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Electrochemical performance of a new type of high-current air cathode is compared to off-the-shelf air electrodes (Alupower-A series; Eltech-B; Duracell-C) in 35% KOH solution. LaMnOx (LAM) is made by precipitation method resulting with sub-micron size particles. The electrode is single layer and very resistant to the KOH leakage. Approximately 65 m2 g–1 surface area is favorable for effective catalyst distribution and electrochemical active area utilization. LaMnOx type catalyst-supported electrode performs comparable or better than many of the commercial samples. Electrode shows a voltage drop of less than 200 mV at 150 mA cm–2 current density. Electrode structure does not show any sign of mass transfer limitation up to 250 mA cm–2.

We report the time-resolved spectral analysis of a bright near-infrared and moderate X-ray flare of Sgr A*. We obtained light curves in the $M$-, $K$-, and $H$-bands in the mid- and near-infrared and in the $2-8~\mathrm{keV}$ and $2-70~\mathrm{keV}$ bands in the X-ray. The observed spectral slope in the near-infrared band is $\nu L_\nu\propto \nu^{0.5\pm0.2}$; the spectral slope observed in the X-ray band is $\nu L_\nu \propto \nu^{-0.7\pm0.5}$. We tested synchrotron and synchrotron self-Compton (SSC) scenarios. The observed near-infrared brightness and X-ray faintness, together with the observed spectral slopes, pose challenges for all models explored. We rule out a scenario in which the near-infrared emission is synchrotron emission and the X-ray emission is SSC. A one-zone model in which both the near-infrared and X-ray luminosity are produced by SSC and a model in which the luminosity stems from a cooled synchrotron spectrum can explain the flare. In order to describe the mean SED, both models require specific values of the maximum Lorentz factor $\gamma_{max}$, which however differ by roughly two orders of magnitude: the SSC model suggests that electrons are accelerated to $\gamma_{max}\sim 500$, while cooled synchrotron model requires acceleration up to $\gamma_{max}\sim5\times 10^{4}$. The SSC scenario requires electron densities of $10^{10}~\mathrm{cm^{-3}}$ much larger than typical ambient densities in the accretion flow, and thus require in an extraordinary accretion event. In contrast, assuming a source size of $1R_s$, the cooled synchrotron scenario can be realized with densities and magnetic fields comparable with the ambient accretion flow. For both models, the temporal evolution is regulated through the maximum acceleration factor $\gamma_{max}$, implying that sustained particle acceleration is required to explain at least a part of the temporal evolution of the flare., Comment: accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics; preview abstract shortened due to arXiv requirements

BackgroundPsoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a heterogenous disease with different disease manifestations. Several tools have been developed for screening of PsA in patients with psoriasis with variable performances. An optimal screening tool for PsA is still an unmet need.ObjectivesWe aimed to develop a new screening tool in Turkish which could detect different domains involved.MethodsA core group was determined including 11 rheumatologists/10 dermatologist and a systematic literature review on PubMed until 15 August 2020 using the keyword ‘psoriatic arthritis` was performed. The review revealed tools named PEST, PASE, EARP, STRIPP, SIPAS, SIPAT, TOPAS-II, GEPARD, PASQ, CONTEST, A novel, short, and simple screening questionnaire. Each item of those tools were included in the Delphi set. After the 3 rounds of Delphi, a new set of screening questionss was developed.ResultsOverall 85 items were inquired, including questions on joint, dactylitis, enthesitis, back, skin-nail domains as well as morning stiffness, function, treatment and others for the first round of Delphi. Seventeen experts (9 dermatologists/ 8 rheumatologists from the core group) and fifteen patients (Female/Male= 9/6) answered the Delphi (mean (SD) age of 39.3 (10.9) participated to the first round. The involvemet types were peripheral (73.4%), axial (40%), entheseal (33.4) and dactylitis was present in 14% of the patients. As a result of this first evaluation, 44 out of 85 questions were selected and carried to second round The distribution of these questions was as follows; joint question n=13, skin and nail involvement n=6, dactylitis n=5, morning stiffness n=5, axial n=3, enthesitis n=2, general questions n=5. These questions were sent to the members through rheumatology and dermatology societies. In total, 85 rheumatology specialists and 48 dermatology specialists answered the questions in the second round. At the second tour, the number of questions was reduced from 44 to 22. The distribution of the questions was as follows; Skin and nail involvement n=5, dactylitis n=3, joint question n=2, axial involvement n=2, morning stiffness n=2, axial involvement and morning stiffness n=2, enthesitis n=1, general questions n=5. A consensus meeting was held to discuss 22 questions determined at the end of the second round within the initial core group. Each question was handled one by one, some of the questions were combined, if necessary, adapted to Turkish. The tool was given its final form. The final version of the questionnaire consists of 6 questions. (Table 1).Table 1.The new screening toolDomainTurkish versionEnglish versionJointEl/ayak parmaklarinizda ya da herhangi bir ekleminizde hiç şişlik veya ağri oldu mu?Have you ever had swelling or pain in your fingers/toes or any of your joints?DactylitisResimde gösterildiği gibi el veya ayak parmağinizda sosis şeklinde şişlik oldu mu?Have you had a sausage-shaped swelling on your fingers or toes as shown in the picture?EnthesitisTopuk ağriniz olur mu?Do you have heel pain?Axial involvement and morning stiffnessBelinizde, sirtinizda veya boynunuzda istirahatle artan, özellikle sabaha karşi kötüleşen veya sabahlari hareketinizi kisitlayan ağriniz olur mu?Do you have pain in your lower back, back, or neck that increases with rest, worsens especially in the morning, or restricts your movement in the morning?Drug useEklem şikayetleriniz için zaman zaman ilaç kullanir misiniz?Do you take medication for your joint complaints from time to time?History of rheumatic diseaseSize daha önce iltihapli romatizma tanisi konuldu mu?Have you ever been diagnosed with a rheumatic disease before?ConclusionA new screening tool targeting different domains in Psoriatic disease was developed in Turkish. While cultural differences play an important role in screening, we believe that the first tool developed in Turkish will be helpful in clinical practice and research settings. Further assessments will be done to understand its validity and reliability within a large cohort of psoriatic patients.Disclosure of InterestsNone declared

