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The 'threat' of used guitars to guitar makers goes back farther than Bill Schultz's 1995 interview. I remember Mike Longworth of C.F. Martin & Co. remarking in the 1980s that [...]

The characteristics that made most leaders in corporate America successful--determination and the ability to excel in steady, hierarchical cultures--are no longer the only skills needed to lead in today's complex [...]

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a serious and life-altering disease that affects mainly women. PBC is slowly progressive and over a period of time may result in cirrhosis and/or liver [...]

Here, we report six novel, easily accessible BODIPY-based agents for cancer treatment. In contrast to established photodynamic therapy (PDT) agents, these BODIPY-based compounds show additional photothermal activity and their cytotoxicity is not dependent on the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The agents show high photocytotoxicity upon irradiation with light and low dark toxicity in different cancer cell lines in 2D culture as well as in 3D multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTSs). The ratio of dark to light toxicity (phototoxic index, PI) of these agents reaches striking values exceeding 830,000 after irradiation with energetically low doses of light at 630 nm. The oxygen-dependent mechanism of action (MOA) of established photosensitizers (PSs) hampers effective clinical deployment of these agents. Under hypoxic conditions (0.2% O2), which are known to limit the efficiency of conventional PSs in solid tumors, photocytotoxicity was induced at the same concentration levels, indicating an oxygen-independent photothermal MOA. With a PI exceeding 360,000 under hypoxic conditions, both PI values are the highest reported to date. We anticipate that small molecule agents with a photothermal MOA, such as the BODIPY-based compounds reported in this work, may overcome this barrier and provide a new avenue to cancer therapy.

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience at Chenot Palace, a detox spa in Switzerland including the Chenot Method's vegan diet plan, personalized treatment plan and three different programs offered.

The global green hydrogen rush is prone to repeat extractivist patterns at the expense of economies, ecologies, and communities in the production zones in the Global South. With a socio-ecological risk analysis grounded in energy, water, and environmental justice scholarship, we systematically assess the risks of the ‘green’ hydrogen transition and related injustices arising in 28 countries in the Global South with regard to energy, water, land and global justice dimensions. Our findings show that risks materialize through the exclusion of affected communities and civil society, the enclosure of land and resources for extractivist purposes, and through the externalization of socio-ecological costs and conflicts. We further demonstrate that socio-ecological risks are enhanced through country-specific conditions such as water scarcity, historical continuities such as post-colonial land tenure systems, as well as repercussions of a persistently uneven global politico-economic order. Contributing to debates on power, inequality, and justice in the global green hydrogen transition, we argue that addressing hydrogen risks requires a framework of environmental justice and a transformative perspective that encompasses structural shifts in the global economy, including degrowth and a decentering of industrial hegemonies in the Global North.

Corpus Christi, Texas, is rapidly becoming a strategic hub for U.S. crude oil exports. Since the repeal of the crude oil export ban in December 2015, crude exports from Gulf [...]

Landlords must carefully undertake the negotiation on continuous operation or go dark clauses because the profitability of shopping centers depends on the tenants' continued operations and sales from their premises. In the go dark clause, the tenant may discontinue its business regardless of breaking lease agreements. When breach of contract occurs, the tenant may consider terminating the leasing contract and file a case against the tenant for damages such as decreased percentage lease and diminished value of the shopping center.

Regulators should not exert least-cost and spot pricing demands on the public utilities market without allowing incentives for long-term, fixed-price contracts. Regulators should pursue unbundled services and rely on deregulated market forces to govern the utilities market. Long-term contracts should be preapproved and incentives, rather than regulations, should be used to achieve efficiency of cost and production. Absolute reliance on spot-pricing could lead to extreme fluctuations in pricing and would dissuade long-term investments., A trio of tenets state regulators can use to maximize benefits from natural gas and emission allowance markets. A DRAMATIC CHANGE HAS OCCURRED IN RECENT YEARS IN THE ROLE MARKETS [...]

