Interface Microstructures and Bond Formation in Ultrasonic Consolidation

The quality of ultrasonically consolidated parts critically depends on the bond quality between individual metal foils. This necessitates a detailed understanding of interface microstructures and ultrasonic bonding mechanism. There is a lack of information on interface microstructures in ultrasonically consolidated parts as well as a lack of consensus on the mechanism of metal ultrasonic welding, especially on matters such as plastic deformation and recrystallization. In the current work, interface microstructures of an ultrasonically consolidated multi-material Al 3003-Ni 201 sample were analyzed in detail using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and orientation imaging microscopy. Based on the results of microstructural studies, the mechanism of metal ultrasonic welding has been discussed. The reasons for formation of defects/unbonded regions in ultrasonically consolidated parts have also been identified and discussedMechanical Engineerin

Constitutive serotonin transporter reduction resembles maternal separation with regard to stress-related gene expression

Interactive effects between allelic variants of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) promoter-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) and stressors on depression symptoms have been documented, as well as questioned, by meta-analyses. Translational models of constitutive 5-htt reduction and experimentally controlled stressors often led to inconsistent behavioral and molecular findings, and often did not include females. The present study sought to investigate the effect of 5-htt genotype, maternal separation, and sex on the expression of stress-related candidate genes in the rat hippocampus and frontal cortex. The mRNA expression levels of Avp, Pomc, Crh, Crhbp, Crhr1, Bdnf, Ntrk2, Maoa, Maob, and Comt were assessed in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of 5-htt +/- and 5-htt +/+ male and female adult rats exposed, or not, to daily maternal separation for 180 minutes during the first two postnatal weeks. Gene- and brain region-dependent, but sex-independent, interactions between 5-htt genotype and maternal separation were found. Gene expression levels were higher in 5-htt +/+ rats not exposed to maternal separation compared to the other experimental groups. Maternal separation and 5-htt +/- genotype did not yield additive effects on gene expression. Correlative relationships, mainly positive, were observed within, but not across, brain regions in all groups, except in non-maternally separated 5-htt +/+ rats. Gene expression patterns in the hippocampus and frontal cortex of rats exposed to maternal separation resembled the ones observed in rats with reduced 5-htt expression, regardless of sex. These results suggest that floor effects of 5-htt reduction and maternal separation might explain inconsistent findings in humans and rodents.</p

Study of several varieties of tree crowns on different rootstocks of mango (Mangifera indica L.)

O objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a interferência copa x porta-enxerto no desenvolvimento da mangueira. As alturas e os diâmetros das copas foram tomadas uma vez em 1981, quando as 210 plantas atingiram 15 anos de idade. As variedades de copas estudadas foram as seguintes: Extrema, Oliveira Neto, Carlota, Imperial, Pahiri e Bourbon. Os porta-enxertos utilizados foram Espada, Extrema, Olivara Neto, Carlota, Coco, Pahiri e Bourbon. Os dados foram analisados e a comparação das médias foi feita através do teste de Tukey em nível de 5% de probabilidade. O estudo mostrou que as variedades de copa, Olivara Neto, Extrema e Bourbon atingiram uma altura e um diâmetro maior que as demais variedades.The aim of this paper was to investigate the influence of the combination tree crown + rootstock on mango tree performance. The trees were selected according to height and crown diameter, measured once in 1981, using 210 trees, 15 years old at the beginning of the experiment. The Extrema, Espada, Oliveira Neto, Carlota, Bourbon, Coco and Pahiri varieties were used as rootstock and Extrema, Pahiri, Imperial, Oliveira Neto, Cariota e Bourbon were utilized as scions for tree crown development. Data were analysed by classical statistics, comparing means through the Tukey test, at a probability level of 5%. The crowns Oliveira Neto, Extrema e Bourbon showed the highest heights and diametres

Twinning across the Developing World

Contains fulltext : 95481.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)5 p

Can sexual selection drive female life histories? A comparative study on Galliform birds

Sexual selection is an important driver of many of the most spectacular morphological traits that we find in the animal kingdom (for example see Andersson, 1994). As such, sexual selection is most often emphasized as

Expression and trans-specific polymorphism of self-incompatibility RNases in Coffea (Rubiaceae)

