injection into the accelerator, sparking began in one or more tube sections, which ultimately led to the decision to replace the damaged tube sections. This problem led to postponement of the scheduled tandem accelerator tests. The traveler attended the Seventh International Conference on Ion Implantation ...
The aim of the study was the attempt to evaluate the influence of two different methods of cardiac perfusion SPECT reconstruction (FBP and ITW) on clinical efficacy in diagnosing the coronary artery disease as well as the cardiac ischemia detection in three areas of heart vascularized by main coronary arteries: LAD, LCX and RCA with the use of artificial neural networks (ANN). The study was performed retrospectively with the use of the diagnostic image records as well as clinical dataset of 43 patients. Myocardial perfusion stress/rest SPECT study and X-ray coronarography data were evaluated for each patient. The results of coronary angiography were considered the reference method. The cardiac SPECT data were reconstructed using the two different methods: filtered backprojection (FBP) and iterative Wallis method (ITW). The local perfusion deficits denominated in stress and rest study in three main vessel cardiac segments were the main input ...
As an explosion develops in the collapsed core of a massive star, neutrino emission drives convection in a hot bubble of radiation, nucleons, and pairs just outside a proto-neutron star. Shortly thereafter, neutrinos drive a wind-like outflow from the neutron star. In both the convective bubble and the early wind, weak interactions temporarily cause a proton excess (Y{sub e} {approx}> 0.50) to develop in the ejected matter. This situation lasts for at least the first second, and the approximately 0.05-0.1 M{sub {circle_dot}} that is ejected has an unusual composition that may be important for nucleosynthesis. Using tracer particles to follow the conditions in a two-dimensional model of a successful supernova explosion calculated by Janka, Buras, and Rampp (2003), they determine the composition of this material. most of it is helium and {sup 56}Ni. The rest is relatively rare species produced by the decay of proton-rich isotopes unstable to positron emission. ...
The purpose of this work is to investigate the possible role of Helical CT defecography in pelvic floor disorders by comparing the results of the investigations with those of conventional defecography. The series analyzed consisted of 90 patients, namely 62 women and 28 men, ranging in age 24-82 years. They were all submitted to conventional defecography, and 18 questionable cases were also studied with Helical CT defecography. The conventional examination was performed during the 4 standard phases of resting, squeezing, Valsalva and straining; it is used a remote-control unit. The parameters for Helical CT defecography were: 5 mm beam collimation, pitch 2, 120 KV, 250 m As and 18-20 degrees gantry inclination to acquire coronal images of the pelvic floor. The rectal ampulla was distended with a bolus of 300 mL nonionic iodinated contrast agent (dilution: 3g/cc). The patient wore a napkin and was seated on the table, except for those who could not hold the position ...
Repeated exposure to cold air reduces the metabolic response to cold air exposure in man. The purpose of this investigation was to measure the change in resting metabolic rate (RMR) with exposure to 22C air and 4C air during a 12 day period. Four women sat in 22C air for 45 min followed by 45 min in 4C air each day for ten days. The authors measured RMR during a 45 min period in 22C air followed by 45 min in 4C air on four days. All subjects began their morning exposures on a Monday within 2 days of the onset of menses completing the study on a Friday, 12 days later. Subjects dressed in a T-shirt, shorts and cotton socks. During 45 min of exposure to warm air, RMR remained steady at 10% of VO{sub 2peak} on Day 1 and 10% on Day 5. RMR during exposure to warm air significantly increased to 13% of VO{sub 2peak} on Day 8 and remained elevated at 13% on Day 12. During exposure to cold air RMR peaked at 31% of CO{sub 2peak} by the 5th min on Day 1. Peak RMR on Day 5 was ...
Background:Tobacco smoking is the most important risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) development. Inhaled cigarette smoke can induce tumor necrosis factor-α...Full Text Available
Replication of plus-strand RNA viruses depends on host factors that are recruited into viral replicase complexes. Previous studies showed that eukaryotic translation elongation factor (eEF1A) is one...Full Text Available
The experiments at the incinerator for low-level wastes processing, (containing transuranium radionuclides) are described. Air decontamination factors and detector readings correction factors for efficiency and absorption are indicated.
The experiments at the incinerator for low-level wastes processing, (containing transuranium radionuclides) are described. Air decontamination factors and detector readings correction factors for efficiency and absorption are indicated.
A fluid-phase immunoradiometric assay has been developed which identifies an antigen on the Factor VIII (antihemophilic factor) procoagulant protein. This sensitive and quantitative assay is not influenced...Full Text Available
The ternary complex factor (TCF) Elk-1 is a transcription factor that regulates immediate early gene (IEG) expression via the serum response element (SRE) DNA consensus site. Elk-1 is associated with...Full Text Available
Caries is a multifactorial disease, and studies aiming to unravel the factors modulating its etiology must consider all known predisposing factors. One major factor is bacterial colonization,...Full Text Available
Background and objectives: Higher urinary calcium is a risk factor for nephrolithiasis. This study delineated associations between demographic, dietary, and urinary factors and 24-h urinary calcium.Design,...Full Text Available
The extracellular domain of human fibroblast growth factor receptor (XC-FGF-R) was expressed in Escherichia coli. The protein was purified to homogeneity and the interaction with basic fibroblast growth...Full Text Available
Because of the instability of Factor VIII (antihaemophilic factor) in plasma in vitro, and since evidence has accumulated that the level of activity varies significantly between samples...Full Text Available
Radium is known to be taken up by aquatic animals, and tends to accumulate in bone, shell and exoskeleton. The most common approach to estimating the uptake of a radionuclide by aquatic animals for use in health and environmental risk assessments is the concentration factor method. The concentration factor method relates the concentration of a contaminant in an organism to the concentration in the surrounding water. Site specific data are not usually available, and generic, default values are often used in risk assessment studies. This paper describes the concentration factor method, summarizes some of the variables which may influence the concentration factor for radium, reviews reported concentration factors measured in marine environments and presents concentration factors derived from data collected in a study in coastal Louisiana. The use of generic default ...
Radium is known to be taken up by aquatic animals, and tends to accumulate in bone, shell and exoskeleton. The most common approach to estimating the uptake of a radionuclide by aquatic animals for use in health and environmental risk assessments is the concentration factor method. The concentration factor method relates the concentration of a contaminant in an organism to the concentration in the surrounding water. Site specific data are not usually available, and generic, default values are often used in risk assessment studies. This paper describes the concentration factor method, summarizes some of the variables which may influence the concentration factor for radium, reviews reported concentration factors measured in marine environments and presents concentration factors derived from data collected in a study in coastal Louisiana. The use of generic default ...
