Creating Ground State Molecules with Optical Feshbach Resonances in Tight Traps

We propose to create ultracold ground state molecules in an atomic Bose-Einstein condensate by adiabatic crossing of an optical Feshbach resonance. We envision a scheme where the laser intensity and possibly also frequency are linearly ramped over the resonance. Our calculations for $^{87}$Rb show that for sufficiently tight traps it is possible to avoid spontaneous emission while retaining adiabaticity, and conversion efficiencies of up to 50% can be expected

Synchonizing U.S. States\u27 Strategic Plans to Increase Exports To Emerging Markets

The United States seeks to increase and expand exports to emerging markets. The majority of U.S. firms (98 percent) are small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with only 1 percent engaging in exporting. The Federal and State Governments encourage SMEs to expand exporting through the National Export Initiative (NEI) and NEI/NEXT initiatives. This paper examines NEI’s progress and strategies by leading U.S. exporting states, export activity to BRICSA, states’ alignment with NEI and the extent to which NEI has facilitated federal and state collaboration. Further, it reviews NEI/NEXT objectives and strategies to internationalize U.S. business practices

L1 transfer in the acquisition of manner and path in Spanish by native speakers of English

In this article the authors argue that L1 transfer from English is not only important in the early stages of L2 acquisition of Spanish, but remains influential in later stages if there is not enough positive evidence for the learners to progress in their development (Lefebvre, White, & Jourdan, 2006). The findings are based on analyses of path and manner of movement in stories told by British students of Spanish (N = 68) of three different proficiency levels. Verbs that conflate motion and path, on the one hand, are mastered early, possibly because the existence of Latinate path verbs, such as enter and ascend in English, facilitate their early acquisition by British learners of Spanish. Contrary to the findings of Cadierno (2004) and Cadierno and Ruiz (2006), the encoding of manner, in particular in boundary crossing contexts, seems to pose enormous difficulties, even among students who had been abroad on a placement in a Spanish-speaking country prior to the data collection. An analysis of the frequency of manner verbs in Spanish corpora shows that one of the key reasons why students struggle with manner is that manner verbs are so infrequent in Spanish. The authors claim that scarce positive evidence in the language exposed to and little or no negative evidence are responsible for the long-lasting effect of transfer on the expression of manner

Exploring pelvic floor muscle activity in men with lower urinary tract symptoms

Aim We aimed to explore the utility of the Multiple Array Probe Leiden (MAPLe) device to assess pelvic floor muscle activity in men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Methods This was an observational cohort study performed at the urology outpatient department of a large teaching hospital in the Netherlands between April and October 2018. We recruited male patients referred for the assessment of LUTS, without a history of prostate surgery, if they had an International Prostate Symptom Score greater than or equal to 8. The MAPLe device was then used to assess the puborectalis, pubococcygeus, iliococcygeus, urogenital diaphragm, and the internal and external anal sphincters during three tasks: a rest period (1 minute), five maximum voluntary contractions (held for 3 seconds each), and three maximal endurance contractions (held for 15 seconds each). Results In total, 57 patients were included, 5 of which had diabetes mellitus. Muscle activity at rest was significantly lower than during either contraction task and did not differ between the muscle groups. By contrast, the external anal sphincter had significantly less activity than any other muscle group during the endurance task, and the internal anal sphincter and puborectalis had significantly less activity during the maximum voluntary contraction task. No association was found between pelvic floor muscle activity and LUTS severity during any task. Conclusion Pelvic floor muscle activity and LUTS severity appear to be unrelated, but this does not completely exclude the possibility of muscle involvement in the development or experience of symptoms. Further research is needed

Exploring Gender Gaps: How Nigerian Micro Business Owners Use Mobile Apps for Business

This study examined how men and women who own micro-businesses in Lagos, Nigeria, use mobile apps for business. The paper analyses the findings from Amartya Sen’s capability approach viewpoint. The two key findings suggest that women micro-business owners make more use of mobile apps compared to men and that they tend to exit micro-businesses as they grow older indicating a possible influence of patriarchy in African contexts. Specifically, women seized opportunities presented by mobile apps to acquire capabilities to function; and they adopt mobile apps to enhance their wellbeing and freedom despite the restrictions and responsibilities in the patriarchal environments typical of low-income countries. The insignificant gender gap in certain mobile app usages presents new perspectives to debates on gender (economic) gaps, inequality, women empowerment, and technology uptake in low-income country contexts

LTBP2 null mutations in an autosomal recessive ocular syndrome with megalocornea, spherophakia, and secondary glaucoma

The latent TGFβ-binding proteins (LTBPs) and fibrillins are a superfamily of large, multidomain proteins with structural and TGFβ-signalling roles in the extracellular matrix. Their importance is underscored by fibrillin-1 mutations responsible for Marfan syndrome, but their respective roles are still incompletely understood. We report here on two families where children from healthy, consanguineous parents, presented with megalocornea and impaired vision associated with small, round, dislocated lenses (microspherophakia and ectopia lentis) and myopia, as well as a high-arched palate, and, in older children, tall stature with an abnormally large arm span over body height ratio, that is, associated features of Marfan syndrome. Glaucoma was not present at birth, but was diagnosed in older children. Whole genome homozygosity mapping followed by candidate gene analysis identified homozygous truncating mutations of LTBP2 gene in patients from both families. Fibroblast mRNA analysis was consistent with nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, with no evidence of mutated exon skipping. We conclude that biallelic null LTBP2 mutations cause the ocular phenotype in both families and could lead to Marfan-like features in older children. We suggest that intraocular pressures should be followed-up in young children with an ocular phenotype consisting of megalocornea, spherophakia and/or lens dislocation, and recommend LTBP2 gene analysis in these patients