International audience; The spin of the supermassive black hole that resides at the Galactic Center can, in principle, be measured by accurate measurements of the orbits of stars that are much closer to Sgr A* than S2, the orbit of which recently provided the measurement of the gravitational redshift and the Schwarzschild precession. The GRAVITY near-infrared interferometric instrument combining the four 8m telescopes of the VLT provides a spatial resolution of 2–4 mas, breaking the confusion barrier for adaptive-optics-assisted imaging with a single 8–10m telescope. We used GRAVITY to observe Sgr A* over a period of six months in 2019 and employed interferometric reconstruction methods developed in radio astronomy to search for faint objects near Sgr A*. This revealed a slowly moving star of magnitude 18.9 in the K-band within 30 mas of Sgr A*. The position and proper motion of the star are consistent with the previously known star S62, which is at a substantially greater physical distance, but in projection passes close to Sgr A*. Observations in August and September 2019 detected S29 easily, with K-magnitude of 16.6, at approximately 130 mas from Sgr A*. The planned upgrades of GRAVITY, and further improvements in the calibration, offer greater chances of finding stars fainter than K-magnitude of 19.Key words: Galaxy: center / stars: imaging / infrared: stars⋆ GRAVITY was developed as part of a collaboration by the Max Planck Institute for extraterrestrial Physics, LESIA of the Observatoire de Paris/Université PSL/CNRS/Sorbonne Université/Université de Paris and IPAG of Université Grenoble Alpes/CNRS, the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, the University of Cologne, the CENTRA – Centro de Astrofisica e Gravitação, and the European Southern Observatory.⋆⋆ Corresponding authors: F. Gao, e-mail: fgao@mpe.mpg.de; T. Paumard, e-mail: thibaut.paumard@obspm.fr

GCIRS 7, the brightest star in the Galactic central parsec, formed $6\pm2$ Myr ago together with dozens of massive stars in a disk orbiting the central black-hole. It has been argued that GCIRS 7 is a pulsating body, on the basis of photometric variability. We present the first medium-resolution ($R=500$), K-band spectro-interferometric observations of GCIRS 7, using the GRAVITY instrument with the four auxiliary telescopes of the ESO VLTI. We looked for variations using two epochs, namely 2017 and 2019. We find GCIRS 7 to be moderately resolved with a uniform-disk photospheric diameter of $\theta^*_\text{UD}=1.55 \pm 0.03$ mas ($R^*_\text{UD}=1368 \pm 26$ $R_\odot$) in the K-band continuum. The narrow-band uniform-disk diameter increases above 2.3 $\mu$m, with a clear correlation with the CO band heads in the spectrum. This correlation is aptly modeled by a hot ($T_\text{L}=2368\pm37$ K), geometrically thin molecular shell with a diameter of $\theta_\text{L}=1.74\pm0.03$ mas, as measured in 2017. The shell diameter increased ($\theta_\text{L}=1.89\pm0.03$ mas), while its temperature decreased ($T_\text{L}=2140\pm42$ K) in 2019. In contrast, the photospheric diameter $\theta^*_\text{UD}$ and the extinction up to the photosphere of GCIRS 7 ($A_{\mathrm{K}_\mathrm{S}}=3.18 \pm 0.16$) have the same value within uncertainties at the two epochs. In the context of previous interferometric and photo-spectrometric measurements, the GRAVITY data allow for an interpretation in terms of photospheric pulsations. The photospheric diameter measured in 2017 and 2019 is significantly larger than previously reported using the PIONIER instrument ($\theta_*=1.076 \pm 0.093$ mas in 2013 in the H band). The parameters of the photosphere and molecular shell of GCIRS 7 are comparable to those of other red supergiants that have previously been studied using interferometry., Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics (A&A)

The GRAVITY instrument on the ESO VLTI pioneers the field of high-precision near-infrared interferometry by providing astrometry at the 10−100 μas level. Measurements at this high precision crucially depend on the control of systematic effects. We investigate how aberrations introduced by small optical imperfections along the path from the telescope to the detector affect the astrometry. We develop an analytical model that describes the effect of these aberrations on the measurement of complex visibilities. Our formalism accounts for pupil-plane and focal-plane aberrations, as well as for the interplay between static and turbulent aberrations, and it successfully reproduces calibration measurements of a binary star. The Galactic Center observations with GRAVITY in 2017 and 2018, when both Sgr A* and the star S2 were targeted in a single fiber pointing, are affected by these aberrations at a level lower than 0.5 mas. Removal of these effects brings the measurement in harmony with the dual-beam observations of 2019 and 2020, which are not affected by these aberrations. This also resolves the small systematic discrepancies between the derived distance R0 to the Galactic Center that were reported previously.