The purpose of this article is to critically review the available evidence pertaining to occupational, environmental, and individual factors that can affect the development of occupational asthma (OA)....Full Text Available
The data base for the form factors of the nucleon obtained from elastic ep scattering is discussed, as well as some recent developments in their calculation.
Although the initiating factor(s) is unknown, it is now accepted that pulmonary sarcoidosis develops as a result of an over-stimulated local cellular immune response. Starting as a lymphocytic alveolitis,...Full Text Available
This is a presentation on Human Factors in reactor operations. It discusses issues that deal with power plant operations, training and design, operational effectiveness and safety, supporting people to achieve effective and error free performance.
The stock market has been known to form homogeneous stock groups with a higher correlation among different stocks according to common economic factors that influence individual stocks. We investigate the role of common economic factors in the market in the formation of stock networks, using the arbitrage pricing model reflecting essential properties of common economic factors. We find that the degree of consistency between real and model stock networks increases as additional common economic factors are incorporated into our model. Furthermore, we find that individual stocks with a large number of links to other stocks in a network are more highly correlated with common economic factors than those with a small number of links. This suggests that common economic factors in the stock market can be understood in terms of deterministic factors.
In general, the etiologic factors of chronic paranasal sinusitis are systemic conditions such as nutrition, predisposition, allergy, and local factors such as nasal anatomic conditions. Among these...Full Text Available
In 1999, the plasma parameters of reversed shear (RS) plasmas had been extended in 1) DT-equivalent fusion power gain Q_D_T"e"q - 0.5 (n_D(0)#tau#_ET_i(0) - 4x10"2"0 m"-"3#centre dot#keV#centre dot#s) for 0.8 s and 2) full non-inductive current drive with 80% of the bootstrap current fraction. Physics of the internal transport barriers (ITBs) in RS plasmas, including the energy transport and the formation of ITB, were extensively studied. A nearly full current drive (92% non-inductively) was obtained with negative ion based neutral beam (NNB) injection (360 keV, 3.4 MW) in a high #beta#_p H-mode plasma (I_p=1.5 MA, B_T=3.7 T, q_9_5=4.2) with high plasma performance (#beta#_N=2.4 and H_8_9=2.56). Rise in the central electron temperature (T_e - 9 keV) resulted in the current drive efficiency #eta#_C_D of NNB reached 1.3x10"1"9 A/W/m"2, the highest for the neutral beam current drive. As for the H-mode plasmas, decrease in the pedestal ion temperature due to strong gas ...
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) is decommissioning many of its excess facilities through removal of the facility structures leaving only the concrete-slab foundations in place. Site-specific, risk-based derived concentration guideline levels (DCGLs) for radionuclides have been determined for a future industrial worker potentially exposed to residual contamination on these concrete slabs as described in Jannik. These risk-based DCGLs were estimated for an exposure area of 100 m2. During deactivation and decommissioning (D and D) operations at SRS, the need for area factors for larger and smaller contaminated areas arose. This paper compares the area factors determined for an industrial worker exposed to a concrete slab end-state for several radionuclides of concern at SRS with 1) the illustrative area factors provided in MARSSIM, 2) the area correction factors provided in ...
Most common bacterial species causing peritonitis in the course of peritoneal dialysis (PDP) are coagulase-negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus aureus and streptococci. Haemophilus influenzae is rarely associated with PDP. Hereby we present the first known case of APD-associated peritonitis caused by non-type able H. influenzae (NTHi) presenting the beta-lactamase negative, ampicillin-resistant (BLNAR) phenotype. An 18 year old boy who had been treated with the APD for 12 months due to SLE was admitted in good general condition with diagnosis of PDP. Standard diagnostic and therapeutical procedures were initiated. Dialysis fluid was turbid with cytosis of 435 WBC/ml. From dialysis fluid pure culture of Gram-negative coccobacillus was isolated. The isolate was identified as a BLNAR phenotype. The same bacterium was isolated from nasal swab. Blood cultures were negative. After evaluation of ...
Experiences with weight stigma negatively impact both psychological outcomes (e.g., body dissatisfaction, depression) and behavioral outcomes (e.g., dieting, exercise). However, not everyone is equally affected by experiences with weight stigma. This study examined whether internalized societal attitudes about weight moderated the impact of weight stigma. Adult participants (n = 111) completed measures of experiences with weight stigma, as well as two indexes of internalized societal attitudes (the moderators): Internalized anti-fat attitudes and internalization of societal standards of attractiveness. Psychological outcomes included self-esteem, body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and bulimic symptoms; behavioral outcomes included avoidance of exercise and self-reported exercise behavior. Weight stigma was positively correlated with body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, and bulimic symptoms, and was negatively correlated with state ...
Transcription activation of sulfur metabolism in yeast is dependent on two DNA binding factors, the centromere binding factor 1 (Cbf1) and Met4. While the role of Met4 was clearly established by showing...Full Text Available
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurobehavioral disorder affecting 5% to 10% of children. Although considered to be a highly familial disorder, ADHD heritability estimates of 60% to 80% highlight the considerable role that environmental factors may still play in disorder susceptibility. Proposed ADHD environmental risk factors include prenatal substance exposures, heavy metal and chemical exposures, nutritional factors, and lifestyle/psychosocial factors. This paper reviews the literature published in 2010 investigating the association between environmental risk factors and ADHD or related symptomatology. Sources of risk factor exposure and the proposed mechanism by which each exposure is linked to ADHD-related neurobehavioral changes are also reported. Metho...
Collection, analysis and quantification of human factor data are important compositions of human reliability analysis (HRA) and probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). Various human factor databases have been set up, but there are comparatively little human factor data management systems which can be uses for collection, classification, analysis, calculation and predication of the human factor data. Therefore, the human factor data management system for Daya Bay NPP is developed, with the following three modules and four databases: original data module, computing module, introduced data module, and basic database, other data source of the plant, external database and introduced database. The foundational problems about human factor data and the systemic structure and function are described. The data structure in the database is also discussed, because it is of the ...
