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Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) have a higher prevalence of motor impairment secondary to brain injury, resulting in cerebral palsy (CP). The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of CP in CHD in a single-center cohort, stratify risk based on surgical mortality using Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (STAT) categories and identify risk factors. Retrospective cohort study of pediatric patients registered in the University of Florida (UF) Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery database from 2006 to 2017 with a diagnosis of CHD who continued follow-up for more than two years at UF. A total of 701 children with CHD met inclusion criteria. Children identified to have CP were 54 (7.7%). Most common presentation was spastic hemiplegic CP with a Gross Motor Function Classification System of level 2. Analysis of surgical and intensive care factors between the two groups showed that children with CHD and CP had longer time from admission to surgery (P = 0.003), higher STAT categories 4 and 5 (P = 0.038), and higher frequency of brain injury and seizures (P < 0.001). Developmental disabilities and rehabilitation needs were significantly greater for children with CHD and CP when compared with those with CHD alone (P < 0.001). In our cohort, 7.7% children with CHD develop CP; this is significantly higher than the 2010 US population estimate of 0.3%. Our study suggests higher STAT categories, brain injury, and seizures are associated with developing CP in children with CHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) stands out as a versatile solvent in synthetic chemists' repertoire, facilitating a diverse array of intricate chemical reactions. It demonstrates a multifaceted role that extends beyond conventional uses and, in many cases, the mechanism appears to be complicated. This feature article elucidates the significance of HFIP in the context of Lewis and Brønsted acid‐catalyzed reactions with a specific emphasis on the regio‐ and stereoselective functionalization of unsaturated carbon‐carbon bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Definitive pelvic intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in cervical cancer is susceptible to geographic miss due to daily positional and volumetric variations in target and organs at risk. Hence, despite evidence of reduced acute and late treatment-related toxicities, implementation of image-guided IMRT (IG-IMRT) with a reasonable safety margin to encompass organ motion is challenging. In this prospective, nonrandomized phase 2 study, patients with cervical cancer International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (2009) stage IB2-IIIB between the ages of 18 and 65 years were treated with definitive pelvic chemoradiotherapy with a prespecified organ (bladder and rectum) filling protocol. Reproducibility of organ filling was assessed along with the implementation of daily comprehensive adaptive image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), with a library of 3 IMRT (volumetric modulated arc therapy) plans with incremental expansions of clinical target volume (CTV) to planning target volume (PTV) (primary) margins (small, 0.7 cm; adequate, 1 cm; and large, 1.5 cm) and a backup motion robust 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy plan; the appropriate plan is chosen based on pretreatment cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) ("plan of the day" approach). Fifty patients with a median age of 49 years (IQR, 45-56 years) received definitive radiation therapy (45-46 Gy in 23-25 fractions to pelvis, with simultaneous integrated boost to gross nodes in 15 patients) with the aforementioned IGRT protocol. In the analysis of 1171 CBCT images (in 1184 treatment sessions), the mean planning computed tomography (CT) and CBCT bladder volumes were 417 and 373 cc, respectively. Significant interfractional variation in bladder volume was noted with a mean absolute dispersion of 29.5% with respect to planning CT; significant influential random factors were postchemotherapy sessions (P ≤.001), pre-CBCT protocol duration (P =.001), and grades of chemotherapy induced nausea vomiting (P =.001). Significantly higher variation in bladder filling was noted in patients with older age (P =.014) and larger planning CT bladder volume (P ≤.001). Time trend analysis of fraction-wise bladder volume revealed an absolute systemic reduction of 16.3% in bladder volume means from the first to the fifth week. Variation in rectal diameter was much less pronounced, with 19.2% mean dispersion and without any significant factors affecting it. Although in 19% and 2% of sessions large IMRT PTV and 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy were necessary to cover the primary target, respectively, reduction in treated volume was possible in 43% of sessions with small PTV selection instead of standard adequate PTV (36% sessions). Plan of the day selection had a moderate to strong correlation with nonabsolute dispersion of bladder filling (Spearman ρ =0.4; P =.001) and a weak (but significant) correlation with grades of acute toxicities. The planned protocol was well tolerated with no radiation-induced local grade 3 toxicity. Interfractional variation in organ filling (especially bladder) is inevitable despite fixed pretreatment protocol in definitive settings (intact cervix). Despite the logistical challenges, adaptive IGRT in the form of plan of the day based on incremental CTV-to-PTV margins is a relatively simple and feasible strategy to minimize geometric uncertainties in radical IG-IMRT of cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Craniopharyngioma (CP) is a benign neuroepithelial tumor generally treated with maximal safe resection and radiation therapy (RT) in incompletely resected CP or in recurrent tumors to achieve long-term control. We analyzed the clinical outcomes of patients with CPs treated with a multimodality approach. A retrospective clinical audit of histologically proven CPs registered between 2008 and 2019 at a specialized neuro-oncology center in India was performed. Time-to-event outcomes (overall survival [OS] and progression-free survival [PFS]) were analyzed. One hundred and twenty-two patients with CP were analyzed. The median age of the population was 14 years (interquartile range [IQR], 8–26) with a significant male preponderance. Gross total resection was achieved in only 25% of patients. At a median follow-up of 57.1 months (IQR, 27.8–87.8), 5-year estimates of PFS and OS were 52% (95% confidence interval, 46%–63.4%) and 85.8% (95% confidence interval, 78.6%–93%), respectively. Recurrence or progression was observed in 48 of 122 patients (39.3%) at a median time of 84.4 months (IQR, 24.7–174.8). On multivariate analysis, the absence of residual disease (P = 0.004), near-total resection (P = 0.035), and use of up-front adjuvant RT (P < 0.001) significantly improved the 5-year PFS, whereas the absence of extracavernous extension (P = 0.058) and any use of postoperative RT (P = 0.026) significantly improved the 5-year OS. This study represents one of the largest single-institutional series of CPs, showing improved PFS with up-front adjuvant RT in most cases of CP. Deferring adjuvant RT should be considered only in patients with no evidence of residual disease (as shown on dedicated sellar imaging) after primary surgery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the effect of land titling on investment in human capital. We first develop a theoretical model of the investment in the presence of property rights to agricultural land and then test the predictions of the model regarding the schooling decisions of households using data from Mexico's PROCEDE land titling program. Using the staggered introduction of land titling, we find that ownership tilted the