Search

An efficient genetic transformation protocol is necessary to edit genes for trait improvement directly in elite bread wheat cultivars. We used a protein fusion between a wheat growth-regulating factor 4 (GRF4) and its interacting factor (GIF1) to develop a reproducible genetic transformation and regeneration protocol, which we then used to successfully transform elite bread wheat cultivars Baj, Kachu, Morocco, Reedling, RL6077, and Sujata in addition to the experimental cultivar Fielder. Immature embryos were transformed with the vector using particle bombardment method. Transformation frequency increased nearly 60-fold with the GRF4-GIF1-containing vectors as compared to the control vector and ranged from ~5% in the cultivar Kachu to 13% in the cultivar RL6077. We then edited two genes that confer resistance against leaf rust and powdery mildew directly in the aforementioned elite cultivars. A wheat promoter, TaU3 or TaU6, to drive the expression of guide RNA was effective in gene editing whereas the OsU3 promoter failed to generate any edits. Editing efficiency was nearly perfect with the wheat promoters. Our protocol has made it possible to edit genes directly in elite wheat cultivars and would be useful for gene editing in other wheat varieties, which have been recalcitrant to transformation thus far.

This study presents a fine-scale simulation approach to assess the representativity of ammonia (NH3) measurements in the proximity of an emission source. Close proximity to emission sources (

Background Sarcopenia is defined as either low pre-operative muscle mass or low muscle density on abdominal CT imaging. It has been associated with worse short-term outcomes after surgery for colorectal liver metastases. This study aimed to evaluate whether sarcopenia also impacts long-term survival outcomes in these patients. Methods A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) outcomes were evaluated. Results Eleven studies were included, ten reporting on the impact of low muscle mass and four on low muscle density. Sample sizes ranged between 47 and 539 (2124 patients in total). Altogether, 897 (42%) patients were considered sarcopenic, although definitions varied between studies. Median follow-up was 21–74 months. Low muscle mass (hazard ration (HR) 1.35, 95%CI 1.08–1.68) and low muscle density (HR 1.97, 95%CI 1.07–3.62) were associated with impaired OS. Low muscle mass (pooled HR 1.17, 95%CI 0.94–1.46) and low muscle density (pooled HR 1.13, 95%CI 0.85–1.50) were not associated with impaired RFS. Discussion Sarcopenia is associated with poorer OS, but not RFS, in patients with CRLM. Additional studies with standardized sarcopenia definitions are needed to better assess the impact of sarcopenia in patients with CRLM.

The crystal structure of a polymorph of Glycyl-L-alanine HI.H2O was synthesized from chiral cyclic Glycyl-L-alanine dipeptide, known to show molecular flexibility in different environments. The space group is polar (P21) and therefore pyroelectricity and optical second harmonic generation properties are allowed by symmetry. We report a pyroelectric coefficient as high as 45 µC/m2K occurring at 345 K, one order of magnitude smaller than the semi-organic ferroelectric Triglycine Sulphate (TGS) crystal. Furthermore, the polymorph displays a nonlinear optical effective coefficient of 0.14 pm/V, around 14 times smaller than the value from a phase-matched inorganic Barium Borate (BBO) single crystal.

A polymorph of glycyl-L-alanine HI.H2O is synthesized from chiral cyclo-glycyl-L-alanine dipeptide. The dipeptide is known to show molecular flexibility in different environments, which leads to polymorphism. The crystal structure of the glycyl-L-alanine HI.H2O polymorph is determined at room temperature and indicates that the space group is polar (P21), with two molecules per unit cell and unit cell parameters a = 7.747 Å, b = 6.435 Å, c = 10.941 Å, α = 90°, β = 107.53(3)°, γ = 90° and V = 520.1(7) Å3. Crystallization in the polar point group 2, with one polar axis parallel to the b axis, allows pyroelectricity and optical second harmonic generation. Thermal melting of the glycyl-L-alanine HI.H2O polymorph starts at 533 K, close to the melting temperature reported for cyclo-glycyl-L-alanine (531 K) and 32 K lower than that reported for linear glycyl-L-alanine dipeptide (563 K), suggesting that although the dipeptide, when crystallized in the polymorphic form, is not anymore in its cyclic form, it keeps a memory of its initial closed chain and therefore shows a thermal memory effect. Here, we report a pyroelectric coefficient as high as 45 µC/m2K occurring at 345 K, one order of magnitude smaller than that of semi-organic ferroelectric triglycine sulphate (TGS) crystal. Moreover, the glycyl-L-alanine HI.H2O polymorph displays a nonlinear optical effective coefficient of 0.14 pm/V, around 14 times smaller than the value from a phase-matched inorganic barium borate (BBO) single crystal. The new polymorph displays an effective piezoelectric coefficient equal to deff=280pCN−1, when embedded into electrospun polymer fibers, indicating its suitability as an active system for energy harvesting.

