Successful quadruplet surrogate pregnancy after turbulent medical disorders in first trimester

Quadruplet surrogate pregnancy is a rare pregnancy but, has become common due to assisted reproductive technology (ART). Its management is a big challenge to obstetricians and co-clinicians worldwide. This was a pregnancy managed at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu, Nigeria in a 33 year old hypertensive surrogate mother with turbulent first trimester medical disorders that called for termination of the pregnancy by other co-managing clinicians. However, the pregnancy became stable in late 2nd trimester with emergency caesarean section at 33 weeks following preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). Its management was a big challenge that necessitated multidisciplinary approach with successful outcome of four healthy live babies (three males and one female) and the controversial practice of surrogac

History of exotic Meson (4-quark) and Baryon (5-quark) States

I briefly review the history of exotic meson (4-quark) and baryon (5-quark) states, which is rooted in the formalism of Regge pole and duality. There are robust model-independent predictions for the exchange of 4-quark (Baryonium) Regge trajectories in several processes, which are strongly supported by experiment. On the other hand the predictions for the spectroscopy of 4-quark resonances are based on specific QCD inspired models, with some experimental support. The corresponding predictions for the recently discovered exotic baryon (Pentaquark) state are briefly discussed.Comment: 14 pages Latex including 4 eps figures, final version to appear as a topical review in J. Phys.

Neodymium isotope constraints on provenance, dispersal, and climate-driven supply of Zambezi sediments along the Mozambique Margin during the past ∼45,000 years

Marine sediments deposited off the Zambezi River that drains a considerable part of the southeast African continent provide continuous records of the continental climatic and environmental conditions. Here we present time series of neodymium (Nd) isotope signatures of the detrital sediment fraction during the past ~45,000 years, to reconstruct climate-driven changes in the provenance of clays deposited along the Mozambique Margin. Coherent with the surface current regime, the Nd isotope distribution in surface sediments reveals mixing of the alongshore flowing Zambezi suspension load with sediments supplied by smaller rivers located further north. To reconstruct past changes in sediment provenances, Nd isotope signatures of clays that are not significantly fractionated during weathering processes have been obtained from core 64PE304-80, which was recovered just north of the Zambezi mouth at 1329 m water depth. Distinctly unradiogenic clay signatures (ENd values <214.2) are found during the Last Glacial Maximum, Heinrich Stadial 1, and Younger Dryas. In contrast, the Nd isotope record shows higher, more radiogenic isotope signatures during Marine Isotope Stage 3 and between ~15 and ~5 ka BP, the latter coinciding with the timing of the northern hemisphere African Humid Period. The clay-sized sediment fraction with the least radiogenic Nd isotope signatures was deposited during the Holocene, when the adjacent Mozambique Shelf became completely flooded. In general, the contribution of the distinctly unradiogenic Zambezi suspension load has followed the intensity of precession-forced monsoonal precipitation and enhanced during periods of increased southern hemisphere insolation and high-latitude northern hemispheric climate variability

Paleo-sea surface temperature calculations in the equatorial east Atlantic from Mg/Ca ratios in planktic foraminifera: A comparison to sea surface temperature estimates from UK'37, oxygen isotopes, and foraminiferal transfer function

We present two ∼270 kyr paleo-sea surface temperature (SST) records from the Equatorial Divergence and the South Equatorial Current derived from Mg/Ca ratios in the planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides sacculifer. The present study suggests that the magnesium signature of G. sacculifer provides a seasonal SST estimate from the upper ∼50 m of the water column generated during upwelling in austral low-latitude fall/winter. Common to both down-core records is a glacial-interglacial amplitude of ∼3°–3.5°C for the last climatic changes and lower Holocene and glacial oxygen isotope stage 2 temperatures compared with interglacial stage 5.5 and glacial stage 6 temperatures, respectively. The comparison to published SST estimates from alkenones, oxygen isotopes, and foraminiferal transfer function from the same core material pinpoints discrepancies and conformities between methods

Self-similar relaxation behavior at the gel point of a blend of a cross-linking poly(epsilon-caprolactone) diol with a poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile)

6158-616

TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENCE OF VISCOELASTICITY OF POLYCAPROLACTONE CRITICAL GELS

ABSTRACT A systematic procedure was developed for determining the temperature dependence of critical gel properties. The polymer system was a poly(ccapro1actone) diol (PCL) end-linked with a three-functional isocyanate. Samples varied in prepolymer molecular weight and stoichiometric ratio. Time-temperature superposition was found to apply to the self-similar relaxation modulus G(t) = S P. A prerequisite of time-temperature superposition is that the relaxation exponent n is independent of temperature. As a consequence, criticalgels have theunique property that their loss tangent is independent of temperature. This was confirmed experimentally. The gel stiffness S(T) = S(To)a?/bTshifta with an Arrhenius type temperature dependence. The temperature shift factors for the PCL critical gels seem to be identical with those for the viscosity of the difunctional prepolymer ( t o) and the modulus of the fully cross-linked polymer (G &amp; This suggests that an experimental relationship of S = G,(T)[qo(T)/G,(T)ln is valid for our polymers at the experimental temperatures between 90 and 130 &quot;C