Stars form by accreting material from their surrounding disks. There is a consensus that matter flowing through the disk is channelled onto the stellar surface by the stellar magnetic field. This is thought to be strong enough to truncate the disk close to the so-called corotation radius where the disk rotates at the same rate as the star. Spectro-interferometric studies in young stellar objects show that Hydrogen is mostly emitted in a region of a few milliarcseconds across, usually located within the dust sublimation radius. Its origin is still a matter of debate and it can be interpreted as coming from the stellar magnetosphere, a rotating wind or a disk. In the case of intermediate-mass Herbig AeBe stars, the fact that the Br gamma emission is spatially resolved rules out that most of the emission comes from the magnetosphere. This is due to the weak magnetic fields (some tenths of G) detected in these sources, resulting in very compact magnetospheres. In the case of T Tauri sources, their larger magnetospheres should make them easier to resolve. However, the small angular size of the magnetosphere (a few tenths of milliarcseconds), along with the presence of winds emitting in Hydrogen make the observations interpretation challenging. Here, we present direct evidence of magnetospheric accretion by spatially resolving the inner disk of the 60 pc T Tauri star TW Hydrae through optical long baseline interferometry. We find that the hydrogen near-infrared emission comes from a region approximately 3.5 stellar radii (R*) across. This region is within the continuum dusty disk emitting region (Rcont = 7 R*) and smaller than the corotation radius which is twice as big. This indicates that the hydrogen emission originates at the accretion columns, as expected in magnetospheric accretion models, rather than in a wind emitted at much larger distance (>1au)., Publish in Nature

The star S2 orbiting the compact radio source Sgr A* is a precision probe of the gravitational field around the closest massive black hole (candidate). Over the last 2.7 decades we have monitored the star's radial velocity and motion on the sky, mainly with the SINFONI and NACO adaptive optics (AO) instruments on the ESO VLT, and since 2017, with the four-telescope interferometric beam combiner instrument GRAVITY. In this paper we report the first detection of the General Relativity (GR) Schwarzschild Precession (SP) in S2's orbit. Owing to its highly elliptical orbit (e = 0.88), S2's SP is mainly a kink between the pre-and post-pericentre directions of motion ~ +- 1 year around pericentre passage, relative to the corresponding Kepler orbit. The superb 2017-2019 astrometry of GRAVITY defines the pericentre passage and outgoing direction. The incoming direction is anchored by 118 NACO-AO measurements of S2's position in the infrared reference frame, with an additional 75 direct measurements of the S2-Sgr A* separation during bright states ('flares') of Sgr A*. Our 14-parameter model fits for the distance, central mass, the position and motion of the reference frame of the AO astrometry relative to the mass, the six parameters of the orbit, as well as a dimensionless parameter f_SP for the SP (f_SP = 0 for Newton and 1 for GR). From data up to the end of 2019 we robustly detect the SP of S2, del phi = 12' per orbital period. From posterior fitting and MCMC Bayesian analysis with different weighting schemes and bootstrapping we find f_SP = 1.10 +- 0.19. The S2 data are fully consistent with GR. Any extended mass inside S2's orbit cannot exceed ~ 0.1% of the central mass. Any compact third mass inside the central arcsecond must be less than about 1000 M_sun., accepted to A&A

Our objective is to estimate the C/O ratio in the atmosphere of beta Pictoris b and obtain an estimate of the dynamical mass of the planet, as well as to refine its orbital parameters using high-precision astrometry. We used the GRAVITY instrument with the four 8.2 m telescopes of the Very Large Telescope Interferometer to obtain K-band spectro-interferometric data on $\beta$ Pic b. We extracted a medium resolution (R=500) K-band spectrum of the planet and a high-precision astrometric position. We estimated the planetary C/O ratio using two different approaches (forward modeling and free retrieval) from two different codes (ExoREM and petitRADTRANS, respectively). Finally, we used a simplified model of two formation scenarios (gravitational collapse and core-accretion) to determine which can best explain the measured C/O ratio. Our new astrometry disfavors a circular orbit for $\beta$ Pic b ($e=0.15^{+0.05}_{-0.04}$). Combined with previous results and with Hipparcos/GAIA measurements, this astrometry points to a planet mass of $M = 12.7\pm{}2.2\,M_\mathrm{Jup}$. This value is compatible with the mass derived with the free-retrieval code petitRADTRANS using spectral data only. The forward modeling and free-retrieval approches yield very similar results regarding the atmosphere of beta Pic b. In particular, the C/O ratios derived with the two codes are identical ($0.43\pm{}0.05$ vs $0.43^{+0.04}_{-0.03}$). We argue that if the stellar C/O in $\beta$ Pic is Solar, then this combination of a very high mass and a low C/O ratio for the planet suggests a formation through core-accretion, with strong planetesimal enrichment., Comment: 14 pages + 7 page appendix, 7 figures, accepted for pulication

