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Marion coronavirus recovery task force wants residents to come out of this healthy and to ‘a vibrant economy’

MARION — Marion’s 14-member COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force is beginning to work on recommendations of how to get people back to work, while keeping everyone safe.

“It’s hard to know right now at the beginning the various outcomes that are going to come out of this,” Marion Mayor Nick AbouAssaly told task force members in a meeting held this week via Zoom.

“Community sectors will work independently and report to the steering committee with ideas, strategies or policy recommendations,” he said.

In turn, the task force will consider recommendations to the Marion City Council, and AbouAssaly said he will update the council on the task force meetings.

“Unfortunately, we have to accept that the virus is here to stay,” AbouAssaly said. “It’s part of our life for the time being. We have to be able to plan for getting back to doing things and leading our lives in a way that allows us to exist with the virus in our community.”

Elizabeth Cwik, a Marion resident who works for the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, said there’s a “strong interest” among task force members to provide accurate information to the public about the virus.

“I see clear, consistent messaging from a variety of sectors from the schools, government, businesses and nonprofits. Then that message gets through,” Cwik said. “If that message is, ‘We care, and we want you to come out whole, and we want there to be a vibrant economy to be continued with every citizen’s effort,’ I think that’s a valuable contribution to the recovery.”

In joining the task force, Dr. Jaclyn Price said she hopes to dispel inaccurate information about the coronavirus and help businesses find ways to safely bring their employees back to work.

“I anticipate businesses will be operating at reduced capacities,” she said. “Maybe doing appointments rather than walk-in business, and cleaning more routinely.”

If businesses require employees and customers to wear masks, it will protect others from asymptomatic spread of the virus, she said.

“We will still see virus activity until we get a vaccine or herd immunity,” Price said. “This is going to be a problem for months to come. We’re trying to find ways to open slowly, but also understanding if we reopen everything and have to close it again, that could be more detrimental to people’s psychology or finances of businesses.”

The Rev. Mike Morgan of Marion United Methodist Church said “greater conversation” with government, business, education and health care leaders will help.

“Marion has become a town that is proactive,” Morgan said. “We really seek to have good things happen to our citizenry rather than let things happen and we react to them. ... As a person in the faith community, it’s important for us to be tending to people’s emotional, psychological, spiritual and, to some degree, physical needs.”

Comments: (319) 368-8664; grace.king@thegazette.com

MARION TASK FORCE

Those serving on the Marion COVID-19 Economic Recovery Task Force, all Marion residents and volunteers, are:

• Nick AbouAssaly, Marion mayor

• Jill Ackerman, president, Marion Chamber of Commerce

• Shannon Bisgard, Linn-Mar schools superintendent

• Amber Bisinger, communications officer for the city

• Elizabeth Cwik, Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation

• Lee Eilers, executive committee member, Marion Economic Development Corp.

• Nick Glew, president, Marion Economic Development Corp.

• Amber Hoff, marriage and family therapist

• Steve Jensen, Marion City Council member

• Mike Morgan, pastor, Marion United Methodist Church

• Brent Oleson, Linn County supervisor

Lon Pluckhahn, Marion city manager

• Jaclyn Price, M.D., Mercy Clinic-Marion

• Brooke Prouty, program director, Marion Chamber of Commerce




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Campgrounds reopen in Iowa Friday, see takers despite some health limitations

Some Eastern Iowans are ready to go camping.

With Gov. Kim Reynolds allowing campgrounds across the state to open Friday, some people wasted little time in heading outdoors.

“They’re already starting to fill up,” said Ryan Schlader of Linn County Conservation. “By about 7 this morning, we had a dozen at Squaw Creek Park. People were coming in bright and early to camp. We’re not surprised.”

Schlader said Linn County Conservation tried to have the campgrounds open at the county’s Squaw Creek, Morgan Creek and Pinicon Ridge parks at 5 a.m. Friday. He expected all of them would be busy.

“I think people were ready to go,” he said.

Lake Macbride State Park in Johnson County didn’t see quite as much of a rush for campsites, park manager Ron Puettmann reported Friday morning, saying he’d had six walk-ins for the park’s 42 campsites.

Camping this weekend will be done on a first-come, first-served basis. Sites won’t be available for reservations until next week, though online reservations can be made now, Puettmann said.

“I’m quite sure people were waiting anxiously to get on,” he said.

