New polysulfone (PSF) copolymers from bis(4-fluorophenyl)sulfone and based on equimolar mixtures of the rigid/compact naphthalene moiety with bulky connectors from bisphenols: tetramethyl, hexafluoro, and tetramethyl hexafluoro, respectively, were synthesized to measure significant physical properties related to the gas separation field. The flexible and transparent polymer dense films TM-NPSF, HF

Enticing economic benefits for host nations and the notion of large areas of land considered available are often put forward as the main reasons for large-scale land acquisition in many areas of sub-Saharan Africa. However, country-level datasets of land acquisitions seem to indicate a clear divide between a majority of countries engaged in land acquisitions as investors and those involved as targ

This paper investigates the application of sharpening knives using a force controlled industrial robot, for an arbitrary knife shape and orientation. The problem is divided into different parts: calibration of the knife by identifying its unknown orientation, identification of the knife blade contour and estimation of its position in the robot frame through force control, and grinding of the knife

The valence band electronic structure of Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3 has been investigated across its paramagnetic metallic (PMM)-ferromagnetic metallic (FMM)-antiferromagnetic insulator (AFMI) transition. Using surface sensitive high resolution photoemission we have conclusively demonstrated the presence of a pseudogap of magnitude 80 meV in the near Fermi level electronic spectrum in the PMM and FMM phases a

Kidney cancer and renal injuries affect millions of people in the world resulting in high patient morbidity and mortality, as well as one of the most extensive medical costs for society. Upon renal injury the kidney has an endogenous ability to repair damaged tubules and restore kidney function, provided that the patient receives adequate supportive care in time. The molecular basis for this regen

Melanoma genomes contain thousands of alterations including: mutations, copy number alterations, structural aberrations, and methylation changes. The bulk of this variation is stochastic and functionally neutral, with only a small minority representing "drivers" that contribute to the genesis and maintenance of tumors. Drivers are often directly or inversely correlated across tumors, reflecting th

Mutations in the gene encoding laminin α2 chain, an extracellular matrix protein mainly expressed in the neuromuscular system, cause a severe form of muscular dystrophy, congenital muscular dystrophy type 1A (MDC1A). Laminin α2 chain is associated to the muscle fibers by two major receptors, where one of them, integrin α7β1, is diminished upon laminin α2 chain deficiency. The majority of the skele

We derive Portmanteau tests for a large class of non-linear time series models. This is done by replacing the linear measure of dependence (correlation) with a more general concept. Asymptotic distributions for the test statistics are derived. The methodology is computationally inexpensive, yet more flexible than most similar tests. The tests are evaluated on two different sets of simulated data.

Newly determined Late Cretaceous Ar-40/Ar-39 ages on megacrystic kaersutite from four lamprophyre dikes, and a U-Pb zircon age on a trachyte, from central and north Westland (New Zealand) are presented. These ages suggest that the intrusion of mafic dikes (88-86 and 69 Ma) was not necessarily restricted to the previously established narrow age range of 80-92 Ma. The younger lamprophyre and trachyt

Isla de los Estados is a mountainous island southeast of Tierra del Fuego, in southernmost South America. Its central and eastern parts have an alpine topography, transected by U-shaped valleys, small, partly over-deepened fjords, and a multitude of abandoned cirques, all associated with extensive former local glaciations. Traces of glacial erosion generally reach 400-450 m a.s.l., and above that

The number and volume of cells in the blood affect a wide range of disorders including cancer and cardiovascular, metabolic, infectious and immune conditions. We consider here the genetic variation in eight clinically relevant hematological parameters, including hemoglobin levels, red and white blood cell counts and platelet counts and volume. We describe common variants within 22 genetic loci rep

The new clusters [H(4) Ru(4) (CO)(10) (μ-1,2-P-P)], [H(4) Ru(4) (CO)(10) (1,1-P-P)] and [H(4) Ru(4) (CO)(11) (P-P)] (P-P=chiral diphosphine of the ferrocene-based Josiphos or Walphos ligand families) have been synthesised and characterised. The crystal and molecular structures of eleven clusters reveal that the coordination modes of the diphosphine in the [H(4) Ru(4) (CO)(10) (μ-1,2-P-P)] clusters

Besides bone marrow, the kidneys are often dose-limiting organs in internal radiotherapy. The effects of high-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation on the kidneys after alpha-radioimmunotherapy (alpha-RIT) with the alpha-particle emitter, At-211, were studied in nude mice by serial measurements of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The renal toxicity was evaluated at levels close to the dose l

Background: Abdominal wounding by traumatic insemination and the lack of a long distance attraction pheromone set the scene for unusual sexual signalling systems. Male bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) mount any large, newly fed individual in an attempt to mate. Last instar nymphs overlap in size with mature females, which make them a potential target for interested males. However, nymphs lack the fema

The Geological Society of America has sponsored versions of the geologic time scale since 1983. Over the past 30 years, the Geological Society of America Geologic Time Scale has undergone substantial modifications, commensurate with major advances in our understanding of chronostratigraphy, geochronology, astrochronology, chemostratigraphy, and the geomagnetic polarity time scale. Today, many part

The introduction of the laparoscope was a milestone within gynecologic surgery. Despite evidence of better perioperative outcome compared to laparotomy, laparoscopy is mostly performed for less advanced surgical procedures and the uptake of laparoscopic hysterectomy has been slow. An effort to preserve the clinical benefits of laparoscopic surgery and facilitate the performance of more advanced su