Self-incompatibility (SI) is widespread in the angiosperms, but identifying the biochemical components of SI mechanisms has proven to be difficult in most lineages. Coffea (coffee; Rubiaceae) is a genus of old-world tropical understory trees in which the vast majority of diploid species utilize a mechanism of gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI). The S-RNase GSI system was one of the first SI mechanisms to be biochemically characterized, and likely represents the ancestral Eudicot condition as evidenced by its functional characterization in both asterid (Solanaceae, Plantaginaceae) and rosid (Rosaceae) lineages. The S-RNase GSI mechanism employs the activity of class III RNase T2 proteins to terminate the growth of "self" pollen tubes. Here, we investigate the mechanism of Coffea GSI and specifically examine the potential for homology to S-RNase GSI by sequencing class III RNase T2 genes in populations of 14 African and Madagascan Coffea species and the closely related self-compatible species Psilanthus ebracteolatus. Phylogenetic analyses of these sequences aligned to a diverse sample of plant RNase T2 genes show that the Coffea genome contains at least three class III RNase T2 genes. Patterns of tissue-specific gene expression identify one of these RNase T2 genes as the putative Coffea S-RNase gene. We show that populations of SI Coffea are remarkably polymorphic for putative S-RNase alleles, and exhibit a persistent pattern of trans-specific polymorphism characteristic of all S-RNase genes previously isolated from GSI Eudicot lineages. We thus conclude that Coffea GSI is most likely homologous to the classic Eudicot S-RNase system, which was retained since the divergence of the Rubiaceae lineage from an ancient SI Eudicot ancestor, nearly 90 million years ago.United States National Science Foundation [0849186]; Society of Systematic Biologists; American Society of Plant Taxonomists; Duke University Graduate Schoolinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Lung and extrathoracic cancer incidence among underground uranium miners exposed to radon progeny in the Příbram region of the Czech Republic: a case-cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Radon is carcinogenic, but more studies are needed to understand relationships with lung cancer and extrathoracic cancers at low exposures. There are few studies evaluating associations with cancer incidence or assessing the modifying effects of smoking. METHODS: We conducted a case-cohort study with 16 434 underground uranium miners in the Czech Republic with cancer incidence follow-up 1977-1996. Associations between radon exposure and lung cancer, and extrathoracic cancer, were estimated with linear excess relative rate (ERR) models. We examined potential modifying effects of smoking, time since exposure and exposure rate. RESULTS: Under a simple ERR model, assuming a 5-year exposure lag, the estimated ERR of lung cancer per 100 working level months (WLM) was 0.54 (95% CI 0.33 to 0.83) and the estimated ERR of extrathoracic cancer per 100 WLM was 0.07 (95% CI -0.17 to 0.72). Most lung cancer cases were observed among smokers (82%), and the estimated ERR of lung cancer per 100 WLM was larger among smokers (ERR/100 WLM=1.35; 95% CI 0.84 to 2.15) than among never smokers (ERR/100 WLM=0.12; 95% CI -0.05 to 0.49). Among smokers, the estimated ERR of lung cancer per 100 WLM decreased with time since exposure from 3.07 (95% CI -0.04 to 10.32) in the period 5-14 years after exposure to 1.05 (95% CI 0.49 to 1.87) in the period 25+ years after exposure. CONCLUSIONS: We observed positive associations between cumulative radon exposure and lung cancer, consistent with prior studies. We observed a positive association between cumulative radon exposure and extrathoracic cancers, although the estimates were small. There was evidence that the association between radon and lung cancer was modified by smoking in a multiplicative or super-multiplicative fashion

Expression of CXCL10 is associated with response to radiotherapy and overall survival in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue

Five-year survival for patients with oral cancer has been disappointingly stable during the last decades, creating a demand for new biomarkers and treatment targets. Lately, much focus has been set on immunomodulation as a possible treatment or an adjuvant increasing sensitivity to conventional treatments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic importance of response to radiotherapy in tongue carcinoma patients as well as the expression of the CXC-chemokines in correlation to radiation response in the same group of tumours. Thirty-eight patients with tongue carcinoma that had received radiotherapy followed by surgery were included. The prognostic impact of pathological response to radiotherapy, N-status, T-stage, age and gender was evaluated using Cox's regression models, Kaplan-Meier survival curves and chi-square test. The expression of 23 CXC-chemokine ligands and their receptors were evaluated in all patients using microarray and qPCR and correlated with response to treatment using logistic regression. Pathological response to radiotherapy was independently associated to overall survival with a 2-year survival probability of 81 % for patients showing a complete pathological response, while patients with a non-complete response only had a probability of 42 % to survive for 2 years (p = 0.016). The expression of one CXC-chemokine, CXCL10, was significantly associated with response to radiotherapy and the group of patients with the highest CXCL10 expression responded, especially poorly (p = 0.01). CXCL10 is a potential marker for response to radiotherapy and overall survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue

Mortality and cancer incidence among underground uranium miners in the Czech Republic 1977-1992

Objectives Uranium miners in Příbram, Czech Republic were exposed to low and moderate levels of radon gas and other hazards. It is unknown whether these hazards increase the risk of mortality or cancer incidence when compared with the general Czech population. Methods A cohort of 16 434 male underground miners employed underground for at least 1 year between 1946 and 1976, and alive and residing in the Czech Republic in 1977, were followed for mortality and cancer incidence through 1992. We compared observed deaths and cancer incidence to expectation based on Czech rates. Standardised mortality ratios (SMRs), standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) and causal mortality ratios were calculated. Results Underground workers in the Příbram mines had higher rates of death than expected due to all causes (SMR=1.23, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.27), all cancers (SMR=1.52, 95% CI 1.44 to 1.60), lung cancer (SMR=2.12, 95% CI 1.96 to 2.28) and extrathoracic cancer (SMR=1.41, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.77). Similar excess was observed in cancer incidence analyses, with the addition of stomach cancer (SIR=1.37, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.63), liver cancer (SIR=1.70, 95% CI 1.16 to 2.25) and rectal cancer (SIR=1.41, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.66). The SIR was elevated for all leukaemias (SIR=1.51, 95% CI 1.08 to 2.07) and for lymphatic and haematopoietic cancers combined (SIR=1.31, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.61), but results for specific subtypes were imprecise. Deaths due to hazardous mining conditions resulted in 0.33 person-years of life lost per miner. Conclusions Occupational exposure to the Příbram mines resulted in excess cancers at several sites, including sites previously linked to radon and uranium exposure. Incidence analyses showed relative excess of several additional cancer subtypes