Plasma ignition threshold disparity between silver nanoparticle-based target and bulk silver target at different laser wavelengths

Plasma ignition threshold of nanoparticle-based and bulk silver targets was measured in air. The plasma was initiated by a Nd:YAG laser at wavelengths of 355, 532, and 1064 nm. The plasma ignition was monitored utilizing the prominent Ag I line at 546.5 nm. Lower ignition thresholds of the nanoparticle-based silver target were estimated at 0.4?±?0.02, 0.34?±?0.04, and 0.27?±?0.035 J cm~(-2) coupled with the different laser wavelengths, respectively. In contrast, the bulk silver target plasma exhibited an order of magnitude higher ignition threshold. A three orders of magnitude enhanced emission intensity from the nano-based target over the bulk target was achieved at lower levels of laser irradiation. A reduction of the thermal diffusion length of the nanosilver was assumed in order to theoretically predict this reduction in the plasma threshold. In addition, the effect of self-reversal on the resonance lines was taken into consideration.     

An Empirical Study on the Impact of Automation on the Requirements Analysis Process

Requirements analysis is an important phase in a software project. The analysis is often performed in an informal way by specialists who review documents looking for ambiguities, technical inconsistencies and incomplete parts. Automation is still far from being applied in requirements analyses, above all since natural languages are informal and thus difficult to treat automatically. There are only a few tools that can analyse texts. One of them, called QuARS, was developed by the Istituto di Scienza e Tecnologie dell＇Informazione and can analyse texts in terms of ambiguity. This paper describes how QuARS was used in a formal empirical experiment to assess the impact in terms of effectiveness and efficacy of the automation in the requirements review process of a software company.     

Endothelin receptors mediating vasoconstriction in rat pressurized small arteries

The effects of endothelin-1 (ET-1), a nonselective ETA and ETB receptor agonist, and sarafotoxin S6c, a selective ETB agonist, were investigated in the presence and absence of BQ123 and BQ788, ETA- and ETB-selective antagonists, respectively, in rat mesenteric small arteries, using a perfusion pressurized arteriograph in which segments of vessels were cannulated and exposed to constant pressure and flow. ET-1 (10(-13)-10(-7) M) induced vasoconstriction in both intact and endothelium-denuded arteries in a concentration-dependent manner. BQ123 (10(-7) and 10(-6) M) inhibited the effect of ET-1, displacing the concentration-response curve to the right in a concentration-dependent manner. The effect of ET-1 was not significantly affected by BQ788 (10(-7) and 10(-6) M), a selective antagonist of ETB receptors. Sarafotoxin S6c (10(-11)-10(-7) M) also induced a slight concentration-dependent vasoconstriction. The effect of sarafotoxin S6c (10(-8) M) was inhibited by the ETB-selective antagonist BQ788 (10(-7) M), but was not significantly changed by BQ123 (10(-7) M). Vasoconstriction induced by sarafotoxin S6c (10(-8) M) in a single bolus concentration was significantly greater than the contraction induced by the same concentration as part of a cumulative concentration-response curve, indicating desensitization or downregulation of ETB receptors during the latter. Repeated application of single concentrations of sarafotoxin S6c (10(-8) M) caused progressively smaller contraction of arteries. These results show the existence of both ETA and ETB vasoconstrictor receptors located on smooth muscle of small arteries. They also show that ETB receptors induce a smaller constrictor effect, and rapidly undergo desensitization after sustained or repeated activation.     

Responses of dairy cows supplemented with somatotropin during weeks 5 through 43 of lactation

Beginning at wk 5 of lactation, 136 cows (34 per treatment) were supplemented daily for 38 wk with 0, 10.3, 20.6, or 41.2 mg of recombinantly derived bST monomer. Cows were obtained from University of Kentucky, University of Minnesota, University of Pennsylvania, and The Ohio State University. Nine cows (4 at 0 mg/d, 1 at 10.3 mg/d, 1 at 20.6 mg/d, and 3 at 41.2 mg/d) did not complete the experiment because of health problems. Data from these cows were included in the reproduction and health databases but not in the production database. Cows supplemented with bST produced more milk, consumed more feed, had lower rates of BW gain, and had improved efficiencies of milk production (conversion of feed and NEL to milk). Additional increases in productivity were modest at 20.6 and 41.2 mg/d versus productivity at 10.3 mg/d of bST. Concentrations of fat, protein, and TS in milk were unaffected. At 10.3 mg/d, bST did not adversely affect reproduction or health.     

Familial transmission of a serious disease--producing group A streptococcus clone: case reports and review

Invasive group A streptococcus (GAS) infections are emerging diseases; however, person-to-person transmission of invasive GAS producing life-threatening infection has been observed rarely. We report a small intrafamilial cluster of life-threatening GAS infections. A previously healthy 47-year-old father developed necrotizing fasciitis of the neck. Two days later, his 16-year-old daughter developed streptococcal angina, pneumonia, and pleural empyema. Both patients had signs of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis revealed that the M6 strains of GAS isolated from the father and daughter had identical patterns. Cases of person-to-person transmission of invasive GAS infection reported in the literature are also reviewed.     

