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In this study, direct numerical simulations of turbulent channel flow with superhydrophobic surfaces (SHS) were performed. The staggered SHS pattern alternating the free-shear and no-slip regions was designed to be robust to variations in the main flow direction. A constant-pressure gradient condition was imposed, and the Reynolds number was set to Re τ = 180 and 395. The bulk mean velocity in the SHS case increased compared with the no-slip case, and the effect was enhanced by increasing the size of the free-shear region l b +. The main reason for the increase in bulk mean velocity was the increase in slip velocity (or slip length). If the size of the free-shear region was small, the drag-reduction rate was found to be proportional to the slip velocity. However, the turbulent contribution to the bulk mean velocity remained almost unchanged in the no-slip case owing to the negative coherent component of the Reynolds shear stress. • We perform DNS to investigate friction drag reduction for a turbulent channel flow. • The staggered SHS pattern alternating the free-shear and no-slip regions was imposed on the wall. • The bulk mean velocity increased, and the effect was enhanced by increasing the size of the free-shear region. • The increase in bulk mean velocity was the increase in slip velocity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

East Balkan Swine (EBS) Sus scrofa is the only aboriginal domesticated pig breed in Bulgaria and is distributed on the western coast of the Black Sea in Bulgaria. To reveal the breed's genetic characteristics, we analysed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and Y chromosomal DNA sequences of EBS in Bulgaria. Nucleotide diversity (πn) of the mtDNA control region, including two newly found haplotypes, in 54 EBS was higher (0.014±0.007) compared with that of European (0.005± 0.003) and Asian (0.006±0.003) domestic pigs and wild boar. The median-joining network based on the mtDNA control region showed that the EBS and wild boar in Bulgaria comprised mainly two major mtDNA clades, European clade E1 (61.3%) and Asian clade A (38.7%). The coexistence of two mtDNA clades in EBS in Bulgaria may be the relict of historical pig translocation. Among the Bulgarian EBS colonies, the geographical differences in distribution of two mtDNA clades (E1 and A) could be attributed to the source pig populations and/or historical crossbreeding with imported pigs. In addition, analysis of the Y chromosomal DNA sequences for the EBS revealed that all of the EBS had haplotype HY1, which is dominant in European domestic pigs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dirac version of static meson exchange interactions provides a good description of low-energy NN scattering as well as very reasonable saturation properties in Dirac-Brueckner calculations of nuclear matter. We include retardation terms to make these interactions covariant and readjust the coupling constants so as to maintain a reasonable description of NN scattering. In this case, we find the Dirac-Brueckner approximation to nuclear matter to be extremely overbound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report the magnetic and transport properties of Yb2TGe6 (T=Ni, Cu, Pd, Pt) which crystallize in the orthorhombic Ce2CuGe6–type structure. The unit cell volume increases by 6% on going from the compound with T=Ni to that with T=Pt. For T=Ni, the magnetic susceptibility χ has a maximum at 75K and the thermopower exhibits a minimum of −28μV/K at 200K, which are characteristic behaviors of a valence fluctuating Yb compound. The electronic specific heat coefficient γ of 100mJ/K2 mol-f.u. for T=Ni decreases to 28mJ/K2 mol-f.u. for T=Pd. The χ(T) for T=Pd and Pt shows very weak temperature dependence. This change from a valence fluctuating state for T=Ni to an enhanced Pauli paramagnetic state for T=Pd and Pt may be caused by the increase of the interatomic distances between the Yb atom and the ligand atoms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This contribution summarizes the predictions obtained in the domain of superheavy nuclei from self-consistent microscopic calculations employing the Gogny force. Results concerning shell gaps, fission barriers and stability against alpha-decay are recalled. Recent work involving α-decay chains in odd nuclides is also presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We report the measurements of magnetic susceptibility , specific heat C, electrical resistivity , and thermopower S of CeRhBi and CeIrSb, which are isostructural to the Kondo semimetal CeRhSb. For CeRhBi, C/T turns upward with decreasing temperature below 8K, and increases in proportion to down to 0.6K. Non-Fermi-liquid behavior appears also in (T) and (T); ) and ). These observations indicate that CeRhBi is a system located in the vicinity of a quantum critical point. CeIrSb, on the other hand, is classified as a valence fluctuating system from a large negative paramagnetic Curie temperature of and a broad maximum of S(T) at 130K. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary Background Th2 and Th1 cells have been suggested to express CCR3/CCR4 and CCR5/CXCR3, respectively. Objective We examined CCR3, CCR4, CCR5 and CXCR3 expression and cytokine production in peripheral blood CD4+ T cells from patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), which has been postulated to be a Th2-type cell-mediated disease, and then analysed the possible correlation between these values and the levels of several clinical parameters. Methods Intracellular cytokine production and chemokine receptor expression in peripheral blood CD4+ T cells from 40 AD patients and 20 sex- and age-matched healthy control subjects were studied by flow cytometry. Results The frequencies of IL-4- and IL-13-producing CD4+ T cells from patients with AD were significantly higher than those from healthy control subjects (IL-4:3.9 ± 2.1% vs. 1.6 ± 0.7%, P = 0.0005, IL-13:4.0 ± 2.1% vs. 1.8 ± 0.8%, P = 0.0023), whereas the frequencies of IL-2- and IFN-γ-producing CD4 + T cells were significantly decreased in AD patients (IL-2:38.1 ± 10.3% vs. 51.3 ± 6.3%, P = 0.0003, IFN-γ: 9.9 ± 3.5% vs. 26.4 ± 4.6%, P < 0.0001). The percentage of CCR4 + cells in CD4 + CD45RO + T cells in AD patients was significantly higher than that in healthy control subjects (24.4 ± 8.0% vs. 10.9 ± 2.3%, P < 0.0001) and was correlated positively with the total serum IgE, serum lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) level, eosinophil number, eruption score, and IL-4 and IL-13 secretion in CD4 + T cells, and inversely with IL-2 and IFN-γ secretion in CD4 + T cells. In contrast, CCR3 was not detected on circulating CD4 + T cells even in AD patients. On the other hand, the percentage of CCR5 + or CXCR3 + cells in CD4 + CD45RO + T cells in AD patients was significantly decreased (CCR5:23.2 ± 7.0% vs. 28.4... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proton-rich isotopes of Ga, Ge, As, Se and Br had their total reaction cross-sections (σR) measured. Root-mean-squared matter radii were determined from Glauber model calculations, which reproduced the experimental σR values. For all isotopic series a decrease of the rrms with increasing neutron number and a correlation with deformation was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy integrated reaction cross-section measurements of around sixty neutron-rich nuclei covering the region of closed shells N = 20 and N = 28 were performed at intermediate energy (30-65 A . MeV) using direct method. In this experiment, silicon detectors were used as active targets. The reduced strong absorption radii, r02, for 19 new nuclei (27F, 27,30Ne, 33Na, 28, 34-35Mg, 36-38Al, 38-40Si, 41-42P, 42-44S and 45Cl) are deduced for the first time. An additional 60 radii, also measured in this experiment, are compared to results from literature. A new quadratic parametrization is proposed for the nuclear radius as a function of the isospin in the region of closed shells N = 8 and N = 28. According to this parametrization, the skin effect is well reproduced and anomalous behaviour on the radii are observed in 23N, 29Ne, 33Na, 35Mg, 44S, 45Cl and 45Ar nuclei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proton-rich isotopes of Ga, Ge, As, Se and Br had their total reaction cross sections (σR) measured. Root-mean-squared matter radii were determined from Glauber model calculations, which reproduced the experimental σR values. For all isotopic series a decrease of the rrms with increasing neutron number was observed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Proton reaction cross-section measurements on various stable and neutron-rich nuclei (4,6He, 7–9Li, 9–11Be, 21–24F, 22–26Ne, 25–29Na and 29–32Mg) were performed via the attenuation method at intermediate energies (∼35–75AMeV) and using a cryogenic hydrogen target. The results are discussed in the framework of different approaches of the nucleon–nucleus potential. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The frequency, clinical profile, treatment and outcome of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were assessed retrospectively, based on the case records of SLE of the Jichi Medical School Hospital over a 20 year period. Clinically defined SAH was found in 10 (3.9%) out of 258 SLE patients, which represented a frequency higher than previously assumed. Five patients had active SLE and lacked an apparent cause of SAH, other than SLE. A high mortality rate (5/5), no visible aneurysm on angiogram (3/4), and an onset during intractable SLE or after discontinued or no steroid therapy because of medical noncompliance (4/5) were characteristic of patients with active SLE, and thus an earlier successful suppression of SLE, if possible, might have prevented their SAH. In contrast, in the 5 patients with inactive SLE, 2 out of 3 saccular aneurysms were successfuly clipped and small bleeding of one patient without aneurysms remitted spontaneously without the need for additional steroid therapy. When one death, which occurred outside of medical care, was excluded, the survival ratio of the hospitalized SAH patients with inactive SLE was significantly better than that with active SLE (3/4 versus 0/5, P=0.0476). In conclusion, the relatively common occurrence of SAH in SLE patients, and a significantly different clinical impact of SAH in respect to active and inactive SLE, were suggested from the results. Lupus (2000) 9, 521–526. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The Ce 4f-derived states in CeRhX (X) were directly examined by means of high-resolution 3d–4f resonance photoemission spectroscopy. Compared with the Kondo metal CePtSn, which has a low Kondo temperature, CeRhX has a strong Ce 4f1 weight near the Fermi level (E F) and has a weak Ce 4f0 peak, indicating a strong valence fluctuation. The Ce 4f1 spectral features indicate that the c-f hybridization strength in CeRhSn is weaker than that in CeRhIn. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]