Analytical Solution for the Current Distribution in Multistrand Superconducting Cables

Current distribution in multistrand superconducting cables can be a major concern for stability in superconducting magnets and for field quality in particle accelerator magnets. In this paper we describe multistrand superconducting cables by means of a distributed parameters circuit model. We derive a system of partial differential equations governing current distribution in the cable and we give the analytical solution of the general system. We then specialize the general solution to the particular case of uniform cable properties. In the particular case of a two-strand cable, we show that the analytical solution presented here is identical to the one already available in the literature. For a cable made of N equal strands we give a closed form solution that to our knowledge was never presented before. We finally validate the analytical solution by comparison to numerical results in the case of a step-like spatial distribution of the magnetic field over a short Rutherford cable, both in transient and steady state conditions

Nephrin and CD2AP associate with phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase and stimulate AKT-dependent signaling

Mutations of NPHS1 or NPHS2, the genes encoding nephrin and podocin, as well as the targeted disruption of CD2-associated protein (CD2AP), lead to heavy proteinuria, suggesting that all three proteins are essential for the integrity of glomerular podocytes, the visceral glomerular epithelial cells of the kidney. It has been speculated that these proteins participate in common signaling pathways; however, it has remained unclear which signaling proteins are actually recruited by the slit diaphragm protein complex in vivo. We demonstrate that both nephrin and CD2AP interact with the p85 regulatory subunit of phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3K) in vivo, recruit PI3K to the plasma membrane, and, together with podocin, stimulate PI3K-dependent AKT signaling in podocytes. Using two-dimensional gel analysis in combination with a phosphoserine-specific antiserum, we demonstrate that the nephrin-induced AKT mediates phosphorylation of several target proteins in podocytes. One such target is Bad; its phosphorylation and inactivation by 14-3-3 protects podocytes against detachment-induced cell death, suggesting that the nephrin-CD2AP-mediated AKT activity can regulate complex biological programs. Our findings reveal a novel role for the slit diaphragm proteins nephrin, CD2AP, and podocin and demonstrate that these three proteins, in addition to their structural functions, initiate PI3K/AKT-dependent signal transduction in glomerular podocytes

The Future of Psychopharmacological Enhancements: Expectations and Policies

The hopes and fears expressed in the debate on human enhancement are not always based on a realistic assessment of the expected possibilities. Discussions about extreme scenarios may at times obscure the ethical and policy issues that are relevant today. This paper aims to contribute to an adequate and ethically sound societal response to actual current developments. After a brief outline of the ethical debate concerning neuro-enhancement, it describes the current state of the art in psychopharmacological science and current uses of psychopharmacological enhancement, as well as the prospects for the near future. It then identifies ethical issues regarding psychopharmacological enhancements that require attention from policymakers, both on the professional and on the governmental level. These concern enhancement research, the gradual expansion of medical categories, off-label prescription and responsibility of doctors, and accessibility of enhancers on the Internet. It is concluded that further discussion on the advantages and drawbacks of enhancers on a collective social level is still needed

Temperature-Time History of Subducted Continental-Crust, Mount Olympos Region, Greece