Described here is a titanocene‐catalyzed reaction for the synthesis of acetals and hemiaminals from benzylic ethers and benzylic amines, respectively, with pendant epoxides. The reaction proceeds by catalysis in single‐electron steps. The oxidative addition comprises an epoxide opening. An H‐atom transfer, to generate a benzylic radical, serves as a radical translocation step, and an organometallic oxygen rebound as a reductive elimination. The reaction mechanism was studied by high‐level dispersion corrected hybrid functional DFT with implicit solvation. The low‐energy conformational space was searched by the efficient CREST program. The stereoselectivity was deduced from the lowest lying benzylic radical structures and their conformations are controlled by hyperconjugative interactions and steric interactions between the titanocene catalyst and the aryl groups of the substrate. An interesting mechanistic aspect is that the oxidation of the benzylic center occurs under reducing conditions., Oxidations with reducing agents? Fact and not fiction in a reaction featuring titanocene(III) catalysis, H‐atom transfer, and an organometallic oxygen rebound. Acetals and hemiaminals can be readily prepared from benzylic ethers and amines, respectively, under mild reaction conditions and in high yields. The structures of the radical intermediates were elucidated by the CREST program.

Teaching quantum communication is a challenging task when involving different technical and engineering backgrounds. The use of an approach that exploits the knowledge of these profiles, as well as other technological resources available for demonstrations or exercises, enhances this teaching. This paper presents as an example the "Quantum Communications Lab" that took place at the 6th INFIERI Summer School in 2021. In this lab, the access to the Madrid Quantum Communication Infrastructure (MadQCI) was an important resource available., Comment: Accepted for publication in JINST, 12 pages

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia is associated with impaired short- and long-term outcomes in gastrointestinal cancers. Whether sarcopenia is associated with impaired survival after local therapy of Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases (CRLM) remains controversial. This study aimed to determine the influence of sarcopenia on long-term outcomes after curative-intent therapy for CRLM.METHODS: Patients undergoing local therapy for CRLM between 2003 and 2019 were retrospectively analyzed using the skeletal muscle index at the level of the third lumbar vertebra as an indicator of sarcopenia. Factors associated with overall (OS) and disease-free (DFS) survival were analyzed using univariable and multivariable cox regression.RESULTS: In total 213/465 patients (46%) were considered sarcopenic. Sarcopenic patients had no impaired 5-year OS or DFS compared to non-sarcopenic patients, 38% vs 44% (p = 0.153) and 19 vs 23% (p = 0.339) respectively. Sarcopenia was not associated with impaired OS (HR = 1.11, 95%CI = 0.85-1.46, p = 0.43) or DFS (HR = 0.99, 95%CI = 0.77-1.28, p = 0.96) in multivariable analysis. There were no significant differences in postoperative complications (p = 0.47), the incidence (p = 0.65) and treatment (p = 0.37) of recurrent metastases. Five-year OS after resection for recurrences was 14% (sarcopenic) and 22% (non-sarcopenic) p 0.716.CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia assessed by computed tomography was not associated with impaired survival outcomes in the group of CRLM patients overall.

This study presents a fine scale simulation approach to assess the representativity of ammonia (NH3) measurements in proximity of an emission source. Close proximity to emission sources (

We describe a combination of catalysts that allows the coupling of titanocene(III) catalysis with photoredox catalysis. Oxidation of radical intermediates by a photoredox catalyst opens novel catal...

This paper describes the use of a Cascaded H-Bridge Multilevel Inverter to deal with the problem of partial shading in a photovoltaic system connected to the grid. Combined with the topology, it proposes the use of a virtual synchronous generator for power sharing between photovoltaic arrays and to ensure the connection to the power grid even in extreme shading situations with no power buffer. The experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the strategy adopted and the limitations to overcome.

This work compares the performance of two embedded FPGA controllers that can be used in Active Parallel Power Filters (APPF). Both controllers are validated through the FPGA-in-the-loop (FIL) technique, the algorithm’s synthesis is accomplished using the Quartus II® platform, and the board used is from Altera®—Cyclone IV DE2-115. The main difference between the controllers resides in the power theories used to obtain the currents for compensation. The results confirm that the FPGA is a suitable digital device for the parallel operation of multiple compensators and calculation stages, being a viable solution for the requirements imposed in the control of APPF. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the FIL technique for validating the operation of digital circuits and control systems is also confirmed. Finally, a comparison between the processing costs of each of the implemented power theories is presented to guide novel proposals.