EXPERIMENTAL-OBSERVATION OF THE MOLECULAR-WEIGHT DEPENDENCE OF THE CRITICAL EXPONENTS FOR THE RHEOLOGY NEAR THE GEL POINT

239-24

Vibration Of A Long, Tip Pulled Deflected Beam

A study was conducted to address the problem of building a simple dynamic model of a long beam deformed by a tip pulling cable. The exact static deformation shape of a long beam was obtained through the solution of the nonlinear beam governing differential equations. The exact deformed configuration for beams with a uniform cross section and transversal end load was found through the recursive solution of elliptic integrals. The deformed configuration of beams with an inclined pulling force was found via numerical approximations, using adequate methods such as the Runge-Kutta method, the finite element method, and the quasi-linearization finite difference method. A strategy to calculate the static deformation of a long beam pulled by a tip cable was also proposed in the study.52715591563Puig, L., Barton, A., Rando, N., A review on large deployable structures for astrophysics missions (2010) Acta Astronautica, 67 (1-2), pp. 12-26. , July-Aug. doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2010.02.021Tibert, G., (2002) Deployable Tensegrity Structures for Space Applications, pp. 9-30. , Royal Inst, of Technology, StockholmPellegrino, S., (2001) Deployable Structures, pp. 1-35. , Springer MilanFrisch-Fay, R., (1962) Flexible Bars, pp. 33-64. , Butterworths LondonTimoshenko, S., Gere, J., (1961) Theory of Elastic Stability, pp. 66-70. , 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill New YorkOhtsuki, A., Analysis of the characteristics of fishing rods based on the large-deformation theory (2001) Materials and Science in Sports, pp. 161-170. , edited by Sam, F.H. , Minerals, Metals and Materials Society , Warrendale, PAShvartsman, B., Large deflections of a cantilever beam subjected to a follower force (2007) Journal of Sound and Vibration, 304 (3-5), pp. 969-973. , doi:10.1016/j.jsv.2007.03.010Holland, D., Stanciulescu, I., Virgin, L., Plaut, R., Vibration and large deflection of cantilevered elastica compressed by angled cable (2006) AIAA Journal, 44 (7), pp. 1468-1476. , doi:10.2514/1.18000Howell, L.L., (2001) Compliant Mechanisms, pp. 42-55. , Wiley , New YorkAl-Sadder, S., Al-Rawi, R., Finite difference scheme for large-deflection analysis of non-prismatic cantilever beams subjected to different types of continuous and discontinuous loadings (2006) Applied Mechanics, 75 (8-9), pp. 459-473. , doi:10.1007/s00419-005-0422-5Yau, J., Close-form solutions of large deflections for a guyed cantilever column pulled by an inclinations cable (2010) Journal of Marine Science and Technology, 18 (1), pp. 130-136Ferris, D., Afonia, A., Small vibrations of flexible bars by using the finite element method with equivalent uniform stiffness and mass methodology (1993) Journal of Sound and Vibration, 163 (2), pp. 343-358. , doi:10.1006/jsvi.1993.1170Sallstrom, J., Poelaert, D., Janssens, F., Small displacements about equilibrium of a beam subjected to large static loads (1996) AIAA Journal, 34 (11), pp. 2384-2391. , Nov. doi: 10.2514/3.13405Santillan, S., Virgin, L., Plaut, R., Post-buckling and vibration of heavy beam on horizontal or inclined rigid foundation (2006) Journal of Applied Mechanics, 73 (4), pp. 664-671. , July doi: 10.1115/1.2165237Santillan, S., Virgin, L., Plaut, R., Equilibria and vibration of a heavy pinched loop (2005) Journal of Sound and Vibration, 288 (1-2), pp. 81-90. , Nov. doi:10.1016/j.jsv.2004.12.016Santillan, S., Virgin, L., Plaut, R., Static and dynamic behavior of highly deformed risers and pipelines (2010) Journal of Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering, 132 (2). , Paper 021401. doi:10.1115/1.4000555Petyt, M., (2010) Introduction to Finite Element Vibration Analysis, pp. 45-115. , 2nd ed. Cambridge Univ. Press New YorkCraig, R., Kurdila, A., (2006) Fundamentals of Structural Dynamics, pp. 417-453. , 2nd ed. Wiley New YorkKwon, Y., Bang, H., (1997) The Finite Element Method Using Matlab, pp. 197-304. , CRC Press Boca Raton, FLCook, R., Malkus, D., Plesha, M., (1989) Concepts and Applications of Finite Element Method, pp. 31-57. , 3rd ed., Wiley, New Yor