A covert print-and-read system is demonstrated based on NIR-to-NIR upconversion luminescence. Inks activated with Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ doped β-NaYF 4 upconversion nanoparticles were used to print covert ...features on various substrates, including paper, epoxy resin, and circuit boards. The Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ doping concentrations were optimized to maximize the brightness of 800 nm upconversion emission excited with 980 nm light, while simultaneously minimizing unwanted blue upconversion. Images printed with the NIR-optimized inks are invisible to the naked eye under ambient lighting or under 980 nm excitation. NIR-to-NIR images are easily captured, however, using an inexpensive, modified point-and-shoot CCD camera, even at modest excitation power densities (1.5 W cm −2 ). It is demonstrated that the latent images can also be read through select hard or soft coatings which are opaque to visible light, such as black inkjet print, or dyed epoxy resin, without significant attenuation of brightness. The ability to protect the printed images with durable, opaque coatings increases the tamper-resistance and the covertness of the system; removes the requirement that the print be invisible on the bare substrate; and blocks any visible emission that might be present, even under very high excitation power densities.
The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) is a parent-completed measure designed to identify subtle motor problems in children of 8 to 14.6 years of age. The purpose of this study ...was to extend the lower age range to children aged 5 to 7 years, revise items to ensure clarity, develop new scoring, and evaluate validity of the revised questionnaire. Additional items with improved wording were generated by an expert panel. Analyses of internal consistency, factor loading, and qualitative/quantitative feedback from researchers, clinicians, and parents were used to select 15 items with the strongest psychometric properties. Internal consistency was high (alpha =. 94). The expanded questionnaire was completed by the parents of 287 children, aged 5-15 years, who were typically developing. Logistic regression modeling was used to generate separate cutoff scores for three age groups (overall sensitivity = 85%, specificity = 71%). The revised DCDQ was then compared to other standardized measures in a sample of 232 children referred for therapy services. Differences in scores between children with and without DCD (p <. 001) provide evidence of construct validity. Correlations between DCDQ scores and Movement Assessment Battery for Children (r =. 55) and Test of Visual-Motor Integration (r =. 42) scores support concurrent validity. The results provide evidence that the revised DCDQ is a valid clinical screening tool for DCD.
Microstructural and mechanical properties of cold sprayed 6061 aluminum deposits on 6061-T6 aluminum alloy substrates are investigated under various heat treatment conditions, i.e. as-deposited, ...stress relieved and T6. The local mechanical property variation in the as-deposited material are explored using nanoindentation technique, and correlated with microstructural characterization conducted via electron back-scattered diffraction. It is found that the prior particle boundaries have ~0.4GPa higher hardness than particle interiors, which is attributed to grain refinement in these regions promoted by local dynamic recrystallization. Also, the bulk-scale mechanical properties of the deposits are evaluated by microtensile testing in various post-heat treatment conditions and compared to those of conventionally processed 6061-T6 aluminum. The as-deposited material showed markedly higher ultimate strength (~460MPa) and lower ductility (~3%) compared to conventionally processed material and this is attributed to significant cold working during the cold spray deposition process and associated grain boundary strengthening and dislocation strengthening mechanisms. Heat treated specimens showed a slight improvement in both ultimate strength and ductility compared to the as-deposited condition. These improvements are attributed to an improvement in metallurgical bonding at prior particle boundaries and a modest increase in the density of strengthening precipitates. Fractography of the specimens revealed that the heat treatment also changes the fracture characteristics of the cold sprayed 6061 aluminum deposit. The residual stress profiles and bond strength of the deposits are also studied using x-ray diffraction, tensile pull-off and three lug shear testing, respectively.
•Evaluation of local mechanical properties by nanoindentation and EBSD•Different states of residual stress in parallel and transverse directions of CS•A marked change in UTS and ductility of 6061 Al by CS processing•A significant increase in both UTS and ductility by post-deposition heat treatments
•This ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline provides key recommendations for end-of-life care for patients with advanced cancer.•It details care that is focused on comfort, quality of life and approaching ...death of patients with advanced cancer.•All recommendations were compiled by a multidisciplinary group of experts.•Recommendations are based on available scientific data and the authors’ collective expert opinion.