In this study, the performance of electro-peroxymonosulfate and electro-peroxydisulfate methods in biologically stabilized leachate nanofiltration concentrate treatment was investigated. To increase treatability and biodegradability of the concentrated leachate was aimed. Central composite design was applied for the optimization of process parameters and development of mathematical model. Variance analyses were performed to attain the interaction among the responses and process variables and to analyze the data. Second-order regression models were developed by Statgraphics Centurion XVI.I software program in order to estimate the removal efficiencies. Model's correlation coefficients for COD removal through electro-peroxymonosulfate and electro-peroxydisulfate processes were determined to be 0.8769 and 0.8910, respectively, expressing conformity of the experimental data to the model. COD removal rates obtained through electro-peroxymonosulfate and electro-peroxydisulfate processes under optimum conditions (HSO5-/COD ratio: 2.5, current: 1.8 A, pH: 6.4 and reaction time: 35.9 min for electro-peroxymonosulfate process and S(2)O8-2/COD ratio: 1.9, current: 2.1 A, pH: 5.1 and reaction time: 32.3 min for electro-peroxydisulfate process) were determined as 84.2% and 79.6%, respectively. Before advanced treatment processes, the biodegradable COD fraction of leachate nanofiltration concentrate was 12.7% and the soluble COD fraction was 78.3%. After electro-peroxymonosulfate process, biodegradable COD fraction increased to the value of 44.6% and the soluble COD fraction increased to the value of 90.5%, whereas after electro-peroxydisulfate process, biodegradable COD fraction increased to the value of 37.5% and the soluble COD fraction increased to the value of 87.4%. The results of the study showed that electro-peroxymonosulfate and electro-peroxydisulfate oxidation processes were effective treatment methods for leachate concentrates with low biodegradability.

The formation and the evolution of protoplanetary disks are important stages in the lifetime of stars. The processes of disk evolution and planet formation are intrinsically linked. We spatially resolve with GRAVITY/VLTI in the K-band the sub au-scale region of 27 stars to gain statistical understanding of their properties. We look for correlations with stellar parameters, such as luminosity, mass, temperature and age. Our sample also cover a range of various properties in terms of reprocessed flux, flared or flat morphology, and gaps. We developed semi-physical geometrical models to fit our interferometric data. Our best models correspond to smooth and wide rings, implying that wedge-shaped rims at the dust sublimation edge are favored, as found in the H-band. The closure phases are generally non-null with a median value of ~10 deg, indicating spatial asymmetries of the intensity distributions. Multi-size grain populations could explain the closure phase ranges below 20-25 deg but other scenarios should be invoked to explain the largest ones. Our measurements extend the Radius-Luminosity relation to ~1e4 Lsun and confirm the significant spread around the mean relation observed in the H-band. Gapped sources exhibit a large N-to-K band size ratio and large values of this ratio are only observed for the members of our sample that would be older than 1 Ma, less massive, and with lower luminosity. In the 2 Ms mass range, we observe a correlation in the increase of the relative age with the transition from group II to group I, and an increase of the N-to-K size ratio. However, the size of the current sample does not yet permit us to invoke a clear universal evolution mechanism across the HAeBe mass range. The measured locations of the K-band emission suggest that these disks might be structured by forming young planets, rather than by depletion due to EUV, FUV, and X-ray photo-evaporation., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A; 23 pages, 16 figures, 7 tables

We report the detection of continuous positional and polarization changes of the compact source SgrA* in high states ('flares') of its variable near- infrared emission with the near-infrared GRAVITY-Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) beam-combining instrument. In three prominent bright flares, the position centroids exhibit clockwise looped motion on the sky, on scales of typically 150 micro-arcseconds over a few tens of minutes, corresponding to about 30% the speed of light. At the same time, the flares exhibit continuous rotation of the polarization angle, with about the same 45(+/-15)-minute period as that of the centroid motions. Modelling with relativistic ray tracing shows that these findings are all consistent with a near face-on, circular orbit of a compact polarized 'hot spot' of infrared synchrotron emission at approximately six to ten times the gravitational radius of a black hole of 4 million solar masses. This corresponds to the region just outside the innermost, stable, prograde circular orbit (ISCO) of a Schwarzschild-Kerr black hole, or near the retrograde ISCO of a highly spun-up Kerr hole. The polarization signature is consistent with orbital motion in a strong poloidal magnetic field., Comment: accepted by A&A; 16 pages

