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Direct-acting oral anticoagulants (DOACs) represent the standard for preventing stroke and systemic embolization (SSE) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). There is limited information for patients ≥ 80 years. We report a retrospective analysis of AF patients ≥ 80 years prescribed either a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved reduced (n = 514) or full dose (n = 199) DOAC (Dabigatran, Rivaroxaban, or Apixaban) between January 1st, 2011 (first DOAC commercially available) and May 31st, 2017. The following multivariable differences in baseline characteristics were identified: patients prescribed a reduced dose DOAC were older (p 0.001), had worse renal function (p = 0.001), were more often prescribed aspirin (p = 0.004) or aspirin and clopidogrel (p 0.001), and more often had new-onset AF (p = 0.001). SSE and central nervous system (CNS) bleed rates were low and not different (1.02 vs 0 %/yr and 1.45 vs 0.44 %/yr) for the reduced and full dose groups, respectively. For non-CNS bleeds, rates were 10.89 vs 4.15 %/yr (p 0.001, univariable) for the reduced and full doses, respectively. The mortality rate was 6.24 vs 1.75 %/yr (p = 0.001, univariable) for the reduced and full doses. Unlike the non-CNS bleed rate, mortality rate differences remained significant when adjusted for baseline characteristics. Thus, DOACs in patients ≥ 80 with AF effectively reduce SSE with a low risk of CNS bleeding, independent of DOAC dose. The higher non-CNS bleed rate and not the mortality rate is explained by the higher risk baseline characteristics in the reduced DOAC dose group. Further investigation of the etiology of non-CNS bleeds and mortality is warranted.

Aluminium casting alloys are important for numerous industrial applications. Due to the high affinity of aluminium melts for the absorption of hydrogen, hydrogen-related porosity is regarded as one of the main defects affecting the quality of castings. The use of rotor degassing and/or chemical degassing tablets prior to casting are state of the art to reduce the hydrogen content of the melt but require the use of additional substances and are often difficult to digitize. Due to its purely physical operating principle ultrasonic degassing (USD) is considered an environmentally friendly alternative to the established procedures and allows digital process monitoring. However, its small primary treatment zone, the cavitation zone, is the reason why the USD has so far been denied widespread industrial use. The approach presented here aims at an USD of aluminium casting alloy A356 in the basin prior to tilt casting. Here the melting volumes are sufficiently small. By using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) analyses, CFD simulation and casting tests, this case of application was systematically investigated. It could be shown that the approach followed contributes to a significant reduction of the hydrogen dissolved in the melt by more than 50 % resulting in an increase of mechanical properties, especially elongation.

No abstract available.

Photoproduction of $\eta$ mesons off $^{12}$C, $^{40}$Ca, $^{93}$Nb, and $^{nat}$Pb nuclei has been measured with a tagged photon beam with energies between 0.6 and 2.2 GeV. The experiment was performed at the Bonn ELSA accelerator with the combined setup of the Crystal Barrel and TAPS calorimeters. It aimed at the in-medium properties of the S$_{11}$(1535) nucleon resonance and the study of the absorption properties of nuclear matter for $\eta$ mesons. Careful consideration was given to contributions from $\eta\pi$ final states and secondary production mechanisms of $\eta$-mesons e.g. from inelastic $\pi N$ reactions of intermediate pions. The analysis of the mass number scaling shows that the nuclear absorption cross section $\sigma_{N\eta}$ for $\eta$ mesons is constant over a wide range of the $\eta$ momentum. The comparison of the excitation functions to data off the deuteron and to calculations in the framework of a BUU-model show no unexplained in-medium modifications of the S$_{11}$(1535)., Comment: Accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J. A

People with low Self-directedness (SD) tend to explain their behaviour as being significantly influenced by events in the external environment. One important dimension of external cues is their level of salience: highly salient external stimuli are more likely to capture attention, even when such stimuli are not relevant to goals. We examined whether adults reporting low SD would exhibit greater susceptibility to distraction by highly salient external stimuli. Fifty-four (42 males) subjects completed the Attention Modulation by Salience Task (AMST) measuring reaction times to early- or late-onset auditory stimuli in the presence of high- or low-salience visual distractors. SD was assessed via self-report, and analyses tested the relationship between SD and performance on the AMST. Results showed a slowed early response to auditory cues during high salience compared to low salience. Indeed, individuals reporting low SD showed stronger salience interference, suggesting that external causality attribution is accompanied by a subconscious perceptual deficit.

