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Substantial experimental and theoretical efforts worldwide are devoted to explore the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter. At LHC and top RHIC energies, QCD matter is studied at very high temperatures and nearly vanishing net-baryon densities. There is evidence that a Quark-Gluon-Plasma (QGP) was created at experiments at RHIC and LHC. The transition from the QGP back to the hadron gas is found to be a smooth cross over. For larger net-baryon densities and lower temperatures, it is expected that the QCD phase diagram exhibits a rich structure, such as a first-order phase transition between hadronic and partonic matter which terminates in a critical point, or exotic phases like quarkyonic matter. The discovery of these landmarks would be a breakthrough in our understanding of the strong interaction and is therefore in the focus of various high-energy heavy-ion research programs. The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR will play a unique role in the exploration of the QCD phase diagram in the region of high net-baryon densities, because it is designed to run at unprecedented interaction rates. High-rate operation is the key prerequisite for high-precision measurements of multi-differential observables and of rare diagnostic probes which are sensitive to the dense phase of the nuclear fireball. The goal of the CBM experiment at SIS100 (sNN= 2.7--4.9 GeV) is to discover fundamental properties of QCD matter: the phase structure at large baryon-chemical potentials (μB> 500 MeV), effects of chiral symmetry, and the equation of state at high density as it is expected to occur in the core of neutron stars. In this article, we review the motivation for and the physics programme of CBM, including activities before the start of data taking in 2024, in the context of the worldwide efforts to explore high-density QCD matter.

Correlations between the energy, charge and the deflection angle of the projectile-like fragments were studied for the 136Xe + 209Bi reaction at E=A = 28 and 62 MeV. These correlations are seen to exhibit features characteristic of dissipative orbiting, commonly found at bombarding energies of a few MeV/nucleon above the interaction barrier, but also reported in the Fermi-energy domain. It was found, that in the studied bombarding energy range, the reaction cross section is still dominated by the dissipative binary reactions of well defined projectile- and target-like fragments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The N/Z dependence of projectile fragmentation at relativistic energies has been studied in a recent experiment at the GSI laboratory with the ALADiN forward spectrometer coupled to the LAND neutron detector. Besides a primary beam of 124Sn, also secondary beams of 124La and 107Sn delivered by the FRS fragment separator have been used in order to extend the range of isotopic compositions of the produced spectator sources. With the achieved mass resolution of ΔA/A ≈ 1.5%, lighter isotopes with atomic numbers Z ≤ 10 are individually resolved. The presently ongoing analyses of the measured isotope yields focus on isoscaling and its relation to the properties of hot fragments at freeze-out and on the derivation of chemical freeze-out temperatures which are found to be independent of the isotopic composition of the studied systems. The latter result is at variance with the predictions for limiting temperatures as obtained with finite-temperature Hartree-Fock calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The A/Z dependence of projectile fragmentation at relativistic energies has been studied with the ALADIN forward spectrometer at SIS. A stable beam of (124)Sn and radioactive beams of (124)La and (107)Sn at 600 MeV per nucleon have been used in order to explore a wide range of isotopic compositions. Chemical freeze-out temperatures are found to be nearly invariant with respect to the A/Z of the produced spectator sources, consistent with predictions for expanded systems. Small Coulomb effects (DeltaT approximately 0.6 MeV) appear for residue production near the onset of multifragmentation.

Background: Calprotectin, also known as MRP8/14, is generated by immune cells and is altered in several inflammatory diseases. Studies have assessed their levels in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and its subtypes (stable CAD and acute coronary syndrome [ACS]). Herein, we aimed to systematically investigate these associations through a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in four online databases, including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and the Web of Science. Relevant studies were retrieved, screened, and extracted. Random‐effect meta‐analysis was performed for the calculation of standardized mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Blood calprotectin levels were compared between CAD patients and controls, as well as CAD subtypes. Results: A total of 20 studies were included in the systematic review and meta‐analysis, comprising 3300 CAD patients and 1230 controls. Patients with CAD had significantly higher calprotectin levels (SMD 0.81, 95% CI 0.32−1.30, p < 0.01). Similarly, patients with ACS were reported to have higher levels compared to those with stable CAD. However, there was no significant difference in terms of blood calprotectin levels between stable CAD cases and healthy controls. Finally, studies have shown that calprotectin could be used as a diagnostic biomarker of CAD while also predicting major adverse events and mortality in these patients. Conclusion: Based on our findings, calprotectin, as an inflammatory marker, could be used as a possible biomarker for patients with CAD and ACS. These suggest the possibility of pathophysiological pathways for this involvement and warrant further research on these associations as well as their clinical utility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diterpenoids are an important class of secondary metabolites in nature with diverse applications such as pharmaceuticals, flavors and fragrances. Sclareol, a plant-derived diterpene alcohol from Salvia sclarea, is most commonly used as the starting material for the production of hemisynthetic Ambrox, a valuable substitute for ambergris from sperm whales used in perfumery. Here, we engineered the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica as a chassis for sclareol overproduction. We constructed a de novo sclareol biosynthetic pathway by screening and engineering heterologous LPP synthase (Lpps) and sclareol synthase (Scs). By constructing a two-layer geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) accumulation pathway and scaffold-free multienzyme complexes, the metabolic flux was redirected toward sclareol synthesis, enabling significantly improved production of sclareol and reduced levels of by-products. The engineered strain was capable of producing 12.9 g L-1 of sclareol in a 5 L bioreactor, with this being the highest titer achieved to date. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of sclareol biosynthesis in Y. lipolytica, and this chassis strain may offer a groundbreaking foundation for the sustainable, large-scale fermentation of diterpenoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certain endangered Thymelaeaceous trees are major sources of the fragrant and highly valued resinous agarwood, comprised of hundreds of oxygenated sesquiterpenoids (STPs). Despite growing pressure on natural agarwood sources, the chemical complexity of STPs severely limits their synthetic production. Here, we catalogued the chemical diversity in 58 agarwood samples by two-dimensional gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and used synthetic biology to produce subsets of the complex STP mixtures found in agarwood. We improved STP yields in the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii by 25-fold through combinatorial engineering to biosynthesise nine macrocyclic STP backbones found in agarwood. A bioprocess following green-chemistry principles was developed that exploits 'milking' of STPs without cell lysis, solvent–solvent STP extraction, solvent–STP nanofiltration, and bulk STP oxy-functionalisation to obtain terpene mixtures like those of agarwood. This green bioprocess allows total solvent recycling and continuous production. Our synthetic biology and green bioprocess approach enables a more sustainable synthesis of complex, fragrant terpenes as an alternative to their exploitation from natural sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of different nuclear thermometers on studying symmetry energy are presented in sub-saturated density using the isospin-dependent quantum molecular dynamics model. Nuclear temperatures are found to depend on the symmetry energy. However, using different nuclear thermometers the symmetry energy dependence of the nuclear temperatures varies. Using the thermometer based on kinetic energy properties, the nuclear temperatures are higher for soft symmetry energy. The symmetry energy dependence is opposite for the isotope ratio thermometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) are a conspicuous group of ectotherms whose behavior, distribution, physiology, and fitness are regulated by temperature. Consequently, interest in traits like thermal tolerance that enable ants to survive and thrive in variable climates has increased exponentially over the past few decades. Here, we synthesize the published literature on the thermal tolerance of ants. We begin our review with discussion of common metrics: critical thermal limits, lethal thermal limits, knock-down resistance, chill-coma recovery, and supercooling. In particular, we highlight the ways each thermal metric is quantified and offer a set of methodological caveats for consideration. We next describe patterns and hypotheses for ant thermal tolerance along spatial and temporal temperature gradients. Spatially, we focus on relationships with latitude, elevation, urbanization, and microclimate. Temporally, we focus on seasonal plasticity, daily variation, dominance-thermal tolerance tradeoffs, and acclimation. We further discuss other sources of variation including evolutionary history, body size, age, castes, and nutrition. Finally, we highlight several topics of interest to ant thermal biologists, ranging in scope from methods development to the impacts of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied fragmentation properties of projectiles in peripheral heavy-ion collisions within a statistical ensemble approach. Distributions of projectile fragments are calculated for the reaction systems 86Kr on 58;64Ni and are compared to the experimental data for the same reactions at projectile energy of 15 MeV/nucleon. We assume that the projectile nuclei capture many neutrons from the targets as a result of the multinucleon transfer reactions (direct and fast reactions) at the first step of the dynamical stage of the collisions, and then the excited spectators are formed during the preequilibrium process (multistep reactions) long before the statistical equilibrium stage, and the deexcitation processes for the hot sources are simulated within the statistical multifragmentation model. It is seen that predicted results are in satisfactory agreement with experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A neutron spectrometer based on stilbene crystals has been developed by the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna, Russia). The timing resolution is determined as a function of the signal amplitude (σT = 0.18 ns at an amplitude of 1 MeV in the electron equivalent). The measured energy resolution of the detecting modules for γ rays is σE/E = 4.5% at E = 1 MeV. The quality of the n-γ discrimination is investigated. It is shown that reliable discrimination is possible, beginning with a deposited energy of 100 keV in the electron equivalent, which corresponds to the kinetic energy of recoil protons of ∼700 keV. The neutron spectrometer helps to significantly expand the experimental capabilities and to carry out correlation experiments with radioactive beams on the ACCULINNA-2 fragment separator at a new level of quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the tropics, daily temperature fluctuations can pose physiological challenges for ectothermic organisms, and upper thermal limits may affect foraging activity over the course of the day. Variation in upper thermal limits can occur among and within species, and for social insects such as ants, within colonies. Within colonies, upper thermal limits may differ among individuals or change for an individual throughout the day. Daytime foragers of the Neotropical ant Ectatomma ruidum have higher critical thermal maxima (CTmax) than nocturnal foragers, but whether these differences occur among or within colonies was not previously known. We investigated the potential mechanisms accounting for day/night variation in CTmax of E. ruidum foragers by testing whether CTmax varied among or within colonies or due to individuals within colonies acclimating to changes in temperature over a short time scale (3 h). We found within- but not among-colony differences in CTmax on a diel cycle, and we found no evidence for among- or within-colony partitioning of foraging times by individual workers. Individuals did not acclimate to experimental manipulations of temperature, although additional experiments with more ecologically relevant temperature manipulations are needed to rule out this mechanism. In summary, we have shown that day/night differences in upper thermal limits can occur within ant colonies, but further investigation is needed to elucidate the mechanisms driving this variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses heat-related hazards posed by inflatable bounce houses to children. It mentions that inflatable bounce houses are popular activities for young children at parties and other functions. It notes the increase in number of pediatric injuries from bounce houses. It outlines some records from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System that are used to analyze emergency room visits by patients under seventeen years of age treated for inflatable bounce house injuries.

