Precision tunable resonant microwave cavity

A tunable microwave cavity containing ionizable metallic vapor or gases and an apparatus for precisely positioning a microwave coupling tip in the cavity and for precisely adjusting at least one dimension of the cavity are disclosed. With this combined structure, resonance may be achieved with various types of ionizable gases. A coaxial probe extends into a microwave cavity through a tube. One end of the tube is retained in a spherical joint attached in the cavity wall. This allows the coaxial probe to be pivotally rotated. The coaxial probe is slideable within the tube thus allowing the probe to be extended toward or retracted from the center of the cavity

The loss ratio as a factor in the present financial support and future development of classes for exceptional children in the central and central coast counties of the state of California

During the last decade the responsibility for the education of exceptional children has very rapidly become a function of the public schools. With the inflationary spiral that the economy of the nation has faced during this same period it has become increasingly more difficult for school districts to assume the financial burden that these classes place upon them

an evaluation of data sources to determine the number of people living with HIV who are receiving antiretroviral therapy in Germany

Background This study aimed to determine the number of people living with HIV receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) between 2006 and 2013 in Germany by using the available numbers of antiretroviral drug prescriptions and treatment data from the ClinSurv HIV cohort (CSH). Methods The CSH is a multi-centre, open, long-term observational cohort study with an average number of 10.400 patients in the study period 2006–2013. ART has been documented on average for 86% of those CSH patients and medication history is well documented in the CSH. The antiretroviral prescription data (APD) are reported by billing centres for pharmacies covering >99% of nationwide pharmacy sales of all individuals with statutory health insurance (SHI) in Germany (~85%). Exactly one thiacytidine-containing medication (TCM) with either emtricitabine or lamivudine is present in all antiretroviral fixed-dose combinations (FDCs). Thus, each daily dose of TCM documented in the APD is presumed to be representative of one person per day receiving ART. The proportion of non-TCM regimen days in the CSH was used to determine the corresponding number of individuals in the APD. Results The proportion of CSH patients receiving TCMs increased continuously over time (from 85% to 93%; 2006–2013). In contrast, treatment interruptions declined remarkably (from 11% to 2%; 2006–2013). The total number of HIV-infected people with ART experience in Germany increased from 31,500 (95% CI 31,000-32,000) individuals to 54,000 (95% CI 53,000-55,500) over the observation period (including 16.3% without SHI and persons who had interrupted ART). An average increase of approximately 2,900 persons receiving ART was observed annually in Germany. Conclusions A substantial increase in the number of people receiving ART was observed from 2006 to 2013 in Germany. Currently, the majority (93%) of antiretroviral regimens in the CSH included TCMs with ongoing use of FDCs. Based on these results, the future number of people receiving ART could be estimated by exclusively using TCM prescriptions, assuming that treatment guidelines will not change with respect to TCM use in ART regimens

Inmarsat's role in responsible fishing

The paper documents the application of the services of International Maritime Satellite Organization (Inmarsat) to responsible fisheries. Currently known as International Mobile Satellite Organization, offers an increasing array of telecommunication services to business travelers, landmobile, aeronautical, and maritime users, etc. For the maritime industry Inmarsat provides satellite vessel monitoring. The position reports, which optionally may include course and speed, from one or more fishing vessels may be incorporated into a system comprised of hardware and software at a shore-side control station

In search of the authentic nation: landscape and national identity in Canada and Switzerland

While the study of nationalism and national identity has flourished in the last decade, little attention has been devoted to the conditions under which natural environments acquire significance in definitions of nationhood. This article examines the identity-forming role of landscape depictions in two polyethnic nation-states: Canada and Switzerland. Two types of geographical national identity are identified. The first – what we call the ‘nationalisation of nature’– portrays zarticular landscapes as expressions of national authenticity. The second pattern – what we refer to as the ‘naturalisation of the nation’– rests upon a notion of geographical determinism that depicts specific landscapes as forces capable of determining national identity. The authors offer two reasons why the second pattern came to prevail in the cases under consideration: (1) the affinity between wild landscape and the Romantic ideal of pure, rugged nature, and (2) a divergence between the nationalist ideal of ethnic homogeneity and the polyethnic composition of the two societies under consideration

An Examination of Candida albicans Mannosylation Mutants and their CW Structures

Candida albicans is the most important human pathogenic fungus. Due to rising rates of infection and limited treatment options, it has become increasingly vital to identify the structures of the cell wall (CW) that can serve as ligands for anti-fungal drug recognition. Recently, a number of studies have focused their attention to the outer portion of the CW, which is comprised of glycoproteins modified with asparagine (N)-linked or serine or threonine (O)-linked mannan. Current models have shown N-linked mannan to be one of the key structures responsible for immune-cell recognition. Mutations in construction of the N-linked mannan outer chain, which is comprised of ~200 mannose units, have been hypothesized to lack ligands that would otherwise be recognized by macrophages [38]. Here I performed experiments toward testing the role of mannan in immune cell recognition, by constructing C. albicans mutants that are predicted to lack these structures. The S. cerevisiae mnn10 and mnn11 mutants are defective in the α -1,6-mannosyltransferases that build the backbone of the mannan outer chain. Furthermore, recent literature that describes various other components of the CW that have potential roles in macrophage recognition are also studied. I have also constructed plasmids to knockout MNN11 in Candida albicans. The MNN10 and MNN11 genes are primarily responsible for α -1,6-linked mannose polymerizing activity of the outer chain in S. cerevisiae and several other yeast species [4,5]. Earlier studies in S. cerevisiae concluded that mnn10 mutants contain N-linked oligosaccharide chains of approximately 6-16 mannose units, comparatively shorter than the average 50 units that are found in wild type (WT) strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae [5]. To test the model that these mutants are lacking a critical components of the N-linked mannan ligand for immune recognition of C. albicans, we constructed C. albicans strains deleted for MNN10 and its homologous gene MNN11. Future analyses of these C. albicans mannosyltransferase mutant strains in mice may provide insight into development of more specific anti-fungal therapies. | 52 page

Auditory communication in domestic dogs: vocal signalling in the extended social environment of a companion animal

Domestic dogs produce a range of vocalisations, including barks, growls, and whimpers, which are shared with other canid species. The source–filter model of vocal production can be used as a theoretical and applied framework to explain how and why the acoustic properties of some vocalisations are constrained by physical characteristics of the caller, whereas others are more dynamic, influenced by transient states such as arousal or motivation. This chapter thus reviews how and why particular call types are produced to transmit specific types of information, and how such information may be perceived by receivers. As domestication is thought to have caused a divergence in the vocal behaviour of dogs as compared to the ancestral wolf, evidence of both dog–human and human–dog communication is considered. Overall, it is clear that domestic dogs have the potential to acoustically broadcast a range of information, which is available to conspecific and human receivers. Moreover, dogs are highly attentive to human speech and are able to extract speaker identity, emotional state, and even some types of semantic information