172 research outputs found
Hardy's Inequality for the fractional powers of Grushin operator
We prove Hardy's inequality for the fractional powers of the generalized
sublaplacian and the fractional powers of the Grushin operator. We also find an
integral representation and a ground state representation for the fractional
powers of generalized sublaplacian
Synthesis and characterization of a 2-periodic cadmium-based metal-organic framework: A study on reversible water adsorption
A previously-reported cadmium-based two-periodic metal-organic framework [Cd1.5(BTC)(H2O)4.5]nâ
nH2O (CP1)
has been re-synthesized, where H3BTC Œ 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid. CP1 was characterized with single
crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) followed by various thermal analyses such as
thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), hot stage microscopy (HSM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). CP1
is composed of 2-periodic layers, which are interdigitated. Heating can effectively remove the uncoordinated and
coordinated water molecules resulting in an amorphous product CP1âČ. The original framework can be regenerated
by readsorption of water from the atmosphere, indicating that the dehydration is reversibl
The C-Band All-Sky Survey: Instrument design, status, and first-look data
The C-Band All-Sky Survey (C-BASS) aims to produce sensitive, all-sky maps of
diffuse Galactic emission at 5 GHz in total intensity and linear polarization.
These maps will be used (with other surveys) to separate the several
astrophysical components contributing to microwave emission, and in particular
will allow an accurate map of synchrotron emission to be produced for the
subtraction of foregrounds from measurements of the polarized Cosmic Microwave
Background. We describe the design of the analog instrument, the optics of our
6.1 m dish at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory, the status of observations,
and first-look data.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, published in Proceedings of SPIE MIllimeter,
Submillimeter, and Far-Infrared Detectors and Instrumentation for Astronomy V
(2010), Vol. 7741, 77411I-1 - 77411I-1
Structural and Electrochemical Studies of Cobalt(II) and Nickel(II) Coordination Polymers with 6-Oxonicotinate and 4,4′-Bipyridine
The 6-oxonicotinate (6-Onic) salts of a one-dimensional cationic cobalt(II) or nickel(II) coordination polymers with 4,40 -bipyridine (4,40 -bpy), namely {[Co(4,40 -bpy)(H2O)4 ](6-Onic)2 ·2H2O}n (1) and {[Ni(4,40 -bpy)(H2O)4 ](6-Onic)2 ·2H2O}n (2), were prepared hydrothermally by reactions of cobalt(II) nitrate hexahydrate or nickel(II) nitrate hexahydrate, respectively, 6-hydroxynicotinic acid and 4,40 -bipyridine in a mixture of ethanol and water. In the hydrogen-bonded frameworks of 1 and 2, the one-dimensional polymeric chains of {[M(4,40 -bpy)(H2O)4 ] 2+}n (M = Co, Ni), the 6-oxonicotinate anions and the lattice water molecules were assembled via strong intermolecular OâH···O and NâH···O hydrogen bonds and ÏâÏ interactions, leading to the formation of the representative hydrogen-bond ring motifs: trimeric R 2 3 (10) motif, the centrosymmetric tetrameric R 2 4 (8) and R 2 4 (12) motifs and the pentameric R 4 5 (12) motif. The isostructural coordination polymers 1 and 2 exhibited a different electrochemical behavior, as observed by cyclic voltammetry, which can be attributed to the nature of the metal ions (cobalt(II) vs. nickel(II))
Schooling for violence and peace : how does peace education differ from ânormalâ schooling?
This article reviews literature on the roles of schooling in both reproducing and actively perpetrating violence, and sets out an historical explanation of why schools are socially constructed in such a way as to make these roles possible. It then discusses notions of peace education in relation to one particular project in England before using empirical data from research on the project to examine contrasts between peace education approaches and ânormalâ schooling from the viewpoints of project workers, pupils and teachers. It concludes that such contrasts and tensions do indeed exist and that this raises serious questions about the compatibility of peace education and formal schooling
Predicting survival in malignant pleural effusion: development and validation of the LENT prognostic score
BACKGROUND: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) causes debilitating breathlessness and predicting survival is challenging. This study aimed to obtain contemporary data on survival by underlying tumour type in patients with MPE, identify prognostic indicators of overall survival and develop and validate a prognostic scoring system. METHODS: Three large international cohorts of patients with MPE were used to calculate survival by cell type (univariable Cox model). The prognostic value of 14 predefined variables was evaluated in the most complete data set (multivariable Cox model). A clinical prognostic scoring system was then developed and validated. RESULTS: Based on the results of the international data and the multivariable survival analysis, the LENT prognostic score (pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score (PS), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and tumour type) was developed and subsequently validated using an independent data set. Risk stratifying patients into low-risk, moderate-risk and high-risk groups gave median (IQR) survivals of 319â
days (228â549; n=43), 130â
days (47â467; n=129) and 44â
days (22â77; n=31), respectively. Only 65% (20/31) of patients with a high-risk LENT score survived 1â
month from diagnosis and just 3% (1/31) survived 6â
months. Analysis of the area under the receiver operating curve revealed the LENT score to be superior at predicting survival compared with ECOG PS at 1â
month (0.77 vs 0.66, p<0.01), 3â
months (0.84 vs 0.75, p<0.01) and 6â
months (0.85 vs 0.76, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The LENT scoring system is the first validated prognostic score in MPE, which predicts survival with significantly better accuracy than ECOG PS alone. This may aid clinical decision making in this diverse patient population
