HPDL Remelting of Anodised Al-Si-Cu Cast Alloys Surfaces

The results of the investigations of the laser remelting of the AlSi9Cu4 cast aluminium alloy with the anodised and non-anodised surfacelayer and hardness changes have been presented in this paper. The surface layer of the tested aluminium samples was remelted with thelaser of a continuous work. The power density was from 8,17•103 W/cm2 to 1,63•104 W/cm2. The metallographic tests were conducted inform of light microscope investigations of the received surface layer. The main goal of the investigation was to find the relation betweenthe laser beam power and its power density falling on a material, evaluating the shape and geometry of the remelted layers and theirhardness. As the substrate material two types of surfaces of the casted AlSi9Cu4 alloy were applied – the non–treated as cast surface aswell the anodized surface. As a device for this type of surface laser treatment the High Power Diode Laser was applied with a maximumpower of 2.2 kW and the dimensions of the laser beam focus of 1.8 x 6.8 mm. By mind of such treatment it is also possible to increasehardness as well eliminate porosity and develop metallurgical bonding at the coating-substrate interface. Suitable operating conditions forHPDL laser treatment were finally determined, ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 kW. Under such conditions, taking into account the absorptionvalue, the effects of laser remelting on the surface shape and roughness were studied. The results show that surface roughness is reducedwith increasing laser power by the remelting process only for the non-anodised samples, and high porosity can be found in the with highpower remelted areas. The laser influence increases with the heat input of the laser processing as well with the anodisation of the surface,because of the absorption enhancement ensured through the obtained alumina layer

On the Hausdorff dimension of regular points of inviscid Burgers equation with stable initial data

Consider an inviscid Burgers equation whose initial data is a Levy a-stable process Z with a > 1. We show that when Z has positive jumps, the Hausdorff dimension of the set of Lagrangian regular points associated with the equation is strictly smaller than 1/a, as soon as a is close to 1. This gives a negative answer to a conjecture of Janicki and Woyczynski. Along the way, we contradict a recent conjecture of Z. Shi about the lower tails of integrated stable processes

Is telomere length socially patterned? Evidence from the West of Scotland Twenty-07 study

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) is strongly associated with an increased risk of morbidity and premature mortality, but it is not known if the same is true for telomere length, a marker often used to assess biological ageing. The West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study was used to investigate this and consists of three cohorts aged approximately 35 (N = 775), 55 (N = 866) and 75 years (N = 544) at the time of telomere length measurement. Four sets of measurements of SES were investigated: those collected contemporaneously with telomere length assessment, educational markers, SES in childhood and SES over the preceding twenty years. We found mixed evidence for an association between SES and telomere length. In 35-year-olds, many of the education and childhood SES measures were associated with telomere length, i.e. those in poorer circumstances had shorter telomeres, as was intergenerational social mobility, but not accumulated disadvantage. A crude estimate showed that, at the same chronological age, social renters, for example, were nine years (biologically) older than home owners. No consistent associations were apparent in those aged 55 or 75. There is evidence of an association between SES and telomere length, but only in younger adults and most strongly using education and childhood SES measures. These results may reflect that childhood is a sensitive period for telomere attrition. The cohort differences are possibly the result of survival bias suppressing the SES-telomere association; cohort effects with regard different experiences of SES; or telomere possibly being a less effective marker of biological ageing at older ages

The inner centromere is a biomolecular condensate scaffolded by the chromosomal passenger complex.

The inner centromere is a region on every mitotic chromosome that enables specific biochemical reactions that underlie properties, such as the maintenance of cohesion, the regulation of kinetochores and the assembly of specialized chromatin, that can resist microtubule pulling forces. The chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) is abundantly localized to the inner centromeres and it is unclear whether it is involved in non-kinase activities that contribute to the generation of these unique chromatin properties. We find that the borealin subunit of the CPC drives phase separation of the CPC in vitro at concentrations that are below those found on the inner centromere. We also provide strong evidence that the CPC exists in a phase-separated state at the inner centromere. CPC phase separation is required for its inner-centromere localization and function during mitosis. We suggest that the CPC combines phase separation, kinase and histone code-reading activities to enable the formation of a chromatin body with unique biochemical activities at the inner centromere