Three experiments evaluated the lipids in distillers grains plus solubles compared with corn or other sources of lipid in finishing diets. Experiment 1 utilized 60 individually fed yearling heifers ...(349 ± 34 kg of BW) fed treatments consisting of 0, 20, or 40% (DM basis) wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS), or 0, 2.5, or 5.0% (DM basis) corn oil in a finishing diet based on high-moisture corn (HMC) and dry-rolled corn. Cattle fed 20 and 40% WDGS had greater (P < 0.10) G:F than cattle fed 0% WDGS. Cattle fed the 5.0% corn oil had less overall performance than cattle fed the other diets. Results from Exp. 1 indicated that adding fat from WDGS improves performance, whereas supplementing 5.0% corn oil depressed G:F, suggesting that the fat within WDGS is different than corn oil. Experiment 2 used 234 yearling steers (352 ± 16 kg of BW) fed 1 of 5 treatments consisting of 20 or 40% (DM basis) dry distillers grains plus solubles, 1.3 or 2.6% (DM basis) tallow, or HMC. All diets contained 20% (DM basis) wet corn gluten feed as a method of controlling acidosis. No differences between treatments for any performance variables were observed in Exp. 2. The dry distillers grains plus solubles may be similar to tallow and HMC in finishing diets containing 20% wet corn gluten feed. Experiment 3 used 5 Holstein steers equipped with ruminal and duodenal cannulas in a 5 x 5 Latin square design. Treatments were a 40% WDGS diet, 2 composites, one consisting of corn bran and corn gluten meal; and one consisting of corn bran, corn gluten meal, and corn oil; and 2 dry-rolled corn-based diets supplemented with corn oil or not. Cattle fed the WDGS diet had numerically less rumen pH compared with cattle fed other treatments. Cattle fed WDGS had greater (P < 0.10) molar proportions of propionate, decreased (P < 0.10) acetate:propionate ratios, greater (P < 0.10) total tract fat digestion, and a greater (P < 0.10) proportion of unsaturated fatty acids reaching the duodenum than cattle fed other treatments. Therefore, the greater energy value of WDGS compared with corn may be due to more propionate production, greater fat digestibility, and more unsaturated fatty acids reaching the duodenum.
The mechanisms responsible for disturbed iron homoeostasis in hereditary haemochromatosis are poorly understood. However, results of some studies indicate a link between hepcidin, a liver-derived ...peptide, and intestinal iron absorption, suggesting that this molecule could play a part in hepatic iron overload. To investigate this possible association, we studied the hepatic expression of the gene for hepcidin (HAMP) and a gene important in iron transport (IREG1) in patients with haemochromatosis, in normal controls, and in Hfe-knockout mice.
We extracted total RNA from the liver tissue of 27 patients with HFE-associated haemochromatosis, seven transplant donors (controls), and Hfe-knockout mice. HAMP and IREG1 mRNA concentrations were examined by ribonuclease protection assays and expressed relative to the housekeeping gene GAPD.
There was a significant decrease in HAMP expression in untreated patients compared with controls (5·4-fold, 95% CI 3·3–7·5; p<0·0001) despite significantly increased iron loading. Similarly, we noted a decrease in Hamp expression in iron-loaded Hfe-knockout mice. Hepatic IREG1 expression was greatly upregulated in patients with haemochromatosis (1·8-fold, 95% CI 1·5–2·2; p=0·002). There was a significant correlation between hepatic iron concentration and expression of HAMP (r=0·59, p=0·02) and IREG1 (r=0·67, p=0·007) in untreated patients.
Lack of HAMP upregulation in HFE-associated haemochromatosis despite significant hepatic iron loading indicates that HFE plays an important part in the regulation of hepcidin expression in response to iron overload. Our results imply that the liver is important in the pathophysiology of HFE-associated haemochromatosis. Furthermore, the increase in hepatic IREG1 expression in haemochromatosis suggests that IREG1 could function to facilitate the removal of excess iron from the liver.
The active acquisition of epigenetic changes is a poorly understood but important process in development, differentiation, and disease. Our work has shown that repression of the p16/pRb pathway in ...human epithelial cells, a condition common to stem cells and many tumor cells, induces dynamic epigenetic remodeling resulting in the targeted methylation of a selected group of CpG islands. We hypothesized that cells in this epigenetically plastic state could be programmed by the microenvironment to acquire epigenetic changes associated with tumorigenesis. Here, we describe an in vitro model system where epigenetically plastic cells were placed in an environment that induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and led to a program of acquired de novo DNA methylation at targeted sites. In this model, we found that repression of E-cadherin transcription preceded the subsequent acquisition of methylated CpG sites. Furthermore, the induction of EMT was accompanied by de novo methylation of several other gene promoters, including those of the estrogen receptor and Twist. These data demonstrate that signals from the microenvironment can induce phenotypic and gene expression changes associated with targeted de novo epigenetic alterations important in tumor progression, and that these alterations occur through a deterministic, rather than stochastic, mechanism. Given the dynamic epigenetic reprogramming that occurs in these cells, DNA methylation profiles observed in human tumors may reflect the history of environmental exposures during the genesis of a tumor.
Given that replication studies are important for theory building, theory testing, knowledge accumulation, and domain legitimacy, we attempted to replicate 19 seminal studies of new venture emergence ...that used PSED-type data; only six attempts were successful. Our humbling experience highlights how changes at the author, journal, and institutional levels—indeed, a communal effort—can encourage, facilitate, and expedite replication studies. We provide entrepreneurship scholars with ten best practices for conducting replication studies, as well as recommendations to other stakeholders to steer away from the replication “crisis” plaguing other research domains. As they say, it takes a village.
The Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver (APASL) convened an international working party on “APASL consensus statements and recommendations for management of hepatitis C” in March ...2015 to revise the “APASL consensus statements and management algorithms for hepatitis C virus infection” (Hepatol Int 6:409–435, 2012). The working party consisted of expert hepatologists from the Asian–Pacific region gathered at the Istanbul Congress Center, Istanbul, Turkey on 13 March 2015. New data were presented, discussed, and debated during the course of drafting a revision. Participants of the consensus meeting assessed the quality of the cited studies. The finalized recommendations for hepatitis C prevention, epidemiology, and laboratory testing are presented in this review.
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