Pulsed gas laser

A review of pulsed laser discharge systems based on CO2, N2 and excimer gas mixtures is given. The design of a double discharge self-preionized TE laser system is described. [Continues.

Client-server-based LBS architecture: A novel positioning module for improved positioning performance

Permission to distribute obtained from publisher.This work presents a new efficient positioning module that operates over client-server LBS architectures. The aim of the proposed module is to fulfil the position information requirements for LBS pedestrian applications by ensuring the availability of reliable, highly accurate and precise position solutions based on GPS single frequency (L1) positioning service. The positioning module operates at both LBS architecture sides; the client (mobile device), and the server (positioning server). At the server side, the positioning module is responsible for correcting user’s location information based on WADGPS corrections. In addition, at the mobile side, the positioning module is continually in charge for monitoring the integrity and available of the position solutions as well as managing the communication with the server. The integrity monitoring was based on EGNOS integrity methods. A prototype of the proposed module was developed and used in experimental trials to evaluate the efficiency of the module in terms of the achieved positioning performance. The positioning module was capable of achieving a horizontal accuracy of less than 2 meters with a 95% confidence level with integrity improvement of more than 30% from existing GPS/EGNOS services

Toward integrated conservation of North America's crop wild relatives

North America harbors a rich native flora of crop wild relatives—the progenitors and closely related species of domesticated plants—as well as a range of culturally significant wild utilized plants. Despite their current and potential future value, they are rarely prioritized for conservation efforts; thus many species are threatened in their natural habitats, and most are underrepresented in plant genebanks and botanical gardens. Further coordination of efforts among land management, botanical, and agricultural science organizations will improve conservation and general public awareness with regard to these species. We present examples of productive collaborations focused on wild cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon and Vaccinium oxycoccos) and chile peppers (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum). We then discuss five shared priorities for further action: (1) understand and document North America's crop wild relatives and wild utilized plants, (2) protect threatened species in their natural habitats, (3) collect and conserve ex situ the diversity of prioritized species, (4) make this diversity accessible and attractive for plant breeding, research, and education, and (5) raise public awareness of their value and the threats to their persistence

Characterizing and prognosticating chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the elderly: prospective evaluation on 455 patients treated in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Median age at diagnosis of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is \u3e 70 years. However, the majority of clinical trials do not reflect the demographics of CLL patients treated in the community. We examined treatment patterns, outcomes, and disease-related mortality in patients ≥ 75 years with CLL (E-CLL) in a real-world setting. METHODS: The Connect® CLL registry is a multicenter, prospective observational cohort study, which enrolled 1494 adult patients between 2010-2014, at 199 US sites. Patients with CLL were enrolled within 2 months of initiating first line of therapy (LOT1) or a subsequent LOT (LOT ≥ 2). Kaplan-Meier methods were used to evaluate overall survival. CLL- and infection-related mortality were assessed using cumulative incidence functions (CIF) and cause-specific hazards. Logistic regression was used to develop a classification model. RESULTS: A total of 455 E-CLL patients were enrolled; 259 were enrolled in LOT1 and 196 in LOT ≥ 2. E-CLL patients were more likely to receive rituximab monotherapy (19.3 vs. 8.6%; p \u3c 0.0001) and chemotherapy-alone regimens (p \u3c 0.0001) than younger patients. Overall and complete responses were lower in E-CLL patients than younger patients when given similar regimens. With a median follow-up of 3 years, CLL-related deaths were higher in E-CLL patients than younger patients in LOT1 (12.6 vs. 5.1% p = 0.0005) and LOT ≥ 2 (31.3 vs. 21.5%; p = 0.0277). Infection-related deaths were also higher in E-CLL patients than younger patients in LOT1 (7.4 vs. 2.7%; p = 0.0033) and in LOT ≥ 2 (16.2 vs. 11.2%; p = 0.0786). A prognostic score for E-CLL patients was developed: time from diagnosis to treatment \u3c 3 months, enrollment therapy other than bendamustine/rituximab, and anemia, identified patients at higher risk of inferior survival. Furthermore, higher-risk patients experienced an increased risk of CLL- or infection-related death (30.6 vs 10.3%; p = 0.0006). CONCLUSION: CLL- and infection-related mortality are higher in CLL patients aged ≥ 75 years than younger patients, underscoring the urgent need for alternative treatment strategies for these understudied patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Connect CLL registry was registered at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01081015 on March 4, 2010

