Preparation of 1060, 2024 and 7075 Aluminum Alloy Anodic Oxide Films

On aluminum alloys of grades 1060, 2024 and 7075, regular and highly uniform oxide films were formed by anodic oxidation. Anodizing was carried out at a constant pressure in a phosphoric acid solution of various concentrations. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), the optimal characteristics of the method of anodic oxidation for forming uniform oxide films on aluminum alloys were determined: anodic oxidation time, temperature, voltage and the concentration of H3PO4. It was found that, in the process of anodizing, the films have gone through four stages: a non-porosity stage, a mixed stage, an ordered porosity stage and a disordered porosity stage.

Eruption pattern of the maxillary canines: features of natural eruption seen in PTG at the late mixed stage—Part I

Aim To describe the variation of eruption pattern of maxillary canines in the late mixed stage of dentition seen in PTG when eruption was later natural. Methods Material for this longitudinal and retrospective register-based study consisted of 1454 PTGs of children living in Eastern Finland (mean age 9.3 years, SD 0.6). Natural eruption of a canine consisted of 744 PTGs (336 girls and 408 boys) including 1488 maxillary canines. The variables examined were treatment/natural eruption, overlapping, inclination, dental age, developmental stage of the canine and lateral incisor. Results Only 2.0% of maxillary canines had clear overlapping and 56.2% no overlapping was detected at the age of 8.5–10.5 years. Large inclination angle (≥ 25°) was found for 5.5% of examined canines. Overlapping of canine with lateral incisor root decreased as the development of canine root exceeded 1/3. Larger inclinations occurred at earlier stages but decreased significantly as the root developed from 1/3 to 1/2. Mean inclination was significantly larger at children with normal dental age and/or incomplete lateral incisors when overlapping occurred. Regardless overlapping mean inclination was larger if dental age was delayed and/or lateral incisors incomplete. Conclusion Some overlapping and larger inclination in maxillary canine are features of normal eruption pattern at an earlier stage of canine development and while lateral incisor is incomplete in PTG (8.5–10.5 years). In addition to the overlapping and inclination, stages of canine and lateral incisor root as well as dental age should be observed radiologically when evaluating erupting maxillary canine in children of this age.

Three step flow focusing enables image-based discrimination and sorting of late stage 1 Haematococcus pluvialis cells

Label-free and gentle separation of cell stages with desired target properties from mixed stage populations are a major research task in modern biotechnological cultivation process and optimization of micro algae. The reported microfluidic sorter system (MSS) allows the subsequent investigation of separated subpopulations. The implementation of a viability preserving MSS is shown for separation of late stage 1 Haematococcus pluvialis (HP) cells form a mixed stage population. The MSS combines a three-step flow focusing unit for aligning the cells in single file transportation mode at the center of the microfluidic channel with a pure hydrodynamic sorter structure for cell sorting. Lateral displacement of the cells into one of the two outlet channels is generated by piezo-actuated pump chambers. In-line decision making for sorting is based on a user-definable set of image features and properties. The reported MSS significantly increased the purity of target cells in the sorted population (94%) in comparison to the initial mixed stage population (19%).

Pathogenicity of the root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus zeae, on rice genotypes under different hydro-ecologies in Tanzania

Summary The root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus zeae, is commonly found in upland rice fields. To measure the impact of the nematode on rice production, a screenhouse experiment was conducted using two farmer-adapted Oryza sativa cultivars, ‘Supa’ (‘SurinamV-880’) and ‘SARO-5’ (‘TXD 306’), under flooded, upland and drought water regimes imposed at 7 days post-inoculation of mixed-stage nematodes (200, 500, 1000, 3000 and 10 000 plant−1). Growth and yield parameters were recorded, and the experiment was terminated after 5 months. ‘Supa’ was shown to be resistant to P. zeae, while ‘SARO-5’ was susceptible. Pratylenchus zeae reduced the growth and yield of both cultivars, though more for ‘SARO-5’ than for ‘Supa’. Yield decreased with increasing final nematode densities. Pratylenchus zeae reproduction was highest at 200 and 500 inoculum levels and under upland water conditions. The yield of ‘SARO-5’ was greater than that of ‘Supa’ under flooded conditions and with no or 200 and 500 nematode inoculum levels, but with high P. zeae inoculum ‘Supa’ yield was better than ‘SARO-5’.

Dicyemid Mesozoans: A Unique Parasitic Lifestyle and a Reduced Genome

Dicyemids, previously called “mesozoans” (intermediates between unicellular protozoans and multicellular metazoans), are an enigmatic animal group. They have a highly simplified adult body, comprising only ∼30 cells, and they have a unique parasitic lifestyle. Recently, dicyemids were shown to be spiralians, with affinities to the Platyhelminthes. In order to understand molecular mechanisms involved in evolution of this odd animal, we sequenced the genome of Dicyema japonicum and a reference transcriptome assembly using mixed-stage samples. The D. japonicum genome features a high proportion of repetitive sequences that account for 49% of the genome. The dicyemid genome is reduced to ∼67.5 Mb with 5,012 protein-coding genes. Only four Hox genes exist in the genome, with no clustering. Gene distribution in KEGG pathways shows that D. japonicum has fewer genes in most pathways. Instead of eliminating entire critical metabolic pathways, parasitic lineages likely simplify pathways by eliminating pathway-specific genes, while genes with fundamental functions may be retained in multiple pathways. In principle, parasites can stand to lose genes that are unnecessary, in order to conserve energy. However, whether retained genes in incomplete pathways serve intermediate functions and how parasites overcome the physiological needs served by lost genes, remain to be investigated in future studies.

A SQL to C compiler in 500 lines of code

We present the design and implementation of a SQL query processor that outperforms existing database systems and is written in just about 500 lines of Scala code – a convincing case study that high-level functional programming can handily beat C for systems-level programming where the last drop of performance matters. The key enabler is a shift in perspective toward generative programming. The core of the query engine is an interpreter for relational-algebra operations, written in Scala. Using the open-source lightweight modular staging framework, we turn this interpreter into a query compiler with very low effort. To do so, we capitalize on an old and widely known result from partial evaluation: the first Futamura projection, which states that a process that can specialize an interpreter to any given input program is equivalent to a compiler. In this context, we discuss lightweight modular staging programming patterns such as mixed-stage data structures (e.g., data records with static schema and dynamic field components) and techniques to generate low-level C code, including specialized data structures and data loading primitives.

Survival effects of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) in patients with breast cancer: A meta-analysis.

120 Background: New data are available from two trials of ESA use in patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy. We conducted a meta-analysis of trials of ESA use in this population. Methods: A literature search identified reports from 1997-2012 that included mortality data from controlled ESA trials (epoetin alfa, epoetin beta, darbepoetin alfa, biosimilars) in patients with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy. We used data from company databases for Amgen Inc. or Janssen Products LP studies and published data for other studies. Random-effects odds ratios (OR) were calculated to compare results for patients randomized to ESA to patients randomized to control. Analyses were stratified by metastatic stage; mixed stage or treatment; and adjuvant/neoadjuvant treatment. Results: We analyzed 9 studies (N = 4,713; ESA n = 2,346, control n = 2367) (Table).The overall stratified random-effects OR for death was 1.17 (95% confidence interval, 0.99-1.39). Details are presented in the Table. Conclusions: Overall survival OR remains consistent with prior data after including recent results. [Table: see text]