In the Mt. Olympos region of northeastern Greece, continental margin strata and basement rocks were subducted and metamorphosed under blueschist facies conditions, and thrust over carbonate platform strata during Alpine orogenesis. Subsequent exposure of the subducted basement rocks by normal faulting has allowed an integrated study of the timing of metamorphism, its relationship to deformation, and the thermal history of the subducted terrane. Alpine low-grade metamorphic assemblages occur at four structural levels. Three thrust sheets composed of Paleozoic granitic basement and Mesozoic metasedimentary cover were thrust over Mesozoic carbonate rocks and Eocene flysch; thrusting and metamorphism occurred first in the highest thrust sheets and progressed downward as units were imbricated from NE to SW. 40Ar/39Ar spectra from hornblende, white mica, and biotite samples indicate that the upper two units preserve evidence of four distinct thermal events: (1) 293–302 Ma crystallization of granites, with cooling from \u3e550°C to \u3c325°C by 284 Ma; (2) 98–100 Ma greenschist to blueschist-greenschist transition facies metamorphism (T∼350–500°C) and imbrication of continental thrust sheets; (3) 53–61 Ma blueschist facies metamorphism and deformation of the basement and continental margin units at T\u3c350–400°C; (4) 36–40 Ma thrusting of blueschists over the carbonate platform, and metamorphism at T∼200–350°C. Only the Eocene and younger events affected the lower two structural packages. A fifth event, indicated by diffusive loss profiles in microcline spectra, reflects the beginning of uplift and cooling to T\u3c100–150°C at 16–23 Ma, associated with normal faulting which continued until Quaternary time. Incomplete resetting of mica ages in all units constrains the temperature of metamorphism during continental subduction to T≤350°C, the closure temperature for Ar in muscovite. The diffusive loss profiles in micas and K-feldspars enable us to “see through” the younger events to older events in the high-T parts of the release spectra. Micas grown during earlier metamorphic events lost relatively small amounts of Ar during subsequent high pressure-low temperature metamorphism. Release spectra from phengites grown during Eocene metamorphism and deformation record the ages of the Ar-loss events. Alpine deformation in northern Greece occurred over a long time span (∼90 Ma), and involved subduction and episodic imbrication of continental basement before, during, and after the collision of the Apulian and Eurasian plates. Syn-subduction uplift and cooling probably combined with intermittently higher cooling rates during extensional events to preserve the blueschist facies mineral assemblages as they were exhumed from depths of \u3e20 km. Extension in the Olympos region was synchronous with extension in the Mesohellenic trough and the Aegean back-arc, and concurrent with westward-progressing shortening in the external Hellenides

Altruism and the Dark Triad

Background:The Dark Triad literature examining pro-social behaviours is minimal, with mixed results.Participants and procedure:This study investigates the relationships between the Dark Triad and altruistic behaviours based on self-report data from 286 adults. Altruism was assessed using two scales: a general measure as well as a more recent scale measur-ing compassionate altruism towards family, friends, and strangers.Results:Machiavellianism negatively correlated with general altruism; however, when controlling for the other dark variables plus age and gender in a regression, narcissism was the only Dark Triad trait that significantly predicted altruism. None of the Dark Triad traits were significantly related to or predictive of compassionate altruism.Conclusions:This study demonstrates that the Dark Triad and altruism relationships are not straightforward, and that, surprising-ly, strong negative relationships between the traits and altruism are not found. Limitations and future research direc-tions are discussed.Background:The Dark Triad literature examining pro-social behaviours is minimal, with mixed results.Participants and procedure:This study investigates the relationships between the Dark Triad and altruistic behaviours based on self-report data from 286 adults. Altruism was assessed using two scales: a general measure as well as a more recent scale measur-ing compassionate altruism towards family, friends, and strangers.Results:Machiavellianism negatively correlated with general altruism; however, when controlling for the other dark variables plus age and gender in a regression, narcissism was the only Dark Triad trait that significantly predicted altruism. None of the Dark Triad traits were significantly related to or predictive of compassionate altruism.Conclusions:This study demonstrates that the Dark Triad and altruism relationships are not straightforward, and that, surprising-ly, strong negative relationships between the traits and altruism are not found. Limitations and future research direc-tions are discussed

Investigation of K14/K5 as a stem cell marker in the limbal region of the bovine cornea