While Reynolds’ campground announcement came Wednesday, Schlader and Puettmann said they had no issues having the campgrounds ready for Friday.

Schlader said county staff have been in touch with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and other county conservation boards to discuss protocols for reopening to ensure a safe experience for campers and employers.

“We anticipated at some point the order would be lifted,” Schlader said. “We were anticipating maybe May 15. The campgrounds were in good shape and ready to go.”

For now, camping comes with some limitations:

• Campers can camp only in a self-contained unit with a functioning restroom, such as a recreational vehicle.

• Shower houses with restrooms will remain closed for the time being.

• Campsites are limited to six people unless they are from the same household.

• No visitors are allowed at the campsites.

Puettmann said staffers and a DNR officer will be on hand to make sure guidelines are followed, but he didn’t anticipate enforcement would be an issue.

“For the most part, we’re going to allow people to police themselves,” he said.

It’s hard to gauge demand, Schlader said.

The weather isn’t yet deal for camping, and some people might not be ready to camp, given the continuing coronavirus.

“There is a lot of uncertainty,” he said. “Do people feel like they need to get out and enjoy a camping experience within their own campsite, or do people still feel under the weather and think it’s not a good idea for my family to go right now? ... We just want this to be an option for people.”

Comments: (319) 339-3155; lee.hermiston@thegazette.com




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Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida Website Design Launch

We recently completed a website design and development project for Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida. This National Health Service...continue reading




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Could you get PTSD from your pandemic experience? The long-term mental health effects of coronavirus

Experiencing intense flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, anger, and fear? In the face of a traumatic event like the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s common to feel this way.




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Could you get PTSD from your pandemic experience? The long-term mental health effects of coronavirus

Experiencing intense flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, anger, and fear? In the face of a traumatic event like the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s common to feel this way.




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Unwell: The Public Health Implications of Unregulated Drinking Water

By Nate Seltenrich Environmental Health Perspectives Roughly one in seven U.S. residents relies on a private well for drinking water.1 Unlike the rest of the population served by the nation’s many public water systems,2 these 44.5 million Americans are not … Continue reading




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Urging Multi-Pronged Effort to Halt Climate Crisis, Scientists Say Protecting World’s Forests as Vital as Cutting Emissions

By Julia  Conley Common Dreams “Our message as scientists is simple: Our planet’s future climate is inextricably tied to the future of its forest.” With a new statement rejecting the notion that drastically curbing emissions alone is enough to curb … Continue reading




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12 Best GoDaddy Alternatives for Domain & Web Hosting (2020)

Are you looking for the best GoDaddy alternative for domain registration and web hosting? Without a doubt, Godaddy is one of the most popular names when it comes to registering domain names and hosting your business online. Over the last 22 years, GoDaddy has managed to establish a stronghold in the market. In this article, […]

The post 12 Best GoDaddy Alternatives for Domain & Web Hosting (2020) appeared first on IsItWP - Free WordPress Theme Detector.




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Could you get PTSD from your pandemic experience? The long-term mental health effects of coronavirus

Experiencing intense flashbacks, nightmares, irritability, anger, and fear? In the face of a traumatic event like the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s common to feel this way.




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You Know Clean Air is Good for Your Health. It’s Good for the Economy, Too.

By Rachel Cernansky Ensia When the Clean Air Act of 1970 became law, members of the business community in the United States responded with opposition. Such regulations are a drag on growth, some economists say, for individual businesses and for … Continue reading




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Prolific, the (Much Better) Mechnical Turk Alternative

Prolific is a crowd-sourcing platform for running studies. In contrast to the widely-used Mechanical Turk, it’s specific to studies, has a much better interface, pricing that’s fair to participants, and useful filters to find the right people for your study. Amazon's Mechanical Turk is used for many empirical studies published in the visualization literature, but […]




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An alternate definition of the Parry measure. (arXiv:2005.03282v1 [math.DS])

In this paper, we give an alternate definition of the well-known Parry measure on an aperiodic subshift of finite type using correlation between the forbidden words. We use the concept of the local escape rate to obtain this definition. We also compute Perron eigenvectors corresponding to the Perron root of the associated adjacency matrix.