The highly elliptical, 16-year-period orbit of the star S2 around the massive black hole candidate Sgr A* is a sensitive probe of the gravitational field in the Galactic centre. Near pericentre at 120 AU, ~1400 Schwarzschild radii, the star has an orbital speed of ~7650 km/s, such that the first-order effects of Special and General Relativity have now become detectable with current capabilities. Over the past 26 years, we have monitored the radial velocity and motion on the sky of S2, mainly with the SINFONI and NACO adaptive optics instruments on the ESO Very Large Telescope, and since 2016 and leading up to the pericentre approach in May 2018, with the four-telescope interferometric beam-combiner instrument GRAVITY. From data up to and including pericentre, we robustly detect the combined gravitational redshift and relativistic transverse Doppler effect for S2 of z ~ 200 km/s / c with different statistical analysis methods. When parameterising the post-Newtonian contribution from these effects by a factor f, with f = 0 and f = 1 corresponding to the Newtonian and general relativistic limits, respectively, we find from posterior fitting with different weighting schemes f = 0.90 +/- 0.09 (stat) +\- 0.15 (sys). The S2 data are inconsistent with pure Newtonian dynamics., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters, 29 June 2018, 10 pages, 6 figures, corresponding author: F. Eisenhauer

An array of tiny, low-cost, stand-alone and wireless inertial motion sensor units is designed and fabricated. These sensor units recognise gestures of a user, enabling a comfort control in game applications. Despite the wide usage of motion sensor units in various applications, we utilize an array of detached and low-cost controller units and an Oculus Rift DK2 to develop two VR games, for the first time. In one application, the user can control a spaceship movements by its hand movements. The other game is a first-person shooting game, in which an array of sensors are used for aiming and shooting purpose. This type of control provides the feeling of full immersion inside a VR environment. The developed sensor unit is a promising controller for a broad range of applications in virtual and augmented reality industry., European Union (EU); H2020; European Research Council (ERC) European Union's Seventh Framework Program

We summarize basic observational results on Sagittarius~A* obtained from the radio, infrared and X-ray domain. Infrared observations have revealed that a dusty S-cluster object (DSO/G2) passes by SgrA*, the central super-massive black hole of the Milky Way. It is still expected that this event will give rise to exceptionally intense activity in the entire electromagnetic spectrum. Based on February to September 2014 SINFONI observations. The detection of spatially compact and red-shifted hydrogen recombination line emission allows a us to obtain a new estimate of the orbital parameters of the DSO. We have not detected strong pre-pericenter blue-shifted or post-pericenter red-shifted emission above the noise level at the position of SgrA* or upstream the orbit. The periapse position was reached in May 2014. Our 2004-2012 infrared polarization statistics shows that SgrA* must be a very stable system - both in terms of geometrical orientation of a jet or accretion disk and in terms of the variability spectrum which must be linked to the accretion rate. Hence polarization and variability measurements are the ideal tool to probe for any change in the system as a function of the DSO/G2 fly-by. Due to the 2014 fly-by of the DSO, increased accretion activity of SgrA* may still be upcoming. Future observations of bright flares will improve the derivation of the spin and the inclination of the SMBH from NIR/sub-mm observations., revised version with minor changes - 6 pages - 4 figures - published in PoS-SISSA Proceedings of the:Frontier Research in Astrophysics Workshop 2014, edt. Franco Giovannelli held in Mondello (Palermo - Italy) 26 - 31 May 2014

We analyse and report in detail new near-infrared (1.45 - 2.45 microns) observations of the Dusty S-cluster Object (DSO/G2) during its approach to the black hole at the center of the Galaxy that were carried out with ESO VLT/SINFONI between February and September 2014. Before May 2014 we detect spatially compact Br-gamma and Pa-alpha line emission from the DSO at about 40mas east of SgrA*. The velocity of the source, measured from the red-shifted emission, is 2700+-60 km/s. No blue-shifted emission above the noise level is detected at the position of SgrA* or upstream the presumed orbit. After May we find spatially compact Br-gamma blue-shifted line emission from the DSO at about 30mas west of SgrA* at a velocity of -3320+-60 km/s and no indication for significant red-shifted emission. We do not detect any significant extension of velocity gradient across the source. We find a Br-gamma-line full width at half maximum of 50+-10 Angstroem before and 15+-10 Angstroem after the peribothron transit, i.e. no significant line broadening with respect to last year is observed. Br-gamma line maps show that the bulk of the line emission originates from a region of less than 20mas diameter. This is consistent with a very compact source on an elliptical orbit with a peribothron time passage in 2014.39+-0.14. For the moment, the flaring activity of the black hole in the near-infrared regime has not shown any statistically significant increment. Increased accretion activity of SgrA* may still be upcoming. We discuss details of a source model according to which the DSO is rather a young accreting star than a coreless gas and dust cloud., 32 pages - 3 tables - 17 figure - accepted by ApJ

For stability assessments as well as for support design, it is important to understand the factors leading to detrimental stress changes. Stress changes not only influence the demand on the rock support, they also change the support capacity of frictional support components such as plain cablebolts. Stress and stress changes are commonly predicted by numerical models but it is rarely possible to verify these predictions. This study presents a practical example illustrating the usefulness of stress change measurements in providing an accurate picture of the mining-induced stress changes and their value for numerical model calibration. Stress changes, associated with mining of the 565#6 stope at Winston Lake Mine, were measured by four CSIRO HI stress cells, two in the hangingwall and two in the back of a sill drift. In order to obtain the full stress history of the hangingwall, stresses at the installation time were calculated by use of a three-dimensional boundary element program — MAP3D. Two types of rockmass failure were observed at this mine: hangingwall delamination and collapse leading to ore dilution, and wedge-like failures in the backs of sill drifts. All stress cells were located such that they were affected by these failure mechanisms. Using measured and predicted stress paths, this study explains the nature of these two failure modes, as experienced at Winston Lake Mine. Excellent correspondence between measured and predicted stresses is achieved for both the hangingwall and the back of the sill drifts. Modelled stress rotations in the hangingwall follow closely the stress rotations determined in the field, except at the end of the monitoring campaign when the stress cells were affected by inelastic straining of the host rock. These measurements assist in understanding the failure processes and in defining the limitations of the adopted numerical models.

