Dental Caries, and Supragingival Plaque and Calculus among Students, Tanga, Tanzania.

The prevalence of dental caries and supragingival plaque and calculus in 785 secondary schools students was assessed. More than half (53.6%) of the students were caries-free, and the majority of those with dental caries experience were aged 14-17 (68.1%) and females (53%). Mean DMFT was 1.26, with mean D-component of 1.05, and molars were most affected. Most students had supragingival plaque (74%) and calculus (56.9%) and more so in males than females (P > 0.05). Less than half of the students had experience of dental caries and those with caries were mostly females and of the younger age group. The low DMFT was contributed to the D-component, and molars were the tooth type most affected.The majority of students had supra-gingival plaque and calculus and more so in males than females

Tunable pinning of a superconducting vortex a by a magnetic vortex

The interaction between a straight vortex line in a superconducting film and a soft magnetic nanodisk in the magnetic vortex state in the presence of a magnetic field applied parallel to the film surfaces is studied theoretically. The superconductor is described by London theory and the nanodisk by the Landau-Lifshitz continuum theory of magnetism, using the approximation known as the rigid vortex model. Pinning of the vortex line by the nanodisk is found to result, predominantly, from the interaction between the vortex line and the changes in the nanodisk magnetization induced by the magnetic field of the vortex line and applied field. In the context of the rigid vortex model, these changes result from the displacement of the magnetic vortex. This displacement is calculated analytically by minimizing the energy, and the pinning potential is obtained. The applied field can tune the pinning potential by controlling the displacement of the magnetic vortex. The nanodisk magnetization curve is predicted to change in the presence of the vortex lineComment: 9 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Carbon line formation and spectroscopy in O-type stars

The determination of chemical abundances constitutes a fundamental requirement for obtaining a complete picture of a star. Particularly in massive stars, CNO abundances are of prime interest, due to the nuclear CNO-cycle and various mixing processes which bring these elements to the surface. We aim at enabling a reliable carbon spectroscopy for our unified NLTE atmosphere code FASTWIND. We develop a new carbon model atom including CII/III/IV/V, and discuss problems related to carbon spectroscopy in O-type stars. We describe different tests to examine the reliability of our implementation, and investigate which mechanisms influence the carbon ionization balance. By comparing with high-resolution spectra from six O-type stars, we check in how far observational constraints can be reproduced by our new carbon line synthesis. Carbon lines are even more sensitive to a variation of temperature, gravity, and mass-loss rate, than hydrogen/helium lines. We are able to reproduce most of the observed lines from our stellar sample, and to estimate those specific carbon abundances which bring the lines from different ions into agreement. For hot dwarfs and supergiants earlier than O7, X-rays from wind-embedded shocks can impact the synthesized line strengths, particularly for CIV, potentially affecting the abundance determination. We have demonstrated our capability to derive realistic carbon abundances by means of FASTWIND, using our recently developed model atom. We found that complex effects can have a strong influence on the carbon ionization balance in hot stars. For a further understanding, the UV range needs to be explored as well. By means of detailed nitrogen and oxygen model atoms available to use, we will be able to perform a complete CNO abundance analysis for larger samples of massive stars, and to provide constraints on corresponding evolutionary models and aspects.Comment: 22 pages, 16 figures, 6 table

An alternative theoretical approach to describe planetary systems through a Schrodinger-type diffusion equation

In the present work we show that planetary mean distances can be calculated with the help of a Schrodinger-type diffusion equation. The obtained results are shown to agree with the observed orbits of all the planets and of the asteroid belt in the solar system, with only three empty states. Furthermore, the equation solutions predict a fundamental orbit at 0.05 AU from solar-type stars, a result confirmed by recent discoveries. In contrast to other similar approaches previously presented in the literature, we take into account the flatness of the solar system, by considering the flat solutions of the Schrodinger-type equation. The model has just one input parameter, given by the mean distance of Mercury.Comment: 6 pages. Version accepted for publication in Chaos, Solitons & Fractal