In this study, we addressed an important drawback of our previously reported tetraplatinated (metallo)porphyrin-based photosensitizers (PSs) for photodynamic therapy (PDT), namely, the poor solubility in aqueous media. We aimed to create tetraplatinated porphyrin-based PSs that are soluble in aqueous media modified with polysorbate (Tween) and do not need to be pre-dissolved in organic solvents. A structural optimization of the previously reported PSs resulted in the synthesis of an extremely potent novel porphyrin-based PS. The novel PS displays effective phototoxicity upon light irradiation against multicellular tumor spheroids and has a phototoxic index (PI) of 6030 in HeLa cells. This PI value is, to the best of our knowledge, the highest value reported for any porphyrin so far.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is used to treat various cancerous diseases. Recently, we have demonstrated that platinated pyridyl-substituted porphyrins are potent agents for PDT with very high phototoxicity (IC50down to 17 nM) and excellent phototoxic indices of higher than 5800 (p.i. = IC50(dark)/IC50(light)) [Rubbiani, R.et al., Chem. Commun.2020, 56, 14373]. However, the absorption of porphyrins is not ideal for the treatment of larger tumors because they essentially do not absorb light between 650 and 850 nm. Herein, we report stable conjugates of a novel bacteriochlorin with cisplatin and transplatin. They exhibit extremely high phototoxicity (IC50values down to 6 nM, irradiated with a 750 nm LED at a fluence of 5 J/cm2), very low dark toxicity, and thereby extremely high phototoxic indices up to 8300. Based on these exciting results, we believe that platinated bacteriochlorins are promising candidates for further investigation as novel PDT anticancer agents.

Human papilloma virus (HPV) infection is an important risk factor in oropharyngeal cancer. Several studies have analyzed the association of tumoral HPV status and different imaging parameters in FDG-PET/CT and magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), with contradictory findings. In this retrospective study, the influence of HPV-status on different parameters in FDG-imaging and MR DWI is investigated.

The federal government has awarded a $426 million grant to the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District for the design, permitting, and construction of a Heavy Lift Terminal on the Samoa Peninsula to build offshore wind turbines. The terminal will have various impacts on the environment and local residents, which will be addressed in the environmental review process. The proposed terminal site was previously occupied by a lumber mill and will require remediation and elevation to accommodate sea level rise. The District is committed to developing a Green Terminal that prioritizes clean energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. The grant will partially fund the terminal project, including studies, permitting, and construction costs, with a 98 percent private match required. The site also needs to be cleaned up and protected from potential hazards such as tsunamis and earthquakes. [Extracted from the article]

Editor's note: The following is the second article in a three-part series discussing electricity industry, restructuring in the United States. The first article (EL&P) July/August 2005) examined the drivers behind [...]

At the heart of the current deregulation debate is the tension that exists between relying on competitive forces to guide investment in the industry and the desire to embrace cost-based [...]

We present the first lasing results of SwissFEL, a hard X-ray free-electron laser (FEL) that recently came into operation at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. SwissFEL is a very stable, compact and cost-effective X-ray FEL facility driven by a low-energy and ultra-low-emittance electron beam travelling through short-period undulators. It delivers stable hard X-ray FEL radiation at 1-Å wavelength with pulse energies of more than 500?µJ, pulse durations of ~30?fs (root mean square) and spectral bandwidth below the per-mil level. Using special configurations, we have produced pulses shorter than 1 fs and, in a different set-up, broadband radiation with an unprecedented bandwidth of ~2%. The extremely small emittance demonstrated at SwissFEL paves the way for even more compact and affordable hard X-ray FELs, potentially boosting the number of facilities worldwide and thereby expanding the population of the scientific community that has access to X-ray FEL radiation.

Awareness of the human health benefits of blueberries is underpinned by a growing body of positive scientific evidence from human observational and clinical research, plus mechanistic research using animal and in vitro models. Blueberries contain a large number of phytochemicals, including abundant anthocyanin pigments. Of their various phytochemicals, anthocyanins probably make the greatest impact on blueberry health functionality. Epidemiological studies associate regular, moderate intake of blueberries and/or anthocyanins with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, death, and type 2 diabetes, and with improved weight maintenance and neuroprotection. These findings are supported by biomarker-based evidence from human clinical studies. Among the more important healthful aspects of blueberries are their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions and their beneficial effects on vascular and glucoregulatory function. Blueberry phytochemicals may affect gastrointestinal microflora and contribute to host health. These aspects have implications in degenerative diseases and conditions as well as the aging process. More evidence, and particularly human clinical evidence, is needed to better understand the potential for anthocyanin-rich blueberries to benefit public health. However, it is widely agreed that the regular consumption of tasty, ripe blueberries can be unconditionally recommended.