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Personal Health Knowledge Graphs for Patients. (arXiv:2004.00071v2 [cs.AI] UPDATED)

Existing patient data analytics platforms fail to incorporate information that has context, is personal, and topical to patients. For a recommendation system to give a suitable response to a query or to derive meaningful insights from patient data, it should consider personal information about the patient's health history, including but not limited to their preferences, locations, and life choices that are currently applicable to them. In this review paper, we critique existing literature in this space and also discuss the various research challenges that come with designing, building, and operationalizing a personal health knowledge graph (PHKG) for patients.




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Dozens of Spokane, Coeur d'Alene events canceled due to public health concerns over COVID-19

After Governor Jay Inslee announced a prohibition on gatherings of 250 people or more in three Washington counties (Snohomish, King, Pierce) on Wednesday, and with public health concerns growing over the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations in Spokane are following suit. The Inlander will be frequently updating its online calendar of events to reflect local cancelations as we hear of them.…



  • Culture/Arts & Culture

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Health Officials Recommended Canceling Events with 10-50 People. Then 33,000 Fans Attended a Major League Soccer Game.

As COVID-19 fears grew, public officials and sports execs contemplated health risks — and debated a PR message — but let 33,000 fans into a Seattle Sounders soccer match, emails show. By Ken Armstrong, ProPublica, and David Gutman and Lewis Kamb, The Seattle Times On March 6, at 2:43 p.m., the health officer for Public Health — Seattle & King County, the hardest-hit region in the first state to be slammed by COVID-19, sent an email to a half-dozen colleagues, saying, “I want to cancel large group gatherings now.”…



  • News/Local News

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Trump ignores his own public health guidelines, COVID-19 death-toll nears 70,000, and other headlines

ON INLANDER.COM NATION: Even as U.S. President Donald Trump urges states to reopen their economies, his own administration projects that the death toll from COVID-19 will spike to 3,000 people per day.…




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Can harnessing the psychological power of video games make you healthier?

Growing up, Luke Parker played sports.…




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Inland Northwest politicians put pressure on governors, health officials to accelerate reopening

Yesterday, Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward and other local leaders urged Gov. Jay Inslee to allow Spokane County to open on a different schedule than the rest of the state.  Inslee, however, wouldn't budge.…



  • News/Local News

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Anti-microbial and anti-static surface treatment agent with quaternary ammonium salt as active ingredient and method for preventing static electricity in polymer fibers using same

Provided are an anti-static and anti-microbial surface treatment agent including a quaternary ammonium salt compound as an active ingredient and a method of preventing a polymer fiber from developing static electricity by using the surface treatment agent. The quaternary ammonium salt compound has excellent anti-static and anti-microbial effects for the prevention or improvement of static electricity in a polymer fiber. Accordingly, the quaternary ammonium salt compound is suitable for use as a fabric softener, or an anti-static agent, and also, provides anti-microbial effects to a polymer fiber.




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Amino acid salt containing compositions

A reagent composition for forming fatty acyl amido surfactants is provided which includes an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt of an amino compound; a polyol of molecular weight ranging from 76 to 300; and no more than 10% water.




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Acid addition salts of risperidone and pharmaceutical compositions thereof

The present invention relates to a novel acid addition salt of risperidone, wherein acid counterion is selected from the group consisting of pamoic acid, caproic acid, cypionic acid, decanoic acid, camphor sulfonic acid, enanthic acid, palmitic acid, fusidic acid, gluceptic acid, gluconic acid, lactobionic acid, lauric acid, levulinic acid and valeric acid, a process for the preparation and pharmaceutical composition comprising the same. Further, the invention relates to the use of said pharmaceutical composition comprising the acid addition salt of risperidone in the treatment of patient suffering from psychotic disorders.




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Method for preparing rosuvastatin salts

The present invention is related to methods for the preparation of pharmaceutically acceptable salts of (+)-7-[4-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-isopropyl-2-(methanesulfonyl-methyl-amino)-pyrimidin-5-yl]-(3R,5S,6E)-dihydroxy-hept-6-enoic acid, intermediates thereof and methods for producing said intermediates.




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Curable fiberglass binder comprising salt of inorganic acid

Formaldehyde-free binder compositions are described that include an aldehyde or ketone, a nitrogen-containing salt of an inorganic acid, and an acidic compound. The acidic compound may be an organic acid, such as maleic acid or citric acid among others. The acidic compound is supplied in quantities that lower the pH of the binder composition to about 5 or less. The binder compositions may be used in methods of binding fiberglass and the resulting fiberglass products have an improved tensile strength due to the addition of the acidic compound.