A fast moving infrared excess source (G2) which is widely interpreted as a core-less gas and dust cloud approaches Sagittarius A* (SgrA*) on a presumably elliptical orbit. VLT K_s-band and Keck K'-band data result in clear continuum identifications and proper motions of this about 19m Dusty S-cluster Object (DSO). In 2002-2007 it is confused with the star S63, but free of confusion again since 2007. Its near-infrared (NIR) colors and a comparison to other sources in the field speak in favor of the DSO being an IR excess star with photospheric continuum emission at 2 microns than a core-less gas and dust cloud. We also find very compact L'-band emission ($, Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Proc. of a Conf. on IAU Symposium No.303: The GC: Feeding and Feedback in a Normal Galactic Nucleus 2013 September 30 - October 4, Santa Fe New Mexico (USA)

Operating on 6 interferometric baselines, i.e. using all 4 UTs, the 2nd generation VLTI instrument GRAVITY will deliver narrow angle astrometry with 10μas accuracy at K-band. We present the system design of the science and fringe tracking spectrometers of GRAVITY: The fringe tracking spectrometer is optimised for highest sensitivity, providing a fixed spectral resolution. The science spectrometer provides 3 different low - medium spectral resolutions. Both spectrometers provide detector focus stages and deployable Wollaston prisms. The two spectrometers also feed the beams of the metrology laser system of GRAVITY backwards into the integrated optics beam-combiner, propagating back to the M2 mirrors of the 4 telescopes.

Sagittarius A*, the super-massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, is surrounded by a small cluster of high velocity stars, known as the S-stars. We aim to constrain the amount and nature of stellar and dark mass associated with the cluster in the immediate vicinity of Sagittarius A*. We use near-infrared imaging to determine the $K_\mathrm{s}$-band luminosity function of the S-star cluster members, and the distribution of the diffuse background emission and the stellar number density counts around the central black hole. This allows us to determine the stellar light and mass contribution expected from the faint members of the cluster. We then use post-Newtonian N-body techniques to investigate the effect of stellar perturbations on the motion of S2, as a means of detecting the number and masses of the perturbers. We find that the stellar mass derived from the $K_\mathrm{s}$-band luminosity extrapolation is much smaller than the amount of mass that might be present considering the uncertainties in the orbital motion of the star S2. Also the amount of light from the fainter S-cluster members is below the amount of residual light at the position of the S-star cluster after removing the bright cluster members. If the distribution of stars and stellar remnants is strongly enough peaked near Sagittarius A*, observed changes in the orbital elements of S2 can be used to constrain both their masses and numbers. Based on simulations of the cluster of high velocity stars we find that at a wavelength of 2.2 $\mu$m close to the confusion level for 8 m class telescopes blend stars will occur (preferentially near the position of Sagittarius A*) that last for typically 3 years before they dissolve due to proper motions., Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, minor changes to match the published version in Astronomy & Astrophysics

The super-massive 4 million solar mass black hole (SMBH) SgrA* shows variable emission from the millimeter to the X-ray domain. A detailed analysis of the infrared light curves allows us to address the accretion phenomenon in a statistical way. The analysis shows that the near-infrared flux density excursions are dominated by a single state power law, with the low states of SgrA* limited by confusion through the unresolved stellar background. We show that for 8-10m class telescopes blending effects along the line of sight will result in artificial compact star-like objects of 0.5-1 mJy that last for about 3-4 years. We discuss how the imaging capabilities of GRAVITY at the VLTI, LINC-NIRVANA at the LBT and METIS at the E-ELT will contribute to the investigation of the low variability states of SgrA*., Comment: 19 pages, 5 figure, Conf. Proc. SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 1 - 6 July 2012. Amsterdam No. 8445-4