Looking at all the indeterminate factors as a whole and regarding activity durations as independent random variables, the traditional stochastic network planning models ignore the inevitable relationship and dependence among activity durations when more than one activity is possibly affected by the same indeterminate factors. On this basis of analysis of indeterminate effect factors of durations, the effect factors-based stochastic network planning (EFBSNP) model is proposed, which emphasizes on the effects of not only logistic and organizational relationships, but also the dependent relationships, due to indeterminate factors among activity durations on the project period. By virtue of indeterminate factor analysis the model extracts and describes the quantitatively indeterminate effect f...
A multicusp magnetic field plasma surface ion source, normally used for H/sup -/ ion beam formation, has been utilized for the generation of high intensity, pulsed, heavy negative ion beams suitable for a variety of uses including tandem electrostatic accelerator/synchrotron injection applications. Sputter probe voltage limited total ion currents of 5.5, 8.2, 5.1 and 4.5 mA (peak intensity) have been produced from Au, Cu, Ni and CuO sputter probes, respectively. The mass distributions of these ion beams are found to be dominated by Au/sup -/, Cu/sup -/, Ni/sup -/ and O/sup -/ atomic species, respectively. The source offers the interesting prospect of providing cw negative ion beams at mA intensity levels of the commonly used semiconducting material dopants (e.g. B/sup -/, P/sup -/, As/sup -/ and Sb/sup -/) as well as O/sup -/ for isolation barrier formation. Illustrative examples of intensity versus time and the mass distribution of ion beams ...
The role of MRT in the prebiopsy diagnosis of muscular and vascular inflammatory conditions was evaluated prospectively and an optimal method of examination was investigated. 92 patients with a suspected diagnosis of myositis (60 cases) or vasculitis (32 cases) were examined, in each case two extremities were studied using transverse T_1 and T_2 weighted SE sequences and double echo STIR sequences on a 0.5 Tesla (56 patients) or 1.5 Tesla magnet (36 patients; T5/S15 Gyroscan, Philips). The site of the biopsy depended on the MRT findings. In 41 patients the suspected diagnosis was confirmed histologically, in two patients an infective myositis was diagnosed on clinical grounds despite negative histology. MRT demonstrated muscle oedema in 86% of patients. There were negative findings after immuno-suppressive therapy (two patients), in focal myositis (3 out of 4 patients) and in one of 7 patients with untreated vasculitis. Amongst 49 patients in ...
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between histomorphometric variables of cancellous bone structure and ultimate compressive strength (UCS) in the second lumbar vertebra (L2) and to determine whether structural variables in the iliac crest are predictive of the same variables and of UCS in L2. At autopsy, 7.5 mm diameter cores were removed from the iliac crest and from L2 of 29 subjects who had died suddenly without bone disease. Cancellous bone volume (BV/TV, %) was significantly lower in L2 than in iliac crest due to lower trabecular number (Tb.N, per mm) and thickness (Tb.Th, microns). There were significant correlations between iliac crest and L2 for BV/TV, Tb.N and trabecular separation (Tb.Sp, microns), but not for Tb.Th. BV/TV was negatively correlated, and Tb.Sp was positively correlated with age at both sites. Tb.Th was not significantly correlated with age in the iliac crest, but a significant negative ...
Multi-beamlet focusing of an intense negative ion beam has been performed using the beamlet steering by the aperture displacement. The apertures of the grounded grid were displaced as all beamlets of 270 (18 x 15) in the area of 25 cm x 26 cm would be steered to a common point (a focal point) in both the two-stage and the single-stage accelerators. The multi-beamlets were successfully focused and the e-folding half width of 10 cm was achieved 11.2 m downstream from the ion source in both the accelerators. The corresponding gross divergence angle is 9 mrad. The negative ion beamlets are deflected by the magnetic field for the electron deflection at the extraction grid and the deflection direction oppositely changes line by line, resulting in the beam split in the deflection direction. This beamlet deflection was well compensated also using the beamlet steering by the aperture displacement of the grounded grid. The beam acceleration properties ...
This paper builds on earlier work to give a consistent treatment of the positive column of discharges in electronegative gases covering the transition from collisionless to collisional. In particular it seeks to elucidate the conditions under which there is an ion-ion plasma core surrounded by an electron-ion plasma, and when there is not. The parameters which describe the processes of ionization, attachment, detachment and recombination are related to the central negative ion density relative to the electron density and, where appropriate, the size of the core. The use, by earlier workers, of the Boltzmann approximation to describe the negative ion distribution and to obtain ambipolar diffusion coefficients at higher pressures is shown not to be justified. This leads to the clarification of an inconsistency in the literature. Where possible, the work is related to other recent treatments of the same problem in order to begin to build a ...
Correct ortopedic therapy for traumas of the cervical rachis requires perfect knowledge of the spatial balance of the fracture focus. The authors belive Computed Tomography (CT) to be the most suitable, and often indispensable, method for this purpose. Twenty-four patients were examined for traumatic pathology of the cervical rachis. In 7 cases with clinically minor traumas, the negative outcome of the traditional traumas, the negative outcome of the traditional exam was considered reliable and sufficient for therapeutic purposes. The extant 17 patients were examined also by means of CT, either to better dermine the characteristics of skeletal lesions already ascertained with traditional techniques or to asses the presence of clinically-suspected osteo-articular lesions, even with negative conventional X-rays. For 9 of these patients orthopedic treatment was considered sufficient, whereas 8 patients underwent surgery and ...
The fluxes of atmospheric electrons, positrons, positive and negative muons and negative pions have been determined using the NMSU Wizard-MASS2 balloons-borne instrument. The instrument was launched from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, (geomagnetic cut-off about 4.5 GV/c) on september 23, 1991. The flight lasted 9.8 hours and remained above 100.000 ft. Muons and negative pions were observed and their momenta were determined. Since these particles are not a part of the primary component, the measurement of their fluxes provides information regarding production and propagation of secondary particles in the atmosphere. Similarly, observations of electrons and positrons well below the geomagnetic cut-off provides insight into electromagnetic cascade processes in the upper atmosphere. In addition, the determination of the energy spectra of rare particles such as positrons can be used for background subtraction for cosmic ray ...