HLA gene and haplotype frequencies in the North American population: the National Marrow Donor Program Donor Registry

BACKGROUND: As of May 1, 1995, the National Marrow Donor Program had a donor registry consisting of over 1.35 million HLA-typed volunteers recruited from most major cities and states in the United States. This registry represents the largest single HLA-typed pool of normal individuals in the world. METHODS: We analyzed the HLA-A, -B, -DR locus phenotypes of the National Marrow Donor Program donors in order to estimate gene and haplotype frequencies for major racial groups of the United States: Caucasian American, Asian American, African American, Latin American, and Native American. The large size of the database allowed us to calculate the frequencies of relatively rare antigens and haplotypes with more accuracy than previous studies. RESULTS: We observed 89,522 distinguishable HLA-A, -B phenotypes in 1,351,260 HLA-A, -B-typed donors and 302,867 distinguishable HLA-A, -B, -DR phenotypes in 406,503 HLA-A, -B, -DR-typed donors. Gene and haplotype frequencies differed remarkably among the five racial groups, with African Americans and Asian Americans having a large number of haplotypes that were specific to their racial groups, whereas Caucasian Americans, Latin Americans, and Native Americans shared a number of common haplotypes. CONCLUSIONS: These data represent an important resource for investigators in the fields of transplantation and population genetics. The gene and haplotype frequencies can be used to aid clinicians in advising patients about the probability of finding a match within a specific ethnic group, or to determine donor recruitment goals and strategies. The information is also a valuable resource for individuals who are interested in population genetics, selection and evolution of polymorphic human genes, and HLA-disease association.     

A prospective study of the effect of fundoplication on primary and secondary peristalsis in the esophagus

BACKGROUND: Delay of prenatal care is an important risk for poor birth outcome, yet its association with maternal knowledge and beliefs remains insufficiently studied. This research examined the relationship of unintended childbearing and beliefs about the importance of prenatal care with initiation after the first trimester, adjusting for key sociodemographic determinants. METHODS: One hundred fifty-four Texas hospitals accounting for 80 percent of state births were asked to collect surveys from all women delivering infants during a one-week interval in 1986. Seventy-four percent of hospitals and 70 percent of women participated (n = 2032). No differences occurred between the sample and the population on rates of delayed care and low birthweight or maternal demographics. RESULTS: Since delayed prenatal care is more frequent among low-income women, analyses were limited to those below the 200 percent poverty level. After adjustment for maternal age, marital status, education, parity, race, and health insurance status employing logistic regression, unintended births were 1.6 times more likely to involve delayed care. Mothers who believed prenatal care was unimportant were 2.1 times more likely to delay care. These coefficients exceeded or about equaled those for the covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Preconception education about the value of prenatal care and family planning programs to prevent unintended pregnancies should be conducted together with efforts to overcome financial and structural barriers if progress toward national prenatal care objectives is to be achieved.     

Role of diameter differences among follicles in selection of a future dominant follicle in mares

Follicles > or = 5 mm were ablated in pony mares by a transvaginal ultrasound-guided technique on Day 10 (ovulation = Day 0). Follicle emergence (at 15 mm, experiment 1; at 6 mm, experiment 2) and development of the new wave was monitored by transrectal ultrasound. Deviation was defined as the beginning of a marked difference in growth rates between the two largest follicles. In experiment 1, mares were grouped (n = 4 per group) into controls, ablation-controls (ablations at Day 10 only), and a two-follicle model (periodic ablation sessions so that only the two largest follicles developed). There were no significant indications that the two-follicle model altered follicle diameters, growth rates, or time intervals of the two retained follicles at or between events (follicle emergence, deviation, and ovulation). In experiment 2, the two-follicle model (n = 14) was used for follicle and hormonal characterization and hypothesis testing, without the tedious and error-prone necessity for tracking many (e.g., 20) individual follicles. The future dominant follicle emerged a mean of 1 day earlier (p < 0.008) than the future subordinate follicle, the growth rates for the two follicles between emergence and deviation (6 days later) did not differ, and the dominant follicle was larger at the beginning of deviation (23.1 +/- 0.8 mm versus 19.6 +/- 0.9 mm; p < 0.0001). Mean FSH and LH concentrations increased (p < 0.05) concomitantly from emergence of the future dominant follicle and peaked 3 days later when the follicle was a mean of 13 mm. Thereafter, the two hormones disassociated until ovulation: FSH decreased and LH increased. Results supported the hypothesis that the future dominant follicle has an early size advantage over future subordinate follicles and indicated that the advantage was present as early as 6 days before deviation.     

Reducing the energy cost of protective anodizing

Minimizing the carbon footprint of electrochemical processes is an emerging challenge for electrochemists and engineers. Here, a knowledge-based methodology for development of protective anodizing cycles for aluminium alloys, enabling simultaneous tuning of electrolyte concentration, composition, temperature and process time for reduced energy consumption is presented. In order to achieve the anticorrosion properties, the morphology of the porous anodic oxides is optimized by applying advanced potential-time regimes and additions of environmentally, friendly corrosion inhibitors to the anodizing electrolyte to provide additional active protection. The anticorrosion performance of the porous anodic oxides is assessed rapidly by electrochemical noise analysis, with the electrochemical data validated by optical and electron-optical observations.