Elastic α\alpha-transfer in the elastic scattering of 16^{\bf 16}O+12+^{\bf 12}C

The elastic scattering $^{16}$O$+^{12}$C angular distributions at $^{16}$O bombarding energies of 100.0, 115.9 and 124.0 MeV and their optical model description including the $\alpha$-particle exchange contribution calculated in the Coupled Reaction Channel approach are presented. The angular distributions show not only the usual diffraction pattern but also, at larger angles, intermediate structure of refractive origin on which finer oscillations are superimposed. The large angle features can be consistently described including explicitly the elastic $\alpha$-transfer process and using a refractive optical potential with a deep real part and a weakly absorptive imaginary part.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, accepted in Eur.Phys.J A (Short note

Coexistence of α+α+n+n and α+t+t cluster structures in 10Be

The coexistence of the α+α+n+n and α+t+t cluster structures in the excited states of 10Be has been discussed. In the previous analysis, all the low-lying states of 10Be were found to be well described by the motion of the two valence neutrons around two α clusters. However, the α+t+t cluster structure was found to coexist with the α+α+n+n structure around Ex=15 MeV, close to the corresponding threshold. We have introduced a microscopic model to solve the coupling effect between these two configurations. The K=0 and K=1 states are generated from the α+t+t configurations due to the spin coupling of two triton clusters. The present case of 10Be is one of the few examples in which completely different configurations of triton-type (α+t+t three-center) and α-type (α+α+n+n two-center) clusters coexist in a single nucleus in the same energy region

Value added of schools in Serbia

Value added (VA) is one of the measures to assess the quality of school work; when calculating this value, the individual characteristics of students are statistically equalised in order to focus on the factors that are under the jurisdiction of the educational system. The basic value of VA is seen in providing as fair information as possible about the contribution of teachers and / or schools to student achievement. In this paper, we investigate the value added of schools in Serbia. We have set the following research goals: (1) examining the contribution of students' individual characteristics on student achievement in seven subjects, (2) establishing the connection between the student achievement and the expected VA, (3) examining the representation of school groups selected by the expected student achievement and VA and (4) determining the variability of VA of subjects in a particular school. The study was conducted on the sample of 125 elementary schools, with participation of 5065 8th grade students and 5021 parents of these students. Data on student variables were collected through a questionnaire, and from student achievement from the 2011 TIMSS and 2015 final exam databases. Hierarchical modelling was used for the analyses. The results, among other things, show that the expected student achievement and VA are unrelated for most schools, that most schools have both negative VA and below-average expected achievement, and that VA varies between school subjects. The limitations of this study are also given, as well as the implications that the obtained data have on educational policy in Serbia

The Zipfian paradigm cell filling problem

This chapter proposes that the stable coexistence of regular and irregular patterns can be understood in terms of a trade-off between the opposing communicative pressures imposed by predictability and discriminability. On this view, irregularity is not ‘defective’ or ‘anomalous’. Instead, irregular formations exhibit an enhanced discriminability that brings them into maximal conformance with precepts like the ‘one form - one meaning principle’, while allowing them to act as attractors within a larger system. Conversely, regularity is neither ‘optimal’ nor ‘normative’. Regular patterns serve to facilitate predictability within a system. In order for regular items to perform this function, it must be possible to assign partially attested paradigms that exhaust the variation in the system. We suggest that a correlation between lexical neighbourhoods and patterns of co-filled cells bootstraps this analogical process

Prevention of the β-amyloid peptide-induced inflammatory process by inhibition of double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase in primary murine mixed co-cultures