The automotive design process is highly complex and is getting more diverse. With increasing possibilities in modeling, computing and analyzing, simulation driven design is essential to support this process. It has the advantage to reduce costs, time and the risk of wrong decisions. To achieve these benefits verification and validation is crucial, as they define the trustworthiness of simulation models. In the automotive domain, modeling and simulation is growing rapidly, while efforts for the theoretical examination of verification and validation are decreasing. There is a lack in describing the models’ credibility, because conventional validation neglects uncertainties. Since uncertainty in vehicle production is mostly documented especially in times of Industry 4.0, this potential is not used. To fill the gap, this paper develops a concept of a statistical framework, which integrates uncertainties in the verification and validation process of total vehicle simulations with Monte-Carlo sampling. Uncertainties of parameters due to measuring error and calibration, numerical and model uncertainties are considered. The application of the statistical framework in a longitudinal consumption simulation proves that uncertainty can be introduced through statistical validation. The evaluation of the framework demonstrates that it improves the reliability quantification of models and their simulation results. The increased knowledge about the product characteristics supports the simulation driven design process, reduces the risk of wrong decisions and raises the sustainability of products. It provides the basis for statistical validation in vehicle simulation to support transparent decision-making in the automotive design process.

In this Letter, we engineer the colors of all-dielectric metasurfaces by means of a metamodel-based optimization approach. This algorithm combines heuristic optimization and neural networks to retrieve the metasurface’s optimal geometrical parameters that serve to reproduce a prescribed color. The metasurfaces were fabricated and experimentally validated through dark field optical microscope images. We present typical results for periodic arrays of nanoparticles with arbitrary cross section. The approach is well-suited for color reproduction and is computationally inexpensive.

We present a finite element toolbox for the computation of Bogoliubov-de Gennes modes used to assess the linear stability of stationary solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation. Applications concern one (single GP equation) or two-component (a system of coupled GP equations) Bose-Einstein condensates in one, two and three dimensions of space. An implementation using the free software ▪is distributed with this paper. For the computation of the GP stationary (complex or real) solutions we use a Newton algorithm coupled with a continuation method exploring the parameter space (the chemical potential or the interaction constant). Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations are then solved using dedicated libraries for the associated eigenvalue problem. Mesh adaptivity is proved to considerably reduce the computational time for cases implying complex vortex states. Programs are validated through comparisons with known theoretical results for simple cases and numerical results reported in the literature. Program Title: FFEM_BdG_toolbox.zip CPC Library link to program files: https://doi.org/10.17632/dgypyc34gb.1 Licensing provisions: Apache 2.0 Programming language: ▪(v 4.12) free software (www.freefem.org) Nature of problem: The software computes Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) complex modes of Bose-Einstein condensates described by the Gross-Pitaevskii (GP) equation. BdG equations are obtained by linearizing the GP equation (or the system of coupled GP equations) around a stationary solution. Obtained BdG modes are used to assess on the stability of stationary states. Solution method: Stationary states of the GP equation are obtained by a Newton algorithm. Parameter space is explored using a continuation on the chemical potential. Once the stationary (complex or real) state is captured accurately, BdG modes are computed by solving the associated eigenvalue problem with the ARPACK library. Complex eigenvalues and eigenvectors are computed and stored. The wave function is discretized by P2 (piece-wise quadratic) Galerkin triangular (in 2D) or tetrahedral (in 3D) finite elements. Mesh adaptation is implemented to reduce the computational time. Examples are given for stationary states in one- and two-component Bose-Einstein condensates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Sitting down at his new desk, Larry reflected anxiously on the scope of his new role. He was now dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. In the past, he had sometimes joined fellow faculty members and administrators in criticizing solutions to the college's problems offered by the previous dean. Now, he was the one mulling over solutions to these problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a metamodel-based optimization technique to tailor the chromatic response of high-contrast-index gratings. The algorithm, which couples a population-based metaheuristic with a neural network, is used to retrieve the optimal geometrical parameters of a grating to reproduce a prescribed color. By means of some examples, we assess the possibilities and limitations of our optimization scheme. The numerical evidence found shows that the metamodel approach offers an alternative to traditional metaheuristic techniques that not only provides the best solution for a given geometry and a material but also significantly improves the computing time required for the optimization process.