The recent evolutions in the convergence of QKD and classical communication systems are described, together with the relevance of SDN as a suitable approach for a real integration between QKD and WDM networks. Preliminary experimental results on a discrete-variable QKD prototype working in the O-band co-propagating with 40 50-GHz C-band information channels are reported, showing the capabilities of QKD in short/medium reach optical networks.

Modern communication networks can be flexibly shaped and controlled using Software Defined Networking (SDN) paradigm. However, besides unprecedented functional benefits, this solution exploits an architectural single point of failure. Securing the communication among SDN functional element is therefore a critical requirement for improving the network reliability. A novel approach to secure communications is provided by Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) that is a physical layer technology capable to securely deliver symmetric encryption keys leveraging on quantum physic properties. Our research demonstrates how to provide unconditionally secure communication at SDN level dramatically improving the reliability of the communication network itself.

SBES RESEARCH TRACK -Continuous integration (CI) is a process widely used in projects of different types and sizes, generally aimed at improving development and also ensuring the quality of the software. However, some bad practices can mitigate or invalidate the beneficial effects of CI. In this context, we present an initial study to analyze CI bad practices in two closed-source projects. The study had as main research questions: (i) the frequency of CI bad practices in projects, (ii) the time that builds failures remain unresolved in projects, and (iii) the effects of CI bad practices on software health from the perspective of developers and project managers. For this, we carried out a mapping of the existence of bad practices through a questionnaire directed to the projects team. Also, it was realized the analysis of the pipeline history of the projects. Our findings indicate that the most common CI bad practices are related to improper management of the CI repository, and defective builds usually take a long time to fix. Besides, we found that the difficulties resulting from CI bad practices promote an increase in the development cost and reduction of software quality assurance.

We present a combined electrochemical, kinetic, and synthetic study with a novel and easily accessible class of titanocene catalysts for catalysis in single-electron steps. The tailoring of the electronic properties of our Cp2 TiX-catalysts that are prepared in situ from readily available Cp2 TiX2 is achieved by varying the anionic ligand X. Of the complexes investigated, Cp2 TiOMs proved to be either equal or substantially superior to the best catalysts developed earlier. The kinetic and thermodynamic properties pertinent to catalysis have been determined. They allow a mechanistic understanding of the subtle interplay of properties required for an efficient oxidative addition and reduction. Therefore, our study highlights that efficient catalysts do not require the elaborate covalent modification of the cyclopentadienyl ligands.

Breast cancer screening has been shown to reduce breast cancer-associated mortality. However, screening is limited to the targeted age group of 45 to 69 years in New Zealand despite the recognized increased risk with age. This study aims to compare the outcomes of women aged over 70 years with screen-detected and clinically detected cancers.A retrospective review was performed of prospectively collected data from June 2000 to May 2013 by the Auckland Breast Cancer Register. Demographic and tumor characteristics of women with invasive cancer and ductal carcinoma in situ diagnosis aged 70 years and over were compared between those screened and clinically detected. Five-year disease-free and overall survival outcomes were reviewed.A total of 2128 women aged 70 years and over were diagnosed with breast cancer (median, 77 years; interquartile range [IQR], 74-84 years). Of these, 416 (19.5%) were diagnosed through mammography screening, with a median age of 74 years (IQR, 71-77 years) compared with 79 years (IQR, 74-85 years) for those with clinical detected cancer diagnosis. Screen-detected cancers accounted for a significantly higher proportion of diagnoses in those aged 70 to 74 years compared with older patients (P .001). Screen-detected cancers were of lower T and N stages. Disease-specific survival was significantly longer in screen-detected cancers versus other cancers (5-year survival, 93.7% vs. 81.9%; P .001), as was overall survival (5-year survival, 84.7% vs. 57.4%; P .001).Screening in those aged 70 years and over continues to identify breast cancer at early stages and with improved survival. Although aware of the potential for lead-time bias and the healthy volunteer effect, there should still be consideration to extend breast cancer screening to patients aged to up 74 years after appropriate assessment of comorbidities and functional status.

Herein, the conversion times of biomass pyrolysis are measured at temperatures between 450 and 550 °C and particle size fractions between 0 and 400 μm using a cyclonic thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) device. Beech, spruce, and ash wood are investigated, as well as torrefied samples. The conversion time decreases with the increasing temperature from 7 to less than 1 s. The influence of the type of biomass on the conversion time is limited and only significant for low temperatures, when kinetics dominates the conversion process. A clear influence of the torrefaction process on the pyrolysis conversion time is noted and can be explained by the modified porosity of the biomass particles during the torrefaction process. Kinetic data are extracted from the conversion times, and a model is developed for a better interpretation of the measured results. The model shows good comparison with the experimental data and may also be used for design purposes of fast pyrolysis reactors.