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Inflammation may be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). There has been little success with anti-inflammatory drugs in AD, while the promise of anti-inflammatory treatment is more evident in experimental models. A new anti-inflammatory strategy requires a better understanding of molecular mechanisms. Among the plethora of signaling pathways activated by β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides, the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) pathway could be an interesting target. In virus-infected cells, double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) controls the NF-κB signaling pathway. It is well-known that PKR is activated in AD. This led us to study the effect of a specific inhibitor of PKR on the Aβ42-induced inflammatory response in primary mixed murine co-cultures, allowing interactions between neurons, astrocytes and microglia.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Primary mixed murine co-cultures were prepared in three steps: a primary culture of astrocytes and microglia for 14 days, then a primary culture of neurons and astrocytes which were cultured with microglia purified from the first culture. Before exposure to Aβ neurotoxicity (72 h), co-cultures were treated with compound C16, a specific inhibitor of PKR. Levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6 were assessed by ELISA. Levels of P_T451-PKR and activation of IκB, NF-κB and caspase-3 were assessed by western blotting. Apoptosis was also followed using annexin V-FITC immunostaining kit. Subcellular distribution of P_T451-PKR was assessed by confocal immunofluorescence and morphological structure of cells by scanning electron microscopy. Data were analysed using one-way ANOVA followed by a Newman-Keuls' post hoc test</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In these co-cultures, PKR inhibition prevented Aβ42-induced activation of IκB and NF-κB, strongly decreased production and release of tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) and interleukin (IL)-1β, and limited apoptosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In spite of the complexity of the innate immune response, PKR inhibition could be an interesting anti-inflammatory strategy in AD.</p

Effects of nitrogen supply on must quality and anthocyanin accumulation in berries of cv. Merlot

Nitrogen supply to Merlot vines (Vitis vinifera L.), grown under controlled conditions, affected must quality and the anthocyanin content in berry skins irrespective of vegetative growth. High N supply delayed fruit maturation; berries had a higher arginine and a lower anthocyanin content with relatively more abundant acylated anthocyanins compared to berries of vines supplied with low N. During maturation the anthocyanin content in the skin of berries decreased; this was more significant in high-N vines. It is concluded that high nitrogen supply affects the metabolic pathway of anthocyanins in different ways, e.g. it delays the quantitative and qualitative biosynthesis and enhances their degradation during the final steps of berry maturation.

MSCT coronary angiography in non-invasive assessment of coronary artery bypass grafts patency

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading cause of the morbidity and mortality in India and worldwide and last decade has seen a steep rise in incidence of CAD in India and its treatment as bypass surgery. Direct visualization of the grafts and native coronary arteries by invasive catheterization is now being replaced by non-invasive CT coronary angiography with higher slice machines and newer technology as it has good temporal resolution, high scanning speed as well as low radiation dose. We share our experience of graft imaging on 128 slice CT machine.Methods: This is a retrospective, single-center, observational study. We included 500 symptomatic patients who have undergone CT study between the year 2014 to 2018 post bypass surgery.Results: Arterial grafts have a better patency rate than venous grafts. (88% vs. 64.1%). Amongst the individual arterial grafts RIMA had the best patency rate (100%) followed by LIMA (90.8%), RA (68.7%). LAD was the most commonly involved artery (91%).Conclusions: Significant absolute concordance between CT and catheter angiographic findings have been documented for all arterial and venous grafts patency in the literature. The MSCT with retrospective gating permits an accurate and non-invasive evaluation of patent and diseased arterial and vein grafts and could replace conventional angiography for the follow-up of symptomatic, stable patients. Moreover, an optimal diagnostic accuracy was also documented in the appraisal of native vessels distal to the graft anastomoses

Alternative Solutions to a Language Design Problem: The Role of Adjectives and Gender Marking in Efficient Communication

A central goal of typological research is to characterize linguistic features in terms of both their functional role and their fit to social and cognitive systems. One long-standing puzzle concerns why certain languages employ grammatical gender. In an information theoretic analysis of German noun classification, Dye, Milin, Futrell, and Ramscar (2017) enumerated a number of important processing advantages gender confers. Yet this raises a further puzzle: If gender systems are so beneficial to processing, what does this mean for languages that make do without them? Here, we compare the communicative function of gender marking in German (a deterministic system) to that of prenominal adjectives in English (a probabilistic one), finding that despite their differences, both systems act to efficiently smooth information over discourse, making nouns more equally predictable in context. We examine why evolutionary pressures may favor one system over another and discuss the implications for compositional accounts of meaning and Gricean principles of communication