Update of MRST parton distributions.

We discuss the latest update of the MRST parton distributions in response to the most recent data. We discuss the areas where there are hints of difficulties in the global fit, and compare to some other updated sets of parton distributions, particularly CTEQ6. We briefly discuss the issue of uncertainties associated with partons

MRST global fit update.

We discuss the impact of the most recent data on the MRST global analysis - in particular the new high-ET jet data and their implications for the gluon and the new small x structure function data. In the light of these new data we also consider the uncertainty in predictions for physical quantities depending on parton distributions, concentrating on the W cross-section at hadron colliders

Calcitization of aragonitic bryozoans in Cenozoic tropical carbonates from East Kalimantan, Indonesia

© The Author(s) 2016. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The file attached is the published version of the article

Evaluation of an Activated Patient Diabetes Education Newsletter

This study evaluated a monthly; activated patient newsletter sent to over 7000 patients in Michigan with diabetes. The newsletter provided concise and action-oriented information about diabetes care. Patients who had signed up to receive the newsletter during the first 4 months of the project (1863) were surveyed to determine how many patients found the newsletter helpful; 80% (1498) of the patients replied. Patients who found the newsletter most helpful were older, had lower incomes, and reported more corrtplications, less understanding of diabetes, and being in poorer overall health. They also were more likely to have non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) than insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). We concluded that the activated patient newsletter is a useful public health/patient education intervention for persons with diabetes. Such a newsletter should be part of a coordinated system of ongoing patient care, education, screening, and social and psychological support.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68904/2/10.1177_014572179402000106.pd

Using the local density approximation and the LYP, BLYP, and B3LYP functionals within Reference--State One--Particle Density--Matrix Theory

For closed-shell systems, the local density approximation (LDA) and the LYP, BLYP, and B3LYP functionals are shown to be compatible with reference-state one-particle density-matrix theory, where this recently introduced formalism is based on Brueckner-orbital theory and an energy functional that includes exact exchange and a non-universal correlation-energy functional. The method is demonstrated to reduce to a density functional theory when the exchange-correlation energy-functional has a simplified form, i.e., its integrand contains only the coordinates of two electron, say r1 and r2, and it has a Dirac delta function -- delta(r1 - r2) -- as a factor. Since Brueckner and Hartree--Fock orbitals are often very similar, any local exchange functional that works well with Hartree--Fock theory is a reasonable approximation with reference-state one-particle density-matrix theory. The LDA approximation is also a reasonable approximation. However, the Colle--Salvetti correlation-energy functional, and the LYP variant, are not ideal for the method, since these are universal functionals. Nevertheless, they appear to provide reasonable approximations. The B3LYP functional is derived using a linear combination of two functionals: One is the BLYP functional; the other uses exact exchange and a correlation-energy functional from the LDA.Comment: 26 Pages, 0 figures, RevTeX 4, Submitted to Mol. Phy

Islet isolation assessment in man and large animals

Recent progress in islet isolation from the pancreas of large mammals including man, accentuated the need for the development of precise and reproducible techniques to assess islet yield. In this report both quantitative and qualitative criteria for islet isolation assessment were discussed, the main topics being the determination of number, volume, purity, morphologic integrity and in vitro and in vivo function tests of the final islet preparations. It has been recommended that dithizone should be used as a specific stain for immediate detection of islet tissue making it possible to estimate both the total number of islets (dividing them into classes of 50 μ diameter range increments) and the purity of the final preparation. Appropriate morphological assessment should include confirmation of islet identification, assessment of the morphological integrity and of the purity of the islet preparation. The use of fluorometric inclusion and exclusion dyes together have been suggested as a viability assay to simultaneously quantitate the proportion of cells that are intact or damaged. Perifusion of islets with glucose provides a dynamic profile of glucose-mediated insulin release and of the ability of the cells to down regulate insulin secretion after the glycemic challenge is interrupted. Although perifusion data provides a useful guide to islet viability the quantity and kinetics of insulin release do not necessarily predict islet performance after implantation. Therefore, the ultimate test of islet viability is their function after transplantation into a diabetic recipient. For this reason, in vivo models of transplantation of an aliquot of the final islet preparation into diabetic nude (athymic) rodents have been suggested. We hope that these general guidelines will be of assistance to standardize the assessment of islet isolations, making it possible to better interpret and compare procedures from different centers. © 1990 Casa Editrice il Ponte

Core-collapse supernova progenitor constraints using the spatial distributions of massive stars in local galaxies

We study the spatial correlations between the H$\alpha$ emission and different types of massive stars in two local galaxies, the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) and Messier 33. We compare these to correlations derived for core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) in the literature to connect CCSNe of different types with the initial masses of their progenitors and to test the validity of progenitor mass estimates which use the pixel statistics method. We obtain samples of evolved massive stars in both galaxies from catalogues with good spatial coverage and/or completeness, and combine them with coordinates of main-sequence stars in the LMC from the SIMBAD database. We calculate the spatial correlation of stars of different classes and spectral types with H$\alpha$ emission. We also investigate the effects of distance, noise and positional errors on the pixel statistics method. A higher correlation with H$\alpha$ emission is found to correspond to a shorter stellar lifespan, and we conclude that the method can be used as an indicator of the ages, and therefore initial masses, of SN progenitors. We find that the spatial distributions of type II-P SNe and red supergiants of appropriate initial mass ($\gtrsim$9 $M_{\odot}$) are consistent with each other. We also find the distributions of type Ic SNe and WN stars with initial masses $\gtrsim$20 $M_{\odot}$ consistent, while supergiants with initial masses around 15 $M_{\odot}$ are a better match for type IIb and II-L SNe. The type Ib distribution corresponds to the same stellar types as type II-P, which suggests an origin in interacting binaries. On the other hand, we find that luminous blue variable stars show a much stronger correlation with H$\alpha$ emission than do type IIn SNe.ERC, STF

Atomic layer depostion of TiO2/Al2O3 films for optical applications

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is an important technology for depositing functional coatings on accessible, reactive surfaces with precise control of thickness and nanostructure. Unlike conventional chemical vapour deposition, where growth rate is dependent on reactant flux, ALD employs sequential surface chemical reactions to saturate a surface with a (sub-) monolayer of reactive compounds such as metal alkoxides or covalent halides, followed by reaction with a second compound such as water to deposit coatings layer-by-layer. A judicious choice of reactants and processing conditions ensures that the reactions are self-limiting, resulting in controlled film growth with excellent conformality to the substrate. This paper investigates the deposition and characterisation of multi-layer TiO2 /Al2O3 films on a range of substrates, including silicon , soda glass and polycarbonate, using titanium tetrachloride/water and trimethylaluminium/water as precursor couples. Structure-property correlations were established using a suite of analytical tools, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), X-ray reflectometry (XRR) and spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE). The evolution of nanostructure and composition of multi-layer high/low refractive index stacks are discussed as a function of deposition parameters