balance in favor of investment in human capital in the form of schooling. Titling decreased the hazard rate of dropping out of school by 14% for children between the ages of 6 and 18. Additionally, including the effects of the contemporaneous conditional cash transfer program further reduced the hazard rate of dropping out by 34%. We find that these results hold even when the head of the household changes or migrates. Titling has a significant effect on female children but not on extremely poor families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Colorectal Carcinoma (CRC) is a multi-step process that occurs due to the accumulation of several genetic alterations. The most important alterations are related to the rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (RAS) and Rapidly Accelerated Fibrosarcoma (RAF), which have been implicated as key intermediates in the RAS-mediated signalling cascade. However, the levels of Kristen Rat Sarcoma Virus (KRAS) and v-raf Murine Sarcoma Viral Oncogene Homolog (BRAF) protein expression and their prognostic evaluation in CRC patients remain unknown. Aim: To investigate the immunohistochemical expression of KRAS and BRAF proteins in CRC. Materials and Methods: The present institutional-based cross-sectional observational study was conducted in a tertiary care centre in West Bengal, specifically in the Department of Pathology in collaboration with the Department of Surgery at Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital, Berhampore, West Bengal, India. A total of 26 CRC cases were enrolled in the present study, received over a period of one and a half years from January 2021 to June 2022. The parameters studied included demographic and clinical information of the patients, histopathological findings, pathological grade and stage of carcinoma, and immunohistochemical findings for KRAS and BRAF. For statistical analysis, data were entered into Microsoft (MS) Excel. Descriptive measures such as mean±Standard Deviation (SD), range, and percentage were used. The Chi-square test was used to determine the significance of the study. Results: A total of biopsy-proven CRC specimens were studied, consisting of 17 male patients (65.38%) with a male-to-female ratio of 1.9:1. The most common age group involved was 51-60 years (38%). Conventional adenocarcinoma accounted for the majority of cases (85%), with mucinous carcinoma comprising the remaining 15%. Among the 26 cases, 15 (58%) showed KRAS positivity, which was significantly associated with tumour grade and stage. Most of the cases were BRAF-negative. Out of the 21 cases where either KRAS or BRAF or both were positive, 20 cases showed high T stage (T3 and T4) and/or metastatic lesions (p-value 0.001). All four cases that were negative for both BRAF and KRAS belonged to the low T stage. Conclusion: A significant correlation was observed between the expression of KRAS and high-grade, high pathological Tumour, Node, Metastasis (TNM) T stage (T3 and T4) CRC. Therefore, KRAS Immunohistochemistry (IHC) biomarkers should be included in the standard diagnostic protocol for colorectal cancer, as they help identify KRAS-positive CRC cases that are resistant to targeted immunotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifunctional polymer/graphene based lightweight and flexible nanocomposite films are increasingly being utilized in the packaging, electronics, and pharmaceutical industries together. Herein, two graphene derivatives: silver nanoparticle decorated reduced graphene oxide (G‐Ag) and chemically reduced graphene oxide (rGO) prepared by wet chemical method and graphene nanoplatelets (GNP) have been incorporated into linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) thermoplastic matrix via melt compounding method. The incorporation of graphene derivatives affected the physico‐mechanical, electrical and thermal conductivity, and barrier properties (both oxygen and water vapor permeability) of the nanocomposite films. With 5 wt% of G‐Ag, rGO, and GNP loading, the thermal conductivity of these three nanocomposite films was enhanced by an average of 136.7%, 123%, and 143.3%, respectively. Graphene having high specific surface area and aspect ratio allow for a tortuous passage of oxygen and water molecules through the nanocomposite film, ultimately improving both oxygen and water vapor impermeability qualities for all LG‐Ag, LrGO, and LGNP nanocomposites. Moreover, the films have been tested against both gram‐positive and gram‐negative bacteria to ensure their bactericidal activity. The prepared composite films also showed Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shielding effectiveness (−21, −17, and −19 dB) higher than the commercial cut‐offs. The thermoplastic nanocomposite films with promising thermal conductivity might be an excellent choice for bacteria‐resistant and barrier‐capable packaging and efficient thermal management EMI shields in electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clay-reinforced polymer composites have been considered as highly demand nanocomposites since several decades. To be utilized as packaging materials, these nanocomposites should possess good impermeability to oxygen and water vapor. The major compatibility issue of the hydrophilic inorganic nanofillers with hydrophobic thermoplastics has been overcome in this work by using the 'grafting to' silylation method of two different nanoclays, namely montmorillonite Na+ and halloysite (HNT) nanoclays, at 85 ℃. Organosilanes: 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (3-APTES) and vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) were used to functionalize these nanoclays to improve interfacial bonding with linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) polymer chains. TGA analysis resulted in higher amount of grafting yield percentages for silane-treated MMT nanoclays (28.9% for MMT-APTES and 24.3% for MMT-VTMS) which are much higher than silane-functionalized HNT nanoclays. The amount of 1, 3 and 5 wt% of each organoclay was melt and mixed with LLDPE to enhance the overall performance properties of the resultant nanocomposites. The maximum tensile strength exhibited by the nanocomposite is around 20.6 MPa for 3 wt% of MMT-APTES concentration. Also, Young modulus improves up to 56% compared to neat LLDPE on the addition of 5 wt% of silane-treated organoclay. The microscopic analysis, especially TEM, provided information about the better dispersion of anisotropic fillers inside the thermoplastic matrix. Moreover, such filler compatibilization also showed 29.4% reduction in oxygen transmission rate (OTR) and 63.5% reduction in water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) value of composite materials with only 5 wt% of nanoclay loading along with improved rheological and ultraviolet (UV) barrier properties of these nanocomposites. The prepared nanocomposites with improved barrier properties could be ideal alternatives for flexible thermoplastic composites as packaging materials. Silane functionalization of nanoclays led to uniform distribution of clay in LLDPE matrix which improved mechanical and barrier properties of nanocomposites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The energy demand in the modern power system is increasing day by day. Thus integration of microgrid with the conventional grid can fulfill the high power demand but it can cause many changes in the power system. In this paper, a real valued Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) grid connected microgrid system is formed with the help of Power System Analysis Toolbox (PSAT) software and analyzed the performance by Continuous Power Flow (CPF) method. A three phase short circuit fault is also introduced in the main grid and voltage profile is observed. It is also observed that the voltage profile of the faulty system is improved when a microgrid is connected with that