Dopamine (DA) is known to modulate cognitive functions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of mammals, especially via D1 receptor mechanisms. Like the PFC, the neostriatum caudolaterale (NCL) of birds is characterized by dopaminergic input, and NLC and PFC lesions cause similar deficits. The significance of DA in a color discrimination reversal was assessed by evaluating the effects of bilateral infusions of the D1 receptor antagonist SCH 23390 into the NCL of pigeons (Columba livia). Reversal deficits were qualitatively similar to those in mammals. At a low dose, perseveration occurred predominantly to the incorrect stimulus. Higher doses caused additional spatial perseveration. The data demonstrate, for the first time, that D1 receptor mechanisms in the NCL of pigeons contribute substantially to its function in cognitive processes. Thus, the avian NCL and mammalian PFC could represent functionally equivalent neural networks under control of the DA system.

[T]his case presents novel issues of fundamental importance that should not be resolved by mechanical reliance on legal doctrine. --Superintendent v. Saikewicz(1) The state has an interest in "maintaining the [...]

ORIGINS OF THE BILL OF RIGHTS. By Leonard W. Levy. (1) New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. 1999. Pp. xii, 306. Hardcover, $30.00. As part of my Cold War era [...]

Hosting companies have been called the landlords of the new digital economy positioning your 'storefront' in the new marketplace. There are thousands of them, and they're not all created equal [...]

Objectives:Preclinical studies have shown that blueberry supplementation can improve cognitive performance and neural function in aged animals and have identified associations between anthocyanins and such benefits. Preliminary human trials also suggest cognitive improvement in older adults, although direct evidence of enhancement of brain function has not been demonstrated. In this study, we investigated the effect of blueberry supplementation on regional brain activation in older adults at risk for dementia.Methods:In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial we performed pre- and post-intervention functional magnetic resonance imaging during a working memory (WM) task to assess the effect of blueberry supplementation on blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, a risk condition for dementia.Results:Following daily supplementation for 16 weeks, blueberry-treated participants exhibited increased BOLD activation in the left pre-central gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, and left inferior parietal lobe during WM load conditions (corrected P < 0.01). There was no clear indication of WM enhancement associated with blueberry supplementation. Diet records indicated no between-group difference in anthocyanin consumption external to the intervention.Discussion:These data demonstrate, for the first time, enhanced neural response during WM challenge in blueberry-treated older adults with cognitive decline and are consistent with prior trials showing neurocognitive benefit with blueberry supplementation in this at-risk population.

Shortly after California's new paid-sick-leave law took effect this summer, Gov. Jerry Brown signed 'urgency' legislation that immediately amended many of its provisions, including the following: * While the law [...]

I love reading your articles and the unique perspective that you offer on the m.i. business. You are truly bringing a professional angle to our industry. David Kalt Chicago Music [...]

The vision of a competitive electric power sector depends upon market-determined prices as its fundamental driving force. In principle, like any markets, restructured electricity markets can be poor performers according [...]

Measuring the shift in the resonance wavelength of a high-Q dielectric whispering gallery mode resonator in the presence of a modified dielectric environment is a prime sensing strategy. To improve the sensitivity, means have to be identified that push the mode profile outside the resonator to enhance its interaction with the environment. Here, we study theoretically and numerically a photonic metadevice consisting of gold nanoparticles at a high concentration deposited on top of a microdisk resonator. Careful spectral tuning of the plasmonic resonance relative to the whispering gallery mode increases the sensitivity to a notable extent at an acceptable simultaneous decrease of the quality factor. Contrary to comparable approaches that rely on thin metallic films, which require in their fabrication an unprecedented precision, our metamaterial-inspired approach is robust against fabrication imperfection as the only critical parameter is the nanoparticle density.