A growing disconnection from nature is evident in cultural products

Human connection with nature is widely believed to be in decline, even though empirical evidence on the magnitude and temporal pattern of the change is scarce. Studying works of popular culture in English throughout the 20th century and later, we document a cultural shift away from nature, beginning in the 1950s. Since then, references to nature have been decreasing steadily in fiction, song lyrics, and film storylines. No parallel decline is observed in references to the human-made environment. These findings are cause for concern, not only because they imply foregone benefits from engagement with nature, but also because cultural products are agents of socialization that can evoke curiosity, respect, and concern for the natural world

Hepatoprotective Effect of Solanum melongena/Eggplant against Acute Hepatitis

   Background: Hepatitis is a liver inflammation that can be acute or chronic and may cause damage to hepatocytes such as necrosis.. Hepatocyte necrosis can be inhibited by antioxidants such as flavonoids found in Solanum melongena fruit. This study aimed to determine the hepatoprotective effect of Solanum melongena fruit infusion to inhibit hepatocytes damage in CCl4-induced rats.Methods: Twenty five male Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups, and adapted for 7 days before the experimental study. Negative and positive groups were given aquadest, Group III−V were given Solanum melongena fruit infusion containing 1.125 grams, 2.25 grams and 4.5 grams orally for 9 days. At the 9th day, all rats were induced by 8 mL/kgBW of 10% CCl4 in paraffin, except for the negative group. Rats were sacrificed on the 11th day, and liver biopsy preparations were made. Hepatocyte necrosis was counted and was analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test. Results: The study showed that the percentage of necrotic hepatocytes in group III, IV a nd V were lower than in the positive group. Using Mann-Whitney test, there were significant differences in negative group, group III, and group V (p0.05). Kruskal-Wallis test showed that there weresignificantly differences among groups (p<0.05). Conclusions: Solanum melongena fruit infusion has hepatoprotective effects against acute hepatitis in rat model histopathologically.Keywords: CCl4, flavonoids, hepatocyte, necrosis, Solanum melongena DOI: 10.15850/amj.v2n1.434 

New Tetra-dentate Schiff Base Ligand N2O2 and Its Complexes with Some of Metal Ions: Preparation, Identification, and Studying Their Enzymatic and Biological Activities