Technologies producing high power negative ion beams have been highly developed in these years at JAERI for use in neutral beam injectors for heating the thermonuclear fusion plasmas. At present, it is possible to produce multi-ampere H-/D- ion beams quasi-continuously at energies more than a few hundred keV with a good beam optics of beamlet divergence of a few milli-radian. Based on these technologies, two R and D projects have been initiated; one is to develop a 22A/500keV/10s D- ion source for the neutral beam injector for JT-60U, and the other is to develop a 1A/1MeV/60s H- ion source to demonstrate high current negative ion acceleration up to the energy of 1MeV, the energy required for the neutral beam injector for International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). (author).
Abstract A bacteriocin-producing Streptococcus bovis strain (HC5) outcompeted a sensitive strain (JB1) before it reached stationary phase (pH 6.4), even though it grew 10% slower and cell-free bovicin HC5 could not yet be detected. The success of bacteriocin-negative S. bovis isolates was enhanced by the presence of another sensitive bacterium (Clostridium sticklandii SR). PCR based on repetitive DNA sequences indicated that S. bovis HC5 was not simply transferring bacteriocin genes to S. bovis JB1. When the two S. bovis strains were coinoculated into minimal medium, bacteriocin-negative isolates predominated, and this effect could be explained by the longer lag time (0.5 vs. 1.5 h) of S. bovis HC5. If the glucose concentration of the minimal medium was increased from 2 to 7 mg mL-1, the e...
Elastic electromagnetic form factors of nucleons are investigated for both the time-like and the space-like momenta by using the unsubtracted dispersion relation with QCD constraints. It is shown that the calculated form factors reproduce the experimental data reasonably well; they agree with recent experimental data for the neutron magnetic form factors for the space-like data obtained by the CLAS Collaboration and are compatible with the ratio of the electric and magnetic form factors for the time-like momentum obtained by the BABAR Collaboration.
Molar excess volumes have been determined by means of a vibrating-tube densimeter for binary liquid mixtures of cycloalkanones (cyclopentanone and cyclohexanone) + cyclohexane, + benzene, and + tetrachloromethane. The V/sup E/ data are reported over the complete mole fraction range at 288.15, 298.15, and 308.15{Kappa}. The obtained excess volumes are positive for mixtures of cyclopentanone with cyclohexane and are negative for mixtures of the cycloalkanones with benzene and tetrachloromethane; for the system cyclohexanone-cyclohexane the V/sup E/ values are positive for a wide range of mole fraction, but at very low cyclohexane mole fraction an inversion of the sign of V/sup E/ is observed. The data show that in the considered range of temperature the values of the temperature coefficient ({partial derivative}V/sup E//{partial derivative}T) are negative for mixtures of the cycloalkanones with benzene and are almost zero for mixtures with ...
A small, permanent-magnet insert structure for the removal of electrons from pulsed, extracted, negative ion beams has been developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The device was computer modeled and designed for an extraction field strength of 3 kV/mm. The testing was carried out with a rf driven multicusp ion source optimized for the production of H{sup {minus}} ions and pulsed at a few Hz with pulse widths of several hundreds of {mu}s. It is demonstrated that the insert structure together with a collar can remove over 98{percent} of electrons from the extracted H{sup {minus}} ion beam without any significant deterioration of the H{sup {minus}} ion output. Application to other negative ion beams can be expected from this magnetic collar insert. {copyright} {ital 1996 American Institute of Physics.}
A technique has been developed which enables the direct sputter generation of atomic negative ion beams of all members of the Group IA elements (Li, Na, K, Rb and Cs). The method is based on the use of sputter samples formed by pressing mixtures of the carbonates of the Group IA elements and 10% (atomic) Cu, Ag or other metal powders. The following intensities are typical of those observed from carbonate samples subjected to approx. = 3 keV cesium ion bombardment: Li/sup -/: greater than or equal to 0.5 ..mu..A; Na/sup -/: greater than or equal to 0.5 ..mu..A; K/sup -/: greater than or equal to 0.5 ..mu..A; Rb/sup -/: greater than or equal to 0.5 ..mu..A; Cs/sup -/: greater than or equal to 0.2 ..mu..A.
The temperature dependences of the Grueneisen parameter, heat capacity, bulk modulus and linear thermal expansion coefficient of sixteen III-V zincblende compounds are studied by first-principles response-function calculations. The fundamental relationships among these physical parameters are explored. Negative thermal expansions at lower temperature are found in most of these III-V phases except for the nitrides and boron compounds. By analyzing the cell-volume dependences of the phonon spectrum, it is found that the phases with a negative thermal expansion show a significant acoustic phonon weakening at the X-point in their phonon dispersion, while slight weakening is only seen around the L-point for those boron phases. There is no sign of phonon weakening in the nitrides. (copyright 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)
We examine the short-term price behaviour of three, size-conditioned Indian stock market indices, in response to informational shocks. A standard mean-adjusted returns model as well as the GJR-GARCH specification point towards underreaction to negative events in the medium and small capitalization indices. Also, the pre-event coefficients are generally negative and statistically significant, regardless of the sign of the shock, thus ruling out information leaks. We uncover a stable abnormal volatility pattern which increases monotonically a few days before the shock before suddenly decreasing in magnitude on the event day and beyond. We suggest uncertainty avoidance as a potential explanation of these features. The results are fairly robust across alternative event selection procedures, ti...
Reference failures, and their increase in affectively negative conditions (known as affective reactivity of speech), are more frequently observed in schizophrenia patients than in normal controls, but no information is available comparing schizophrenia with depression, ie, a mental disorder closely linked to the concept of affective reactivity. To address this gap in the literature, the present study compared 24 schizophrenia inpatients, 21 unipolar depression inpatients and 21 normal controls. Two 10-minute conversational speech samples (1 on negative and 1 on positive memories) were collected from each patient. The transcripts of the audiotaped interviews were analyzed blindly for frequencies of 6 types of referential failures, employing the Communication Disturbances Index, adapted for ...
Introduction: Restrictions in prescribing broad spectrum antimicrobials have been part of a strategy to reduce Clostridium difficile cases in the UK in recent years. However, there has been little work on assessing the safety of alternative antimicrobial agents. Methods: We performed an uncontrolled prospective observational survey over a 1-year period to determine the effectiveness and safety of a new antimicrobial stewardship programme in a district hospital in the UK. Results: In total, 227 Gram-negative bacteraemias (203 episodes) occurred in the study period. Guidelines were adequate in 194 of 203 (95%) episodes and 163 episodes (80.2%) received adequate therapy. Patients in the inadequate therapy group had >2-fold increased likelihood of death [odds ratio (OR) = 2.63, 95% confidence ...
