Indexing microwave switch Patent

Microwave waveguide switch with rotor position contro

Low-noise microwave polarimeter

Two quarterwave-plate polarizers inserted between rotary waveguide joints transform received signals from arbitrary linear to circular polarizations and then from circular to fixed linear polarizations. Fixed linear polarizations are applied to amplifiers and filters in usual fashion

A Stationary Cylindrically Symmetric Electrovac Space-time

A stationary cylindrically symmetric electrovac solution of the Einstein-Maxwell equations is derived in which the electromagnetic field is null. The resulting space-time contains no hypersurface orthogonal killing fields so that it is non-static

Attitudes towards the maned wolf amongst adolescents in the southeast of Brazil

The relationships between people and carnivores are a worldwide concern for the conservation of species and habitats. The maned wolf is an endangered, endemic canid inhabiting the southeast of Brazil - highly populated and rich in biodiversity and endemism. Strategies to conserve this key stone species may benefit the also declining Cerrado biome. The attitudes of teenagers towards wild carnivores are also of worldwide interest as future citizens and future decision makers. The present study investigates the attitudes of two age groups (12-13 and 16-17) towards the maned wolf. Questionnaires aimed to identify selected attitudes, beliefs and knowledge in relation to the maned wolf in urban areas of three locations in the São Paulo state. Responses were analysed according to age groups, gender, location and experiences concerning the maned wolf. Results suggest that positive attitudes declined with age; gender have very little effect on attitudes; zoos, as well as seeing the maned wolf in nature may increase support for the conservation of the species amongst the younger group; while identification with some maned wolf attributes amongst older teens may foster intentions to help the species. Conservation strategies and environmental education can help to provide early positive experiences of contact with the maned wolf and the Cerrado and be tailored to address attitudes in different age groups. This study can inform the planning of effective environmental educational strategies to foster long term support for the conservation of the maned wolf and the Cerrado

Primary Blast Traumatic Brain Injury in the Rat: Relating Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Behavior

The incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) among military personnel is at its highest point in U.S. history. Experimental animal models of blast have provided a wealth of insight into blast injury. The mechanisms of neurotrauma caused by blast, however, are still under debate. Specifically, it is unclear whether the blast shockwave in the absence of head motion is sufficient to induce brain trauma. In this study, the consequences of blast injury were investigated in a rat model of primary blast TBI. Animals were exposed to blast shockwaves with peak reflected overpressures of either 100 or 450 kPa (39 and 110 kPa incident pressure, respectively) and subsequently underwent a battery of behavioral tests. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a promising method to detect blast injury in humans, was performed on fixed brains to detect and visualize the spatial dependence of blast injury. Blast TBI caused significant deficits in memory function as evidenced by the Morris Water Maze, but limited emotional deficits as evidenced by the Open Field Test and Elevated Plus Maze. Fractional anisotropy, a metric derived from DTI, revealed significant brain abnormalities in blast-exposed animals. A significant relationship between memory deficits and brain microstructure was evident in the hippocampus, consistent with its role in memory function. The results provide fundamental insight into the neurological consequences of blast TBI, including the evolution of injury during the sub-acute phase and the spatially dependent pattern of injury. The relationship between memory dysfunction and microstructural brain abnormalities may provide insight into the persistent cognitive difficulties experienced by soldiers exposed to blast neurotrauma and may be important to guide therapeutic and rehabilitative efforts

Implications of teenagers' attitudes toward maned wolf conservation in Brazil

The relationships between people and wild canids are a widespread concern for the conservation of species and habitats. The maned wolf Chrysocyon brachyurus is a Near Threatened species inhabiting South America. Strategies to conserve this keystone species may benefit the also-declining Cerrado biome. The attitudes of teenagers toward wild carnivores are also of worldwide interest as these youth are the future decision makers. We investigated selected attitudes, beliefs and knowledge in relation to the maned wolf of two age groups (12-13 and 16-17), using questionnaires delivered in three urban areas of the São Paulo state, a region highly populated and rich in biodiversity and endemism. Responses were analysed according to age groups, gender, location and experiences concerning the maned wolf. Results suggest that positive attitudes declined with age; gender has very little effect on attitudes; seeing the maned wolf in nature and zoos may increase support for the conservation and may facilitate learning about the species, while identification with some maned wolf attributes amongst older teens in the most urbanised areas may foster sympathy toward the species. Conservation strategies and environmental education can help to provide early positive experiences of contact with the maned wolf and the Cerrado, especially if they are tailored to address the variation we found in attitudes between different age groups. Research report Implications of teenagers' attitudes toward maned wolf conservation in Brazil. Available from

Developmental functions of the P120-catenin sub-family

AbstractFor more than a decade, cell, developmental and cancer investigators have brought about a wide interest in the biology of catenin proteins, an attraction being their varied functions within differing cellular compartments. While the diversity of catenin localizations and roles has been intriguing, it has also posed a challenge to the clear interpretation of loss- or gain-of-function developmental phenotypes. The most deeply studied member of the larger catenin family is beta-catenin, whose contributions span areas including cell adhesion and intracellular signaling/ transcriptional control. More recently, attention has been directed towards p120-catenin, which in conjunction with the p120-catenin sub-family members ARVCF- and delta-catenins, are the subjects of this review. Although the requirement for vertebrate versus invertebrate p120-catenin are at variance, vertebrate p120-catenin sub-family members may each inter-link cadherin, cytoskeletal and gene regulatory functions in embryogenesis and disease

The twin paradox in compact spaces

Twins travelling at constant relative velocity will each see the other's time dilate leading to the apparent paradox that each twin believes the other ages more slowly. In a finite space, the twins can both be on inertial, periodic orbits so that they have the opportunity to compare their ages when their paths cross. As we show, they will agree on their respective ages and avoid the paradox. The resolution relies on the selection of a preferred frame singled out by the topology of the space.Comment: to be published in PRA, 3 page

Static, Vacuum, Cylindrical and Plane Symmetric Solutions of the Quadratic Poincare Gauge Field Equations

We present some static, cylindrically and plane symmetric solutions to the equations of the quadratic Poincaré gauge field theory developed by Hehl and coworkers