Photoproduction of two neutral pions off the proton is studied using linearly polarized photons, and the polarization observables I-s and I-c are measured for the first time. These two observables are unique to multi-meson final states; they characterize correlations between the linear photon polarization and the direction of outgoing single particles in photoproduction of three-body final states. The I-s and I-c distributions suggest that, in the 1.8 to 2.0 GeV mass region, the N(1520) 3/2(-)pi intermediate state is reached with reaction dynamics consistent with a dominant J(P) = 3/2(+) wave. These data are included in the Bonn-Gatchina (BnGa) partial wave analysis which is based on a large variety of data; the analysis confirms a significant contribution from the reaction chain gamma p -> N(1900)3/2(+) -> N(1520)3/2(-)pi(0) -> p pi(0)pi(0). (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

BackgroundLocal structural and metabolic as well as inter-regional connectivity abnormalities have been implicated in the neuropathology of major depressive disorder (MDD). How local tissue properties affect intrinsic functional connectivity is, however, unclear. Using a cross-sectional, multi-modal imaging approach, we investigated the relationship between local cortical tissue abnormalities and intrinsic resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) in MDD.MethodA total of 20 MDD in-patients and 20 healthy controls underwent magnetic resonance imaging at 3 T for structural and functional imaging. Whole-brain cortical thickness was calculated and compared between groups. Regions with reduced cortical thickness defined seeds for subsequent whole-brain RSFC analyses. Contributions of structural tissue abnormalities on inter-regional RSFC were explicitly investigated.ResultsLower cortical thickness was observed in MDD in the right dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (PFC), superior temporal gyrus/temporal pole, middle-posterior cingulate cortex, and dorsolateral PFC. No differences in local fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations were observed. Lower thickness in patients' dorsomedial PFC further directly and selectively affected its RSFC with the precuneus, which was unaffected by symptom severity. No effects of cortical thickness in other regions showing abnormal thickness were observed to influence functional connectivity.ConclusionsAbnormal cortical thickness in the dorsomedial PFC in MDD patients was observed to selectively and directly affect its intrinsic connectivity with the precuneus in MDD patients independent of depression severity, thereby marking a potential vulnerability for maladaptive mood regulation. Future studies should include an unmedicated sample and replicate findings using independent component analysis to test for morphometric effects on network integrity.

Background: Depression is commonly conceptualized as corticolimbic dysregulation. Due to insufficient studies in normal aged populations especially subcortical sources of disconnection are unclear in contrast to potentially general parietal white matter (WM) deficits. This may be due to important influences of variable patient characteristics, most importantly episode severity. Especially thalamic disconnections have been functionally revealed, however, their structural correlates have not been distinctly investigated for its highly diverse subnuclei. Methods: We compared 20 major depressive disorder (MDD) patients with mixed Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) severity to matched controls in fractional anisotropy (FA) derived from diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Robust acquisition of 4 repetitions restricted to twelve directions, also to match the same parameters used by Eckert et al. (2011) who described a preferential architecture of centromedian (CM) and mediodorsal (MD) thalamic connections. Second to whole brain analysis, we tested for group differences within the preferred structural network of these two nuclei using a tract of interest (TOI) approach. Results: Significant FA deficits in a whole brain analysis were only found in right parietal WM (po 0.05, corrected). Effects of severity were found for increasing thalamic FA. Post hoc analysis revealed this effect to be restricted to CM specific tracts. In contrast, we found MD to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) tracts to be decreased in FA. Unspecific decreases between MD and CM towards amygdala were paralleled by primary amygdala FA reductions. Limitations: Specificity of the TOI approach and heterogenous sample. Conclusions: Robust parietal FA reductions, controlled for age effects were found in MDD. Further we revealed subcortical disease state dependency of FA in thalamic tracts, specific to predescribed preferential connections.