BACKGROUND: Controversy exists as to whether patients with thick (Breslow depth >4 mm), clinically lymph node-negative melanoma require sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy. The authors examined the impact of SLN biopsy on prognosis and outcome in this patient population. METHODS: A review of the authors institutional review board-approved melanoma database identified 293 patients with T4 melanoma who underwent surgical excision between 1998 and 2007. Patient demographics, histologic features, and outcome were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: Of 227 T4 patients who had an SLN biopsy, 107 (47%) were positive. The strongest predictors of a positive SLN included angiolymphatic invasion, satellitosis, or ulceration of the primary tumor. Patients with a T4 melanoma and a negative SLN had a significa...
By using a two-step homogenization approach, we derive analytical formulas of effective mass density {rho}{sub e} and effective bulk modulus B{sub e} for two- and three-dimensional acoustic metamaterials of Helmholtz resonators (HRs) in fluid. A negative B{sub e} is found at certain frequencies due to the monopolar resonance, leading to a low-frequency acoustic band gap. A unified picture is presented for metamaterials of HRs and three-component metamaterials of negative {rho}{sub e}. Our work supports recent observations in a one-dimensional array of HRs [N. Fang et al., Nat. Mater. 5, 452 (2006)] and presents important high-dimensional extensions for exploring more fascinating phenomena.
The last developments in lithium batteries design have demonstrated the advantages of graphite: competitive cost, flat output curve, high capacity thanks to the obtention of a final compound close to LiC{sub 6}, good behaviour during cycling and a high mass energy. However, these advantages are slightly tarnished by parasite secondary reactions during the evolution of the element. Two different cases are encountered: the formation of a passivation layer (loss of Li ions and formation of irreversible bounds) and the formation of a passivation layer with a reaction between graphite and the solvent (partial destruction of the graphite crystal lattice). In the first case, the theoretical graphite insertion capacity remains at 372 mAh/g while in the second case the insertion capacity is greatly reduced. Abstract only. (J.S.)
We describe a simple one-pot thermal decomposition method for the production of a stable colloidal suspension of narrowly dispersed superparamagnetic Fe3O4-Ag core-shell nanostructures. These biocompatible nanostructures are highly toxic to microorganisms. Antimicrobial activity studies were carried out on both Gram negative (Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris) and Gram positive (Bacillus megaterium and Staphylococcus aureus) bacterial strains. Efforts have been made to understand the underlying molecular mechanism of such antibacterial actions. The effect of the core-shell nanostructures on Gram negative strains was found to be better than that observed for silver nanoparticles. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of these nanostructures were found to be considerably lowe...
It is well known that a protective film is formed on the graphite negative electrode in ethylene carbonate (EC) electrolyte solution. This film is lithium-ion conductive and protects the decomposition of the electrolyte solution. In the present paper, the electrode/electrolyte interfaces in lithium-ion rechargeable batteries were characterized by three-dimensional complex impedance plots, whose axes are real, imaginary parts and time. The film resistance R {sub sei} and charge transfer resistance R {sub ct} were determined for negative electrodes in EC/ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) electrolyte solution, and the formation mechanisms of the interfacial film were discussed. Furthermore, the contributions of vinylene carbonate and ethylene sulfite, which are added into the electrolyte solution for the film formation, were investigated.
It is well known that a protective film is formed on the graphite negative electrode in ethylene carbonate (EC) electrolyte solution. This film is lithium-ion conductive and protects the decomposition of the electrolyte solution. In the present paper, the electrode/electrolyte interfaces in lithium-ion rechargeable batteries were characterized by three-dimensional complex impedance plots, whose axes are real, imaginary parts and time. The film resistance R _s_e_i and charge transfer resistance R _c_t were determined for negative electrodes in EC/ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) electrolyte solution, and the formation mechanisms of the interfacial film were discussed. Furthermore, the contributions of vinylene carbonate and ethylene sulfite, which are added into the electrolyte solution for the film formation, were investigated.
The concept of the 'white-light cavity' has recently generated considerable research interest in the context of gravitational wave detection. Cavity designs are proposed using negative (or anomalous) dispersion in an intracavity medium to make the cavity resonate over a large range of frequencies and still maintain a high cavity build-up. This paper presents the first experimental attempt and demonstration of white-light effect in a meter long ring cavity using an intracavity atomic medium. The medium's negative dispersion is caused by bi-frequency Raman gain in an atomic vapor cell. Although the white light condition was not perfectly achieved and improvements in experimental control are still desirable, significantly broad cavity response over bandwidth greater than 20 MHz has been observed. These devices will have potential applications in new generation laser interferometer gravitational wave detectors.
This paper describes a concept for a current drive system based on negative ions with beam energy > 1 MeV. Preliminary physics calculations show that the core current necessary for stability enhancement can best be achieved by beams with energy ranging from 1 to 4 MeV. Further study and experiments will better define the optimum energy. Work under way at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and at collaborating institutes in Canada and the Federal Republic of Germany is defining a system, its elements, a configuration and operational scenarios deemed appropriate for such devices as ITER and other future steady-state tokamaks, and the requisite research and development to provide such a system. 7 refs., 2 figs.
This study focuses on comparing reports of nicotine withdrawal, craving, and depressive symptoms obtained using an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system and several questionnaires. As part of a smoking cessation trial, daily reports of withdrawal, craving, and negative mood were collected using an IVR system for 7 days after participants attempted to quit smoking, and several pencil and paper questionnaires (i.e., the Minnesota Nicotine Withdrawal Scale, the Questionnaire on Smoking Urges, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression) were completed a week after the target quit date. The sample was composed of 378 daily smokers. Moderate to high correlations were found between the research questionnaires obtained at the end of the week and the corresponding daily IVR reports of ...
Abstract: Snake venom contains a number of small proteins,enzymes and other components,which displays a broad spectrum of biological activities. With the ability of specifically binding on acetylcholine acceptor, alpha-bungarotoxins are not only useful molecular probes in investigating the mechanism of neural signal transmission, but also potential pharmic preparations for neural disease treatment. In current research,cDNAs of Bungarus multicinutus venom gland were synthesized using SMART cDNA amplification kit and then, alpha-bungarotoxin genes were cloned and sequenced. Total of 20 clones were sequenced representing 14 isotoxin mRNAs of alpha-bungarotoxins. Among those clones, a novel isotoxin gene was subcloned into two expression plasmids, alpha-BgTX/pQE30a and alpha-BgTX/pGEX-4T-1, and transformed into E. coli. After inducing with IPTG, fused protein of GST-alpha-BgTX was successfully expressed at level of 30% gross proteins of bacteria. More than 25% of fused protein was in the ...