Background: Identification of stem cells from a corneal epithelial cell population by specific molecular markers has been investigated previously. Expressions of P63, ABCG2 and K14/K5 have all been linked to mammalian corneal epithelial stem cells. Here we report on the limitations of K14/K5 as a limbal stem cell marker. Methodology/Principal Findings: K14/K5 expression was measured by immunohistochemistry, Western blotting and Real time PCR and compared between bovine epithelial cells in the limbus and central cornea. A functional study was also included to investigate changes in K5/14 expression within cultured limbal epithelial cells undergoing forced differentiation. K14 expression (or its partner K5) was detected in quiescent epithelial cells from both the limbal area and central cornea. K14 was localized predominantly to basal epithelial cells in the limbus and suprabasal epithelial cells in the central cornea. Western blotting revealed K14 expression in both limbus and central cornea (higher levels in the limbus). Similarly, quantitative real time PCR found K5, partner to K14, to be expressed in both the central cornea and limbus. Following forced differentiation in culture the limbal epithelial cells revealed an increase in K5/14 gene/protein expression levels in concert with a predictable rise in a known differentiation marker. Conclusions/Significance: K14 and its partner K5 are limited not only to the limbus but also to the central bovine cornea epithelial cells suggesting K14/K5 is not limbal specific in situ. Furthermore K14/K5 expression levels were not lowered (in fact they increased) within a limbal epithelial cell culture undergoing forced differentiation suggesting K14/K5 is an unreliable maker for undifferentiated cells ex vivo

Het recht op privacy in horizontale verhoudingen

Fundamental rights, such as the right to privacy, are primarily aimed at the protection of citizens against the state. But citizens may also violate the fundamental rights of others. For that reason, it is imperative to assess the extent to which fundamental rights (more specifically, the right to privacy) provide protection in ‘horizontal relationships’. The topic of privacy violations in horizontal relationships is aimed at violations committed in the context of (i) actions of citizens towards each other and (ii) the relationship between citizens and legal persons (companies, associations, etc.). The protection of horizontal privacy is differentiated from the protection of vertical privacy, which concerns the relationship a citizen has with the state.This research addresses a problem statement that can be divided into three sub-statements:What lessons can be learned from the approach taken by other European countries with regards to the protection of horizontal privacy?To what extent can these solutions be applied in the context of the Netherlands?Are there any undesirable consequences or side-effects associated with the opportunities to provide effective protection to horizontal privacy in the Netherlands?The countries that are involved in the legal comparative analysis are: Germany, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom.Grondrechten, zoals het recht op privacy, zijn primair gericht op het beschermen van de burger tegen de staat. Maar ook tussen burgers onderling kunnen (ernstige) aantastingen van grondrechten plaatsvinden. Om die reden is het van belang om te onderzoeken in hoeverre grondrechten, meer in het bijzonder het recht op privacy, ook bescherming bieden in ‘horizontale verhoudingen’. In de initiatiefnota onderlinge privacy van het Tweede Kamerlid Koopmans (wordt het probleem van privacyschendingen in horizontale verhoudingen gesignaleerd. Met privacyschendingen in horizontale verhoudingen wordt gedoeld op privacyschendingen tussen burgers onderling en tussen burgers en rechtspersonen (bedrijven, verenigingen et cetera). Horizontale privacybescherming onderscheidt zich daarmee van de verticale privacybescherming, die betrekking heeft op de relatie burger-overheid. In dit onderzoek staat een drieledige probleemstelling centraal: Wat kan Nederland leren van de wijze waarop de horizontale privacy in andere Europese landen is beschermd? In hoeverre zijn deze oplossingen inpasbaar in de Nederlandse context? Zijn er onwenselijk geachte effecten of neveneffecten te verbinden aan deze mogelijkheden voor een betere horizontale privacybescherming in Nederland? De landen die zijn betrokken in de rechtsvergelijking zijn: Duitsland, Polen, Zweden en het Verenigd Koninkrijk. INHOUD: 1. Inleiding 2. Privacyschendingen in horizontale verhoudingen: probleemschets 3. Waarden en belangen in het geding bij horizontale privacyschendingen 4. Het recht op privacy 5. De horizontale werking van grondrechten 6. Gegevensbeschermingsrecht 7. Strafrecht 8. Administratief recht, mededingingswetgeving en consumentenbescherming 9. Civiel recht 10. Aansprakelijkheid van producenten, distributeurs en (internet)tussenpersonen 11. Overige mechanismen 12. Overzicht wettelijke normering horizontale privacyschendingen 13. Analyse en synthese 14. Samenvatting en conclusies 15. Literatuurlijst 16. Bijlagen 17. Samenvatting 18. Summar