In order to fully constrain paleo-carbonate systems, proxies for two out of seven parameters, plus temperature and salinity are required. The boron isotopic composition (δ11B) of planktonic foraminifera shells is a powerful tool to reconstruct changes in past surface ocean pH. As B(OH)4− is substituted into the biogenic calcite lattice in place of CO32−, it has been suggested that B/Ca ratios in biogenic calcite are a possible proxy for [CO32−]. However, differentiating between the effects of pH and [CO32−] is problematic, as they co-vary closely in natural systems, and so the major control on boron incorporation remains unclear. To deconvolve the effects of pH and [CO32−] on the B/Ca ratio and to test whether δ11B remains constant at constant pH, but under changing [CO32−] (pH 8.05 with 238, 285 and 532 µmol kg−1 CO32−) and vice versa, we decoupled pH and [CO32−] (276 ± 19.5 µmol kg−1 CO32− with pH 7.7, 7.9 and 8.05) and grew the planktonic foraminifer Orbulina universa in these manipulated culture media. Measurements of the isotope composition of boron and the B/Ca ratio were performed simultaneously using a femtosecond laser ablation system coupled to an MC ICP-MS. Results show that δ11B is controlled by pH and does not respond to changes in [CO32−]. On the other hand, the B/Ca ratio is driven by [HCO3−] independently of pH. This suggests that B/Ca ratios in foraminiferal calcite may be used as a second, independent, proxy for paleo-carbonate system reconstructions.

The photoproduction of η ′ -mesons off different nuclei has been measured with the CBELSA/TAPS detector system for incident photon energies between 1500–2200 MeV. The transparency ratio has been deduced and compared to theoretical calculations describing the propagation of η ′ -mesons in nuclei. The comparison indicates a width of the η ′ -meson of the order of Γ = 15 – 25 MeV at ρ = ρ 0 for an average momentum p η ′ = 1050 MeV / c , at which the η ′ -meson is produced in the nuclear rest frame. The inelastic η ′ N cross section is estimated to be 3–10 mb. Parameterizing the photoproduction cross section of η ′ -mesons by σ ( A ) = σ 0 A α , a value of α = 0.84 ± 0.03 has been deduced.

The photoproduction of 2π$^{0}$ mesons off protons was studied with the Crystal Barrel/TAPS experiment at the electron accelerator ELSA in Bonn. The energy of photons produced in a radiator was tagged in the energy range from 600 MeV to 2.5 GeV. Differential and total cross sections and pπ$^{0}$ π$^{0}$ Dalitz plots are presented. Part of the data was taken with a diamond radiator producing linearly polarized photons, and beam asymmetries were derived. Properties of nucleon and Δ resonances contributing to the pπ$^{0}$ π$^{0}$ final state were determined within the Bonn-Gatchina (BnGa) partial-wave analysis. The data presented here allow us to determine branching ratios of nucleon and Δ resonances for their decays into pπ$^{0}$ π$^{0}$ via several intermediate states. Most prominent are decays proceeding via Δ(1232)π, N(1440)1/2$^{+}$ π, N(1520)3/2$^{−}$ π, N(1680)5/2$^{+}$ π, but also pf$_{0}$(500), pf$_{0}$(980), and pf$_{2}$(1270) contribute to the reaction.

ZusammenfassungDepressive Störungen zeichnen sich mehr als andere psychiatrische Störungen durch eine zentrale Psychopathologie auch in Abwesenheit expliziter Aufgaben aus. Bei der Depression sind solche krankheitsspezifischen Defizite einer veränderten Reagibilität auf externale Stimulation zu sehen, welche je nach Valenz des Stimulus, in Form eines verminderten Ansprechens auf belohnungsrelevante Reize oder eines vermehrten Ansprechens auf bestrafungsrelevante Reize nachzuweisen sind. Es findet sich in Krankheitssymptomen wie der Anhedonie ein Hinweis auf eine verringerte intrinsische motivationale Komponente, welche ohne expliziter Kontextsituationen dysfunktionales Verhalten, wie etwa einen sozialen Rückzug zur Folge haben kann. Am deutlichsten sind Hinweise auf eine Pathophysiologie von Ruhezuständen am Beispiel der vermehrten Grübelneigungen zu eruieren, welche sich meist spontan einstellen, und in denen Patienten insbesondere bei fehlender Ablenkung zum Teil über Stunden verharren können. Aus diesen Gründen ist es das Ziel dieses Übersichtsartikels, diejenigen Befunde aus verschiedenen bildgebenden Methoden zu beschreiben, die im Abwesenheit expliziter Stimuli erhoben wurden und somit eine besondere Rolle in der Erklärung der Pathophysiologie von Depression spielen können.