main DVC grid system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the particle trajectories in the recently proposed five dimensional warped (generalized) Ellis–Bronnikov spacetime (5D-WGEB) (which does not require exotic matter) as well as it's four dimensional counterpart (4D-GEB) in detail and conduct a comparative study. Analytical approach provides conditions which determines three types of trajectories (trapped, returning and crossing) for both 4D and 5D spacetimes. Notably in 5D geometry existence of trapped trajectories become highly sensitive to the initial conditions. We have solved the timelike geodesic equations numerically and presented the trajectories graphically along with corresponding geodesic potentials. We thus distinguished the roles of the so-called wormhole parameter and the warping factor regarding their effects on the trajectories and embedding as such. Interestingly, the 5D-WGEB model shows the localization of massive particles around the location of the brane for growing warp factor and runaway trajectories for decaying warp factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To interact with its environment, a robot working in 3D space needs to organise its visual input in terms of objects or their perceptual precursors, proto-objects. Among other visual cues, depth is a submodality used to direct attention to visual features and objects. Current depth-based proto-object attention models have been implemented for standard RGB-D cameras that produce synchronous frames. In contrast, event cameras are neuromorphic sensors that loosely mimic the function of the human retina by asynchronously encoding per-pixel brightness changes at very high temporal resolution, thereby providing advantages like high dynamic range, efficiency (thanks to their high degree of signal compression), and low latency. We propose a bio-inspired bottom-up attention model that exploits event-driven sensing to generate depth-based saliency maps that allow a robot to interact with complex visual input. We use event-cameras mounted in the eyes of the iCub humanoid robot to directly extract edge, disparity and motion information. Real-world experiments demonstrate that our system robustly selects salient objects near the robot in the presence of clutter and dynamic scene changes, for the benefit of downstream applications like object segmentation, tracking and robot interaction with external objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ellis–Bronnikov (EB) wormholes require violation of null energy conditions at the 'throat'. This problem was cured by a simple modification of the 'shape function', which introduces a new parameter m ≥ 2 ( m = 2 corresponds to the EB model). This leads to a generalised (GEB) version. In this work, we consider a model where the GEB wormhole geometry is embedded in a five dimensional warped background. We studied the status of all the energy conditions in detail for both EB and GEB embedding. We present our results analytically (wherever possible) and graphically. Remarkably, the presence of decaying warp factor leads to satisfaction of weak energy conditions even for the EB geometry, while the status of all the other energy conditions are improved compared to the four dimensional scenario. Besides inventing a new way to avoid the presence of exotic matter, in order to form a wormhole passage, our work reveals yet another advantage of having a warped extra dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Images use visual and scene text to convey ideas. • Jointly leveraging scene text and visual cues leads to robust semantic interpretation. • Contextual encoding capture dynamics between co-occurring visual and text elements. • Text visual semantics can be applied to retrieval and classification tasks alike. Images with visual and scene text content are ubiquitous in everyday life. However, current image interpretation systems are mostly limited to using only the visual features, neglecting to leverage the scene text content. In this paper, we propose to jointly use scene text and visual channels for robust semantic interpretation of images. We not only extract and encode visual and scene text cues but also model their interplay to generate a contextual joint embedding with richer semantics. The contextual embedding thus generated is applied to retrieval and classification tasks on multimedia images with scene text content to demonstrate its effectiveness. In the retrieval framework, we augment the contextual semantic representation with scene text cues to mitigate vocabulary misses that may have occurred during the semantic embedding. To deal with irrelevant or erroneous scene text recognition, we also apply query-based attention to the text channel. We show that our multi-channel approach, involving contextual semantics and scene text, improves upon the absolute accuracy of the current state-of-the-art methods on Advertisement Images Dataset by 8.9% in the relevant statement retrieval task and by 5% in the topic classification task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Packaging materials based on lightweight and flexible thermoplastic/graphene composite films are gaining popularity in both the academic and industrial sectors. In this research work, graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) of 1–5 wt% was integrated into linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) by employing melt compounding technique at 160 °C to produce flexible composite films. The LLDPE/GNP nanocomposite films were irradiated with doses up to 50 kGy using a 2.5 MeV electron beam accelerator in air at ambient temperature. The uniform distribution of GNP in the thermoplastic matrix obtained from FESEM analysis improved the samples' mechanical characteristics. As the GNP concentration in the LLDPE matrix increases, both the thermal stability and impermeability qualities (oxygen and water vapor) get significantly improved. Electron beam irradiation of film samples further enhances the physico-mechanical, thermal and gas barrier properties compared to non-irradiated composite films and neat LLDPE film. The tighter connections between graphene and LLDPE chains as well as the development of cross-linked networks by E-beam irradiation are responsible for the improved performance properties. Therefore, GNP incorporation as well as electron beam irradiation of thermoplastic nanocomposite films could be a viable alternative for producing high-performance and high-barrier flexible LLDPE/GNP composite films for packaging applications. • Combine effects of GNP addition and electron beam irradiation on properties of LLDPE composite films. • The fabricated flexible composite films irradiated up to the dose of 50 kGy. • The E-beam irradiated samples improved mechanical, thermal and barrier properties. • These irradiated, and high-barrier composite films for flexible packaging materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context  Epithelial ovarian carcinomas are one of the most common lethal gynecological malignancies. There is no specific symptom or biomarker for detection of this malignancy in early stage. So, the advanced stage, nature of frequent recurrences, and resistance to chemotherapies make it very difficult to deliver proper treatment to patients. Efforts are on to identify the presence of cancer stem cell by using a specific biomarker in epithelial ovarian cancer in the early stage. Objectives  This study aims to identify the CD44 positive cancer cells in epithelial ovarian carcinoma of different histopathological types. It also intends to correlate the expression of CD44 with the expression of p53 and Ki67. Materials and Methods  Sections from diagnosed specimens of ovarian epithelial neoplasm had been fixed in 10% formalin and embedded in paraffin, and they were used for immunohistochemical (IHC) staining for CD44, p53, and Ki67, using