Pain is a symptom of many disorders associated with actual or potential tissue damage in human body. Managing pain is not only a duty but also highly cost prone. The most primitive state of pain management is the assessment of pain. Traditionally it was accomplished by self-report or visual inspection by experts. However, automatic pain assessment systems from facial videos are also rapidly evolving due to the need of managing pain in a robust and cost effective way. Among different challenges of automatic pain assessment from facial video data two issues are increasingly prevalent: first, exploiting both spatial and temporal information of the face to assess pain level, and second, incorporating multiple visual modalities to capture complementary face information related to pain. Most works in the literature focus on merely exploiting spatial information on chromatic (RGB) video data on shallow learning scenarios. However, employing deep learning techniques for spatio-temporal analysis considering Depth (D) and Thermal (T) along with RGB has high potential in this area. In this paper, we present the first state-of-the-art publicly available database, 'Multimodal Intensity Pain (MIntPAIN)' database, for RGBDT pain level recognition in sequences. We provide a first baseline results including 5 pain levels recognition by analyzing independent visual modalities and their fusion with CNN and LSTM models. From the experimental evaluation we observe that fusion of modalities helps to enhance recognition performance of pain levels in comparison to isolated ones. In particular, the combination of RGB, D, and T in an early fusion fashion achieved the best recognition rate.

We present a combined electrochemical, kinetic, and synthetic study with a novel and easily accessible class of titanocene catalysts for catalysis in single-electron steps. The tailoring of the electronic properties of our Cp

In this paper, force and particle-image-velocimetry vorticity measurements of biologically inspired hover kinematics are compared to corresponding results of an unsteady aerodynamic vortex model and a Navier–Stokes (NS) solver. The Reynolds number and the reduced frequency are 4.8×103 and 0.38, respectively. Three kinematics derived from the measured hovering kinematics of an Agrius convolvuli are considered: 1) without elevation angle, 2) elevation angle accounted in the pitch angle, and 3) pure sinusoidal pitch–plunge neglecting higher harmonics. The Navier–Stokes computations show good qualitative agreement with experiments with consistent underprediction. The time-averaged thrust coefficients obtained using Navier–Stokes computations are 82 to 87% of the corresponding force measurements. The standard deviation of time history of thrust coefficients, also normalized by the measured time-averaged values, is 13 to 20%. The underprediction is possibly due to blockage effects in the experiments, also refle...

Summary Evidence is accumulating that calcium-rich microdeposits in the vascular wall might play a crucial role in the onset and progression of atherosclerosis. Here we investigated an atherosclerotic lesion of the carotid artery in an established murine model, i.e. the apolipoprotein E-deficient (APOE ) ⁄ ) ) mouse to identify (i) the presence of microcalcifications, if any, (ii) the elemental composition of microcalcifications with special reference to calcium ⁄ phosphorus mass ratio and (iii) co-localization of increased concentrations of iron and zinc with microcalcifications. Atherosclerosis was induced by a flow-divider placed around the carotid artery resulting in low and high shear-stress regions. Element composition was assessed with a proton microprobe. Microcalcifications, predominantly present in the thickened intima of the low shear-stress region, were surrounded by areas with normal calcium levels, indicating that calcium-precipitation is a local event. The diameter of intimal microcalcifications varied from 6 to 70 lm. Calcium ⁄ phosphorus ratios of microcalcifications varied from 0.3 to 4.8, mainly corresponding to the ratio of amorphous calciumphosphate. Increased iron and zinc concentrations commonly co-localized with microcalcifications. Our findings indicate that the atherosclerotic process in the murine carotid artery is associated with locally accumulated calcium, iron and zinc. The calcium-rich deposits resemble amorphous calcium phosphate rather than pure hydroxyapatite. We propose that the APOE ) ⁄ ) mouse, in which atherosclerosis was evoked by a flow-divider, offers a useful model to investigate the pathophysiological significance of accumulation of elements such as calcium, iron and zinc.