في هذا البحث، تم تحضير ليجند جديد رباعي المخلب، بعنوان 5و3-بس (5- برومو-2-هايدروكسي بنزالدين امينو) حمض البنزويك (H3L) ، من خلال عملية التكثيف المحفز بالحامض. تم أيضًا تحضير أربعة معقدات فلزية جديدة مع أيونات Co (II) و Ni (II) و Cu (II) و Zn (II) ، من مفاعلة مولات مكافئة. تركيب الليكاند ومعقداته تم تأكيدها من خلال العديد من طرائق التوصيف، بما في ذلك الأشعة فوق البنفسجية المرئية، الأشعة تحت الحمراء، مطياف الكتلة، أطياف الرنين المغناطيسي النووي للبروتون والكاربون، الامتصاص الذري اللهبي، الحساسية المغناطيسية، وقياسات التوصيلية المولارية. أثبتت نتائج التحاليل الطيفية أن الليكاند المحضر يعمل كرابط رباعي المخلب ثنائي الشحنة السالبة ويرتبط مع ألايونات الفلزية بواسطة ذرتين من النيتروجين من مجموعتي الآزوميثين وبواسطة ذرتين من الأوكسجين من مجموعتي هيدروكسيل الفينول بعد فقدانهما لبروتونيهما. تم اقتراح بنية ثماني السطوح لجميع المعقدات المحضرة. تم فحص النشاطات (المضادة للبكتيريا) و (المضادة للفطريات) لهذه المركبات ضد بكتريا (E. coli) ، (S. aureus)، (Klebsiella spp.)، (S. epidermidis)، وفطر ال (Candida albicans). أشارت النتائج إلى أن هذه المركبات لها سلوك تثبيط معتدل. كما تمت دراسة نشاط المركبات المحضرة ضد إنزيم أستيل كولين استيراز (AChE) وتشير البيانات التي تم الحصول عليها إلى وجود سلوك تثبيط مختلف.In present work, new tetra-dentate ligand, titled 3,5-bis ((E)-5-Bromo-2-hydroxy benzylidene amino) benzoic acid (H3L), was prepared via an acid-catalyzed condensation process. New four metallic ligand complexes with Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions, were also prepared from the refluxing of equivalent moles. Ligand's structure and its complexes; were confirmed by numerous characterization methods, including Ultraviolet-Visible, Infrared, Mass Spectrometer, 1H and 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectra, atomic absorption, magnetic moments, and molar conductivity measurements. The results of the spectroscopic analyzes proved that the prepared ligand acts as tetradentate bi-ionic ligand and it was bonded to the metal ions by two nitrogen atoms of the two azomethine groups and by two oxygen atoms of the two phenolic hydroxyl groups after losing their two protons. Octahedral structure proposed to all prepared complexes. The (anti-bacterial) and (anti-fungal) activities of these compound were screened against (E. coli, S. aureus, Klebsiella spp., S. epidermidis,), and (Candida albicans). The results indicated that these compounds have moderated inhibition behavior. The activity of the prepared compounds against Acetyl Choline Esterase Enzyme (AChE) have also studied and the obtained data indicated the presence of different inhibition behavior

Real-world clinical experience in the Connect® chronic lymphocytic leukaemia registry: a prospective cohort study of 1494 patients across 199 US centres.

The clinical course of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is heterogeneous, and treatment options vary considerably. The Connect® CLL registry is a multicentre, prospective observational cohort study that provides a real-world perspective on the management of, and outcomes for, patients with CLL. Between 2010 and 2014, 1494 patients with CLL and that initiated therapy, were enrolled from 199 centres throughout the USA (179 community-, 17 academic-, and 3 government-based centres). Patients were grouped by line of therapy at enrolment (LOT). We describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of, and practice patterns for, patients with CLL enrolled in this treatment registry, providing patient-level observational data that represent real-world experiences in the USA. Fluorescence in&nbsp;situ hybridization (FISH) analyses were performed on 49·3% of patients at enrolment. The most common genetic abnormalities detected by FISH were del(13q) and trisomy 12 (45·7% and 20·8%, respectively). Differences in disease characteristics and comorbidities were observed between patients enrolled in LOT1 and combined LOT2/≥3 cohorts. Important trends observed include the infrequent use of genetic prognostic testing, and differences in patient characteristics for patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy combinations. These data represent experiences of patients with CLL in the USA, which may inform treatment decisions in everyday practice

Formal Analysis of A Novel Mutual Authentication and Key Agreement Protocol

This research work analyzes the universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) authentication and key agreement (AKA) protocol, which suffers from the traffic bottleneck at home location register and authentication center (HLR/AuC). In addition, serving network has no capability to authenticate mobile station. To overcome these problems a new security scheme has been proposed which provides a more efficient and a secure authentication between mobile station and home networks, the proposed protocol called Efficient AKA (E-AKA). The E-AKA uses a temporary key to enable visitor location register and serving network (VLR/SN) to authenticate mobile station (MS) without intervention of HLR/AuC. To analyze and validate the security of the proposed protocol, the BAN (Burrows, Abadi and Needham) logic is used. The results show that the E-AKA protocol is more robust than the current AKA protocol.Facultad de Informátic