INTRA- AND INTERRATER RELIABILITY OF MORPHOLOGICALLY EVALUATED LYMPHOCYTE APOPTOSIS IN TRAINED AND UNTRAINED OBSERVERS

Exercise-induced lymphocyte apoptosis has been reported using biochemical analysis and morphological assessment. Morphological evaluation is limited by the subjective nature of the technique. This investigation evaluated the intra- and interrater reliability of trained and untrained observers assessing apoptosis morphologically. Blood smears at baseline (PRE) and following cycle ergometer exercise (POST) were assessed microscopically for each condition. To obtain reliability measures, cell sets were evaluated for morphological characteristics of apoptosis on two separate occasions by trained and untrained observers using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Test-retest reliability for trained observers was higher for both conditions than untrained observers. Interrater reliability was below-average or below acceptable regardless of training status. Exercise may induce apoptotic changes in lymphocytes that are more easily discriminated by trained observers. Investigations assessing exercise-induced apoptosis should train observers in order to produce reliable results, and a single trained observer would be expected to yield the most reliable results

In situ assessment of carbon nanotube diameter distribution with photoelectron spectroscopy

7 págs.; 6 figs.; 1 tab. ; PACS numberssd: 73.22.2f, 79.60.Jv, 61.46.1wIn situ UV-photoelectron spectroscopy (He I and He II) was performed on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with clearly differentiated diameter distributions. A significant dependence of valence- and conduction-band characteristics on the mean CNT diameter was observed, which was determined by high-resolution TEM and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The decrease of relative intensity of the π states at -3 eV in the He II experiments, indicative of increasing rehybridization between orbitals, was directly correlated with decreasing mean diameters. Furthermore, a progressive broadening of the unoccupied σ* band at 7.6 eV was found in the He I spectra. © 2005 The American Physical Society.J.W.S. is grateful to the Centre Interdisciplinaire de Microscopie Electronique sCIMEd at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne sEPFLd for access to TEM and technical support. We also thank the National Centre of Competence in Research for Nanosciences NCCRd and the Swiss National Foundation for financial support.Peer Reviewe

Parvovirosis canina en la provincia Bolívar, Ecuador. Utilidad de los modelos Box-Jenkins para su análisis y predicción

El objetivo del trabajo fue evaluar la prevalencia y mortalidad de la parvovirosis canina en Bólivar, Ecuador y la factibilidad de los modelos ARIMA (Box-Jenkins) para su análisis y predicción. Se utilizaron datos retrospectivos obtenidos en el hospital veterinario «Caninos y Felinos» de la ciudad de Guaranda; seevaluó la prevalencia y mortalidad mensual de la enfermedad, definiéndose con los valores obtenidos series de tiempo a las que se les ajustó un modelo de Box-Jenkins, determinándose sus parámetros para identificar modelos mixtos con estructura ARIMA. Los modelos ajustados a las series fueron utilizados para pronosticar los valores del año 2011, comparándose con los observados mediante la prueba de Kolmogorov-Smirnov. Laprevalencia y mortalidad tuvieron una estacionalidad semestral, el modelo ajustado para prevalencia fue ARIMA (2,0,2)x(1,0,1)6 con constante y para mortalidad ARIMA(1,0,0)x(2,0,2)6 con constante, pronosticándose encada caso el mismo patrón de comportamiento para los próximos 12 meses, con elevada correspondenciaentre los datos reales y pronosticados por los modelo (P> 0,010). Se concluye que la prevalencia y mortalidadtienen un patrón estacional semestral y pueden modelarse y pronosticarse con elevada precisión mediante modelos Box-Jenkins, facilitándose su aplicación en estos y otros indicadores de salud animal, siempre que las observaciones se puedan expresar como una serie de tiempo

Mechanisms Of Silicon Nitride Etching By Electron Cyclotron Resonance Plasmas Using Sf6- And Nf3-based Gas Mixtures