Early effects of 100 Kilorads of X-rays on muscle cell membrane properties have been measured in sartorius muscles from Leptodactylus ocellatus. Threshold strength for rectangular current pulses increased 10% after irradiation, and action potential propagation velocity decreased 10%. Passive membrane parameters were calculated from potential responses to sub-threshold current pulses, assuming conventional cable theory. Specific membrane conductance increased to 18% after irradiation, membrane capacitance increased 14%, and length constant decreased 10% but membrane time constant was unchanged. Cell diameter decreased 5%, and resting membrane potential decreased 8%. Membrane parameters during an action potential were also evaluated by the phase-plane and current-voltage plot techniques. Irradiation significantly decreased the action potential amplitude, the excitation potential, and the maximum rates of rise and fall of membrane potential. Increases were observed in ...
In diabetic patients with autonomic neuropathy, it is suggested that there is a reduced uptake of [sup 123]I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) in the heart. We compared the difference of myocardial [sup 123]I-MIBG accumulation between 4 diabetic patients with triopathy and 6 patients without it. In all 10 patients, coronary angiography and [sup 201]Tl imaging (rest and 4 hours later) were performed. [sup 123]I-MIBG (111 MBq) was administered intravenously and its imaging was recorded on 15 minutes and 4 hours after injection. In all 4 cases with triopathy, [sup 123]I-MIBG imaging showed defect in apical and inferior region. In 2 out of 6 cases without triopathy, rapid clearance was noticed in apical and inferior region. There was no significant stenosis in right coronary artery and no defect in initial and delayed [sup 201]Tl images in all cases. We concluded that diabetic autonomic neuropathy in the heart was prominent in apical and inferior region and [sup ...
A computational model has been developed to calculate the potential and current distributions in the electrolyte phase and on the electrode surface for a system in which a part of the anode is passivated while the rest remains in the active dissolution state. The computation employs the finite element method allied with a boundary variation and a trial and error technique. From the obtained distributions, the location of the boundary between the active and passive regions on the anode can be predicted. In the case of a crevice, this means that a critical distance into the crevice exists beyond which active corrosion (crevice corrosion) takes place. In addition to the active/passive behavior of the material, solution conductivity, applied potential at the sample's outer surface, crevice gap and depth dimensions, and passive current density influence this critical distance to different degrees. The developed software package may also be used for (i) ...
Postamputation pain (PAP) affects over 60% of major limb amputees. One of the main challenges in treating PAP is the difficulty involved in identifying pain mechanism(s), which pertains to both residual limb pain (RLP) and phantom limb pain (PLP). In this study, sympathetic blocks were performed on 17 major limb amputees refractory to treatment, including 2 placebo-controlled blocks done for bilateral amputations. One hour postinjection, mean RLP scores at rest declined from 5.2 (SD 2.8) to 2.8 (SD 2.6) (P = .0002), and PLP decreased from 5.3 (SD 3.1) to 2.3 (SD 2.1) (P = .0009). By 1 week, mean pain scores for RLP and PLP were 4.3 (SD 2.9) and 4.2 (SD 3.0), respectively. Overall, 8 of 16 (50%) patients experienced ?50% reduction in RLP 1-hour postinjection, with the beneficial effects ...
(abridged) We present a study of stellar population of LAEs at z=4.86 in GOODS-N and its flanking field. With the publicly available IRAC data in GOODS-N and further IRAC observations in the flanking fields, we select five LAEs which are not contaminated by neighboring objects in IRAC images and construct their observed SEDs with I_c, z', IRAC 3.6micron, and 4.5micron band photometry. The SEDs cover the rest-frame UV to optical wavelengths. We derive stellar masses, ages, color excesses, and star formation rates of five LAEs using SED fitting method. Assuming the constant star formation history, we find that the stellar masses range from 10^8 to $10^{10} Msun with the median value of 2.5x10^9 Msun. The derived ages range from very young ages (7.4 Myr) to 437 Myr with a median age of 25 Myr. The color excess E(B-V) are between 0.1-0.4 mag. Star formation rates are 55-209 Msun/yr. A comparison of the stellar populations is made between three LAEs and 88 LBGs selected ...
Resistance against anthelmintics is widespread, particularly in parasitic nematode populations of small ruminants. Several new techniques or supplements have been developed or are under investigation. Biological control (BC) is one of these new methods. The net-trapping predacious fungus Duddingtonia flagrans produces thick walled resting spores, chlamydospores, which are able to survive passage through the gastrointestinal tract of cattle, horses, sheep and pigs. Under Danish climatic conditions it has been shown that the number of parasite larvae on pasture and the worm burden of the grazing animals is significantly reduced when animals are fed spores during the initial 2-3 months of the grazing season. Work with D. flagrans in France, Australia, USA, and Mexico has confirmed the strong BC potential of this fungus. Today much work is going into development of suitable delivery systems for grazing livestock worldwide. Ultimately, BC should be implemented in ...
A computer model of cryogenic system for storing solid antimatter is used to explore the radiative cooling-power requirements for long-term antimatter storage. If vacuum-chamber pressures as low as 10 to -18th power torr can be reached, and the rest of the large set of assumptions is valid, milligram quantities of solid antimatter could be stored indefinitely at 1.5 K using cooling powers of less than a microwatt. Many of the assumptions made are problematic and need verification, as they could potentially change the results greatly. The system modeled is a sphere of solid anti-parahydrogen at 1.5 K or below levitated in a spherical cryogenic vacuum chamber. The free matter gas in the chamber is assumed to be molecular hydrogen, and sublimation of both matter and antimatter is assumed to be negligible. The antihydrogen is assumed to be in thermal equilibrium, although annihilation-energy deposition is localized and hydrogen's thermal-impulse response time ...