Atmospheric NLTE-Models for the Spectroscopic Analysis of Blue Stars with Winds. III. X-ray emission from wind-embedded shocks

X-rays/EUV radiation emitted from wind-embedded shocks in hot, massive stars can affect the ionization balance in their outer atmospheres, and can be the mechanism responsible for the production of highly ionized species. To allow for these processes in the context of spectral analysis, we have implemented such emission into our unified, NLTE model atmosphere/spectrum synthesis code FASTWIND. The shock structure and corresponding emission is calculated as a function of user-supplied parameters. We account for a temperature and density stratification inside the post-shock cooling zones, calculated for radiative and adiabatic cooling in the inner and outer wind, respectively. The high-energy absorption of the cool wind is considered by adding important K-shell opacities, and corresponding Auger ionization rates have been included into the NLTE network. We tested and verified our implementation carefully against corresponding results from various alternative model atmosphere codes, and studied the effects from shock emission for important ions from He, C, N, O, Si, and P. Surprisingly, dielectronic recombination turned out to play an essential role for the ionization balance of OIV/OV around Teff = 45,000 K. Finally, we investigated the behavior of the mass absorption coefficient, kappa_nu(r), important in the context of X-ray line formation in massive star winds. In almost all considered cases, direct ionization is of major influence, and Auger ionization significantly affects only NVI and OVI. The approximation of a radially constant kappa_nu is justified for r > 1.2 Rstar and lambda < 18 A, and also for many models at longer wavelengths. To estimate the actual value of this quantity, however, the HeII opacities need to be calculated from detailed NLTE modeling, at least for wavelengths longer than 18 to 20 A, and information on the individual CNO abundances has to be present.Comment: accepted by A&

Monocarboxylate transporters: new players in body weight regulation.

Over the last two decades, several genes have been identified that appear to play a role in the regulation of energy homeostasis and body weight. For a small subset of them, a reduction or an absence of expression confers a resistance to the development of obesity. Recently, a knockin mouse for a member of the monocarboxylate transporter (MCT) family, MCT1, was demonstrated to exhibit a typical phenotype of resistance to diet-induced obesity and a protection from its associated metabolic perturbations. Such findings point out at MCTs as putatively new therapeutic targets in the context of obesity. Here, we will review what is known about MCTs and their possible metabolic roles in different organs and tissues. Based on the description of the phenotype of the MCT1 knockin mouse, we will also provide some insights about their putative roles in weight gain regulation

Entangled Edens: Visions of the Amazon

Book review of Entangled Edens: Visions of the Amazon. Candace Slater. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002. 332 pp., chronology of key dates, glossary, notes, index. ISBN 0-520-22641-0

Devletin Kökeni Üzerine Bir Teori

Bize kalırsa insanoğlu var olduğu iki milyon yıldan beri band veya köiyler içinde bütünüyle otonom/bağımsız yaşadı. [..

THE SONS OF THE MOON: THE AMAHUACA VERSION OF A WIDESPREAD AMAZONIAN MYTH

In a previous publication, I presented the Kuikuru version of an important myth from the Upper Xingú which I called 'To the Village of the Jaguars'. A version of this myth is widely distributed among Amazonian groups, including the Amahuaca, a Panoan-speaking group of eastern Peru and western Brazil . The Amahuaca version is presented here as I recorded it among them in 1960 and 1961. After presenting the text of the myth, I discuss specific similarities and differences between the Amahuaca and Kuikuru versions of it. Key words: Amazonian myth, Amahuaca Indians, Kuikuru Indians.In a previous publication, I presented the Kuikuru version of an important myth from the Upper Xingú which I called “To the Village of the Jaguars.” A version of this myth is widely distributed among Amazonian groups, including the Amahuaca, a Panoan-speaking group of eastern Peru and western Brazil. The Amahuaca version is presented here as I recorded it among them in 1960 and 1961. After presenting the text of the myth, I discuss specific similarities and differences between the Amahuaca and Kuikuru versions of it.Key words: Amazonian myth, Amahuaca Indians, Kuikuru Indians