Surface parameters of stannic oxide in powder, ceramic, and gel form by nitrogen adsorption techniques Interim report

Surface parameters of stannic oxide in powder, ceramic, and gel form by nitrogen adsorption techniques - analysis of adsorption isotherm

A Java Program for LRE-Based Real-Time qPCR that Enables Large-Scale Absolute Quantification

Background: Linear regression of efficiency (LRE) introduced a new paradigm for real-time qPCR that enables large-scale absolute quantification by eliminating the need for standard curves. Developed through the application of sigmoidal mathematics to SYBR Green I-based assays, target quantity is derived directly from fluorescence readings within the central region of an amplification profile. However, a major challenge of implementing LRE quantification is the labor intensive nature of the analysis. Findings: Utilizing the extensive resources that are available for developing Java-based software, the LRE Analyzer was written using the NetBeans IDE, and is built on top of the modular architecture and windowing system provided by the NetBeans Platform. This fully featured desktop application determines the number of target molecules within a sample with little or no intervention by the user, in addition to providing extensive database capabilities. MS Excel is used to import data, allowing LRE quantification to be conducted with any real-time PCR instrument that provides access to the raw fluorescence readings. An extensive help set also provides an in-depth introduction to LRE, in addition to guidelines on how to implement LRE quantification. Conclusions: The LRE Analyzer provides the automated analysis and data storage capabilities required by large-scale qPCR projects wanting to exploit the many advantages of absolute quantification. Foremost is the universal perspective afforded by absolute quantification, which among other attributes, provides the ability to directly compare quantitative data produced by different assays and/or instruments. Furthermore, absolute quantification has important implications for gene expression profiling in that it provides the foundation for comparing transcript quantities produced by any gene with any other gene, within and between samples

Highly efficient frequency triplers in the millimeter wave region incorporating a back-to-back configuration of two varactor diodes

This paper reports on the recent development of monolithic frequency tripler array employing a back-to-back configuration of varactor diodes. Even harmonic idler circuits are unnecessary in this design. Furthermore, no external dc bias is required. The arrangement results in highly efficient, easily-fabricated and inexpensive frequency triplers

Work-related psychological health and psychological type among lead elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches in the United Kingdom

Building on a series of recent studies concerned with assessing work-related psychological health and psychological type among various groups of church leaders, this study reports new data provided by 134 Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches in the United Kingdom who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS) together with the two scales of the Francis Burnout Inventory (FBI) concerned with emotional exhaustion and satisfaction in ministry. Compared with other groups of church leaders, Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches reported lower levels of emotional exhaustion and higher levels of satisfaction in ministry. Compared with other groups of church leaders, there was a higher proportion of extraverts among Lead Elders within the Newfrontiers network of churches. There was only a weak association between psychological type and burnout

ADDRESSING PUBLISHING ISSUES WITH HYPERMEDIA DISTRIBUTED ON THE WEB

The content and structure of an electronically published document can be authored and processed in ways that allow for flexibility in presentation on different environments for different users. This enables authors to craft documents that are more widely presentable. Electronic publishing issues that arise from this separation of document storage from presentation include (1) respecting the intent and restrictions of the author and publisher in the document’s presentation, and (2) applying costs to individual document components and allowing the user to choose among alternatives to control the price of the document’s presentation. These costs apply not only to the individual media components displayed but also to the structure created by document authors to bring these media components together as multimedia. A collection of ISO standards, primarily SGML, HyTime and DSSSL, facilitate the representation of presentation-independent documents and the creation of environments that process them for presentation. SMIL is a W3C format under development for hypermedia documents distributed on the World Wide Web. Since SMIL is SGML-compliant, it can easily be incorporated into SGML/HyTime and DSSSL environments. This paper discusses how to address these issues in the context of presentation-independent hypermedia storage. It introduces the Berlage environment, which uses SGML, HyTime, DSSSL and SMIL to store, process, and present hypermedia data. This paper also describes how the Berlage environment can be used to enforce publisher restrictions on media content and to allow users to control the pricing of document presentations. Also explored is the ability of both SMIL and HyTime to address these issues in general, enabling SMIL and HyTime systems to consistently process documents of different document models authored in different environments

Millimeter and submillimeter wave technology developments for the next generation of fusion devices

There is increasing demand for compact watt-level coherent sources in the millimeter and submillimeter wave region. The approach that we have taken to satisfy this need is to fabricate two-dimensional grids loaded with oscillators, electronic beam steerers, and frequency multipliers for quasioptical coherent spatial combining of the outputs of a large number of low-power devices

Probiotic administration in congenital heart disease: a pilot study.

ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of probiotic Bifidobacterium longum ssp. infantis on the fecal microbiota and plasma cytokines in neonates with congenital heart disease.Study designSixteen infants with congenital heart disease were randomly assigned to receive either B. infantis (4.2 × 10(9) colony-forming units two times daily) or placebo for 8 weeks. Stool specimens from enrolled infants and from six term infants without heart disease were analyzed for microbial composition. Plasma cytokines were analyzed weekly in the infants with heart disease.ResultsHealthy control infants had increased total bacteria, total Bacteroidetes and total bifidobacteria compared to the infants with heart disease, but there were no significant differences between the placebo and probiotic groups. Plasma interleukin (IL)10, interferon (IFN)γ and IL1β levels were transiently higher in the probiotic group.ConclusionCongenital heart disease in infants is associated with dysbiosis. Probiotic B. infantis did not significantly alter the fecal microbiota. Alterations in plasma cytokines were found to be inconsistent

College Student Perceptions on Campus Alcohol Policies and Consumption Patterns

Environmental strategies for colleges and universities to reduce alcohol consumption among their students include the development and enforcement of campus alcohol policies. This study examines students\u27 knowledge and attitudes toward campus alcohol policies and how they relate to alcohol consumption and alcohol social norms. A sample of 422 freshman students was surveyed during their first month at a 4-year public college. Findings indicated that the majority of students (89%) were aware of campus policies, yet of those who were aware, less than half (44%) were accepting of these campus rules and regulations. In addition, the majority (79%) of students drank at social events, despite this behavior is in direct violation of campus alcohol policies. However, those who supported campus rules consumed significantly less alcohol at social events than those who opposed or had no opinion of the rules. Also, those who supported the rules perceived that their peers and students, in general, consumed significantly less alcohol at social events than those who were opposed or had no opinion. This outcome supports the premise established by several theories of behavior change including the theory of planned behavior, which states that behavior is influenced less by knowledge than by attitude and intention

The Host Galaxy and Central Engine of the Dwarf AGN POX 52

We present new multi-wavelength observations of the dwarf Seyfert 1 galaxy POX 52 in order to investigate the properties of the host galaxy and the active nucleus, and to examine the mass of its black hole, previously estimated to be ~ 10^5 M_sun. Hubble Space Telescope ACS/HRC images show that the host galaxy has a dwarf elliptical morphology (M_I = -18.4 mag, Sersic index n = 4.3) with no detected disk component or spiral structure, confirming previous results from ground-based imaging. X-ray observations from both Chandra and XMM show strong (factor of 2) variability over timescales as short as 500 s, as well as a dramatic decrease in the absorbing column density over a 9 month period. We attribute this change to a partial covering absorber, with a 94% covering fraction and N_H = 58^{+8.4}_{-9.2} * 10^21 cm^-2, that moved out of the line of sight in between the XMM and Chandra observations. Combining these data with observations from the VLA, Spitzer, and archival data from 2MASS and GALEX, we examine the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the active nucleus. Its shape is broadly similar to typical radio-quiet quasar SEDs, despite the very low bolometric luminosity of L_bol = 1.3 * 10^43 ergs/s. Finally, we compare black hole mass estimators including methods based on X-ray variability, and optical scaling relations using the broad H-beta line width and AGN continuum luminosity, finding a range of black hole mass from all methods to be M_bh = (2.2-4.2) * 10^5 M_sun, with an Eddington ratio of L_bol/L_edd = 0.2-0.5.Comment: 19 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

The X-ray Spectrum of the Rapid Burster using the Chandra HETGS

We present observations of the Rapid Burster (RB, also known as MXB 1730-335) using the Chandra High Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer. The average interval between type II (accretion) bursts was about 40 s. There was one type I (thermonuclear flash) burst and about 20 "mini-bursts" which are probably type II bursts whose peak flux is 10-40% of the average peak flux of the other type II bursts. The time averaged spectra of the type II bursts are well fit by a blackbody with a temperature of kT = 1.6 keV, a radius of 8.9 km for a distance of 8.6 kpc, and an interstellar column density of 1.7e22 per sq. cm. No narrow emission or absorption lines were clearly detected. The 3 sigma upper limits to the equivalent widths of any features are < 10 eV in the 1.1-7.0 keV band and as small as 1.5 eV near 1.7 keV. We suggest that Comptonization destroys absorption features such as the resonance line of Fe XXVI.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in AJ (with minor changes and enhanced discussion of the instrument configuration