EnglishThe concept of emerging countries or economies appeared in the 1980s and gained currency when the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) seemed to be moving into a global leadership role. Though the concept remains ill-defined, “emergence” is frequently applied now to countries that show significant economic and social progress. With the rejection of the many economic programmes that are often dictated by development agencies (e.g. structural adjustment programmes), and echoing a resolve on the part of Africans to take their fate into their own hands, there is much talk today of the emergence of Africa and of emergence plans being drawn up in many countries. But the question remains open as to what emergence means, what the main drivers of emergence are and how performance can be evaluated, particularly when it comes to comparing the different trajectories of African countries. The Performances Group consultancy has developed an analysis grid for the process of emergence and produced a model based largely on a typology of the driving factors of emergence (collective ambition, leader- ship and vision, development of the private sector etc.) and economic and social performance indicators (economic growth, shared prosperity etc.). Its chief executive, Victor Ndiaye, and Ruben B. Djogbenou explain that analysis grid here and the way composite indicators have been established that make it possible to evaluate and compare the relative emergence of African countries. They propose an analytical framework for this process and, on the basis of the indicators selected, offer a league-table of countries detailing their performance levels between 2005 and 2015, which will no doubt spark considerable debate. francaisLe concept de pays ou economie emergent(e) est apparu dans les annees 1980 et a acquis sa renommee alors que les BRICS (Bresil, Russie, Inde, Chine et Afrique du Sud) semblaient en voie d’acceder a un leadership mondial. Bien que le concept demeure mal defini, il est desormais frequent de parler d’emergence pour qualifier les pays dont les performances temoignent de progres importants sur le plan economique et social. Tournant le dos aux nombreux programmes souvent dictes par les agences de developpement, tels les programmes d’ajustement structurel, et voulant ainsi temoigner de la volonte des Africains de prendre en main leur destin, on parle aujourd’hui de l’emergence de l’Afrique et des plans d’emergence mis en place dans nombre de pays. Mais la question reste entiere de savoir ce que recouvre cette notion, quels sont les principaux ressorts de l’emergence et comment les performances peuvent etre appreciees, notamment pour pouvoir comparer les trajectoires differentes des pays africains. Le cabinet Performances Group a mis au point une grille d’analyse du processus d’emergence et elabore un modele reposant principalement sur une typologie des facteurs moteurs de l’emergence (ambition collective, leadership et vision, developpement du secteur prive…) et des indicateurs en termes de performances economiques et sociales (croissance economique, prosperite partagee…). Son directeur general, Victor Ndiaye, et Ruben Djogbenou exposent ici cette grille d’analyse et la facon dont ont ete etablis des indicateurs synthetiques qui permettent d’evaluer et comparer l’emergence relative des pays africains. Ils proposent un cadre d’analyse pour ce processus et, sur la base des indicateurs retenus, presentent un classement des pays, ainsi que l’evolution de leurs performances entre 2005 et 2015, qui sans nul doute donnera lieu a bien des debats.

Printed broadsheet maps informing the public about current events were common during the early modern period. Information on the genesis of these maps is scarce, however. This article hopes to thro...

Human coronary arteries in both early and advanced stages of atherosclerosis were studied for understanding the nature of Ca deposits in terms of their Ca/P mass ratio with the use of Eindhoven nuclear microprobe. The ratios observed differed appreciably from that of hydroxyapatite (2.15), which is commonly referred to as the Ca component in arteries affected by atherosclerosis. Very small granular calcified structures were found in an early stage. Broadly, two types of calcified structures were observed: the Ca/P ratio corresponding to the advanced stage (3.18) was found higher compared to those for the early stage (1.46–1.77). It has been argued that besides phosphates, the large Ca/P ratio corresponding to intense calcification may be due to a Ca deposit with a different anion (oxalate, hydroxide or even carbonate), while, the lower ratios may be due to an additional inorganic phosphate. The distribution of S/P ratios was used to account for enhanced deposition of lipid materials in the affected area at the expense of proteins.

Nonuniform seismic motion affects the seismic behavior of long-span bridges. Three main reasons for this nonuniformity have been identified. They are local soil conditions, wave passage, and incoherency effects. Other effects, such as extended source and attenuation, are relatively small. The importance of nonuniform seismic motions, especially for sensitive and important structures, has led to the development of several methods of analysis. These methods can be subdivided into two general categories, deterministic and stochastic. Because of the inherent uncertainty of the nonuniform seismic motions, deterministic methods, mainly time integration methods, can be computationally inefficient. Stochastic methods have been based mainly on modal analysis methods. The input/output are described in terms of either power spectral density or response spectra. This paper presents a direct frequency-domain method that is based on formulating the whole soil-structure problem. The use of this direct frequency-domain m...