In this paper we develop a general, systematic, microlocal framework for the Fredholm analysis of non-elliptic problems, including high energy (or semiclassical) estimates, which is stable under perturbations. This framework is relatively simple given modern microlocal analysis, and only takes a bit over a dozen pages after the statement of notation. It resides on a compact manifold without boundary, hence in the standard setting of microlocal analysis, including semiclassical analysis. The rest of the paper is devoted to applications. Many natural applications arise in the setting of non-Riemannian b-metrics in the context of Melrose's b-structures. These include asymptotically Minkowski metrics, asymptotically de Sitter-type metrics on a blow-up of the natural compactification and Kerr-de Sitter-type metrics. The simplest application, however, is to provide a new approach to analysis on Riemannian or Lorentzian (or indeed, possibly of other signature) conformally ...
Previous work shows the presence of scale invariance and long-range correlations in ongoing and spontaneous activity of large scale brain responses (i.e. EEG), and such scaling behavior can also be modulated by simple sensory stimulus. However, little is known whether such alteration but not destruction in scaling properties also occurs during complex cognitive processing and if neuroplasticity plays any role in mediating such changes. In this study, we addressed these issues by investigating scaling properties of multivariate EEG signals obtained from two broad groups - artists and non-artists - while they performed complex tasks of perception and mental imagery of visual art objects. We found that brain regions showing increased correlation properties from rest were similar for both tasks, suggesting that brain networks responsible for visual perception are reactivated for mental imagery. Further, we observed that the two groups could be differentiated by scaling ...
MR studies of 6 patients with intracranial tuberculoma are reviewed. All patients also underwent CT scans which showed hypo- or isodense lesions with abnormal enhancement following contrast administration. MR showed lesions with prolongation of the T1 relaxation time in every case. On the T2-weighted sequences, the signal properties of the tuberculoma varied according to the stage of evolution of the lesion. Incipient tuberculomas appeared as scattered areas of hypointensity surrounded by edema. Mature tuberculomas were composed of a dark necrotic center surrounded by an isointense capsule which was, in turn, surrounded by edema. In one patient, the center of the lesion was hyperintense probably because of liquefaction and pus formation (tuberculous abscess). While both, CT and MR, were equally sensitive in visualizing the intracranial tuberculoma in every patient, MR was slightly superior in demonstrating the extent of the lesion, especially for brainstem tuberculomas. Nevertheless, ...
Full text: Red blood cells (RBCs) labeled with "9"9"mTc are commonly used in the evaluation of cardiac function, gastrointestinal tract bleeding, red blood cell volume or splenic sequestration. Generally stannous ion is used as reducing agent. A proposed mechanism is that once the stannous ion (Sn) and the pertechnetate ("9"9"mTc) reach the interior of the RBC, the radionuclide is mainly house in the #beta#-chain of hemoglobin. The aim of this study was to determine if hemoglobin content reduction, an indicator of iron deficiency anemia, could affect the efficiency of RBC labeling and the biological distribution of this radiopharmaceutical. We studied 30 rats fed for 3 weeks after weaning with diets with iron contents of 6.5 ppm (group A), 18 ppm (group B) and 100 ppm (control). For all groups, the labeling yields were always higher than 97%; the percentage of radioactivity was mostly founded in blood with almost negligible radioactivity the rest of the studied ...
The paper reviews Asia-Pacific higher education and university research, focusing principally on the "Confucian" education nations Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong China, Taiwan, Singapore and Vietnam. Except for Vietnam, these systems exhibit a special developmental dynamism--still playing out everywhere except Japan--and have created a distinctive model of higher education more effective in some respects than systems in North America, the English-speaking world and Europe where the modern university was incubated. The Confucian Model rests on four interdependent elements: (1) strong nation-state shaping of structures, funding and priorities; (2) a tendency to universal tertiary participation, partly financed by growing levels of household funding of tuition, sustained by a private duty, grounded in Confucian values, to invest in education; (3) "one chance" national examinations that mediate social competition and university hierarchy and focus family commitments to ...
The basic theoretical milestones were the Sakata SU(3) symmetry, the Goldberg-Ne'eman composite model with SU(3) triplets having baryon number (1/3) and the Nambu color gauge Lagrangian. The transition was led in right and wrong directions by experiments interpreted by phenomenology. A "good" experiment on $\\bar p p$ annihilation at rest showed that the Sakata model predictions disagreed with experiment. A "bad" experiment prevented the use of the Goldberg-Ne'eman triplet model to predict the existence and masses of the of the $\\Xi^*$ and $\\Omega^-$. More "good" experiments revealed the existence and mass of the $\\Xi^*$ and the $\\Omega^-$ and the absence of positive strangeness baryon resonances, thus confirming the "tenfold way". Further "good experiments" revealed the existence of the vector meson nonet, SU(3) breaking with singlet-octet mixing and the suppression of the $\\phi \\to \\rho \\pi$ decay. These led to the quark triplet model. The paradox of ...
Substantial roles of precipitates such as Zr-Fe-Cr type intermetallic compounds on uniform corrosion and hydrogen pickup of zirconium alloys in pure water autoclave tests were investigated from an electrochemical point of view. This paper describes the roles on corrosion. A corrosion test on precipitate-containing and precipitate-free materials made from pure zirconium and a small quantity of iron and chromium, rest potential measurements on an intermetallic compound of Zr(FeCr){sub 2} and zirconium matrix, and a galvanic coupling test of those were performed. Results showed that corrosion behavior of zirconium alloys could be attributed to the electrochemical properties of intermetallic compounds precipitated in each alloy. Namely, the cathodic and anodic polarization characteristics were associated with anodic protection provided by the precipitates on the alloys and the precipitates degradation in the oxide films, respectively. The mechanism was confirmed ...
Substantial roles of precipitates such as Zr-Fe-Cr type intermetallic compounds on uniform corrosion and hydrogen pickup of zirconium alloys in pure water autoclave tests were investigated from an electrochemical point of view. This paper describes the roles on corrosion. A corrosion test on precipitate-containing and precipitate-free materials made from pure zirconium and a small quantity of iron and chromium, rest potential measurements on an intermetallic compound of Zr(FeCr)_2 and zirconium matrix, and a galvanic coupling test of those were performed. Results showed that corrosion behavior of zirconium alloys could be attributed to the electrochemical properties of intermetallic compounds precipitated in each alloy. Namely, the cathodic and anodic polarization characteristics were associated with anodic protection provided by the precipitates on the alloys and the precipitates degradation in the oxide films, respectively. The mechanism was confirmed through a ...