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Salts of dehydroacetic acid as a pyrithione stabilizer in plastics

The invention provides a method for preventing discoloration of pyrithione-containing materials, in particular plastic materials or other material such as paints, coatings, adhesives or textiles which are exposed to an outdoor environment. The method is likewise suited for preventing discoloration of other pyrithione-containing materials such as personal care compositions like shampoos. A discoloration inhibitor that includes dehydroacetic acid or a salt thereof is added to the pyrithione-containing material. The discoloration is prevented without the addition of a cyclic organic phosphoric acid ester or an organic phosphite. Use of the discoloration inhibitor does not interfere with the antimicrobial effect of the pyrithione.




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Optically active ammonium salt compound, production intermediate thereof, and production method thereof

An optically active bisbenzyl compound or a racemic bisbenzyl compound represented by formula (2) that has axial chirality: where: R1 represents a halogen, or an optionally substituted: linear, branched, or cyclic C1-8 alkyl, C2-8 alkenyl, C2-8 alkynyl, C6-14 aryl, C3-8 heteroaryl, linear, branched, or cyclic C1-8 alkoxy, or C7-16 aralkyl;R21 each independently represents hydrogen, halogen, nitro, or an optionally substituted: linear, branched, or cyclic C1-8 alkyl, C2-8 alkenyl, C2-8 alkynyl, C6-14 aryl, linear, branched, or cyclic C1-8 alkoxy, or a C7-16 aralkyl;R3 represents hydrogen, or an optionally substituted: C6-14 aryl, a C3-8 heteroaryl, or a C7-16 aralkyl; andY2 represents a halogen, or an optionally substituted: C1-8 alkylsulfonyloxy, C6-14 arylsulfonyloxy, or C7-16 aralkylsulfonyloxy.




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Diaryliodonium salt mixture and process for production thereof, and process for production of diaryliodonium compound

Disclosed are: a diaryliodonium salt mixture which is a precursor of a BF4 salt or the like of a diaryliodonium compound, can be produced in the form of crystals at ambient temperature, can be purified in a simple manner, can be produced with high efficiency, and can be induced into a BF4 salt or the like salt that has excellent solubility in a monomer or the like; and a process for producing the diaryliodonium salt mixture. Also disclosed is a production process which can achieve good yield and can produce reduced amounts of byproducts, and is therefore applicable to the industrial mass production of a diaryliodonium compound. The diaryliodonium salt mixture is characterized by containing at least two specific diaryliodonium salts.




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Electrokinetically-altered fluids comprising charge-stabilized gas-containing nanostructures

Particular aspects provide compositions comprising an electrokinetically altered oxygenated aqueous fluid, wherein the oxygen in the fluid is present in an amount of at least 25 ppm. In certain aspects, the electrokinetically altered oxygenated aqueous fluid comprises electrokinetically modified or charged oxygen species present in an amount of at least 0.5 ppm. In certain aspects the electrokinetically altered oxygenated aqueous fluid comprises solvated electrons stabilized by molecular oxygen, and wherein the solvated electrons present in an amount of at least 0.01 ppm. In certain aspects, the fluid facilitates oxidation of pyrogallol to purpurogallin in the presence of horseradish peroxidase enzyme (HRP) in an amount above that afforded by a control pressure pot generated or fine-bubble generated aqueous fluid having an equivalent dissolved oxygen level, and wherein there is no hydrogen peroxide, or less than 0.1 ppm of hydrogen peroxide present in the electrokinetic oxygen-enriched aqueous fluid.




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Method for producing phenylphosphonic acid metal salt composition, and crystal nucleating agent therefrom

A method for producing a phenylphosphonic acid metal salt composition, including reacting a phenylphosphonic acid compound (a) with a metal salt, metal oxide or metal hydroxide (b) that is present in an amount beyond the equivalent, the phenylphosphonic acid metal salt composition containing phenylphosphonic acid metal salt, and a surplus amount of the metal salt, the metal oxide or the surplus metal hydroxide (b). A crystal nucleating agent comprises the phenylphosphonic acid metal salt composition produced by the method.




