A Search for Ionized Gas in the Draco and Ursa Minor Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies

The Wisconsin H Alpha Mapper has been used to set the first deep upper limits on the intensity of diffuse H alpha emission from warm ionized gas in the Local Group dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) Draco and Ursa Minor. Assuming a velocity dispersion of 15 km/s for the ionized gas, we set limits for the H alpha intensity of less or equal to 0.024 Rayleighs and less or equal to 0.021 Rayleighs for the Draco and Ursa Minor dSphs, respectively, averaged over our 1 degree circular beam. Adopting a simple model for the ionized interstellar medium, these limits translate to upper bounds on the mass of ionized gas of approximately less than 10% of the stellar mass, or approximately 10 times the upper limits for the mass of neutral hydrogen. Note that the Draco and Ursa Minor dSphs could contain substantial amounts of interstellar gas, equivalent to all of the gas injected by dying stars since the end of their main star forming episodes more than 8 Gyr in the past, without violating these limits on the mass of ionized gas.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, AASTeX two-column format. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Kombinasi Maltodekstrin dan Whey sebagai Bahan Penyalut PadaKarakteristik MikroenkapsulOleoresinKayu Manis (Cinnamomum Burmanii)

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence using combination of maltodextrin and whey (1:3, 2:2, and 3:1) as wall material due to quality characteristic of cinnamon (Cinnamon burmanii) oleoresin microencapsulan, including yield, water content, solubility in water, microstructure appeareance, cinnamaldehyde content, and residue of solvent. First of all, the oleoresin was reached from extraction using ethanol 96 % for 4 hours. Then the oleoresin emultion was dried using spray drying method. The experimental design used in this research was Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with one factor (rasio of wall material). The result showed that combination of wall material had significant effect to yield(14,98-22,69 %), water content(6,20-7,04 %), residue of solvent(0,500-0,629 %), cinnamaldehyde content(26,18-43,90 %), and microstructure appeareance, but unsignificantly affected to solubility in water(92,85-95,24 %)

Pengaruh Rasio Bahan Penyalut Maltodekstrin, Gum Arab, dan Susu Skim terhadap Karakteristik Fisik dan Kimia Mikrokapsul Oleoresin Daun Kayu Manis (Cinnamomum Burmannii)

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh bahan penyalut berupa maltodekstrin, gum arab dan susu skim terhadap karakteristik fisik dan kimia mikrokapsul oleoresin daun kayu manis dua tahap. Dalam penelitian ini dilakukan empat variasi bahan penyalut berupa maltodekstrin: gum arab: susu skim (2:0:4, 2:2:2, 0:4:2 dan 2:0:4). Karakteristik fisik yang diuji meliputi rendemen, kadar air, kelarutan dalam air, dan mikrostruktur. Karakteristik kimia mikrokapsul oleoresin daun kayu manis dua tahap terpilih yang diuji meliputi kadar sisa pelarut dan kadar senyawa aktif. Rancangan percobaan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Rancangan Acak Lengkap (RAL) dengan satu faktor yaitu variasi rasio bahan penyalut. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa variasi rasio bahan penyalut berpengaruh signifikan terhadap rendemen dan kadar air, namun tidak berpengaruh secara signifikan terhadap parameter kelarutan dalam air. Hasil pengamatan mikrostruktur menunjukkan bahwa susu skim dalam jumlah yang lebih besar menghasilkan penampakan mikrostruktur yang lebih baik. Kadar sisa pelarut mikrokapsul terpilih terdapat pada rasio 2:0:4 yaitu sebesar 0 ppm. Mikrokapsul ini mengandung senyawa aktif berupa linalool, coumarin, 9-hexadecenoic acid, 1,8-cineole serta benzene (3,3 dimehyl buthyl)

Information needs after stroke: What to include and how to structure it on a website. A qualitative study using focus groups and card sorting

Background: Use of the Internet to obtain health and other information is increasing. Previous studies have identified the specific information needs of people with stroke but not in relation to the Internet. People with aphasia (PwA) may face barriers in accessing the Internet: Navigating websites requires an ability to categorise information and this ability is often impaired in PwA. The website categorisation preferences of people with stroke and with aphasia have not yet been reported. Aims: This study aimed: (a) to determine what information people who have had a stroke would like to see on a website about living with stroke; (b) to determine the most effective means of structuring information on the website so that it is accessible to people with stroke; and c) to identify any differences between people with and without aphasia in terms of preferences for structuring information on the website. Methods & Procedures: Participants were recruited from a hospital's Stroke Database. Focus groups were used to elicit what information participants wanted on a website about living with stroke. The themes raised were depicted on 133 cards. To determine the most effective way of structuring information on the website, and whether there were any differences in preferences between PwA and PwoA, participants used a modified closed card-sorting technique to sort the cards under website categories. Outcomes & Results: A total of 48 people were invited, and 12 (25%) agreed to take part. We ran three focus groups: one with PwA (n = 5) and two with people without aphasia (PwoA) (n = 3, n = 4). Participants wanted more information about stroke causes and effects (particularly emotional issues), roles of local agencies, and returning to previous activities (driving, going out). All participants completed the card-sorting exercise. Few cards (6%) were categorised identically by everyone. Cards relating to local agencies and groups were not consistently categorised together. Cards relating to emotions were segregated. The categorisation preferences for PwA were more fragmented than those for PwoA: 60% of PwA agreed on the categorisation of 51% of the cards, whereas 60% of PwoA agreed on the categorisation of 76% of the cards. Conclusions: Information needs covered all stages of the stroke journey. The card sorting was accessible to everyone, and provided evidence of structuring preferences and of some of the categorisation difficulties faced by PwA. More research is needed on what an accessible website looks like for PwA

Linear Growth through 12 Years is Weakly but Consistently Associated with Language and Math Achievement Scores at Age 12 Years in 4 Low- or Middle-Income Countries.