The results of a comparitive study of SiNx, SiO2 and Si etching in SF6 - and NF3 --based gas mixtures were presented using a high-density electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma. It was shown that higher selectivities of SiNx etching over SiO2 (up to ∼100) were achieved with NF3, while higher selectivities over Si were obtained with SF6-based mixtures. The plasma and surface processes responsible for etching were analyzed. The mechanisms of nitride etching in NF3-based plasmas were also proposed.22415131518Li, Y.X., French, P.J., Wolffenbuttel, R.F., (1995) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B, 13, p. 2008Kastenmeier, B.E.E., Matsuo, P.J., Beulens, J.J., Oehrlein, G.S., (1996) J. Vac. Sci, Technol. A, 14, p. 2802Blain, M.G., Meisenheimer, T.L., Stevens, J.F., (1996) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 14, p. 2151Kastenmeier, B.E.E., Matsuo, P.J., Oehrlein, G.S., (1999) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 17, p. 3179Kastenmeier, B.E.E., Matsuo, P.J., Oehrlein, G.S., Ellefson, R.E., Frees, L.C., (2001) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 19, p. 25Reyes-Betanzo, C., Moshkalyov, S.A., Swart, J.W., Ramos, A.C.S., (2003) J. Vac, Sci. Technol. A, 21, p. 461Hsueh, H.P., McGrath, R.T., Ji, B., Felker, S., Langan, J.G., Karwacki, E.J., (2001) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B, 19, p. 1346Hargis Jr., P.J., Greenberg, K.E., (1990) J. Appl. Phys., 67, p. 6Moshkalyov, S.A., Diniz, J.A., Swart, J.W., Tatseh, P.J., Machida, M., (1997) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B, 15, p. 2682Nahorny, J., Ferreira, C.M., Gordiets, B., Pagnon, D., Touzeau, M., Vialle, M., (1995) J. Phys. D, 28, p. 738Guerra, V., Loureiro, J., (1995) J. Phys. D, 28, p. 1903Lide, D.R., (1990) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 70th Ed., , CRC Press, Boca Raton, FLPerrin, J., Meot, J., Siefert, J.M., Schmitt, J., (1990) Plasma Chem. Plasma Process., 10, p. 571Kastenmeier, B.E.E., Matsuo, P.J., Oehrlein, G.S., Langan, J.G., (1998) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 16, p. 204

Silicon Nitride Etching In High- And Low-density Plasmas Using Sf6/o2/n2 Mixtures

Silicon nitride etching in high- and low-density plasmas was shown using SF6/O2/N2 mixtures. The kinetics of formation of NO molecules was analyzed using optical emission spectroscopy. Lower selectivities were obtained using the capacitively coupled rf plasma source. Higher NO generation was found in a high-density electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) plasma, while using a O2/N2 mixture.212461469Li, Y.X., French, P.J., Wolffenbuttel, R.F., (1995) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B, 13, p. 2008Kastenmeier, B.E.E., Matsuo, P.J., Beulens, J.J., Oehrlein, G.S., (1996) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 14, p. 2802Blain, M.J., Meisenheimer, T.L., Stevens, J.F., (1996) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 14, p. 2151Lindstrom, J.L., Oehrlein, G.S., Lanford, W.A., (1992) J. Electrochem. Soc., 139, p. 317Kuo, Y., (1990) J. Electrochem. Soc., 137, p. 1235Ye, J.H., Zhou, M.S., (2000) J. Electrochem. Soc., 147, p. 1168Chatterjee, R., Karecki, S., Reiff, R., Sparks, T., Vartanian, V., Goolsby, B., (2001) J. Electrochem. Soc., 148, pp. G721Pruette, L., Karecki, S., Chatterjee, R., Reiff, R., (2000) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 18, p. 2749Matsuo, P.J., Kastenmeier, B.E.E., Beulens, J.J., Oehrlein, O.S., (1997) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 15, p. 1801Kastenmeier, B.E.E., Matsuo, P.J., Oehrlein, O.S., (1999) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 17, p. 3179Kastenmeier, B.E.E., Matsuo, P.J., Oehrlein, O.S., Ellefson, R.E., Frees, L.C., (2001) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 19, p. 25Wang, Y., Luo, L., (1998) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 16, p. 1582Blain, M.G., (1999) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 17, p. 665(1990) CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 70th Ed., , CRC, Boca Raton, FLMoshkalyov, S.A., Diniz, J.A., Swart, J.W., Tatsch, P.J., Machida, M., (1997) J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 15, p. 1881Reyes-Betanzo, C., (2002) Proceedings of the 201st Meeting of the Electroohem, p. 263. , Society, Plasma Processing XIV, PhiladelphiaReece Roth, J., (1995) Industrial Plasma Engineering, 1. , Institute of Physics, BristolItikawa, Y., Hayashi, H., (1986) J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, 15, p. 985Nahorny, J., Ferreira, C.M., Gordiets, B., Pagnon, D., Touzeau, M., Vialle, M., (1995) J. Phys. D, 28, p. 738Guerra, V., Loureiro, J., (1995) J. Phys. D, 28, p. 1903Moshkalyov, S.A., Steen, P.G., Gomez, S., Graham, W.G., (1999) Appl. Phys. Lett., 75, p. 328Tsuji, M., Ishimi, H., Nakamura, M., Nishimura, Y., (1995) J. Chem. Phys., 102, p. 2479Mateev, E., Zhelyazkov, I., (2000) J. Appl. Phys., 87, p. 3263Reyes-Betanzo, C., Moshkalyov, S.A., Swart, J.W., unpublishedDulkin, A.E., Pyataev, V.Z., Sokolova, N.O., Moshkalyov, S.A., Smirnov, A.S., Frolov, K.S., (1993) Vacuum, 44, p. 91