The important recent progress in three-dimensional boundary-layer transition research is reviewed with emphasis on the crossflow instability that leads to transition on swept wings with a favorable pressure gradient. Following a brief overview of swept-wing instability mechanisms and the crossflow problem, a summary of the important findings of the 1990s is given. The discussion is presented from the experimental viewpoint, and where appropriate, relevant comparisons with CFD are drawn. The recent research conducted with distributed roughness is described in more detail in order to underscore the latest developments concerning nonlinear effects and transition control. Sommario. I recenti importanti sviluppi sullo studio della tansizione in uno strato limite tridimensionale sono esaminati con particolare attenzione alla instabilita trasversale che conduce alla transizione su ali a freccia con gradiente di pressione favorevole. Dopo una breve descrizione dei meccanismi di instabilita sulle ali a freccia viene dato un riassunto degli importanti progressi ottenuti negli anni '90. La discussione e presentata dal punto di vista sperimentale e, ove appropriato, sono riportati confronti con la simulazione numerica. La recente ricerca, condotta con rugosita distribuita,e descritta con maggiore dettaglio allo scopo di presentare gli ultimi sviluppi concernenti gli effetti non lineari ed il controllo della transizione.

Sensors based on organic electronic devices are emerging in a wide range of application areas. Here we present a sensor platform using organic light emitting diodes (OLED) and organic photodiodes (OPD) as active components. By means of lamination and interconnection technology the functional foils with OLED and OPD arrays form an in-plane optical sensor platform (IPOS). This platform can be extended with a wireless data and signal processing unit yielding a sensor node. The focus of our research is to engage the node in a healthcare application, in which a bandage is able to monitor the vital signs of a person, a so-called Smart Bandage. One of the principles that is described here is based on measuring the absorption modulation of blood volume induced by the pulse (photoplethysmography). The information from such a bandage could be used to monitor wound healing by measuring the perfusion in the skin. The OLED and OPD devices are manufactured on separate foils and glass substrates by means of printing and coating technologies. Furthermore, the modular approach allows for the application of the optical sensing unit in a variety of other fields including chemical sensing. This, ultimately enables the measurement of a large variety of physiological parameters using the same bandage and the same basic sensor architecture. Here we discuss the build-up of our device in general terms. Specific characteristics of the used OLEDs and OPDs are shown and finally we demonstrate the functionality by simultaneously recorded photoplethysmograms of our device and a clinical pulseoximeter.

Although sarcomas are the most frequent primary malignant tumor of the heart, they very rarely involve only the left heart valves. A 72-year-old woman was diagnosed with a severe mitral valve disease and referred for cardiac surgery. Preoperative transthoracic echocardiography revealed a cardiac mass involving the mitral and aortic valves. The aortic valve had an unusual appearance, with a cystic mass protruding to the left ventricular outflow tract. The mitral valve apparatus was also involved, with chordal rupture. Extended resection and dual valve replacement was performed. A histological examination revealed an undifferentiated sarcoma. Postoperatively, neither chemotherapy nor radiotherapy therapy was used. Although most patients may benefit from adjunctive therapy, some respond well in the short term with only surgical resection, despite the poor prognosis of this rare entity.

The current paradigm reads that calcifications characterize the advanced and complex lesions in the atherosclerotic process. To explore the possibility that coronary artery wall calcifications already commence at an early stage of atherosclerosis, a combination of proton beam techniques with a (sub-) micrometer resolution, i.e., micro-proton induced X-ray emission, backward and forward scattering spectroscopy, was applied on human coronary arteries with lesions preceding overt atheromas. The detection limits of phosphorus and calcium in each separate pixel, 0.88*0.88 microm2 in size, were approximately 150 and 80 microg/g dry weight, respectively. Calcium distributions of entire coronary artery cross section were obtained, and calcifications were demonstrated at a preatheroma stage of the atherosclerotic process. The size of the microcalcifications varied between 1 and 10 microm. The composition of the microcalcifications was deduced from the calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. In order to quantify this ratio, the thickness of the specific X-ray absorber used for PIXE had to be accurately determined. Also, thick target PIXE calculations were performed and the method was validated. The calcium-to-phosphorus ratios of the microcalcifications were assessed with good accuracy and varied from 1.62 to 2.79, which corresponds with amorphous calcium phosphate.