The polarization observable I^s, a feature exclusive to the acoplanar kinematics of multi-meson final states produced via linearly polarized photons, has been measured for the first time. Results for the reaction g p -> p pi0 eta are presented for incoming photon energies between 970 MeV and 1650 MeV along with the beam asymmetry I^c. The comparably large asymmetries demonstrate a high sensitivity of I^s to the dynamics of the reaction. Fits using Bonn-Gatchina partial wave analysis demonstrate that the new polarization observables carry significant information on the contributing partial waves., 11 pages, 6 figures, v2 to appear in Phys. Lett. B

Decays of baryon resonances in the second and the third resonance region into N pi(0)pi(0) are studied by photoproduction of two neutral pions off protons. Partial decay widths of N* and Delta* resonances decaying into Delta(1232)pi, N(pi pi)(S), N(1440)P-11 pi, and N(1520)D-13 pi are determined in a partial wave analysis of this data and of data from other reactions. Several partial decay widths were not known before. Interesting decay patterns are observed which are not even qualitatively reproduced by quark model calculations. In the second resonance region, decays into Delta(1232)pi dominate clearly. The N(pi pi)(S)-wave provides a significant contribution to the cross section, especially in the third resonance region. The P-13(1720) properties found here are at clear variance to PDG values. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The COMPASS experiment makes use of the CERN SPS high-intensitymuon and hadron beams for the investigation of the nucleon spin structure and the spectroscopy of hadrons. One or more outgoing particles are detected in coincidence with the incoming muon or hadron. A large polarized target inside a superconducting solenoid is used for the measurements with the muon beam. Outgoing particles are detected by a two-stage, large angle and large momentum range spectrometer. The setup is built using several types of tracking detectors, according to the expected incident rate, required space resolution and the solid angle to be covered. Particle identification is achieved using a RICH counter and both hadron and electromagnetic calorimeters. The setup has been successfully operated from 2002 onwards using a muon beam. Data with a hadron beam were also collected in 2004. This article describes the main features and performances of the spectrometer in 2004; a short summary of the 2006 upgrade is also given., 84 papes, 74 figures

An important consideration for marketers is determining the best approach to take when marketing their product or service across national borders. It has become clear that the answer to this is not as simple as complete standardization or adaptation, and the appropriate approach may be contingent on a complex set of variables. One key aspect of the puzzle relates to an understanding of the attitudes and behaviours of consumers. The current study examines consumer style (variables related to the way people engage in their consumption activities) as an important area of consideration related to international marketing efforts. Consumer style was investigated in three European countries and the US, using data from the DDB Brand Capital Study (a multi-country survey). Although results showed that country differences are evident on consumption style, a cluster analysis suggests that there were four segments of consumers that transcend country boundaries. The findings add to our knowledge about consumers in these countries and the characteristics of the segments with respect to differing styles of consumption. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The photoproduction of 2$\pi^0$ mesons off protons was studied with the Crystal Barrel/TAPS experiment at the electron accelerator ELSA in Bonn. The energy of photons produced in a radiator was tagged in the energy range from 600\,MeV to 2.5\,GeV. Differential and total cross sections and $p\pi^0\pi^0$ Dalitz plots are presented. Part of the data was taken with a diamond radiator producing linearly polarized photons, and beam asymmetries were derived. Properties of nucleon and $\Delta$ resonances contributing to the $p\pi^0\pi^0$ final state were determined within the BnGa partial wave analysis. The data presented here allow us to determine branching ratios of nucleon and $\Delta$ resonances for their decays into $p\pi^0\pi^0$ via several intermediate states. Most prominent are decays proceeding via $\Delta(1232)\pi$, $N(1440)1/2^+\pi$, $N(1520)3/2^-\pi$, $N(1680)5/2^+\pi$, but also $pf_0(500)$, $pf_0(980)$, and $pf_2(1270)$ contribute to the reaction.