The Single-Particle Spectral Function of 16O^{16}{\rm O}

The influence of short-range correlations on the $p$-wave single-particle spectral function in $^{16}{\rm O}$ is studied as a function of energy. This influence, which is represented by the admixture of high-momentum components, is found to be small in the $p$-shell quasihole wave functions. It is therefore unlikely that studies of quasihole momentum distributions using the $(e,e'p)$ reaction will reveal a significant contribution of high momentum components. Instead, high-momentum components become increasingly more dominant at higher excitation energy. The above observations are consistent with the energy distribution of high-momentum components in nuclear matter.Comment: 5 pages, RevTeX, 3 figure

Effects of Short Range Correlations on Ca Isotopes

The effect of Short Range Correlations (SRC) on Ca isotopes is studied using a simple phenomenological model. Theoretical expressions for the charge (proton) form factors, densities and moments of Ca nuclei are derived. The role of SRC in reproducing the empirical data for the charge density differences is examined. Their influence on the depletion of the nuclear Fermi surface is studied and the fractional occupation probabilities of the shell model orbits of Ca nuclei are calculated. The variation of SRC as function of the mass number is also discussed.Comment: 11 pages (RevTex), 6 Postscript figures available upon request at [email protected] Physical Review C in prin

Ultrasonic evidence of an uncorrelated cluster formation temperature in manganites with first-order magnetic transition at T_C

Ultrasonic attenuation and phase velocity measurements have been carried out in the ferromagnetic perovskites La_{2/3}Ca_{1/3}MnO_3 and La_{2/3}Sr_{1/3}MnO_3. Data show that the transition at the Curie temperature, T_C, changes from first- to second-order as Sr replaces Ca in the perovskite. The compound with first-order transition shows also another transition at a temperature T* > T_C. We interpret the temperature window T_C < T < T* as a region of coexistence of a phase separated regime of metallic and insulating regions, in the line of recent theoretical proposals.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Ordering in the dilute weakly-anisotropic antiferromagnet Mn(0.35)Zn(0.65)F2

The highly diluted antiferromagnet Mn(0.35)Zn(0.65)F2 has been investigated by neutron scattering in zero field. The Bragg peaks observed below the Neel temperature TN (approximately 10.9 K) indicate stable antiferromagnetic long-range ordering at low temperature. The critical behavior is governed by random-exchange Ising model critical exponents (nu approximately 0.69 and gamma approximately 1.31), as reported for Mn(x)Zn(1-x)F2 with higher x and for the isostructural compound Fe(x)Zn(1-x)F2. However, in addition to the Bragg peaks, unusual scattering behavior appears for |q|>0 below a glassy temperature Tg approximately 7.0 K. The glassy region T<Tg corresponds to that of noticeable frequency dependence in earlier zero-field ac susceptibility measurements on this sample. These results indicate that long-range order coexists with short-range nonequilibrium clusters in this highly diluted magnet.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure

The Imaging Magnetograph eXperiment (IMaX) for the Sunrise balloon-borne solar observatory

The Imaging Magnetograph eXperiment (IMaX) is a spectropolarimeter built by four institutions in Spain that flew on board the Sunrise balloon-borne telesocope in June 2009 for almost six days over the Arctic Circle. As a polarimeter IMaX uses fast polarization modulation (based on the use of two liquid crystal retarders), real-time image accumulation, and dual beam polarimetry to reach polarization sensitivities of 0.1%. As a spectrograph, the instrument uses a LiNbO3 etalon in double pass and a narrow band pre-filter to achieve a spectral resolution of 85 mAA. IMaX uses the high Zeeman sensitive line of Fe I at 5250.2 AA and observes all four Stokes parameters at various points inside the spectral line. This allows vector magnetograms, Dopplergrams, and intensity frames to be produced that, after reconstruction, reach spatial resolutions in the 0.15-0.18 arcsec range over a 50x50 arcsec FOV. Time cadences vary between ten and 33 seconds, although the shortest one only includes longitudinal polarimetry. The spectral line is sampled in various ways depending on the applied observing mode, from just two points inside the line to 11 of them. All observing modes include one extra wavelength point in the nearby continuum. Gauss equivalent sensitivities are four Gauss for longitudinal fields and 80 Gauss for transverse fields per wavelength sample. The LOS velocities are estimated with statistical errors of the order of 5-40 m/s. The design, calibration and integration phases of the instrument, together with the implemented data reduction scheme are described in some detail.Comment: 17 figure