Monitoring of personal wellbeing and optimizing human performance are areas where sensors have only begun to be used. One of the reasons for this is the specific demands that these application areas put on the underlying technology and system properties. In many cases these sensors will be integrated in clothing, be worn on the skin, or may even be placed inside the body. This implies that flexibility and wearability of the systems is essential for their success. Devices based on polymer semiconductors allow for these demands since they can be fabricated with thin film technology. The use of thin film device technology allows for the fabrication of very thin sensors (e.g. integrated in food product packaging), flexible or bendable sensors in wearables, large area/distributed sensors, and intrinsically low-cost applications in disposable products. With thin film device technology a high level of integration can be achieved with parts that analyze signals, process and store data, and interact over a network. Integration of all these functions will inherently lead to better cost/performance ratios, especially if printing and other standard polymer technology such as high precision moulding is applied for the fabrication. In this paper we present an optical transmission sensor array based on polymer semiconductor devices made by thin film technology. The organic devices, light emitting diodes, photodiodes and selective medium chip, are integrated with classic electronic components. Together they form a versatile sensor platform that allows for the quantitative measurement of 100 channels and communicates wireless with a computer. The emphasis is given to the sensor principle, the design, fabrication technology and integration of the thin film devices.

The introduction in the market of ubiquitous sensing applications relies heavily on the availability of affordable sensors. Key in the cost of a sensor is its modus of manufacture. In this paper a sensing scheme is presented, in which the signal transduction is based on an induced change in the optical path between an organic light emitting diode (OLED) and an organic photovoltaic (OPV) array. Using this platform, several aspects of cost efficient manufacturing technology are investigated. These aspects include the intrinsic printability of the active (OLED, responsive coating and OPV) components, which allows control of the local sensor functionality and sensitivity. It offers a large amount of freedom in sensor layout, while using relatively few process steps. Also investigated is the ability to realize the active devices on foil, which enables high throughput processing (e.g. in a reel-to-reel scheme). Moreover, the presented generic sensing scheme is of a modular design. It allows easy switching of the sensor functionality mostly by simply changing the transduction module. Since this does not affect the production parameters of the other components, these may be standardized, thus invoking favorable economies of scale.

Transition to turbulence in swept-wing flows has resisted correlation with linear theory because of its sensitivity to freestream conditions and 3-D roughness and because one of the principal instability modes quickly becomes nonlinear. In the face of such a formidable problem, two rather long-term fundamental efforts have been underway at DLR Gottingen and Arizona State University that address swept-wing transition. These efforts have been recently reviewed by Bippes (1997) and Reibert & Saric (1997). The present work is a continuation of studies on swept-wing boundary layers. In particular, we have taken advantage of the sensitivity to 3-D roughness and the modal nature of the instability in order to propose a particular control strategy.

Transition to turbulence in swept-wing flows has resisted correlation with linear theory because of its sensitivity to freestream conditions and 3-D roughness and because one of the principal instability modes quickly becomes nonlinear. In the face of such a formidable problem, two rather long-term fundamental efforts have been underway at DLR Gb'ttingen and Arizona State University that address swept-wing transition. These efforts have been recently reviewed by Bippes (1997) and Reibert and Saric (1997). Thus, the present work is a continuation of a series of studies on swept-wing boundary layers which have led to a better understanding of the transition process. In particular, we have taken advantage of the sensitivity to 3-D roughness and the modal nature of the instability in order to propose a particular control strategy.