In this work the DFT calculations were carried out by means of Gaussian09 program for chosen model cluster- mor Composite Building Unit of zeolites structures. Vibrational frequencies computations and infrared spectra were obtained subsequently for above model. The results of calculations have been compared with IR (MIR and FIR range) spectroscopic studies of zeolites belonging to 5-1 structural group (mordenite and ferrierite) after heavy metal cations (Ag, Zn, Cd, Pb, and Cr) immobilization. Changes in intensities and positions of the bands corresponding to the characteristic ring and Me-O vibrations have been observed. These rings occur in pseudomolecular complexes (built of [SiO] and [AlO] tetrahedra) which constitute the secondary building units and form zeolite framework. Based on the results of DFT method calculations, normal vibrations of the 5-1 unit terminated by different cations (Na, K) have been visualized. Obtained results have been applied for interpretation of experimental spectra of selected zeolites. The most significant changes have been determined in the region of pseudolattice vibrations (800-500 cm), as well as Me-O vibrations (below 400 cm). It was proven those cations' sorption causes changes in the experimental spectra of zeolites. Sorption has been conducted on monoionic forms of mordenite and ferrierite. Based on the results of the sorption/desorption experiments, the proportion of ion-exchange to chemisorption in the process and the effective cation exchange capacity of the individual samples have been estimated. Results of AAS studies have been compared with those obtained by vibrational (IR and Raman) spectroscopy. Changes in intensities and positions of the bands corresponding to the characteristic ring vibrations, due to the immobilization of heavy metal ions, have been observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homeless young adults are one of this country's most vulnerable populations, and information surrounding issues of subjective well-being among this particularly diverse population is scarce. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact social support, future expectations, and homeless cultural factors have on subjective well-being among homeless young adults. A purposive sample of 185 homeless young people, ages 18 to 23, and known to use alcohol or drugs, participated in the study. Multiple regression analyses showed that participants who had a higher level of subjective well-being reported significandy higher levels of social support, more optimistic expectations of the future, and a better perception of the flow of time. More fatalistic views of the future significantly predicted lower levels of subjective well-being. Findings suggest that service providers should focus on understanding the strengths of individuals and, specifically, gain a deeper understanding of homeless young adults' support networks and views of the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The performance of the LAND neutron detector is studied. Using an event-mixing technique based on one-neutron data obtained in the S107 experiment at the GSI laboratory, we test the efficiency of various analytic tools used to determine the multiplicity and kinematic properties of detected neutrons. A new algorithm developed recently for recognizing neutron showers from spectator decays in the ALADIN experiment S254 is described in detail. Its performance is assessed in comparison with other methods. The properties of the observed neutron events are used to estimate the detection efficiency of LAND in this experiment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The N/Z dependence of projectile fragmentation at relativistic energies has been studied with the ALADIN forward spectrometer at the GSI Schwerionen Synchrotron (SIS). Stable and radioactive Sn and La beams with an incident energy of 600 MeV per nucleon have been used in order to explore a wide range of isotopic compositions. For the interpretation of the data, calculations with the statistical multifragmentation model for a properly chosen ensemble of excited sources were performed. The parameters of the ensemble, representing the variety of excited spectator nuclei expected in a participant-spectator scenario, are determined empirically by searching for an optimum reproduction of the measured fragment-charge distributions and correlations. An overall very good agreement is obtained. The possible modification of the liquid-drop parameters of the fragment description in the hot freeze-out environment is studied, and a significant reduction of the symmetry-term coefficient is found necessary to reproduce the mean neutron-to-proton ratios /Z and the isoscaling parameters of Z⩽10 fragments. The calculations are, furthermore, used to address open questions regarding the modification of the surface-term coefficient at freeze-out, the N/Z dependence of the nuclear caloric curve, and the isotopic evolution of the spectator system between its formation during the initial cascade stage of the reaction and its subsequent breakup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Isotopic effects in projectile fragmentation at relativistic energies have been studied with the ALADIN forward spectrometer at SIS. Stable and radioactive Sn and La beams with an incident energy of 600 MeV per nucleon have been used in order to explore a wide range of isotopic compositions. Chemical freeze-out temperatures are found to be nearly invariant with respect to the ratio of the produced spectator sources, consistent with predictions for expanded systems. Consequences for the proposed interpretation of chemical breakup temperatures as representing the limiting temperatures predicted by microscopic models are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An author index for the 2008 issue of the "International Journal of Modern Physics E" is presented.