There are a number of faint compact infrared excess sources in the central stellar cluster of the Milky Way. Their nature and origin is unclear. In addition to several isolated objects of this kind we find a small but dense cluster of co-moving sources (IRS13N) about 3" west of SgrA* just 0.5" north of the bright IRS13E cluster of WR and O-type stars. Based on their color and brightness, there are two main possibilities: (1) they may be dust embedded stars older than few Myr, or (2) extremely young, dusty stars with ages less than 1Myr. We present fist H- and Ks-band identifications or proper motions of the IRS13N members, the high velocity dusty S-cluster object (DSO), and other infrared excess sources in the central field. We also present results of NIR H- and Ks-band ESO-SINFONI integral field spectroscopy of ISR13N. We show that within the uncertainties, the proper motions of the IRS13N sources in Ks- and L'-band are identical. This indicates that the bright L'-band IRS13N sources are indeed dust enshrouded stars rather than core-less dust clouds. The proper motions show that the IRS13N sources are not strongly gravitationally bound to each other implying that they have been formed recently. We also present a first H- and Ks-band identification as well as proper motions and HKsL'-colors of a fast moving DSO which was recently found in the cluster of high speed S-stars that surround the super-massive black hole Sagittarius A* (SgrA*). Most of the compact L'-band excess emission sources have a compact H- or Ks-band counterpart and therefore are likely stars with dust shells or disks. Our new results and orbital analysis from our previous work favor the hypothesis that the infrared excess IRS13N members and other dusty sources close to SgrA* are very young dusty stars and that star formation at the GC is a continuously ongoing process., Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures, 4 tables plus appendix with 16 figures and 3 tables accepted by A&A

WOS: 000274880600006 PubMed: 20050760 The present study was designed to investigate the interaction between platelet indices, inflammatory markers and disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) subjects. The effects of anti-TNF-alpha therapy and conventional treatment on platelet indices were also compared. We studied 97 patients with RA (19 men, 78 women: mean age 51 years) and 33 age and sex-matched healthy subjects as a control group. All RA patients were administered conventional therapy. After 3 months of therapy, 35 subjects who had high disease activity score (DAS28 > 5.1) were grouped as non-responders and were administered infliximab as a TNF-alpha blocker at the standard intravenous dose. Responders to the conventional therapy and non-responders were also compared. At baseline white blood cell (WBC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), platelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV) were significantly higher in patients with RA. Mean platelet volume was positively correlated with DAS28 score (r = 0.27; p = 0.007). These markers of inflammation and platelet indices were substantially decreased after therapy. The reductions were similar in responders to conventional therapy and non-responders (TNF alpha group). In conclusion, we found that MPV was correlated with inflammatory markers and disease activity in patients with RA. Both anti-TNF-alpha and conventional therapy decreases markers of inflammation and platelet indices. MPV can reflect both disease activity and response to treatment.

The bond strength of fully grouted cable bolts is primarily frictional and depends on the pressure at the cable-grout interface. Thus, any change in this interface pressure must affect the bond strength. The interface pressure increases with (load induced) dilation and may increase or decrease with the stress change due to nearby mining activities (excavation induced). In this paper, the effect of stress change on the bond strength is studied in the context of the bond strength model (BSM) previously established in a companion paper. A laboratory testing program was executed to evaluate the stress change effect on the frictional resistance of the steel-grout interface of a smooth bar and the laboratory results confirm the theory. It is concluded that mining induced stress change is one of the most important parameters controlling the cable bond strength. Theoretical results indicate that cables should be most affected by stress change in relatively soft rocks. Stress reductions of −40 MPa, often measured in deep mines, can cause the cables to lose most of their bond strength in low to medium stiff rocks. This study provides a new perspective on cable design and provides a methodology to increase the stability of openings.

Objectives: To present and analyse the literature sources regarding the management of Behçet disease (BD) identified during the systematic literature research, which formed the basis for the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) evidence-based recommendations for the management of BD. Methods: Problem areas and related keywords regarding the management of BD were determined by the multidisciplinary expert committee commissioned by EULAR for developing the recommendations. A systematic literature research was performed using MedLine and Cochrane Library resources through to December 2006. Meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials (RCTs), open studies, observational studies, case control studies and case series' involving ≥5 patients were included. For each intervention the effect size and number needed to treat were calculated for efficacy. Odds ratios and numbers needed to harm were calculated for safety issues of different treatment modalities where possible. Results: The literature research yielded 137 articles that met the inclusion criteria; 20 of these were RCTs. There was good evidence supporting the use of azathioprine and ciclosporin A in eye involvement and interferon (IFN) in mucocutaneous involvement. There were no RCTs with IFNa or tumour necrosis factor (TNF)a antagonists in eye involvement. Similarly controlled data for the management of vascular, gastrointestinal and neurological involvement is lacking. Conclusion: Properly designed, controlled studies (new and confirmatory) are still needed to guide us in managing BD.

"nBackground: The association between maternal smoking and poor pregnancy outcome, which is well established in medi­cal literature, has also been corroborated by the results of this study conducted in a Turkish hospital. Our objective was to investi­gate the effects of cigarette smoking during pregnancy on infant head circumference, height, weight, and body mass in­dex (BMI)."nMethods: In this retrospective study, the data was collected from the Medical Live Birth Registry in a maternity hospital with the largest capacity of births in a city of northwest Turkey during 2002."nResults: We found that 16.4% (1040/6332) of mothers investigated had smoked during their pregnancy, with a mean of 5 ciga­rettes per day. Head circumference, height, weight and BMI values of male infants whose mothers smoked were found to be less than those of infants whose mothers did not smoke (P> 0.05, for each one). Head circumference, height, weight and BMI values of female infants whose mothers smoked were less than those whose mothers did not smoke (P> 0.05, P< 0.01, P< 0.05 and P> 0.05, respectively). According to analysis of variance, infant head circumferences, heights and weights in all infants decreased as the rate of the mother's smoking increased (P> 0.05, P< 0.001 and P> 0.05, respec­tively)."nConclusions: The results support that maternal smoking during pregnancy was associated with a linear reduction of height meas­urement, and the infants appeared to be more susceptible to the growth retarding effects of cigarette smoking on height. Thus, if cessation-of-smoking programs are initiated before conception, many of the harmful effects of smoking on fe­tal growth might be prevented.