a peroxidase kit with mouse monoclonal antibodies. Then, the slides were evaluated for both tumor cell percentage and intensity of immunoreactivity. Statistical Analysis  Chi-square had been used to find the significance of study. Significance level was considered at p value < 0.05 Results  In this study, 40 patients were included in a period of one and a half years. The present study suggested that the levels of CD44 expression were increased in epithelial ovarian cancer compared to borderline tumor. CD44 was positively correlated with the ki67 expression and tumor grade. High-grade serous, mucinous, and endometrioid tumors were associated with high CD44 expression. Positivity of CD44 was found significantly higher in case of positive status of p53 (z = 3.65; p < 0.0001). Conclusion  We can correlate CD44 positive cancer stem cells with grade of ovarian carcinomas, but for prognostic significance and therapeutic applications, more corroborative and multicentric works in this field are needed. CD44 can be targeted for therapy in recurrent and resistant cases of ovarian cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To identify potential risk factors for pre- and postoperative seizures and epilepsy in children with congenital heart disease. Methods: Retrospective cohort study of neonates and infants <3 months of age with congenital heart disease who underwent cardiopulmonary bypass from November 24, 2006, until June 1, 2015. Children with seizures were classified based on time of occurrence into early preoperative, early postoperative, and late postoperative. Children with recurring seizures 30 days after cardiac surgery met criteria for epilepsy. Results: 247 patients completed follow-up; 2.4% had seizures early preoperation and 1.6% early postoperation. Late postoperative epilepsy occurred in 5.3% of the cohort. The majority of seizures in the late postoperative epilepsy group started after 1 year of age (mean 1.53 years, range = 0.18-4.7 years). One of the 13 patients with epilepsy had a seizure during their intensive care unit hospitalization. Potential risk factors for seizures included brain injury (P <.001), high-risk surgery (Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery score ≥3, P =.024), and low birth weight (P <.04). Infants with stroke were more likely to develop epilepsy (P =.04). Presence of seizures was associated with increased length of stay (P <.001). Conclusions: Our study suggests an association between children with congenital heart disease diagnosed with stroke in the neonatal/infancy period and the development of epilepsy. These children may not have prior early pre- and postoperative seizures. Risk factors for seizures include brain injury, high-risk surgery, and lower birth weight. Seizures were associated with an increased length of stay but did not necessarily lead to subsequent epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present work investigates the effect on heat conduction due to the intrusion in a homogeneous bulk and proposes models to detect its position from the temperature distribution on the surface. Finite volume-based, automated numerical simulations are performed for obtaining the temperature history along/across the bulk surface having different positions of the intrusion. Two approaches are developed to predict the intrusion-position from temperature data. In approach 1, a multi-layer feed-forward neural network (NN) with back-propagation (BP) algorithm is used, whereas the NN parameters are determined through a thorough sequential parametric study. In approach 2, again a NN with BP algorithm is used, but a global evolutionary optimizer, namely genetic algorithm (GA) is employed to optimize the NN parameters. NN with BP algorithm and GA are indigenously developed using 'C' programming language in 'linux' operating system. NN and GA are indigenously combined in a common monolithic platform using some specially designed system commands so that data transfer take place seamlessly in a fully automated way. The performances of the developed approaches are tested and validated in several ways. After comparison, approach 2 is found to have higher prediction capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of the microgrid to meet up the localized power demand is of immense importance considering the growing power demand as well as grid inadequacy in Indian power scenario. Apart from meeting localized power demand with various distributed generating sources microgrid can render support to the adjacent main grid or similar localized grid as when needed. This paper presents the techniques for identifying placement sites for Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) in a microgrid system based on complete observability of the system. The main objective of optimal placement of PMU problem is to determine a minimal set of PMUs such that the whole system is observable. This study has been done on a 14 bus test model with the help of PSAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serum biomarkers for brain injury in neonates with congenital heart disease (CHD) provide a bedside tool for early identification and intervention. In this preliminary study, we aim to evaluate IL-18, Eotaxin-1 and Eotaxin-3 as biomarkers for the detection of brain injury in neonates with CHD. We prospectively enrolled seven neonates diagnosed in-utero with CHD and obtained serum samples at birth, before and after surgery. Samples were analyzed using a human cytokine/chemokine multiplex assay. Brain injury was diagnosed on brain MRI before surgery. Samples from seven neonates at four time points before surgery and three time points after surgery were analyzed. A significant difference was found in neonates with brain injury compared to CHD neonates without. Elevations in interleukin (IL)-18 pre- and post-operative (p = 0.007), IL-18 pre-operative (p = 0.046), Eotaxin-1 pre-operative (p = 0.011), and Eotaxin-3 pre- and post-operative (p = 0.026) were found in CHD neonates with brain injury. This is the first published report on the use IL-18, Eotaxin-1, and Eotaxin-3 in the detection of brain injury for neonates with CHD. These biomarkers may provide an actionable target for neuroprotection through immunomodulation. Larger cohorts are needed to determine the significance and clinical utility of these biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Infants with brain injury are susceptible to developmental delays. Survivors of neonatal seizures are at risk for developmental delay, epilepsy, and further neurological comorbidities. Despite advances in neonatal critical care, the prevalence of adverse long-term outcomes and seizure recurrence remains unchanged. Our goal is to determine if early treatment of neonatal seizures with phenobarbital or levetiracetam is associated with worse neurodevelopmental outcomes in brain-injured infants. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 119 infants admitted between 2013 and 2017 who were at risk for developmental delay and assessed in our clinic. We compared brain injury infants with neonatal seizures to brain injury infants without neonatal seizures using Bayley scores (BSID III) at 9–14 months gestational age. A comparison of Bayley scores between those exposed to phenobarbital and levetiracetam was conducted. Results: Twenty-two children with neonatal seizures scored lower than 53 children without seizures in all domains with significant values in composite scores for cognitive function (p = 0.003) and language (p = 0.031). We found no difference in scores at 9–14 months between infants exposed to phenobarbital versus levetiracetam. Conclusions: Our results suggest that in infants with brain injury, the occurrence of neonatal seizures has an adverse effect on neurodevelopmental outcomes. The choice of antiseizure medication may not play a significant role in their outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We consider network coding for a noiseless broadcast channel, where each receiver demands a subset of the messages available at the transmitter and is equipped with noisy side information in the form of an erroneous version of the message symbols it demands. We view the message symbols as elements from a finite field and assume that the number of symbol errors in the noisy side information is upper bounded by a known constant. This communication problem, which we refer to as broadcasting with noisy side information (BNSI), has applications in the re-transmission phase of downlink networks. We derive a necessary and sufficient condition for a linear coding scheme to satisfy the demands of all the receivers in a given BNSI network, and show that syndrome decoding can be used at the receivers to decode the demanded messages from the received codeword and the available noisy side information. We represent BNSI problems as bipartite graphs, and using this representation, classify the family of problems, where linear coding provides bandwidth savings compared to uncoded transmission. We provide a simple algorithm to determine if a given BNSI network belongs to this family of problems, i.e., to identify if linear coding provides an advantage over uncoded transmission for the given BNSI problem. We provide lower bounds and upper bounds on the optimal codelength and constructions of linear coding schemes based on linear error correcting codes. For any given BNSI problem, we construct an equivalent index coding problem. A linear code is a valid scheme for a BNSI problem if and only if it is valid for the constructed scalar linear index coding problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose a new approach to segmentation-free word spotting that is based on the combination of three different contributions. Firstly, inspired by the success of bounding box proposal algorithms in object recognition, we propose a scheme to generate a set of word-independent text box proposals. For that, we generate a set of atomic bounding boxes based on simple connected component analysis that are combined using a set of spatial constraints in order to generate the final set of text box proposals. Secondly, an attribute representation based on the Pyramidal Histogram of Characters (PHOC) is encoded in an integral image and used to efficiently evaluate text box proposals for retrieval. Thirdly, we also propose an indexing scheme for fast retrieval based on character n-grams. For the generation of the index a similar attribute space based on a Pyramidal Histogram of Character N-grams (PHON) is used. All attribute models are learned using linear SVMs over the Fisher Vector representation of the word images along with the PHOC or PHON labels of the corresponding words. We show the performance of the proposed approach in both tasks of query-by-string and query-by-example in standard single- and multi-writer data sets, reporting state-of-the-art results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymer nanocomposites have garnered significant interest for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding applications due to their lightweight, anticorrosive and tunable properties. Employing the solution blending technique, we have developed a composite material comprising an 80wt% EMA (Ethylene–Methyl Acrylate) and 20wt% TPO (Thermoplastic Polyolefin) co-continuous blend. The incorporation of Reduced Graphene Oxide (RGO) as a conductive filler is achieved through precise confinement within the EMA phase of the polymer matrix. The selective placement of the RGO nanosheets within the EMA phase results in a dual percolation phenomenon, significantly lowering the electrical percolation threshold. A notable EMI SE value of -29.66 dB and electrical conductivity of 10–3 S/cm is acheived with the addition of 5wt% RGO. Further optimizing the composite, a loading of 15wt% RGO showcases an outstanding EMI SE of -39.06 dB. Moreover, this composite demonstrates commendable thermal conductivity of 0.75 W/m.K, alongside promising mechanical properties. The findings offer a promising avenue for the integration of this material in EMI-sensitive applications, particularly in the realms of stretchable and wearable electronics, offering effective thermal management and proficient microwave shielding capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Therapeutic hypothermia for the treatment of moderate to severe neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy has been shown to reduce death and disability, but the effects on seizures after discharge from the Neonatal ICU are not known. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted involving 56 neonates admitted to the Neonatal ICU at Children's Hospital of Orange County, CA from January 1, 2007 to September 1, 2013 with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy who met criteria for selective brain cooling. Fifteen patients received supportive care. Forty-one patients received cooling, of whom 25 were included for analysis. Sixteen patients from the hypothermia group and 12 from the no hypothermia group developed clinical seizures while inpatient. Up to 6 months, four patients (16%) had continued seizures in the therapeutic hypothermia group compared to eight (53%) patients who did not receive hypothermia. Discussion: Our study shows an association between therapeutic hypothermia and reduced seizures after discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit. The short duration of follow-up, 6 months, is a limitation of this study. Another limitation is its observational nature, where reasons for treatment selection and exclusions are unmeasurable confounding factors. Further studies are needed to determine long-term effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noncompete covenants or covenant not to compete ( CNC) are clauses in employment contracts in which the employee agrees not to gain employment with a competitor firm. In this article, we study the efficiency aspects of such contracts by incorporating the effect of labor mobility restrictions on knowledge transfer across firms, investment decisions by firms, and investment by workers. Following research that shows state-wise variations in the degree of CNC enforcement, we allow the strength of CNC enforcement to vary as a matter of regulatory policy and derive the optimal strength of enforcement. We also look at how regulations around CNCs should be optimally designed when employers can use collusive agreements, such as 'no poaching' agreements, as an alternative to noncompete clauses. Given recent allegations of employer collusion among large Silicon Valley firms, we argue for a cautious approach in designing policies on CNC enforcement. ( JEL J24, J41, J63, K31) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes an incentive-based femtocell cooperation scheme for indoor macrocell users (MUs) in an underlay two-tier heterogeneous network which helps the indoor MUs to achieve higher data rate through time sharing access from the femtocell. Due to underlay spectrum sharing nature of the femtocell, the network suffers from severe cross-tier interference. To manage this cross-tier interference, a price-based power control scheme is also proposed for the femtocell access point (FAP) whereby the macrocell base station (MBS) controls the transmit power of the FAP by pricing their resulted cross-tier interference power level subject to a maximum tolerable interference limit. A Stackelberg game has been formulated and analysed for joint pricing-based power control and incentive-based cooperation game. Numerical results show the performance of the proposed scheme in terms of achievable rate of indoor users and utilities of both the MBS and the FAP for different locations of the femtocells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his first decade (1955–64) as