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Magnetic field generation device with alternative quench device

A magnetic field generation device for a magnetic resonance tomography apparatus has a vacuum container that encloses a magnetic coil made of superconducting material, and a conduit of a pipe system is connected with the magnetic coil so as to conduct heat. The pipe system and the conduit are filled with a coolant that places the magnetic coil in a superconducting state during normal operation of the tomography system. A valve connects the pipe system to the interior of a capture container. In the event of non-normal operation, such as a quench, evaporated coolant passes through the valve into the capture container.




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Altering a view of a document on a display of a computing device

A document authoring program provides different views of a document opened by a user. In the editing view, the user can view the document contents and edit the contents in using a menu bar. In the semantic zoom view, the user is presented with a heading pane and a thumbnail pane and the menu bar is removed. The user can toggle from the editing view to the semantic zoom view by zooming out past a defined threshold using various user interface controls. Once the threshold is exceeded, the semantic view is presented. The editing view is returned to by selecting a heading or a thumbnail page, which respectively returns the user the page incorporating the selected heading or to the page incorporating the selected heading. This page will be displayed in the editing view at the same zoom level prior to toggling to the semantic zoom view.




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Method of production of a methionine salt

A reaction system suitable for production of a methionine salt contains a reactive rectification column containing a weir having a height of 100 mm or more.




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Reduction of ALMS1 gene expression or inhibition of altröm protein to induce cardiomyocyte proliferation

The present invention relates to the field of cardiology. More specifically, the present invention provides methods and compositions for inducing proliferation of cardiomyocytes. In a specific embodiment, a method for inducing proliferation of cardiomyocytes comprises the step of administering an effective amount of an ALMS1 inhibitor.




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Feed additive for animals of P-thymol, salt derivative or ester derivative thereof

A feed additive includes at least one of p-thymol, a salt derivative and an ester derivative thereof for animals.




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Method for the production of alkylphosphonic acids, esters, and salts by oxidizing alkylphosphonous acids, and use thereof

The invention relates to a method for producing monocarboxy-functionalized dialkylphosphinic acids, esters, and salts, characterized in that a) a phosphinic acid source (I) is reacted with olefins (IV) in the presence of a catalyst A to obtain an alkylphosphonous acid, the salt or ester (II) thereof, and b) the obtained alkylphosphonous acid, the salt or ester (II) thereof is reacted with an oxidizing agent or with an oxidizing agent and water or with oxygen and water in the presence of a catalyst B to obtain the alkylphosphonic acid derivative (III), wherein R1, R2, R3, R4 are identical or different from each other and independently represent, inter alia, H, C1-C18-alkyl, C6-C18-aryl, C6-C18-aralkyl, C6-C18-alkylaryl, X and Y are identical or different from each other and independently represent H, C1-C18-alkyl, C6-C18-aryl, C6-C18-aralkyl, C6-C18-alkylaryl, Mg, Ca, Al, Sb, Sn, Ge, Ti, Fe, Zr, Zn, Ce, Bi, Sr, Mn, Cu, Ni, Li, Na, K and/or a protonated nitrogenous base, and catalysts A and B are transition metals and/or transition metal compounds and/or catalyst systems composed of a transition metal and/or a transition metal compound and at least one ligand.




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High molecular weight alkyl-allyl cobalttricarbonyl complexes and use thereof for preparing dielectric thin films

A method for forming a cobalt-containing thin film by a vapor deposition process is provided. The method comprises using at least one precursor corresponding in structure to Formula (I); wherein R1 and R2 are independently C2-C8-alkyl; x is zero, 1 or 2; and y is zero or 1; wherein both x and y can not be zero simultaneously.




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Method for producing mono-aminofunctionalized dialkylphosphinic acids and esters and salts thereof by means of acrylnitriles and use thereof