The N pi(0)pi(0) decays of positive-parity N* and Delta* resonances at about 2 GeV are studied at ELSA by photoproduction of two neutral pions off protons. The data reveal clear evidence for several intermediate resonances: Delta(1232), N(1520)3/2(-), and N(1680)5/2(+), with spin parities J(P) = 3/2(+), 3/2(-), and 5/2(+). The partial wave analysis (within the Bonn-Gatchina approach) identifies N(1440)1/2(+) and the N(pi pi)s (wave) (abbreviated as N sigma here) as further isobars and assigns the final states to the formation of nucleon and Delta resonances and to nonresonant contributions. We observe the know Delta(1232)pi decays of Delta(1910)1/2(+), Delta(1920)3/2(+), Delta(1905)5/2(+), Delta(1950)7/2(+), and of the corresponding spin-parity series in the nucleon sector, N(1880)1/2(+), N(1900)3/2(+), N(2000)5/2(+), and N(1990)7/2(+). For the nucleon resonances, these decay modes are reported here for the first time. Further new decay modes proceed via N(1440)1/2(pi)(+), N(1520)3/2(pi)(-) , N(1680)5/2(pi)(+), and N sigma. The latter decay modes are observed in the decay of N* resonances and at most weakly in Delta(*) decays. It is argued that these decay modes provide evidence for a 3-quark nature of N* resonances rather than a quark-diquark structure.

Omega photoproduction off hydrogen and deuterium has been studied with the tagged photon beam of the ELSA accelerator in Bonn for photon energies up to 2.0 GeV. The omega meson has been identified via the omega -> pi(0) gamma -> gamma gamma gamma decay mode, using the combined setup of the Crystal Barrel/TAPS detector systems. Both inclusive and exclusive analyses have been carried out. Differential and total cross-sections have been derived for omega mesons produced off free protons and off protons and neutrons bound in deuterium. The cross-section for the production off the bound neutron is found to be a factor of a parts per thousand 1.3 larger than the one off the bound proton in the incident beam energy region 1.2 GeV

Composition of fatty acids (FA) was studied in bacteria Vibrio anguillarum, total and lysosomal lipids of cestodes Eubothrium crassum and Diphyllobothrium dendriticum, and roe of the roach Rutilus rutilus, carp Cyprinus carpio, and salmon Salmo salar. Bacteria collected from different geographic zones but cultivated under the similar conditions have been found to maintain the FA spectra peculiarities substantially corresponding to temperature conditions of their habitat region. Unsaturation of total lipids in D. dendriticum, determined from the ratio between saturated, monoenoic, and polyenoic acids was higher than that of lysosome membrane lipids. This phenomenon might be due to pre-adaptation of the lipid FA composition of eggs produced in huge amounts by a parasite to low temperatures of environment, in which embryos are to be developed. Quantitative ratios of lipid FA in the roach, carp, and salmon roes correspond to the spawning thermal tolerance diapason specific of some particular fish species and to some extent do not depend on real temperature conditions existing at the moment of development.

The Nπ^{0}π^{0} decays of positive-parity N^{*} and Δ^{*} resonances at about 2 GeV are studied at ELSA by photoproduction of two neutral pions off protons. The data reveal clear evidence for several intermediate resonances: Δ(1232), N(1520)3/2^{-}, and N(1680)5/2^{+}, with spin parities J^{P}=3/2^{+}, 3/2^{-}, and 5/2^{+}. The partial wave analysis (within the Bonn-Gatchina approach) identifies N(1440)1/2^{+} and the N(ππ)_{S wave} (abbreviated as Nσ here) as further isobars and assigns the final states to the formation of nucleon and Δ resonances and to nonresonant contributions. We observe the known Δ(1232)π decays of Δ(1910)1/2^{+}, Δ(1920)3/2^{+}, Δ(1905)5/2^{+}, Δ(1950)7/2^{+}, and of the corresponding spin-parity series in the nucleon sector, N(1880)1/2^{+}, N(1900)3/2^{+}, N(2000)5/2^{+}, and N(1990)7/2^{+}. For the nucleon resonances, these decay modes are reported here for the first time. Further new decay modes proceed via N(1440)1/2^{+}π, N(1520)3/2^{-}π, N(1680)5/2^{+}π, and Nσ. The latter decay modes are observed in the decay of N^{*} resonances and at most weakly in Δ^{*} decays. It is argued that these decay modes provide evidence for a 3-quark nature of N^{*} resonances rather than a quark-diquark structure.

