Soybeans: World Production Continues To Expand

published or submitted for publicationnot peer reviewe

Chandra and XMM-Newton studies of the supernova remnant G292.2-0.5 associated with the pulsar J1119-6127

We present the first detailed imaging and spatially resolved spectroscopic study of the Galactic supernova remnant G292.2-0.5, associated with the high-magnetic field radio pulsar J1119-6127, using Chandra and XMM-Newton. The high-resolution X-ray images reveal a partially limb-brightened morphology in the west, with diffuse emission concentrated towards the interior of the remnant unlike the complete shell-like morphology observed at radio wavelengths. The spectra of most of the diffuse emission regions within the remnant are best described by a thermal+non-thermal model. The thermal component is described by a plane-parallel, non-equilibrium ionization plasma model with a temperature ranging from 1.3 keV in the western side of the remnant to 2.3 keV in the east, a column density increasing from 1.0e22 cm^-2 in the west to 1.8e22 cm^-2 in the east, and a low ionization timescale ranging from 5.7e9 cm^-3 s in the SNR interior to 3.6e10 cm^-3 s in the western side - suggestive of expansion of a young remnant in a low-density medium. The spatial and spectral differences across the SNR are consistent with the presence of a dark cloud in the eastern part of the SNR, absorbing the soft X-ray emission. The spectra from some of the regions also show slightly enhanced metal abundances from Ne, Mg and Si, hinting at the first evidence for ejecta heated by the reverse shock. Comparing our inferred metal abundances to core-collapse nucleosynthesis models yields, we estimate a high progenitor mass of ~30 solar mass suggesting a type Ib/c supernova. We confirm the presence of non-thermal hard X-ray emission from regions close to the pulsar. We estimate an SNR age range between 4.2 kyr (free expansion phase) and 7.1 kyr (Sedov phase), a factor of a few higher than the measured pulsar's age upper limit of 1.9 kyr.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables; Abstract abridged. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Soybeans: Projected Stocks Decline, Acreage Down

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Soybeans: Smaller U.S. Crop, Will South America Fill the Gap?

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Diagnostic accuracy of calculated serum osmolarity to predict dehydration in older people: adding value to pathology lab reports

Objectives: To assess which osmolarity equation best predicts directly measured serum/plasma osmolality and whether its use could add value to routine blood test results through screening for dehydration in older people. Design: Diagnostic accuracy study Participants: Older people (≥65 years) in 5 cohorts: Dietary Strategies for Healthy Ageing in Europe (NU-AGE, living in the community), Dehydration Recognition In our Elders (DRIE, living in residential care), Fortes (admitted to acute medical care), Sjöstrand (emergency room) or Pfortmueller cohorts (hospitalised with liver cirrhosis). Reference standard for hydration status: Directly measured serum/plasma osmolality: current dehydration (serum osmolality >300mOsm/kg), impending/current dehydration (≥295mOsm/kg). Index tests: 39 osmolarity equations calculated using serum indices from the same blood draw as directly measured osmolality. Results: Across five cohorts 595 older people were included, of whom 19% were dehydrated (directly measured osmolality >300mOsm/kg). Of 39 osmolarity equations, five showed reasonable agreement with directly measured osmolality and three had good predictive accuracy in subgroups with diabetes and poor renal function. Two equations were characterized by narrower limits of agreement, low levels of differential bias and good diagnostic accuracy in ROC plots (areas under the curve >0.8). The best equation was osmolarity =1.86 × (Na+ + K+) + 1.15 × glucose + urea + 14 (all measured in mmol/L). It appeared useful in people aged ≥65 years with and without diabetes, poor renal function, dehydration, in men and women, with a range of ages, health, cognitive and functional status. Conclusions: Some commonly used osmolarity equations work poorly, and should not be used. Given costs and prevalence of dehydration in older people we suggest use of the best formula by pathology laboratories using a cutpoint of 295mOsm/L (sensitivity 85%, specificity 59%), to report dehydration risk opportunistically when serum glucose, urea and electrolytes are measured for other reasons in older adults

Soybeans: Record Stocks, Record Acreage Intentions

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Investigation of laser induced phosphorescence and fluorescence of acetone at low pressure for molecular tagging velocimetry in gas microflows

This paper was presented at the 4th Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2014), which was held at University College, London, UK. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute, ASME Press, LCN London Centre for Nanotechnology, UCL University College London, UCL Engineering, the International NanoScience Community, www.nanopaprika.eu.Laser-induced fluorescence and phosphorescence properties of gaseous acetone in argon are measured and analyzed in a pressure ranging from 10(5) to 10(2) Pa, with the aim of analyzing by molecular tagging velocimetry gas microflows in rarefied regimes which requires operation at low pressure. Acetone is excited at a wavelength of 266 nm and immediately emits short lifetime fluorescence rapidly followed by long lifetime phosphorescence. At atmospheric pressure, the early phosphorescence intensity is more than 600 times lower than the fluorescence one. The phosphorescence signal is rapidly decreasing with time, closely following a power law. Both fluorescence and phosphorescence signals are decreasing with pressure. The systematic analysis of fluorescence and phosphorescence of acetone molecules shows that although the signal is dramatically reduced at low pressure, the on-chip integration technique and the optimization of the acquisition parameters provide an exploitable signal for molecular tagging velocimetry in rarefied microflows, in a Knudsen number range corresponding to the early slip flow regime

Computer-Assisted Design of Environmentally Friendly and Light-Stable Fluorescent Dyes for Textile Applications.

Five potentially environmentally friendly and light-stable hemicyanine dyes were designed based on integrated consideration of photo, environmental, and computational chemistry as well as textile applications. Two of them were synthesized and applied in dyeing polyacrylonitrile (PAN), cotton, and nylon fabrics, and demonstrated the desired properties speculated by the programs. The computer-assisted analytical processes includes estimation of the maximum absorption and emission wavelengths, aquatic environmental toxicity, affinity to fibers, and photo-stability. This procedure could effectively narrow down discovery of new potential dye structures, greatly reduce and prevent complex and expensive preparation processes, and significantly improve the development efficiency of novel environmentally friendly dyes