Validation of Sun Exposure Reported Annually Against Interim Self‐report and Daily Sun Diaries

Data on personal sun exposure over a period exceeding the immediate past days or weeks are typically self‐reported in brief questionnaire items. The validity of such self‐reporting of longer term personal sun exposure, for example over a year, including detail on variation across seasons, has not previously been investigated. In a volunteer sample (n = 331) of Australian adults aged 18 years and over, we assessed the 12‐month reliability of sun exposure reported separately for each season, and its accuracy compared to a daily sun diary in the same season. Seasonal time outdoors displayed fair‐to‐good reliability between baseline and end of study (12 months), with responses showing higher agreement at lower levels of time outdoors. There was good agreement for ranking of individuals' time outdoors with the daily sun diary data, although the actual diary time outdoors was typically considerably lower than the self‐reported questionnaire data. Place of residence, education, being a smoker, day of the week (i.e. working day vs nonworking day) and working mainly outdoors were significant predictors of agreement. While participants overestimated their actual time outdoors, the self‐report questionnaire provided a valid ranking of long‐term sun exposure against others in the study that was reliable over time.     

General implementation of the relativistic coupled-cluster method

We report the development of a general order relativistic coupled-cluster (CC) code. Our implementation is based on Kramers-paired molecular spinors, utilizes double group symmetry, and is applicable with the full Dirac-Coulomb and several approximate relativistic Hamiltonians. The available methods include iterative and perturbative single-reference CC approaches with arbitrary excitations as well as a state-selective multi-reference CC ansatz. To illustrate the performance of the new code, benchmark calculations have been performed for the total energies, bond lengths, and vibrational frequencies of the monoxides of Group IVa elements. The trends due to the simultaneous inclusion of relativity as well as higher-order electron correlation effects are analyzed. The newly developed code significantly widens the scope of the ab initio relativistic calculations, for both molecules and atoms alike, surpassing the accuracy and reliability of the currently available implementations in the literature.     

A Geometric Approach to Integrability of Abel Differential Equations

A geometric approach is used to study the Abel first-order differential equation of the first kind. The approach is based on the recently developed theory of quasi-Lie systems which allows us to characterise some particular examples of integrable Abel equations. Second order Abel equations will be discussed and the inverse problem of the Lagrangian dynamics is analysed: the existence of two alternative Lagrangian formulations is proved, both Lagrangians being of a non-natural class. The study is carried out by means of the Darboux polynomials and Jacobi multipliers.     

Universal relations for identical bosons from three-body physics

Systems consisting of identical bosons with a large scattering length satisfy universal relations determined by 2-body physics that are similar to those for fermions with two spin states. They require the momentum distribution to have a large-momentum 1/k(4) tail and the radio-frequency transition rate to have a high-frequency 1/ω(3/2) tail, both of which are proportional to the 2-body contact. Identical bosons also satisfy additional universal relations that are determined by 3-body physics and involve the 3-body contact, which measures the probability of 3 particles being very close together. The coefficients of the 3-body contact in the 1/k(5) tail of the momentum distribution and in the 1/ω(2) tail of the radio-frequency transition rate are log-periodic functions of k and ω that depend on the Efimov parameter.     

Antibody immobilization on gold nanoparticles coated layer-by-layer with polyelectrolytes

Nanoscale materials are used in the biomedical field for magnetic resonance imaging, protein detection and drug/gene delivery. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are particularly investigated in cancer treatment and imaging. In this study, we described a simple and reliable liquid method to coat AuNPs (diameter: 21 nm) layer-by-layer with alternative cationic polyallylamine and anionic polystyrenesulfonate. The C-terminal amino acid of the antibody directed against anti-bovine serum albumin was activated by EDC/NHS, and then condensed with the amino functions of the external polyallylamine layer. An ELISA test confirmed that the antigen recognition of the bioconjugate antibody was conserved. This AuNP coating and the covalently coupling could be used as a generic process for binding other specific antibodies, particularly those overexpressed in cancer cells and angiogenesis.     

Self-similar solutions for active scalar equations in Fourier–Besov–Morrey spaces

We are concerned with a family of dissipative active scalar equation with velocity fields coupled via multiplier operators that can be of positive-order. We consider sub-critical values for the fractional diffusion and prove global well-posedness of solutions with small initial data belonging to a framework based on Fourier transform, namely Fourier–Besov–Morrey spaces. Since the smallness condition is with respect to the weak norm of this space, some initial data with large \(L^{2}\) -norm can be considered. Self-similar solutions are obtained depending on the homogeneity of the initial data and couplings. Also, we show that solutions are asymptotically self-similar at infinity. Our results can be applied in a unified way for a number of active scalar PDEs like 1D models on dislocation dynamics in crystals, Burgers’ equation, 2D vorticity equation, 2D generalized SQG, 3D magneto-geostrophic equations, among others.     

An optical fiber sensor based on cladding photoluminescence for high power microwave plasma ultraviolet lamps used in water treatment

Low-pressure mercury lamps are commonly used for germicidal applications such as water and wastewater sterilisation. The germicidal effect is due to the emission of light at 254 nm, which leads to the destruction of most waterborne bacteria. The Microwave plasma ultraviolet lamp (MPUVL) is a new technology for generating a high intensity ultraviolet (UV) light. A Fluorescent optical fiber based sensor is presented which is used for monitoring the output of a high power microwave UV light source and its control. This sensor is a fiber which has had its cladding removed and been coated with a phosphor doped polymer. This paper was originally presented at the 2001 International Conference (2nd Joint OSJ-SPIE Conference) on Optical Engineering for Sensing and Nanotechnology, ICOSN 2001 which was held June 6–8, 2001 at the Pacifico-Yokohama Conference Center, Yokohama, Japan.     

Adsorption/Desorption Behavior of Bovine Serum Albumin and Porcine Insulin on Chemically Patterned Porous Gel Networks

Adsorption/desorption of proteins onto a biomaterial surface plays a major role on the biocompatibility of the implanted material. By modifying the biomaterial surface with specially designed functional groups one may achieve the most specific behavior of the developed material used in a biological system. Based on that, porous gel matrixes with functionalized surfaces offer unlimited possibilities to control the protein-substrate interaction behavior. In the present work, we have functionalized the surface of porous glass with several chemical groups during the synthesis of the silica matrix. The porous glass matrixes were obtained using tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)/ethanol and functionalized with 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) and 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES). In vitro tests of the kinetics of protein adsorption and desorption from the gel matrix were monitored by UV-visible spectroscopy. The bioactivity of the incorporated protein was verified by in vivo experiments with adult male rats, where they presented an acute hypoglycemic peak.