This paper compares the experiences of two New Zealand tourist destination communities (Rotorua and Kaikoura). Overall, Rotorua residents perceive less impact (both negative and positive) from tourism and its associated phenomena compared with people in Kaikoura. This arises for a number of reasons. In Rotorua the ratio of tourists to residents is lower and tourists are more spread around the district than is the case in Kaikoura. To residents of Rotorua, tourism is a source of stability and local people feel that the industry is locally controlled. In comparison, Kaikoura residents associate tourism with as series of rapid changes that have occurred since the mid-1980s. In Rotorua, there is a well-developed partnership between the public and private sector and most Rotorua residents appear to trust the management of tourism more than do the residents of Kaikoura. Using qualitative methods, community history and structure were found to be important in understanding how communities adapt to, and manage, tourism.

Photoproduction off protons of the pπ 0 η three-body final state was studied with the Crystal Barrel/TAPS detector, at the electron stretcher accelerator ELSA in Bonn, for incident energies from the π 0 η production threshold up to 2.5 GeV. Differential cross sections and the total cross sections are presented. The use of linearly polarized photons gives access to the polarization observables Σ, I s , and I c , the latter two characterize beam asymmetries in case of three-body final states. Δ(1232)η, N(1535)1/2− π, and pa 0(980) are the dominant isobars contributing to the reaction. The partial wave analysis confirms the existence of some nucleon and Δ resonances, for which so far only fair evidence was reported. A large number of decay modes of known nucleon and Δ resonances is presented. It is shown that detailed investigations of decay branching ratios may provide a key to unravelling the structure of nucleon and Δ resonances.

We present a measurement of the deuteron spin-dependent structure function g1d based on the data collected by the COMPASS experiment at CERN during the years 2002-2004. The data provide an accurate evaluation for Gamma_1^d, the first moment of g1d(x), and for the matrix element of the singlet axial current, a0. The results of QCD fits in the next to leading order (NLO) on all g1 deep inelastic scattering data are also presented. They provide two solutions with the gluon spin distribution function Delta G positive or negative, which describe the data equally well. In both cases, at Q^2 = 3 (GeV/c)^2 the first moment of Delta G is found to be of the order of 0.2 - 0.3 in absolute value., Comment: fits redone using MRST2004 instead of MRSV1998 for G(x), correlation matrix added

In photoproduction experiments, a large number of final states yielding various resonance contributions are accessible. To extract resonance parameters via partial-wave analysis not only the measurement of differential cross-sections is necessary, but also the determination of polarization observables. At the electron accelerator ELSA (Bonn) the coherent bremsstrahlung method was used to generate a linearly polarized photon beam. Using the CBELSA/TAPS detector setup, the beam asymmetry Σ in the reaction γp → pπ 0 η was determined as a function of various masses and angles for photon energies between 970MeV and 1650MeV.

BaTiO3 ceramics doped with Sb donors and Mg acceptors have been fabricated. The lattice constant ratio c/a and the Curie point Tc decrease with increasing Sb concentration. The minimum room temperature resistivity ρmin of the codoped BaTiO3 occurs at a composition of 0.9 mole% Sb2O3-1 mole% MgO as compared to the literature reported ρmin at 0.3 mole% antimony for the Sb2O3-doped BaTiO3. The Mg2+ ion acts as an acceptor in the BaTiO3 ceramics, which compensates the donor contribution from Sb3+ and shifts the doped-BaTiO3 semiconducting region to higher antimony content. The calculated donor concentration confirms the compensation effect of Mg acceptors over Sb donors. The temperature dependence of both barrier height and dielectric constant of specimens is discussed. © 1998 Chapman & Hall

A mobile and easily practicable microsampling technique for historical glasses and its application is presented. About 100 μg of material is scraped off the object with a fine grinding file. The analysis of main, minor and trace elements in the digested sample is performed by IC, GFAAS and FIA with photometric detection. The procedure has been verified by measurements of standard glasses. Investigations of baroque ruby glasses showed the suitability of the microsampling technique for archaeometrical application.