Hidden politics of power and governmentality in transitional justice and peacebuilding:The problem of âbringing the local back inâ
This paper examines âthe localâ in peacebuilding by examining how âlocalâ transitional justice projects can become spaces of power inequalities. The paper argues that focusing on how âthe localâ contests or interacts with âthe internationalâ in peacebuilding and post-conflict contexts obscures contestations and power relations amongst different local actors, and how inequalities and power asymmetries can be entrenched and reproduced through internationally funded local projects. The paper argues that externally funded projects aimed at emancipating âlocalsâ entrench inequalities and create local elites that become complicit in governing the conduct and participation of other less empowered âlocalsâ. The paper thus proposes that specific local actorsâoften those in charge of externally funded peacebuilding projectsâshould also be conceptualised as governing agents: able to discipline and regulate other local actorsâ voices and their agency, and thus (re)construct ideas about what âthe localâ is, or is not
Ways of Relating: Hospitality and the acknowledgement of otherness
This paper considers the relevance of the work of Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida to geographyâs engagements with both mainstream moral philosophy and poststructuralist theory. This relevance lies in the way in which their work unsettles the ascription of normative value to relations of proximity and distance. Distance is usually understood to be a medium of moral harm or indifference. In contrast, Levinas presents distance as the very condition of responsibility. Grasping the significance of this argument requires an appreciation of the temporality of responsibility and responsiveness that both Levinas and Derrida emphasise. They present an alternative way of understanding the relationality of subjectivity and social processes. Through a schematic exposition of key themes in Levinasâ work, prevalent understandings of the spatiality of relations are shown to harbour their own forms of indifference and moral harm. The full effect of Levinasâ reconsideration of the value of relations between proximity and distance is bought out in Derridaâs recent writings on hospitality. For both thinkers, there is no natural geographical scene for the cultivation of responsibility. Rather, their shared focus upon temporality emphasizes the degree to which responsibility is motivated in response to the activities of others. The implication of this argument is that critical analysis should be reoriented towards practices that shape individual and collective dispositions to acknowledge the claims of others
Epidermal Neural Crest Stem Cell (EPI-NCSC)âMediated Recovery of Sensory Function in a Mouse Model of Spinal Cord Injury
Here we show that epidermal neural crest stem cell (EPI-NCSC) transplants in the contused spinal cord caused a 24% improvement in sensory connectivity and a substantial recovery of touch perception. Furthermore we present a novel method for the ex vivo expansion of EPI-NCSC into millions of stem cells that takes advantage of the migratory ability of neural crest stem cells and is based on a new culture medium and the use of microcarriers. Functional improvement was shown by two independent methods, spinal somatosensory evoked potentials (SpSEP) and the Semmes-Weinstein touch test. Subsets of transplanted cells differentiated into myelinating oligodendrocytes. Unilateral injections of EPI-NCSC into the lesion of midline contused mouse spinal cords elicited bilateral improvements. Intraspinal EPI-NCSC did not migrate laterally in the spinal cord or invade the spinal roots and dorsal root ganglia, thus implicating diffusible factors. EPI-NCSC expressed neurotrophic factors, angiogenic factors, and metalloproteases. The strength of EPI-NCSC thus is that they can exert a combination of pertinent functions in the contused spinal cord, including cell replacement, neuroprotection, angiogenesis and modulation of scar formation. EPI-NCSC are uniquely qualified for cell-based therapy in spinal cord injury, as neural crest cells and neural tube stem cells share a higher order stem cell and are thus ontologically closely related
Lignan Derivatives from Krameria lappacea Roots Inhibit Acute Inflammation in Vivo and Pro-inflammatory Mediators in Vitro
The roots of Krameria lappacea are used traditionally
against oropharyngeal inflammation. So far, the astringent and antimicrobial properties of its proanthocyanidin constituents are considered to account for the anti-inflammatory effect. The aim of the present study was to characterize pharmacologically a lipophilic extract of K.
lappacea roots and several isolated lignan derivatives (111) in terms of their putative anti-inflammatory activity. The dichloromethane extract (ID50 77 \u3bcg/cm2) as well compounds 111 (ID50 0.310.60 \u3bcmol/cm2) exhibited topical antiedematous properties comparable to those of indomethacin (ID50 0.29 \u3bcmol/cm2) in a mouse ear in vivo model. Two of the most potent compounds,
2-(2-hydroxy-4-methoxyphenyl)-5-(3-hydroxypropyl)benzofuran (5) and (+)-conocarpan (7), were studied regarding their time-dependent edema development and leukocyte infiltration up to 48 h after croton oil-induced dermatitis induction, and they showed activity profiles similar to that of hydrocortisone. In vitro studies of the isolated lignan derivatives demonstrated the inhibition of NFkB, cyclooxygenase-1 and -2, 5-lipoxygenase, and microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1 as well as antioxidant properties, as mechanisms possibly contributing to the observed in vivo effects. The present findings not only support the ethnopharmacological use of K. lappacea roots but also reveal that the isolated lignan derivatives contribute strongly to the anti-inflammatory activity of this
herbal drug
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