BackgroundWhether linear growth through age 12 y is associated with language and math achievement at age 12 y remains unclear.ObjectiveOur objective was to investigate associations of linear growth through age 12 y with reading skill, receptive vocabulary, and mathematics performance at age 12 y in 4 low- or middle-income countries (LMICs).MethodsWe analyzed data from the Young Lives Younger Cohort study in Ethiopia (n = 1275), India (n = 1350), Peru (n = 1402), and Vietnam (n = 1594). Age 1, 5, 8, and 12 y height-for-age z scores (HAZ) were calculated. Language and math achievement at age 12 y was assessed with the use of country-specific adaptations of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, the Early Grades Reading Assessment, and a mathematics test; all test scores were standardized by age within country. We used path analysis to examine associations of HAZ with achievement scores. Twelve models were examined at each age (3 tests across 4 countries).ResultsMean HAZ in each country was <-1.00 at all ages. Overall, linear growth through age 12 y was associated with 0.4-3.4% of the variance in achievement scores. HAZ at 1 y was positively and significantly associated with the test score in 11 of the 12 models. This association was significantly mediated through HAZ at 5, 8, and 12 y in 9 of the models. HAZ at 5, 8, and 12 y was positively and significantly associated with test scores in 8, 8, and 6 models, respectively. These associations were mediated through HAZ at older ages in 6 of the HAZ at 5-y models and in 6 of the HAZ at 8-y models.ConclusionChild relative linear growth between ages 1 and 12 y was weakly but consistently associated with language and math achievement at age 12 y in 4 LMICs

Effects of Antenatal Glucocorticoid Therapy on Hippocampal Histology of Preterm Infants

Objective: To investigate if antenatal glucocorticoid treatment has an effect on hippocampal histology of the human preterm newborn. Patients and Methods: Included were consecutive neonates with a gestational age between 24 and 32 weeks, who were born between 1991 to 2009, who had died within 4 days after delivery and underwent brain autopsy. Excluded were neonates with congenital malformations and neonates treated postnatally with glucocorticoids. The brains were routinely fixed, samples of the hippocampus were stained with haematoxylin and eosin and sections were examined for presence or absence of large and small neurons in regions of the hippocampus. Additional staining with GFAP, neurofilament and vimentin was performed to evaluate gliosis and myelination. The proliferation marker Ki67 was used to evaluate neuronal proliferation. Staining with acid fuchsin-thionin was performed to evaluate ischemic damage. Results: The hippocampi of ten neonates who had been treated with antenatal glucocorticoids showed a lower density of large neurons (p = 0.01) and neurons irrespective of size (p = 0.02) as compared to eleven neonates who had not been treated with glucocorticoids. No difference was found in density of small neurons, in myelination, gliosis, proliferation or ischemic damage. Conclusion: We found a significantly lower density of neurons in the hippocampus of neonates after antenata

Measurement of the branching ratios of the Z0 into heavy quarks

We measure the hadronic branching ratios of the Z0 boson into heavy quarks: Rb=Gamma(Z0->bb)/Gamma(Z0->hadrons) and Rc=Gamma(Z0->cc/Gamma(Z0->hadrons) using a multi-tag technique. The measurement was performed using about 400,000 hadronic Z0 events recorded in the SLD experiment at SLAC between 1996 and 1998. The small and stable SLC beam spot and the CCD-based vertex detector were used to reconstruct bottom and charm hadron decay vertices with high efficiency and purity, which enables us to measure most efficiencies from data. We obtain, Rb=0.21604 +- 0.00098(stat.) +- 0.00073(syst.) -+ 0.00012(Rc) and, Rc= 0.1744 +- 0.0031(stat.) +- 0.0020(syst.) -+ 0.0006(Rb)Comment: 37 pages, 8 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev. D version 2: changed title to ratios, used common D production fractions for Rb and Rc and corrected Zgamma interference. Identical to PRD submissio

Development of structural correlations and synchronization from adaptive rewiring in networks of Kuramoto oscillators

L.P. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. J.K. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program and NIH T32-EB020087, PD: Felix W. Wehrli. D.S.B. also acknowledges support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and the National Science Foundation (BCS-1441502, CAREER PHY-1554488, BCS-1631550, and CNS-1626008). We also thank two anonymous reviewers whose comments greatly improved the quality of this work. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of any of the funding agencies.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Direct Measurements of A_b and A_c using Vertex/Kaon Charge Tags at SLD

Exploiting the manipulation of the SLC electron-beam polarization, we present precise direct measurements of the parity violation parameters A_c and A_b in the Z boson - c quark and Z boson - b quark coupling. Quark/antiquark discrimination is accomplished via a unique algorithm that takes advantage of the precise SLD CCD vertex detector, employing the net charge of displaced vertices as well as the charge of kaons that emanate from those vertices. From the 1996-98 sample of 400,000 Z decays, produced with an average beam polarization of 73.4%, we find A_c = 0.673 +/- 0.029 (stat.) +/- 0.023 (syst.) and A_b = 0.919 +/- 0.018 (stat.) +/- 0.017 (syst.).Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, to be submitted to Physical Review Letters; version 2 reflects changes suggested by the refere