(E,E)-N,N′-Bis[4-(methyl­sulfon­yl)benzyl­idene]ethane-1,2-diamine

In the crystal structure of the title Schiff base compound, C18H20N2O4S2, the mol­ecule lies across a crystallographic inversion centre. The torsion angle of the N—C—C—N fragment is 180°, as the inversion centre bis­ects the central C—C bond. The crystal packing is stabilized by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and aromatic π–π stacking inter­actions with a centroid–centroid distance of 3.913 (2) Å

4-(Methyl­sulfon­yl)benzaldehyde

In the crystal of the title compound, C8H8O3S, the mol­ecules are linked into a three-dimensional array by inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds

(E)-2-Methyl-N-[4-(methyl­sulfon­yl)benzyl­idene]aniline

Mol­ecules of the title compound, C15H15NO2S, display an E configuration with respect to the C=N double bond. The crystal structure is stabilized by weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The dihedral angle between the two aromatic ring planes is 50.41 (12)°

2-Amino-4-methyl­benzene­sulfonamide

In the crystal of the title compound, C7H10N2O2S, the mol­ecules are linked by two strong N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The mol­ecular structure is stabilized by an intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond. The C/S/N plane makes a dihedral angle of 69.7 (2)° with the aromatic ring plane

Monopole-charged pulsars and relevant issues

The aligned pulsars whose rotation axes and magnetic dipole axes are parallel should be positively charged. The total charge of pulsars is calculated after considering the electromagnetic field in and out the star under a specific condition. The statistical relation between the pulsar's rotation energy loss rate (or the period derivative) and the period may hint that the millisecond radio pulsars with small periods could be low-mass bare strange stars.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figures, and 1 tabl

Effect of temperature on the accumulation of marine biogenic gels in the surface microlayer near the outlet of nuclear power plants and adjacent areas in the Daya Bay, China

The surface microlayer (SML) in marine systems is often characterized by an enrichment of biogenic, gel-like particles, such as the polysaccharide-containing transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) and the protein-containing Coomassie stainable particles (CSP). This study investigated the distribution of TEP and CSP, in the SML and underlying water, as well as their bio-physical controlling factors in Daya Bay, an area impacted by warm discharge from two Nuclear power plants (Npp’s) and aquaculture during a research cruise in July 2014. The SML had higher proportions of cyanobacteria and of pico-size Chl a contrast to the underlayer water, particularly at the nearest outlet station characterized by higher temperature. Diatoms, dinoflagellates and chlorophyll a were depleted in the SML. Both CSP and TEP abundance and total area were enriched in the SML relative to the underlying water, with enrichment factors (EFs) of 1.5–3.4 for CSP numbers and 1.32–3.2 for TEP numbers. Although TEP and CSP showed highest concentration in the region where high productivity and high nutrient concertation were observed, EFs of gels and of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved acidic polysaccharide (> 1 kDa), exhibited higher values near the outlet of the Npp’s than in the adjacent waters. The positive relation between EF’s of gels and temperature and the enrichment of cyanobacteria in the SML may be indicative of future conditions in a warmer ocean, suggesting potential effects on adjusting phytoplankton community, biogenic element cycling and air-sea exchange processe

EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM TAI CHI EXERCISE ON BALANCE CONTROL IN OLDER ADULTS

This study assessed the static and dynamic balance control of older adults who have 10 years of Tai Chi exercise experience and compared their characteristics with their sedentary counterparts. The abilities were measured using methods: single-leg stance times with eyes open and closed; sway of center of pressure (COP) during static standing with eyes open/closed, and leaning the body in three specific directions. Compared with control group, 1) Tai Chi Group showed longer single-leg stance times with eyes open and closed, 2) slower sway velocity of COP in mediolateral and anterioposterior directions and shorter sway distance in both directions, and 3) shorter total, anterioposterior, and mediolateral routes and shorter time spent during the dynamic balance test. Long-term Tai Chi exercise improves the balance ability, especially the dynamic balance, of older adults

The Growth and Congregation of Minor Phase

The growth and congregation of minor phase in immiscible Cu-Fe alloys were investigated. Results showed that the Brown motion was strongly affected by the initial number of the separated droplets. With the increase of initial numbers of droplets, the time needed for completing the Brown congregation reduced. The calculation confirmed that increasing the radiuses of droplets would lead to the decrease of the time for congregation completed. As the increases of the undercooling and the droplet radius, the ratio of Stokes motion velocity to Marangoni motion velocity increased.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.19.4.3568</p

The Immediate Economic Impact of Maternal Deaths on Rural Chinese Households

OBJECTIVE: To identify the immediate economic impact of maternal death on rural Chinese households. METHODS: Results are reported from a study that matched 195 households who had suffered a maternal death to 384 households that experienced a childbirth without maternal death in rural areas of three provinces in China, using quantitative questionnaire to compare differences of direct and indirect costs between two groups. FINDINGS: The direct costs of a maternal death were significantly higher than the costs of a childbirth without a maternal death (US$4,119 vs.$370, p<0.001). More than 40% of the direct costs were attributed to funeral expenses. Hospitalization and emergency care expenses were the largest proportion of non-funeral direct costs and were higher in households with maternal death than the comparison group (US$2,248 vs.$305, p<0.001). To cover most of the high direct costs, 44.1% of affected households utilized compensation from hospitals, and the rest affected households (55.9%) utilized borrowing money or taking loans as major source of money to offset direct costs. The median economic burden of the direct (and non-reimbursed) costs of a maternal death was quite high--37.0% of the household's annual income, which was approximately 4 times as high as the threshold for an expense being considered catastrophic. CONCLUSION: The immediate direct costs of maternal deaths are extremely catastrophic for the rural Chinese households in three provinces studied