a filmmaker, Satyajit Ray directed ten feature films, one ‘feature-length anthology’ film (Three Daughters, 1961), and a documentary on the poet Rabindranath Tagore. This prolific phase includes many of his better remembered films, including theApu Trilogy, The Music Room, andThe Lonely Wife. This is also the final decade of the premiership of Jawaharlal Nehru, post-Independence India’s first Prime Minister, whose support for Ray’s films was both personal and institutional. This essay challenges the predominant scholarship on Ray’s early films as the cinema of the Nehruvian establishment, whose lyrical quality avoided the harshness of Indian rural and urban reality. It argues that these films, while being clearly influenced by Nehru’s vision, reveal an increasing uneasiness with the Nehruvian ideology of nation-building led by an industrial economy. This uneasiness spread to other consequences of Nehruvian policy, including the high investments in nuclear technology amidst the increasing unemployment of the late 1950s, followed by the economic depression of the 1960s. Far from being a cinema of the establishment, it is possible to read these films as critiques of the Nehruvian state, and of the social inequities it fostered that threatened to polarize Indian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a molecular chaperone that is up-regulated in cancer and is required for the folding of numerous signaling proteins. Consequently, HSP90 represents an ideal target for the development of new anti-cancer agents. The human HSP90 isoform, glucose-regulated protein 94 (GRP94), resides in the endoplasmic reticulum and regulates secretory pathways, integrins, and Toll-like receptors, which contribute to regulating immunity and metastasis. However, the cellular function of GRP94 remains underinvestigated. We report thatGRP94knockdown cells are defective in intracellular transport and, consequently, negatively impact the trafficking of F-actin toward the cellular cortex, integrin α2 and integrin αL toward the cell membrane and filopodia, and secretory vesicles containing the HSP90α-AHA1-survivin complex toward the leading edge. As a result, GRP94 knockdown cells form a multipolar spindle instead of bipolar morphology and consequently manifest a defect in cell migration and adhesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel liquid-liquid CCTPF-structures in an 11 mm ID tube are explored & characterized at seven flow-orientations. • Complex & time-varying interfacial distribution & attributes of the flow-structures are explored. • Objective signatures of flow-structures are extracted in terms of time-series signals. • Signals are parameterized, & the flow-structures are characterized in terms of signals' NPPD plots & statistical parameters. • CI-based categorizer is developed, & the flow-structures are automatically categorized at each orientation. Attempts are made to identify, characterize, and automatically categorize the liquid-liquid counter-current two-phase flow-structures in a circular-conduit of 11 mm diameter by varying the flow-orientation. Rigorous experimentations are performed for a wide range of superficial kerosene and water velocities at seven conduit-orientations. Some unique liquid-liquid counter-current two-phase flow-structures, not reported in the literature to date, are found in the present investigation. Interfacial distributions and the highly time-varying nonlinear attributes of the flow-structures corresponding to different combinations of the superficial water and kerosene velocities at each conduit-orientation are detected and recognized through high-resolution photography and high-speed videography. Objective descriptions of the flow-structures are accumulated in the form of time-series current and voltage signals using a differential-pressure-transmitter and in-house fabricated conductivity-probes, respectively. Statistical analyses are performed to parameterize the time-series repetitive objective signatures. The non-parametric probability distribution plot and statistical parameters extracted from the signals are found to be very effective in detecting and distinguishing the individual flow-structures. Flow-structures are parameterized using those statistical parameters. A computational intelligence-based categorization methodology is developed to automatically categorize the obtained flow-structures considering these statistical parameters as the inputs. A good agreement is found for each orientation between the flow-regime groups based on visual observation and those obtained through the categorization methodology. It simply establishes that the flow-structures are perfectly characterized by the statistical parameters extracted from their objective-signatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient palladium-catalyzed synthesis of quino[2,3- a]carbazoles and indolo[2,3-a]carbazoles from indole-3-acetonitrile via Knoevenagel condensation followed by intramolecular ortho-arylation has been demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on an unexplored aspect of non-symmetric geometry where only the off-diagonal metric components along the extra dimension, in a 5-dimensional spacetime, are non-symmetric. We show that the energy densities of the stationary non-symmetric models are similar to that of brane models thereby mimicking the thick-brane scenario. We find that the massive test particles are confined near the location of the brane for both growing and decaying warp factors. This feature is unique to the non-symmetric nature of our model. We have also studied the dynamical models where standard 4D FLRW brane is embedded. Our analysis shows that the non-symmetric terms deconfine energy density at the early universe while automatically confine at late times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper explores a common form of Corporate Social Responsibility practiced by firms, where firms link the sales of private goods to charitable contributions. We build a model to explore the profitability of a market for such “linked” goods when the purchase of the private good allows the consumer to exhibit her altruism while direct contributions towards the public good do not. We also study the effect of linked goods on total contributions towards the public good and explore the role of advertising and publicity in this market. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We consider a unimodal continuous function of N variables over an N-dimensional rectangular parallelopiped and explain a search method to find the domain of uncertainty which contains the point that maximizes the function. Our search method does not require differentiability assumption. The function is projected along each dimension. An algorithm is developed to eliminate the subset of the domain at each step, which does not contain the solution. Lucas numbers are used in the elimination process. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The defining feature of eukaryotic cells is the double lipid bilayer of the nuclear envelope (NE) that serves as a physical barrier separating the genome from the cytosol. Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are embedded in the NE to facilitate transport of proteins and other macromolecules into and out of the nucleus. In fungi and early embryos where the NE does not completely breakdown during mitosis, microtubule-organizing centers such as the spindle pole body (SPB) must also be inserted into the NE to facilitate organization of the mitotic spindle. Several recent papers have shed light on the mechanism by which SPB complexes are inserted into the NE. An unexpected link between the SPB and NPCs suggests that assembly of these NE complexes is tightly coordinated. We review the findings of these reports in light of our current knowledge of SPB, NPC and NE structure, assembly and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The budding yeast spindle pole body (SPB) is anchored in the nuclear envelope so that it can simultaneously nucleate both nuclear and cytoplasmic microtubules. During SPB duplication, the newly formed SPB is inserted into the nuclear membrane. The mechanism of SPB insertion is poorly understood but likely involves the action of integral membrane proteins to mediate changes in the nuclear envelope itself, such as fusion of the inner and outer nuclear membranes. Analysis of the functional domains of the budding yeast SUN protein and SPB component Mps3 revealed that most regions are not essential for growth or SPB duplication under wild-type conditions. However, a novel dominant allele in the P-loop region, MPS3-G186K, displays defects in multiple steps in SPB duplication, including SPB insertion, indicating a previously unknown role for Mps3 in this step of SPB assembly. Characterization of the MPS3-G186K mutant by electron microscopy revealed severe over-proliferation of the inner nuclear membrane, which could be rescued by altering the characteristics of the nuclear envelope using both chemical and genetic methods. Lipid profiling revealed that cells lacking MPS3 contain abnormal amounts of certain types of polar and neutral lipids, and deletion or mutation of MPS3 can suppress growth defects associated with inhibition of sterol biosynthesis, suggesting that Mps3 directly affects lipid homeostasis. Therefore, we propose that Mps3 facilitates insertion of SPBs in the nuclear membrane by modulating nuclear envelope composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary metabolites are well known for their ability to impede other microorganisms. Reanalysis of a screen of natural products using the Caenorhabditis elegans-Candida albicans infection model identified twelve microbial secondary metabolites capable of conferring an increase in survival to infected nematodes. In this screen, the two compound treatments conferring the highest survival rates were members of the epipolythiodioxopiperazine (ETP) family of fungal secondary metabolites, acetylgliotoxin and a derivative of hyalodendrin. The abundance of fungal secondary metabolites indentified in this screen prompted further studies investigating the interaction between opportunistic pathogenic fungi and Aspergillus fumigatus, because of the ability of the fungus to produce a plethora of secondary metabolites, including the well studied ETP gliotoxin. We found that cell-free supernatant of A. fumigatus was able to inhibit the growth of Candida albicans through the production of a secreted product. Comparative studies between a wild-type and an A. fumigatus DgliP strain unable to synthesize gliotoxin demonstrate that this secondary metabolite is the major factor responsible for the inhibition. Although toxic to organisms, gliotoxin conferred an increase in survival to C. albicans-infected C. elegans in a dose dependent manner. As A. fumigatus produces gliotoxin in vivo, we propose that in addition to being a virulence factor, gliotoxin may also provide an advantage to A. fumigatus when infecting a host that harbors other opportunistic fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Candida albicans causes candidiasis, secretes farnesol, and switches from yeast to hyphae to escape from macrophages after phagocytosis. However, before escape, macrophages may respond to C. albicans' pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) through toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and dectin-1 receptors by expressing cytokines involved in adaptive immunity, inflammation, and immune regulation. Therefore, macrophages and the RAW264.7 macrophage line were challenged with C. albicans preparations of live wild-type cells, heat-killed cells, a live mutant defective in hyphae formation, a live mutant producing less farnesol, or an isolate producing farnesoic acid instead of farnesol. Interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-1β, IL-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression were evaluated by ELISA and/or qRT-PCR within 6 h after challenge. All viable strains producing farnesol, regardless of hyphae phenotype, induced IL-6, IL-1β, IL-10, and TNF-α. To determine which components of C. albicans induced IL-6, RAW264.7 cells were incubated with farnesol, farnesoic acid, with or without zymosan, a yeast cell wall preparation that contains PAMPs recognized by TLR2 and dectin-1. The highest expression of IL-6, TLR2, and dectin-1 occurred when RAW264.7 cells were stimulated with zymosan and farnesol together. Our results suggest that the rapid expression of cytokines from macrophages challenged with C. albicans is due to cell-wall PAMPs combined with farnesol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first total synthesis of penipanoid C and 2-(4-hydroxybenzyl)quinazolin-4(3 H )-one is reported using a greener mild deep eutectic solvent mediated cyclization strategy with good overall yields. NU1025 drug is also synthesized using the similar protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total synthesis of actinophenanthroline A, a marine actinomycete within the family of Streptomycetaceae (strain CNQ-149) is reported. Both the racemic and enantiopure actinophenanthroline A have been synthesized with good overall yields. Highlight of the synthesis contains the classical and economical double Doebner–Miller reaction to access the 1,7-phenanthroline core followed by a modified EDCI coupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colonization by the fungal pathogen Candida albicans varies significantly, depending upon the pH and availability of oxygen. Because of our interest in extracellular molecules as potential quorum-sensing molecules, we examined the physiological conditions which regulate the production of the aromatic alcohols, i.e., phenethyl alcohol, tyrosol, and tryptophol. The production of these fusel oils has been well studied for Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our data show that aromatic alcohol yields for C. albicans are determined by growth conditions. These conditions include the availability of aromatic amino acids, the pH, oxygen levels, and the presence of ammonium salts. For example, for wild-type C. albicans, tyrosol production varied 16-fold merely with the inclusion of tyrosine or ammonium salts in the growth medium. Aromatic alcohol production also depends on the transcription regulator Aro8Op. Our results are consistent with aromatic alcohol production- aromatic transaminases (gene products for ARO8 and ARO9), aromatic decarboxylase (AROIO), and alcohol dehydrogenase (ADII)-via the fusel oil pathway. The expression of ARO8,ARO9, and AROJO is also pH dependent. ARO8 and ARO9 were alkaline upregulated, while AROlO was alkaline downregulated. The alkaline- dependent change in expression of ARO8 was RimlOl independent, while the expression of ARO9 was RimlOl dependent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Experimentations are conducted, and kerosene-water counter-current two-phase flow-structure in a duct of 15 mm diameter are identified, categorized, and characterized in five duct-orientations for different combinations of kerosene and water superficial velocities. Some unique counter-current liquid-liquid flow-structures, which have not yet been reported till date, are found through the present experimental investigation. Flow-structures' interfacial distributions and highly time-varying attributes are captured using a high-resolution DSLR camera and a high-speed video camera, respectively, to distinguish and identify them. The subjective descriptions may confuse the observer. Thus, the objective interpretations of the flow-structures are collected as time-series current and voltage signals using a DPT and in-house fabricated conductivity probes, respectively. Statistical analyses of the time-series data are