Objectives: To develop evidence-based European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations for the management of Behcet disease (BD) supplemented where necessary by expert opinion. Methods: The multidisciplinary expert committee, a task force of the EULAR Standing Committee for Clinical Affairs (ESCCA), consisted of nine rheumatologists (one who was also a clinical epidemiologist and one also a Rehabilitation Medicine doctor), three ophthalmologists, one internist, one dermatologist and one neurologist, representing six European countries plus Tunisia and Korea. A patient representative was also present. Problem areas and related keywords for systematic literature research were identified. Systematic literature research was performed using Medline and the Cochrane Library databases from 1966 through to December 2006. A total of 40 initial statements were generated based on the systematic literature research. These yielded the final recommendations developed from two blind Delphi rounds of voting. Results: Nine recommendations were developed for the management of different aspects of BD. The strength of each recommendation was determined by the level of evidence and the experts' opinions. The level of agreement for each recommendation was determined using a visual analogue scale for the whole committee and for each individual aspect by the subgroups, who consider themselves experts in that field of BD. There was excellent concordance between the level of agreement of the whole group and the "experts in the field". Conclusion: Recommendations related to the eye, skin-mucosa disease and arthritis are mainly evidence based, but recommendations on vascular disease, neurological and gastrointestinal involvement are based largely on expert opinion and uncontrolled evidence from open trials and observational studies. The need for further properly designed controlled clinical trials is apparent.

WOS: 000248905700004 PubMed: 17910141 Objective: To measure the effects of depression and anxiety on quality of life (QoL) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), knee osteoarthritis (OA) andfibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Methods: One hundred and fifty-four patients with RA, knee OA, and FMS who presented to the physical medicine and rehabilitation department were studied For evaluation of the patients, Beck depression scale, Beck anxiety scale, and Short Form-36 were used. Results: Twenty-two per cent ofpatients (n = 34) were diagnosed with of RA, 52.6% (n = 81) knee OA and 25.3% (n = 39) FMS. Except for the subscales, of physical and emotional role, there were statistically significant differences among diagnostic groups in the rest of the SF-36 subscales. In the physical functioning subscale, the highest score was obtained in the fibromyalgia group and the lowest in the RA group (p < 0.001). However in the bodily pain subscale, the lowest score was recorded in the fibromyalgia group (p = 0.019). In all diagnostic groups, the scores of SF-36 subscales were significantly low in patients who scored above the threshold value of Beck depression scale (p < 0.001). A strong negative correlation was detected between scores of Beck anxiety scale and the scores of all SF-36 subscales in patients with RA and knee OA. On the other hand, in patients with FMS, anxiety scores correlated negatively with only physical and somatic function scores of SF-36. Conclusion: Quality of life is significantly low in patients with RA, knee OA and FMS, whose depression and/or anxiety scores are high. Therefore, these patients should be managed using a multidisciplinary approach including psychiatric support.

The introduction of the Turkish Catastrophe Insurance Pool (TCIP), in 2000, provides a reliable method for compensation to homeowners in Turkey without reverting to government budget, social solidarity and risk sharing are effectively maintained through payments of affordable insurance premiums.

Rotary blast hole drills were observed in several formations at different open pit mines and quarries. Rock samples were collected as near as possible to drilling locations and mechanical and physical properties of the total 22 rock samples were determined. Indentation tests were carried out on the block samples from the same formations. A new drillability index for the prediction of the penetration rates of rotary blast hole drills and the mechanical and physical properties of the rock formations was defined from force-indentation curves of indentation tests. A penetration rate model for rotary for blast hole drills was developed using this drillability index. It was seen that the model was valid for the formations having uniaxial compressive strength over 40 MPa and especially for carbonaceous rocks. The drillability index exhibits a significant correlation with the proportionality constant k defined in the model. It is also seen that significant correlations exist between the drillability index and rock properties suggesting that the proposed model may be used universally to estimate the penetration rate of rotary blast hole drills. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

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9525 Background: Recent experimental studies have suggested that interactions between the chemokine receptor CXCR4 and its ligand CXCL12 in host organs may play a role in breast cancer progression. There is currently no data if CXCR4 expression is associated with metastatic potential in early breast cancer. Therefore, we studied the differential expression of CXCR4 in small size lymph node positive and lymph node negative breast cancers to evaluate whether CXCR4 predicts metastasis to axillary lymph nodes. Methods: CXCR4 expression was evaluated on paraffin-embedded tissue sections obtained from patients with T1N0 (n=98) and T1N1 (n=99) breast cancer, using immunohistochemical staining. The intensity, staining percentage, and localization pattern (nuclear, cytoplasmic) were assessed, and positivity was categorized as follows: high cytoplasmic only versus others, and predominantly nuclear versus others. The expression patterns were correlated with lymph node status, and with other prognostic markers includ...