Effects of gamma irradiation on essential oils of five medicinal plants i.e. dried seeds of piper cubeba(cubeb), piper nigrum(black pepper), piper retrofractum, amomum cardamomum(cardamom) and myristica fragrans(mace), packed in low density polyethylene bag of 0.13 mm thickness have been investigated. After being irradiated at doses of 5 and 10 kGy, a part of the samples was analysed, and the rest were stored for six months at temperature of 30 +- 2 degC, and humidity ranging from 70 to 95%. The essential oil characteristics of control, irradiated and six month stored samples were analysed using infrared and ultraviolet spectrophotometers, HPLC, GLC and refractometer. Other parameters observed were moisture content and essential oil content of the samples. Results showed that irradiation up to a dose of 10 kGy do not give any significant effect on these parameters. Significant changes were only found in the essential oil content of piper cubeba, caused by storage ...
Exercise training associated with robust conditioning can be useful for the study of molecular mechanisms underlying exercise-induced cardiac hypertrophy. A swimming apparatus is described to control training regimens in terms of duration, load, and frequency of exercise. Mice were submitted to 60- vs 90-min session/day, once vs twice a day, with 2 or 4% of the weight of the mouse or no workload attached to the tail, for 4 vs 6 weeks of exercise training. Blood pressure was unchanged in all groups while resting heart rate decreased in the trained groups (8-18%). Skeletal muscle citrate synthase activity, measured spectrophotometrically, increased (45-58%) only as a result of duration and frequency-controlled exercise training, indicating that endurance conditioning was obtained. In groups which received duration and endurance conditioning, cardiac weight (14-25%) and myocyte dimension (13-20%) increased. The best conditioning protocol to promote physiological ...
Based on a recently introduced phase X-ray imaging approach, a dual-detector prototype was developed for in-line X-ray phase imaging and phase retrieval utilizing a micro-focus X-ray source and two computed radiography (CR) cassette detectors. The system was built on a horizontal optical rail to facilitate manual adjustment of the positions of the X-ray source, the sample and the detectors. The novel design of the detector-1 is essential, it detects a portion of radiation to form an attenuation image; allows the rest of radiation to reach the detector-2 to form a phase contrast image, and the two images are used to retrieve a phase map. The two detectors are balanced for optimal phase-retrieval with reasonable radiation dose to the object to be imaged. The system was examined in terms of the linearity, the fractions of the X-ray photons detected by the two detectors, respectively and the imaging quality of phantoms. Preliminary results showed that the system is ...
Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) causes relaxation in the opossum lower esophageal sphincter. The effects of dendroaspis natriuretic peptide (DNP) and other natriuretic peptides in the lower esophageal sphincter were not known. We measured the relaxation of transverse strips from the guinea pig lower esophageal sphincter caused by DNP, ANP, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP), and a natriuretic peptide receptor-C agonist des[Gln^1^8, Ser^1^9, Gly^2^0, Leu^2^1, Gly^2^2]ANP(4-23) amide (cANF(4-23)) in vitro. In resting strips of the guinea pig lower esophageal sphincter DNP and BNP caused marked relaxations. Furthermore, in both sarafotoxin S6c and carbachol-contracted lower esophageal sphincter strips, DNP caused marked and BNP caused moderate, concentration-de...
The current status of a computational aeroacoustics (CAA) approach to simulate broadband noise is reviewed. The method rests on the use of steady Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulation to describe the time-averaged motion of turbulent flow. By means of synthetic turbulence the steady one-point statistics (e.g. turbulence kinetic energy) and turbulent length- and time-scales of RANS are translated into fluctuations having statistics that very accurately reproduce the initial RANS target-setting. The synthetic fluctuations are used to prescribe sound sources which drive linear perturbation equations. The whole approach represents a methodology to solve statistical noise theory with state-of-the-art CAA tools in the time-domain. A brief overview of the synthetic turbulence model and its numerical discretization in terms of the random particle-mesh (RPM) and fast random particle-mesh (FRPM) method is given. Results are presented for trailing-edge noise, slat ...
The production of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) for the recognition of C-terminal cholecystokinin pentapeptide (CCK-5) in the presence of metal ion is reported. The MIPs were produced under the same molar ratio of template to monomers (acrylamide, N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide) in the presence or absence of nitrilotriacetic acid-nickel (Ni-NTA) complex. Scanning electron microscopy images of MIPs were obtained in an attempt to correlate the adsorption characteristics with polymer's morphology. Subsequently Ni2+ was removed and substituted by other divalent ions such as Mg2+, Fe2+, Zn2+, Co2+ and Cu2+. It was found that polymers containing the metal ion complex with the order Fe-NTA, Ni-NTA and Cu-NTA presented lower dissociation constant values than the rest thus exhibiting stronger guest binding activity. The percentage of theoretical maximum binding sites Bmax was almost the same for these ions, indicating that the ion-template coordination is responsible ...
Due to the recent catastrophic energy system failures in California along with those in the North-Eastern US and Southern Canada, London, and Italy, the time has come to proclaim the failure of deregulation, privatization or liberalization and propose a new energy system. This book shows in the first section, how five precipitating forces led to the deregulation debacle in California: (1) major technological changes and commercialization, (2) regulatory needs mismatched to societal adjustments, (3) inadequate and flawed economic models, (4) lack of vision, goals, and planning leading to energy failures, and (5) failure and lack of economic regional development. The second half of the book, examines how 'civic market', new economic models, and planning for complexity as sustainable economic development transformed in California, the same five forces to create an 'agile energy system' based on renewable energy generation, hybrid or combined and ...
During the autumn of 1994 an investigation of foodstuffs has been accomplished to assess the average intake of {sup 137}Cs by the Swedish population due to the Chernobyl accident. A standardized food basket has been collected from two grocers in 10 localities, of which the majority came from areas with the highest fallout. The estimated maximum intake of {sup 137}Cs was 815 Bq/year in the inland of the county of Vaesterbotten. The population weighted average intake for the fallout affected counties was 435 Bq/year. The rest of the county received an intake of 235 Bq/year. The population weighted average of the intake for the whole county was estimated to 274 Bq/year. From this intake the calculated body burden would be 1.3 Bq/kg for the average citizen. Whole-body measurements of a sample of the population gave 2.0 Bq/kg. A plausible explanation would be that 40% of the intake of {sup 137}Cs can have its origin from the 10% of the consumption of foodstuffs that are ...