The invention relates to a method for producing mono-aminofunctionalized dialkylphosphinic acids and esters and salts thereof by means of acrylnitriles, characterized in that a) a phosphinic acid source (I) is reacted with olefins (IV) to yield an alkylphosphonic acid, salt or ester (II) thereof in the presence of a catalyst A, b) the thus obtained alkylphosphonic acid, salt or ester (II) thereof is reacted with an acrylnitrile of formula (V) to yield a mono-functionalized dialkylphosphinic acid derivative (VI) in the presence of a catalyst B, and c) the thus obtained mono-functionalized dialkylphosphinic acid derivative (VI) is reacted to yield a mono-aminofunctionalized dialkylphosphinic acid derivative (III) in the presence of a catalyst C or a reduction agent, wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 are the same or different and stand independently of each other, among other things, for H, C1-C18 alkyl, C6-C18 aryl, C6-C18 aralkyl, C6-C18 alkylaryl and X stands for H, C1-C18 alkyl, C6-C18 aryl, C6-C18 aralkyl, C6-C18 alkylaryl, Mg, Ca, Al, Sb, Sn, Ge, Ti, Fe, Zr, Zn, Ce, Bi, Sr, Mn, Cu, Ni, Li, Na, K and/or a protonized nitrogen base, and Y stands for a mineral acid, a carboxylic acid, a Lewis acid or an organic acid, n=an integer or fractional number of 0 to 4 and the catalysts A and C are formed by transition metals, transition metal compounds and/or catalyst systems composed of a transition metal and/or a transition metal compound and at least one ligand, and catalyst B is formed by compounds forming peroxides, peroxo compounds, azo compounds, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, alkali hydrides, alkaline earth hydrides and/or alkali alcoholates and alkaline earth alcoholates.




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Pharmaceutical composition comprising rotigotine salts (acid or Na), especially for iontophoresis

The present invention relates to new salts of 6-(propyl-(2-thiophen-2-ylethyl)amino)tetralin-1-ol(rotigotine), their use as a medicament, for example for the treatment of CNS disorders like Parkinson Disease, RLS, fibromyalgia and/or depression, in particular through electromotive administration. The present invention relates to pharmaceutical formulations suitable for iontophoresis that provide enhanced iontophoretic delivery of rotigotine to at least one target tissue. The formulations are further characterized by good to excellent solubility of the salts in aqueous solutions.




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Process for the preparation of quaternary N-alkyl morphinan alkaloid salts

An improved process for the N-alkylation of tertiary morphinan alkaloid bases to form the corresponding quaternary morphinan alkaloid derivatives.




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Compatibility agents for herbicidal formulations comprising 2,4-(Dichlorophenoxy) acetic acid salts

The present invention generally relates to a method for minimizing the formation of insoluble salts of phenoxy herbicides. The method comprises (1) mixing a compatibility agent, amine salts of phenoxy acid herbicides, and a chemical containing non-amine cations in a aqueous system to form a stable and non-nozzle plugging solution; and (2) application of said stable and non-nozzle plugging solution onto target plants.




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Methods for promoting plant health

A method for promoting the health of a plant comprises administering malic acid to the plant or the soil in an amount effective to recruit plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to the plant. Administration of malic acid promotes biofilm formation of PGPR on the plant's roots, thereby restricting entry of a foliar pathogen through stomatal pores present in the leaves. Another method for promoting the health of a plant comprises administering acetoin to the plant or the soil in an amount effective to increase pathogen resistance in aerial parts of the plant.




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Compositions and methods for blocking ethylene response in plants using 3-cyclopropyl-1-enyl-propanoic acid salt

The present invention discloses a method of inhibiting an ethylene response in a plant, comprising step of applying to at least one portion of the plant an effective ethylene response-inhibiting amount of a H1-cyclopropene-1-propanoic acid salt (CPAS). A method of prolonging the life of a cut flower, comprising applying to the cut flower an effective life-prolonging amount of CPAS and a method for the production a CPAS, comprising steps of (i) preparing 4-bromo-4-pentenoic acid or derivatives thereof; (ii) producing 1-cyclopropene-1-propanoic acid; and (iii), converting this acid into its water soluble salt, especially its sodium salt are presented. Additionally, a new family of water soluble CPAS inhibitors for ethylene response in a plant is disclosed.




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Synergistic combination to improve grape color and to alter sensory characteristics of wine

This invention describes the use of S-abscisic acid (S-ABA) and ethylene producing-agents such as ethephon to synergistically improve red color in grapes and to alter the sensory characteristics of wine.




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System for desalting fuel oil using a steam jet pump

A method and system for desalting a fuel having a salt therein is disclosed. A jet of superheated steam is provided at a selected pressure and fuel is drawn into the jet of superheated steam to form a mixture of the fuel and the superheated steam. The mixture is injected into a centrifuge to desalt the fuel.