Crop Updates 2000 - Lupins

This session covers nineteen papers from different authors: 1.1999 Lupin Highlights, Bill O’Neill, LUPIN PRODUCTIVITY IMPROVEMENTS AND INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT LUPIN ANTHRACNOSE 2. Anthracnose – 1999/2000, Geoff Thomas and Mark Sweetingham, Agriculture Western Australia LUPIN BREEDING AND AGRONOMY 3. The genetic control of mildly restricted branching in narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus augustifolius L), Kedar Adhikari1,3, Nick Galwey1,3 and Miles Dracup2,3 1Plant Sciences, University of Western Australia 2Agriculture Western Australia 3Cooperative Research Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, University of Western Australia 4. Genotype x time of sowing interaction in lupins – Mingenew, Bob French, Agriculture Western Australia 5. Genotype x time of sowing interaction in lupins – Wongan Hills, Bob French, Agriculture Western Australia 6. Genetic variation in lupin tolerance to Brown Leaf Spot, Bob French, Agriculture Western Australia 7. Yellow lupin management in Western Australia, Bob French, Agriculture Western Australia APHIDS AND VIRUS CONTROL 8. Forecasting aphid and virus risk in lupins, Debbie Thackray, Jenny Hawkes and Roger Jones, Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture and Agriculture Western Australia 9. When should lupin crops be sprayed for aphids to achieve maximum yield response? Françoise Berlandier, Agriculture Western Australia 10. Yield limiting potential of the new, non-necrotic strain of bean yellow mosaic virus in narrow-leafed lupin, Roger Jones, Yvonne Cheng and Lisa Smith, Crop Improvement Institute, Agriculture Western Australia, and Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture LUPIN NUTRITION 11. Increasing the value of a rotation by applying lime, Chris Gazey and Michael O’Connell, Agriculture Western Australia HERBICIDE TOLERANCE AND WEED CONTROL 12. Herbicide damage does not mean lower yield in Lupins, Peter Carlton, Trials Coordinator, Elders Limited 13. Effect of herbicides Tordonä 75D and Lontrelä, used for eradication of Skeleton Weed, on production of Lupins in following seasons, John R. Peirce and Brad J. Rayner, Agriculture Western Australia 14. Herbicide tolerance of lupins, Terry Piper, Agriculture Western Australia 15. Tanjil lupins will tolerate metribuzin under the right conditions, Peter Newman, Agronomist Elders Limited and Cameron Weeks, Mingenew/Irwin Group LUPIN ESTABLISHMENT 16. A new seed pressing system for ryegrass suppression and healthy lupin establishment, Mohammad Amjad and Glen Riethmuller,Agriculture Western Australia 17. Banded surfactant for better lupin yield on non-wetting sand, Dr Paul Blackwell, Agriculture Western Australia DROUGHT TOLERANCE 18. Drought tolerance of lupin genotypes in Western Australia, Jairo A. Palta1,2,, Neil C. Turner1,2, Robert J. French2,3 ,1CSIRO Plant Industry, Centre for Mediterranean Agricultural Research, 2Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture, University of Western Australia, 3Agriculture Western Australia, 19. Stem carbohydrate in lupins: a possible buffer to maintain seed growth under adverse conditions, Bob French1, Tim Setter2, Jairo Palta3 , 1Agriculture Western Australia, and CLIMA, 2Agriculture Western Australia, 3CSIRO, Floreat Park, and CLIM

Major Role for Amphotericin B–Flucytosine Combination in Severe Cryptococcosis

BACKGROUND: The Infectious Diseases Society of America published in 2000 practical guidelines for the management of cryptococcosis. However, treatment strategies have not been fully validated in the various clinical settings due to exclusion criteria during therapeutic trials. We assessed here the optimal therapeutic strategies for severe cryptococcosis using the observational prospective CryptoA/D study after analyzing routine clinical care of cryptococcosis in university or tertiary care hospitals. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Patients were enrolled if at least one culture grew positive with Cryptococcus neoformans. Control of sterilization was warranted 2 weeks (Wk2) and 3 months (Mo3) after antifungal therapy onset. 208 HIV-positive or -negative adult patients were analyzed. Treatment failure (death or mycological failure) at Wk2 and Mo3 was the main outcome measured. Combination of amphotericin B+flucytosine (AMB+5FC) was the best regimen for induction therapy in patients with meningoencephalitis and in all patients with high fungal burden and abnormal neurology. In those patients, treatment failure at Wk2 was 26% in the AMB+5FC group vs. 56% with any other treatments (p<0.001). In patients treated with AMB+5FC, factors independently associated with Wk2 mycological failure were high serum antigen titer (OR [95%CI] = 4.43[1.21-16.23], p = 0.025) and abnormal brain imaging (OR = 3.89[1.23-12.31], p = 0.021) at baseline. Haematological malignancy (OR = 4.02[1.32-12.25], p = 0.015), abnormal neurology at baseline (OR = 2.71[1.10-6.69], p = 0.030) and prescription of 5FC for less than 14 days (OR = 3.30[1.12-9.70], p = 0.030) were independently associated with treatment failure at Mo3. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results support the conclusion that induction therapy with AMB+5FC for at least 14 days should be prescribed rather than any other induction treatments in all patients with high fungal burden at baseline regardless of their HIV serostatus and of the presence of proven meningoencephalitis