performed, and statistical parameters are extracted using MATLAB coding. The flow-structures are successfully parameterized and characterized in terms of the 'non-parametric probability distribution (NPPD)' plots and those statistical parameters of the objective signatures. These extracted NPPD plots and statistical parameters are found to be very useful for recognizing and distinguishing the individual flow-structures. [Display omitted] • Novel liquid-liquid CCTPF-structures in a 15 mm ID tube for 5 flow-orientations are experimentally identified. • High-resolution images of the developed complex flow-structures are recorded using a DSLR camera. • Flow-structures' rapidly time-varying attributes are captured by high-speed videography using a high-speed camera. • Flow-structures' objective interpretations are collected using DPT and in-house fabricated CP. • Flow-regimes are expressed using the NPPD plots and statistical parameters of the objective interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reinforced polymer blend is a well-practiced area of interest adopted by materials scientist throughout the world due to its tunable end properties. The present study has been fueled by developing an immiscible thermoplastic elastomeric blend (polystyrene/ethylene-co- methyl acrylate copolymer) with loading of conducting carbon black (Vulcan XC 72); an overworked conductive clustered carbon filler. The work emphasized selective dispersion of carbon particulates in one phase (ethylene-co-methyl acrylate copolymer) resulting lowering of electrical percolation and excellent EMI shielding effectiveness in low loading. The conductive blend was also cross-checked to establish their superiority in physico-mechanical, rheological behaviors and thermal stability. The microscopic analysis has implied dispersed islands of clustered carbon particles inside blend ensuing path for electronic hopping. The segregated microstructure also has been correlated to their frequency dependent conductivity, skin depth analysis and EMI shielding measurement. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal is the backbone of the steel industry because of its manifold use in coke making, pulverised coal injection and electricity generation. Coal behaviour is a factor of its phase fractions (organic and inorganic) along with its maturity level. Coal petrography is an important tool for maceral determination and rank measurement based on its optical properties. Manual calculation of phase fractions is time-consuming and depends on operator's expertise and efficiency. To add value to plant operations, a faster, accurate and repetitive data is required. As a result, an attempt has been made to develop a machine learning based method for the automatic calculation of different phases present in coal. A random forest based model is developed to classify different phases of coal macerals (organic constituents) and minerals (inorganic constituents). The efficacy of the proposal is improved after introducing a hierarchical classification approach wherein random forest based classifier is used to segment macerals ignoring background. Features related to micro-structures of the coal microscopic images are extracted and utilized in random forest based classification. Methodology developed provides a better and quick alternative for manual petrographic analysis. A comparative analysis suggest that the final output shows better than 90% classification accuracy compared to ground truth. Its industrial application will save time, money and labour with the increase in efficiency level. Unlabelled Image [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effect of working conditions on flow-conditions in hot-leg during LOCA are evaluated. • Gas flowrate is found as the key parameter and it should be low to avoid plugging. • Flow-conditions are characterized & categorized by pressure drop & volume fraction fluctuations. • Relation of flow-conditions with pressure drop & volume fraction variation are captured. • Dependency of the flow-conditions on the working conditions is successfully revealed. Numerical and computational attempts are made to investigate and characterize the flow-condition in the hot-leg of a Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) during the loss of coolant accident (LOCA). Finite Volume-based Volume of Fluid (VOF) model is employed for transient numerical simulations of the two-phase hydrodynamics in hot-leg during LOCA. The turbulence effect is captured using ' k - w ' model. Effect of individual fluid-flowrates and stored water (initial water-level), on the developed counter-current two-phase flow-structures in hot-leg are extensively studied. Variations of the spatial distribution of phases with time are evaluated. Flow-structures in the hot-leg are characterized and parameterized in terms of statistical parameters extracted from the time variation of pressure drop (PD) and volume fraction (VF) across the flow domain. Computational intelligence-based methodologies are developed to capture the complex nonlinear relationship between obtained flow-conditions (occurrence or absence of plugging/blocking) in the hot-leg and the extracted statistical parameters. A computational approach is also developed to find the dependency of occurrence or absence of plugging on the physical working conditions. Plugging is found to be most responsive to the gas-flowrate. Plugging/blocking is easily occurred at high gas-flowrate. It may occur even at moderate gas-flowrate when initial stored water-level in hot-leg crosses the threshold limit. It is found that the developed methodologies are able to perfectly capture the relationship between the flow-condition (occurrence or absence of plugging) in hot-leg and the said statistical parameters. The relation between the flow-condition in the hot-leg and the working conditions is also perfectly correlated by the developed computational approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Influenza virus has been associated with cases of Parkinsonism, yet a direct relationship has not been confirmed in the literature. Different mechanisms of post-infectious Parkinsonism have been proposed including inflammatory, oxidative stress, and autoimmune. We report a first to our knowledge case of pediatric autoimmune Parkinsonism with autoantibodies to dopamine D2L receptor (anti-DRD2L antibodies), who underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) of bilateral globus pallidi (GPi). Case report: A 13-year-old girl presented with Parkinsonism features after a severe case of influenza A. She underwent extensive work-up and was found to have elevated titers for anti-DRD2L antibodies. Patient was initially treated with IVIG and plasmapheresis with mild improvement, but her condition continued to worsen. She was responsive to levodopa; however, she developed severe dyskinesia. Patient underwent DBS implantation resulting in partial improvement in bradykinesia, tremors, and dyskinesia. Conclusion: This case is meant to raise awareness of a rare potential autoimmune complication after influenza virus and to share the experience and outcome using DBS to palliate some of the symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy momentum tensor of a conformally coupled quantum scalar field in five dimensional warped cosmological spacetimes is studied. We look at situations where the four dimensional part represents a cosmological thick brane and the scale of the extra dimension is time dependent. Renormalization of the components of the energy momentum tensor is achieved using adiabatic regularization method. The resulting energy and pressure densities explicitly show the effects of warping and the dynamic extra dimension on the created matter. We discussed how the created matter may accumulate to form thick branes along the extra dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]