Comprehensive Modeling of Multimode Fiber Sensors for Refractive Index Measurement and Experimental Validation

We propose and develop a comprehensive model for estimating the refractive index (RI) response over three potential sensing zones in a multimode fiber. The model has been developed based on a combined ray optics, Gaussian beam, and wave optics analysis coupled to the consideration of the injected interrogating lightwave characteristics and validated experimentally through the realization of three sensors with different lengths of stripped cladding sections as the sensing region. The experimental results highly corroborate and validate the simulation output from the model for the three RI sensing zones. The sensors can be employed over a very wide dynamic RI range from 1.316 to over 1.608 at a wavelength of 1550 nm, with the best resolution of 2.2447 × 10−5 RI unit (RIU) obtained in Zone II for a 1-cm sensor length

Public Attitudes Towards Moral Enhancement. Evidence that Means Matter Morally

To gain insight into the reasons that the public may have for endorsing or eschewing pharmacological moral enhancement for themselves or for others, we used empirical tools to explore public attitudes towards these issues. Participants (N = 293) from the United States were recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and were randomly assigned to read one of several contrastive vignettes in which a 13-year-old child is described as bullying another student in school and then is offered an empathy-enhancing program. The empathy-enhancing program is described as either involving taking a pill or playing a video game on a daily basis for four weeks. In addition, participants were asked to imagine either their own child bullying another student at school, or their own child being bullied by another student. This resulted in a 2 × 2 between-subjects design. In an escalating series of morally challenging questions, we asked participants to rate their overall support for the program; whether they would support requiring participation; whether they would support requiring participation of children who are at higher risk to become bullies in the future; whether they would support requiring participation of all children or even the entire population; and whether they would be willing to participate in the program themselves. We found that people were significantly more troubled by pharmacological as opposed to non-pharmacological moral enhancement interventions. The results indicate that members of the public for the greater part oppose pharmacological moral bioenhancement, yet are open to non-biomedical means to attain moral enhancement. [248 words]

Impact of intravenous fluid composition on outcomes in patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome

Introduction: Intravenous (IV) fluids may be associated with complications not often attributed to fluid type. Fluids with high chloride concentrations such as 0.9 % saline have been associated with adverse outcomes in surgery and critical care. Understanding the association between fluid type and outcomes in general hospitalized patients may inform selection of fluid type in clinical practice. We sought to determine if the type of IV fluid administered to patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is associated with outcome. Methods: This was a propensity-matched cohort study in hospitalized patients receiving at least 500 mL IV crystalloid within 48 hours of SIRS. Patient data was extracted from a large multi-hospital electronic health record database between January 1, 2009, and March 31, 2013. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included length of stay, readmission, and complications measured by ICD-9 coding and clinical definitions. Outcomes were adjusted for illness severity using the Acute Physiology Score. Of the 91,069 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 89,363 (98 %) received 0.9 % saline whereas 1706 (2 %) received a calcium-free balanced solution as the primary fluid. Results: There were 3116 well-matched patients, 1558 in each cohort. In comparison with the calcium-free balanced cohort, the saline cohort experienced greater in-hospital mortality (3.27 % vs. 1.03 %, P <0.001), length of stay (4.87 vs. 4.38 days, P = 0.016), frequency of readmission at 60 (13.54 vs. 10.91, P = 0.025) and 90 days (16.56 vs. 12.58, P = 0.002) and frequency of cardiac, infectious, and coagulopathy complications (all P <0.002). Outcomes were defined by administrative coding and clinically were internally consistent. Patients in the saline cohort received more chloride and had electrolyte abnormalities requiring replacement more frequently (P <0.001). No differences were found in acute renal failure. Conclusions: In this large electronic health record, the predominant use of 0.9 % saline in patients with SIRS was associated with significantly greater morbidity and mortality compared with predominant use of balanced fluids. The signal is consistent with that reported previously in perioperative and critical care patients. Given the large population of hospitalized patients receiving IV fluids, these differences may confer treatment implications and warrant corroboration via large clinical trials. Trial registration: NCT02083198 clinicaltrials.gov; March 5, 201