The Schroedinger Problem, Levy Processes Noise in Relativistic Quantum Mechanics

The main purpose of the paper is an essentially probabilistic analysis of relativistic quantum mechanics. It is based on the assumption that whenever probability distributions arise, there exists a stochastic process that is either responsible for temporal evolution of a given measure or preserves the measure in the stationary case. Our departure point is the so-called Schr\"{o}dinger problem of probabilistic evolution, which provides for a unique Markov stochastic interpolation between any given pair of boundary probability densities for a process covering a fixed, finite duration of time, provided we have decided a priori what kind of primordial dynamical semigroup transition mechanism is involved. In the nonrelativistic theory, including quantum mechanics, Feyman-Kac-like kernels are the building blocks for suitable transition probability densities of the process. In the standard "free" case (Feynman-Kac potential equal to zero) the familiar Wiener noise is recovered. In the framework of the Schr\"{o}dinger problem, the "free noise" can also be extended to any infinitely divisible probability law, as covered by the L\'{e}vy-Khintchine formula. Since the relativistic Hamiltonians $|\nabla |$ and $\sqrt {-\triangle +m^2}-m$ are known to generate such laws, we focus on them for the analysis of probabilistic phenomena, which are shown to be associated with the relativistic wave (D'Alembert) and matter-wave (Klein-Gordon) equations, respectively. We show that such stochastic processes exist and are spatial jump processes. In general, in the presence of external potentials, they do not share the Markov property, except for stationary situations. A concrete example of the pseudodifferential Cauchy-Schr\"{o}dinger evolution is analyzed in detail. The relativistic covariance of related waveComment: Latex fil

Reverse engineering of e-beam deposited optical filters based on multi-sample photometric and ellipsometric data

A post-production characterization approach based on spectral photometric and ellipsometric data related to a specially prepared set of samples is proposed. Single-layer (SL) and multilayer (ML) sets of samples presenting building blocks of the final sample were measured ex-situ, and reliable thicknesses and refractive indices of the final ML were determined. Different characterization strategies based on ex-situ measurements of the final ML sample were tried, reliability of their results was compared, and the best characterization approach for practical use, when preparation of the mentioned set of samples would be a luxury, is proposed.</jats:p

Work-family life courses and BMI trajectories in three British birth cohorts.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Combining work and family responsibilities has previously been associated with improved health in mid-life, yet little is known about how these associations change over time (both biographical and historical) and whether this extends to body mass index (BMI) trajectories for British men and women. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between work-family life courses and BMI trajectories across adulthood (16-42 years) for men and women in three British birth cohorts. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Multiply imputed data from three nationally representative British birth cohorts were used-the MRC National Survey of Health and Development (NSHD; 1946 birth cohort, n=3012), the National Child Development Study (NCDS; 1958 birth cohort, n=9614) and the British Cohort Study (BCS; 1970 birth cohort, n=8140). A typology of work-family life course types was developed using multi-channel sequence analysis, linking annual information on work, partnerships and parenthood from 16 to 42 years. Work-family life courses were related to BMI trajectories using multi-level growth models. Analyses adjusted for indicators of prior health, birthweight, child BMI, educational attainment and socioeconomic position across the life course, and were stratified by gender and cohort. RESULTS: Work-family life courses characterised by earlier transitions to parenthood and weaker long-term links to employment were associated with greater increases in BMI across adulthood. Some of these differences, particularly for work-family groups, which are becoming increasingly non-normative, became more pronounced across cohorts (for example, increases in BMI between 16 and 42 years in long-term homemaking women: NSHD: 4.35 kg m-2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.44, 5.26; NCDS: 5.53 kg m-2, 95% CI: 5.18, 5.88; BCS: 6.69 kg m-2, 95% CI: 6.36, 7.02). CONCLUSIONS: Becoming a parent earlier and weaker long-term ties to employment are associated with greater increases in BMI across adulthood in British men and women.Rebecca Lacey, Anne McMunn, Amanda Sacker and Meena Kumari received funding from the European Research Council (grant number: ERC-2011-StG_20101124, PI: Anne McMunn). Steven Bell also received funding from the European Research Council (grant number: ERCStG-2012-309337_Alcohol-Lifecourse, PI: Annie Britton) and UK Medical Research Council/Alcohol Research UK (MR/M006638/1). Amanda Sacker, Anne McMunn and Meena Kumari additionally received support from the Economic and Social Research Council’s International Centre for Life Course Studies in Society and Health (grant number: ES/J019119/1). DK is supported by the UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12019/1). The MRC National Survey of Health and Development is funded by the UK Medical Research Council. Peggy McDonough and Diana Worts were supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research grant MOP 119526 and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant 43512-1267

OCCURRENCE OF FASCIOLOIDOSIS IN RED DEER (CERVUS ELAPHUS) IN BARANJA REGION IN EASTERN CROATIA

Fascioloidosis is a parasitic disease caused by the giant American liver fluke Fascioloides magna (Bassi, 1875). In Croatia, the first report of this disease was in January 2000, in red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) from the Tikveš Forestry in Baranja region (east Croatia). The aim of this survey was to determine the geographical distribution of fascioloidosis and the infection prevalence in deer. The survey was carried out in six state hunting grounds that manage with deer game in Baranja region during 2001 – 2004. Parasitological examinations were carried out by qualitative and quantitative faecal exams. The highest prevalence’s (35 – 60%) were found in epizootic focuses of two hunting grounds at flooding – bog land area in east Baranja, Danube forestry. The mean intensity of infection, determined on the basis of the number of eggs per gram (EPG) was 30 – 33 EPG (range 1 – 300). High 86% of examined samples was in category to 50 EPG. The highest prevalence and the biggest EPG number too, were determined during the first year of survey. In the Baranja area fascioloidosis represents a potential danger for other game species, mainly roe deer and wild boars, as for domestic animals