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Osteospermum and Dimorphoteca plants having an altered flower phenotype

The present invention relates to an Osteospermum and Dimorphoteca plant, seed, variety, and hybrid. Another aspect of the present invention relates to an Osteospermum and Dimorphoteca plant having a mutant allele designated KLEDF which results in an altered flower phenotype. The invention also relates to crossing Osteospermum and Dimorphoteca plants containing the KLEDF mutant allele with other Osteospermum and Dimorphoteca plants lacking the KLEDF mutant allele to produce intergeneric and interspecific hybrids. This invention further relates to specific lines of Osteospermum varieties exhibiting the altered-flowering phenotype. Furthermore, the invention relates to pollen, seed, and sexual, as well as asexual progeny of such plants with altered flowers. In addition, the invention relates to methods for propagating said plants and to uses of said plants.




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Strong base amines to minimize corrosion in systems prone to form corrosive salts

Corrosion by ammonia/amine salts in hydrocarbon streams such as distillation overhead streams that contain a mineral acid and water can be prevented, avoided or minimized by adding certain strong amines to the streams. The amines have a pKa between about 10.5 to about 12 and include, but are not necessarily limited to, dimethylamine, diethylamine, dipropylamine, diisopropyl-amine, di-n-butylamine, diisobutylamine, di-sec-butylamine, di-tert-butylamine, pyrrolidine, piperidine, and combinations thereof. If the hydrocarbon stream further includes a nitrogen-containing compound such as ammonia, a tramp and/or a residual amine which can form a corrosive salt with the mineral acid, then the added amine is a stronger base than the tramp or residual amine, if present. The amount of added amine is greater than total amount of nitrogen-containing compound, so that any corrosive salts formed are less corrosive than the salts that would otherwise form from the ammonia and/or tramp amine.




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Alternating-current/direct-current converter

An alternating-current/direct-current converter includes a rectifier, a reactor, a capacitor, and a switching rectifier. The rectifier is configured to rectify alternating-current voltage output from an alternating-current power source, thereby converting the alternating-current voltage into direct-current voltage, and to output the direct-current voltage. The capacitor includes terminals. The switching rectifier is coupled to the AC power source and switchable to output the direct-current voltage to the capacitor.




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Variable drive health determination and data placement

The relative health of data storage drives may be determined based, at least in some aspects, on data access information and/or other drive operation information. In some examples, upon receiving the operation information from a computing device, a health level of a drive may be determined. The health level determination may be based at least in part on operating information received from a client entity. Additionally, a storage space allocation instruction or operation may be determined for execution. The allocation instruction or operation determined to be performed may be based at least in part on the determined health level.




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Method for recovery of residual actinide elements from chloride molten salt

A method for recovery of residual actinide element from chloride molten salts that are formed after electro-refining and/or electro-winning of a spent nuclear fuel and include actinide elements and rare-earth elements is provided. The method comprises conducting electrolysis using a liquid cadmium cathode (LCC) in the chloride molten salt that is formed after electro-refining and/or electro-winning of a spent nuclear fuel and contains rare-earth elements and actinide elements; electro-depositing the actinide elements contained in the chloride molten salt on the LCC in order to reduce a concentration of the actinide elements; and adding a CdCl2 oxidant to the chloride molten salt containing the LCC-metal alloy in order to oxidize the rare-earth elements co-deposited on the LCC, thereby forming the rare-earth chlorides in the chloride molten salt.




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Method for measuring the neutron flux in the core of a nuclear reactor using a cobalt detector and associated device

A method for measuring the neutron flux in the core of a nuclear reactor, the method including several steps recurrently performed at instants separated by a period, the method comprising at each given instant the following steps: acquiring a total signal by a cobalt neutron detector placed inside the core of the reactor; assessing a calibration factor representative of the delayed component of the total signal due to the presence of cobalt 60 in the neutron detector; assessing a corrected signal representative of the neutron flux at the detector from the total signal and from the calibration factor; assessing a slope representative of the time-dependent change of the calibration factor between the preceding instant and the given instant; the calibration factor at the given instant being assessed as a function of the calibration factor assessed at the preceding instant, of the slope, and of the time period separating the given instant from the preceding instant.




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Systems and methods for aiming asphalt material feed sensors

A system for measuring the height of paving material distributed by an auger of a paving machine in front of a grading implement, such as a screed, is disclosed. The system includes a sonic sensor and a laser pointer. The sonic sensor generates a sonic signal which is directed at the paving material distributed by the auger. The laser pointer generates a laser beam which is similarly directed at the paving material that has been distributed by the auger. The laser beam and the sonic signal meet at a common position on the paving material.