Major depression is a prevalent disorder that imposes a significant burden on society, yet objective laboratory-style tests to assist in diagnosis are lacking. We employed network-based analyses of “resting state” functional neuroimaging data to ascertain group differences in the endogenous cortical activity between healthy and depressed subjects. We additionally sought to use machine learning techniques to explore the ability of these network-based measures of resting state activity to provide diagnostic information for depression. Resting state fMRI data were acquired from twenty two depressed outpatients and twenty two healthy subjects matched for age and gender. These data were anatomically parcellated and functional connectivity matrices were then derived using the linear correlations between the BOLD signal fluctuations of all pairs of cortical and subcortical regions. We characterised the hierarchical organization of these matrices using network-based matrics, with an emphasis on their mid-scale “modularity” arrangement. Whilst whole brain measures of organization did not differ between groups, a significant rearrangement of their community structure was observed. Furthermore we were able to classify individuals with a high level of accuracy using a support vector machine, primarily through the use of a modularity-based metric known as the participation index. In conclusion, the application of machine learning techniques to features of resting state fMRI network activity shows promising potential to assist in the diagnosis of major depression, now suggesting the need for validation in independent data sets.

Precise data for quasi-free photoproduction of $\eta$ mesons off the deuteron have been measured at the Bonn ELSA accelerator with the combined Crystal Barrel/TAPS detector for incident photon energies up to 2.5 GeV. The $\eta$-mesons have been detected in coincidence with recoil protons and neutrons. Possible nuclear effects like Fermi motion and re-scattering can be studied via a comparison of the quasi-free reaction off the bound proton to $\eta$-production off the free proton. No significant effects beyond the folding of the free cross section with the momentum distribution of the bound protons have been found. These Fermi motion effects can be removed by an analysis using the invariant mass of the $\eta$-nucleon pairs reconstructed from the final state four-momenta of the particles. The total cross section for quasi-free $\eta$-photoproduction off the neutron reveals even without correction for Fermi motion a pronounced bump-like structure around 1 GeV of incident photon energy, which is not observed for the proton. This structure is even narrower in the invariant mass spectrum of the $\eta$-neutron pairs. Position and width of the peak in the invariant mass spectrum are $W\approx 1665$ MeV and FWHM $\Gamma\approx 25$ MeV. The data are compared to the results of different models., Comment: accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J. A

N-dodecylimidazole is a compound which acquires detergent properties under acidic conditions and might be useful in killing selectively cells in those regions of solid tumours which have a reduced extracellular pH (pHe). We have therefore studied the effects of N-dodecylimidazole against malignant cells in tissue culture. N-dodecylimidazole displayed pHe-dependent cytotoxicity against EMT-6 and MGH U1 cells; cell killing was dose dependent and was 100-fold greater at pHe 6.0 than pHe 7.0. Reduced toxicity of N-dodecylimidazole was observed at higher cell concentrations (> 10(6) cells ml-1), and only minor effects were observed against multicellular tumour spheroids. Potential mechanisms of action of N-dodecylimidazole include detergent-mediated lysis of the cell membrane at low pHe, and selective uptake into lysosomes where detergent activity leads to rupture of the lysosomal membrane and release of cytolytic enzymes. Inhibition of activity of cysteine proteases by the inhibitor E-64 did not protect cells against the toxicity of N-dodecylimidazole, suggesting that these lysosomal enzymes do not play a major role in the mechanism of action of this compound. Lysis of erythrocytes (which contain no lysosomes) was observed with low concentrations of N-dodecylimidazole. Dependence of cell lysis on cell concentration was similar to that observed for two other detergents that act on the plasma membrane, Triton X-100 and sodium dodecyl sulfate. We conclude that N-dodecylimidazole causes pHe dependent cell killing in two cultured tumour cell lines, and that its mechanism of action is probably due to acid mediated production of detergent activity which acts primarily on the cell plasma membrane.