Large Plexiglas columns were used to evaluate the changes in the forms and amounts of nitrogen in the bottom waters and sediments of three freshwater lakes during stratified (anoxic) and turnover (aerated) conditions. Sampling ports and permanently placed black Pt electrodes were installed so that water and sediment phases could be monitored. Sediment lZh declined rapidly to -150 to -250 mV and remained at this level irrespective of the oxygen concentration in the overlying water. During anoxic conditions, NHa-N was released to the water at a relatively constant rate. Aeration affected rapid nitrification. Nitrate in the overlying water decreased with time, possibly due to diffusion into the highly reduced sediment and subsequent denitrification. Lake sediments can significantly affect the nutrient concentrations of the overlying waters (Foess and Feng 1971). One factor that affects the transformation and exchange of nutrients at the sediment-water interface is the redox potential of the sediment-water system (Mortimer 1941, 1942; Hutchinson 1957; Gorham 1958; Gorham and Swaine 1965; Lee 1970a). The potential measured with an inert clcctrodc (Eh) is often used as a qualitative measure of redox conditions in natural systems even though it defies quantitative interpretation due to the complexity of these systems. Whitficld ( 1969), Bohn ( 1968, 1971), Morris and Stumm ( 1967) and Garrels and Christ (1965) have reviewed the problems and limitations of measurement and interpretation of the Eh status of natural systems. Some of these stem from the performance of the inert metal electrodes while others are associated with the complexity of natural systems. Natural systems are inherently dynamic and thus no true equilibrium potential can be measured l Supported by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin and by Environmental Protection Agency Grant 16010 EHR, K. L. Chen assisted with laboratory analyses. 2 Present address : Soils Department, University of Florida, Gainesville 32601. 3 Present address: Department of Soil Science, University of the Philippines, Los Banos Units, College, Laguna, The Philippines. ( Whi tficld 1969 ) , although steady states may be approximated. Also microenvironments bearing no relationship to the total environment may be measured, while in some instances highly reversible redox reactions having no general significance to the chemistry of the environment may be responsible for the Eh level (Whitfield 1969). Despite these limitations, Eh values measured with inert metal electrodes may be utilized as a qualitative measure of the intensity of redox conditions in the environment (Whitfield 1969; van DcrWeijden et al. 1970; Bohn 1971). Most of the redox reactions in soils and aquatic environs are biologically mediated. Under aerobic conditions molecular oxygen serves as the electron acceptor in microbial metabolism while the electron donor is organic C for heterotrophs or reduced inorganic compounds for autotrophs. Eh is relatively insensitive to dissolved oxygen and remains nearly constant down to values of 0.1% saturation (Greenwood 1962). When dissolved oxygen is depleted, alternate electron acceptors are utilized. This stage generally corresponds to an Eh of +300 to +350 mV (Turner and Patrick 1968) and involves, initially, facultative microorganisms. Several redox systems may bc operating in these first stages of anaerobic respiration. However, it is generally bclicvcd that, if present, NOs is the first electron acceptor following depletion of LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY 908 NOVEMBER 1973, V. 18(6) ?7 L 1;fl. ANlJ NllllUbLN ’ I-m ---““‘T TRANSFORMATIONS dissolved oxygen. Nitrate stabilizes the Eh at about +200 to +lOO mV (Redman and Patrick 1965; Bell 1969; Bailey and Beauchamp 1971). Manganese and Fe follow NO3 as electron acceptors. Reduction of SO.*“to S2occurs after Fe reduction and begins at about 0 to -150 mV (Parr 1969) ; this is the start of the second stage of anaerobic digestion and involves obligate anaerobes. Below -150 mV, H+ and CO2 are reduced forming Ha and CHZi. The H2 system appears to be the terminal system in reduced soils (Ponnamperuma et al. 1966 ) . The nitrogen budget of a lake may bc significantly affected by the Eh status of the sediments and the scdimcnt-water interface. Sediment organic nitrogen can act as a source of inorganic nitrogen to the lake water through ammonification. Byrncs et al. (1972) have shown that sediment NH4 (interstitial and exchangeable) rapidly reaches equilibrium with the overlying water and that much of the NH4 mineralizcd from decaying organic matter in the sediment is soon returned to the overlying water. If the lake water contained oxygen it is likely that the NH4 would be rapidly converted to NO3 as it moved out of the anaerobic sediment ( Chen et al. 1972b), particularly in alkaline lakes where the pH is favorable for nitrification. This might then actually result in a loss of nitrogen from the lake as some of this NO3 would likely diffuse back into the anaerobic scdimcnt and bc denitrified (Chen et al. 1972c; Mortimcr 1941). It is not known how much of the NO3 might diffuse into the sediment but the fate of that which does can bc postulated from the work of Chen et al. ( 1972a), in which nitrate ( 15N labeled) added to Wisconsin lake sediment samples disappeared within 4 days: 37 s of the added NO3 was immobilized and 63% was denitrified and lost from the system, It was also shown that the newly immobilized nitrogen was subject to rapid mineralization. Detailed discussion of nitrogen transformations in the aquatic environment can bc found in Kecney ( 1973) and Brezo

Coconut water (CW) was obtained from matured nuts and used as culture medium for rhizobial isolates C11, C4 from Centrosema pubescens; L15, L5 from Leucaena leucocephala; M5, M4 from Vigna radiata (mungbean); P7, P3 from Arachis hypogaea (peanut) and S38, S13 from Glycine max (soybean). Growth responses of these isolates in CW media, yeast extract mannitol broth (YEMB) and basal medium (BM) were determined after 4 days incubation at 30°C. The CW media were: aseptically collected CW (aseptic CW), original pH 5.4, aseptic CW, adjusted pH 7; sterilized CW (121°C at 15 psi for 18 min), pH 5.4, sterilized CW, pH 7.0; CW + NH4C1 (50 mg/ 100 ml), pH 5.2; and CW + K2HP04 (100 mg/100 ml), pH 6.0. Growth responses were rated according to optical density at 420 nm as follows: >1.0 = 4; 0.7 to 0.9 = 3; 0.4 to 0.6 = 2; 0.1 to 0.3 = 1