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Purpose The goal of this study was to document the resident learning curve for manual small-incision cataract surgery (MSICS) and to identify implications for the design of ophthalmology residency programs aimed to train surgeons for developing countries. Design Hospital-based retrospective cohort study. Participants All 38 residents entering 2 postgraduate residency programs at Aravind Eye Hospital, Madurai, in 2012 and 2013. Methods Surgical complications and reoperations for all MSICSs performed by residents during the residency training period were evaluated using a computerized patient database. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to estimate the effect of the cumulative number of surgeries performed on incidence of intraoperative complications, postoperative complications, and reoperations, controlling for covariates. Main Outcome Measures Incidence of intraoperative and first-day postoperative complications of Oxford Cataract Treatment and Evaluation Team (OCTET) grades II and III and the incidence of reoperations. Analyses controlled for patient-, resident-, and residency program-level covariates. Results The study evaluated 13 159 surgeries performed by the 38 residents between October 15, 2012, and August 24, 2016. The mean number of surgeries performed by a resident was 346.3 (standard deviation, 269.4). Three hundred forty-two eyes (2.60%) with at least 1 intraoperative complication, 234 eyes (1.78%) with at least 1 first-day postoperative complication, and 154 reoperations (1.17%) were observed. After controlling for baseline covariates, increasing surgical experience was associated with reduced risk of intraoperative and postoperative complications, as well as reoperations. The odds decreased by 17% (intraoperative complications), 12% (postoperative complications measured 1 day after surgery), and 7% (reoperations) per 100 additional surgeries performed. Patient-level factors such as older age, left eye surgery, and lower preoperative uncorrected visual acuity were found to be associated with higher risk of intraoperative complications (P < 0.01 for all). Conclusions The risk of surgical complications and reoperations in MSICS decreased steadily with surgical experience gained by resident surgeons. We recommend that ophthalmology residency programs in developing nations teaching MSICS provide opportunities to perform 300 surgeries or more by residents so as to achieve rates of intraoperative and postoperative complications of less than 2%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe2Mn1-xCrxSi (x=0, 0.1, and 0.2) alloys were investigated for their magnetic and transport properties in view of the expected half metallicity. It is found that Cr substitution suppresses the antiferromagnetic phase present in parent Fe2MnSi, which completely disappears for x=0.2. Curie temperature of the alloys increases from 230K to 299K as x is increased from 0 to 0.2. The value of the Rhodes-Wohlfarth ratio indicates that the system shows iterant magnetism. Resistivity measurements also show absence of antiferromagnetic phase for x=0.2. Resistivity data have been fitted by considering the electron-phonon and electron-magnon scattering contributions, which indicates the presence of half metallicity in these compounds. Temperature dependence of resistivity data shows magnetoresistance of -3% and -2.5% at Curie temperature with applied field of 50 kOe for x=0.1 and 0.2, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edge computing is an innovative solution to cloud computing’s IoT application support issues. Due to network instability and increased attack surfaces, edge-assisted IoT security must be improved. Network security protects a network against threats to its availability. Network security must also handle unlawful access and abuse of network-accessible resources. This paper presents a unique strategy to enhance edge computing-based data privacy via secure data transfer and deep learning-based optimization using Internet of Things. Collaboration and hybrid federated server-based stochastic vector networks protect edge network privacy. After firefly grey optimization, the trust-based multiple encryption technique secures data transfer. Network data privacy and optimization experiments explored throughput, network security analysis, PDR, latency, and energy usage. For R2L attack-based dataset, suggested method has 55% energy usage, current SDN 51%, and FLEC 53%. For probe attack-based dataset, suggested approach has 62% energy usage, current SDN 55%, and FLEC 59%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The certification of wine quality is essential to the wine industry. The main goal of this work is to develop a machine learning model to forecast wine quality using the dataset. We utilised samples from the red wine dataset (RWD) with eleven distinct physiochemical properties. With the initial RWD, five machine learning (ML) models were trained and put to the test. The most accurate algorithms are Random Forest (RF) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). Using these two ML approaches, the top three features from a total of eleven features are chosen, and ML analysis is performed on the remaining features. Several graphs are employed to demonstrate the feature importance based on the XGBoost model and RF. Wine quality was predicted using relevant characteristics, often referred to as fundamental elements, that were shown to be essential during the feature selection procedure. When trained and tested without feature selection, with feature selection (RF), and with key attributes, the XGBoost classifier displayed 100% accuracy. In the presence of essential variables, the RF classifier performed better. Finally, to assess the precision of their predictions, the authors trained an RF classifier, validated it, and changed its hyperparameters. To address collinearity and decrease the quantity of predictors without sacrificing model accuracy, we have also used cluster analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Design. Prospective multicenter cohort study. Objective. To evaluate perioperative complications and mid-term outcomes for severe pediatric spinal deformity. Summary of Background Data. Few studies have evaluated the impact of complications on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes in severe pediatric spinal deformity. Methods. Patients from a prospective, multicenter database with severe pediatric spinal deformity (minimum of 100 degree curve in any plane or planned vertebral column resection (VCR)) with a minimum of 2-years follow-up were evaluated (n = 231). SRS-22r scores were collected preoperatively and at 2-years postoperatively. Complications were categorized as intraoperative, early postoperative (within 90-days of surgery), major, or minor. Perioperative complication rate was evaluated between patients with and without VCR. Additionally, SRS-22r scores were compared between patients with and without complications. Results. Perioperative complications occurred in 135 (58%) patients, and major complications occurred in 53 (23%) patients. Patients that underwent VCR had a higher incidence of early postoperative complications than patients without VCR (28.9% vs. 16.2%, P = 0.02). Complications resolved in 126/135 (93.3%) patients with a mean time to resolution of 91.63 days. Unresolved major complications included motor deficit (n = 4), spinal cord deficit (n = 1), nerve root deficit (n = 1), compartment syndrome (n = 1), and motor weakness due to recurrent intradural tumor (n = 1). Patients with complications, major complications, or multiple complications had equivalent postoperative SRS-22r scores. Patients with motor deficits had lower postoperative satisfaction subscore (4.32 vs. 4.51, P = 0.03), but patients with resolved motor deficits had equivalent postoperative scores in all domains. Patients with unresolved complications had lower postoperative satisfaction subscore (3.94 vs. 4.47, P = 0.03) and less postoperative improvement in self-image subscore (0.64 vs. 1.42, P = 0.03) as compared to patients with resolved complications. Conclusion. Most perioperative complications for severe pediatric spinal deformity resolve within 2-years postoperatively and do not result in adverse HRQoL outcomes. However, patients with unresolved complications have decreased HRQoL outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parasite Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of African sleeping sickness and is known for its unique RNA processing mechanisms that are common to all the kinetoplastidea including Leishmania and Trypanosoma cruzi. Trypanosomes possess two canonical RNA poly (A) polymerases (PAPs) termed PAP1 and PAP2. PAP1 is encoded by one of the only two genes harboring cis -spliced introns in this organism, and its function is currently unknown. In trypanosomes, all mRNAs, and non-coding RNAs such as small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), undergo trans- splicing and polyadenylation. Here, we show that the function of PAP1, which is located in the nucleus, is to polyadenylate non-coding RNAs, which undergo trans- splicing and polyadenylation. Major substrates of PAP1 are the snoRNAs and lncRNAs. Under the silencing of either PAP1 or PAP2, the level of snoRNAs is reduced. The dual polyadenylation of snoRNA intermediates is carried out by both PAP2 and PAP1 and requires the factors essential for the polyadenylation of mRNAs. The dual polyadenylation of the precursor snoRNAs by PAPs may function to recruit the machinery essential for snoRNA processing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendritic cells (DC) are a promising cell type for cancer vaccines due to their high immunostimulatory capacity. However, improper maturation of DC prior to treatment may account for the limited efficacy of DC vaccine clinical trials. Latent Membrane Protein-1 (LMP1) of Epstein-Barr virus was examined for its ability to mature and activate DC as a gene-based molecular adjuvant for DC vaccines. DC were transduced with an adenovirus 5 vector (Ad5) expressing LMP1 under the control of a Tet-inducible promoter. Ad5-LMP1 was found to mature and activate both human and mouse DC. LMP1 enhanced in vitro migration of DC toward CCL19, as well as in vivo migration of DC to the inguinal lymph nodes of mice following intradermal injection. LMP1-transduced DC increased T cell proliferation in a Pmel-1 adoptive transfer model and enhanced survival in B16-F10 melanoma models. LMP1-DC also enhanced protection in a vaccinia-Gag viral challenge assay. LMP1 induced high levels of IL-12p70 secretion in mouse DC when compared to standard maturation protocols. Importantly, LMP1-transduced human DC retained the capacity to secrete IL-12p70 and TNF in response to DC restimulation. In contrast, DC matured with Monocyte Conditioned Media-Mimic cocktail (Mimic) were impaired in IL-12p70 secretion following restimulation. Overall, LMP1 matured and activated DC, induced migration to the lymph node, and generated high levels of IL-12p70 in a murine model. We propose LMP1 as a promising molecular adjuvant for DC vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) is an important functional monomer affording (co)polymers with numerous applications in different fields. Nevertheless, we still lack a reliable polymerization method for the synthesis of well-defined, high-molecular weight (MW) HEMA homopolymers, as well as for controlled copolymerization of unprotected HEMA with lipophilic comonomers. Herein, we report that rapid and well-controlled (co)polymerization of HEMA can be achieved via metallic copper-mediated reversible-deactivation radical polymerization (Cu(0)-RDRP) in a non-polar solvent (1,4-dioxane) using a chlorine-based initiation/catalytic system. With purified HEMA monomer, this protocol affords very well-defined (Ɖ ≤ 1.26) HEMA homopolymers in an unprecedently wide range of molecular weights from 10,000 to 500,000. Conversely, the structurally analogous bromine-based initiation/catalytic system leads to an uncontrolled polymerization. The use of a non-polar solvent enables, for the first time, a direct access to low-dispersity HEMA-rich copolymers with non-polar comonomers, including highly lipophilic ones. This is demonstrated on the successful copolymerization of HEMA with an equimolar amount of 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate and of lauryl methacrylate, yielding well-defined amphiphilic copolymers at quantitative conversion. This work significantly expands the application scope of the HEMA monomer and demonstrates for the first time that Cu(0)-RDRP in a non-polar solvent is applicable also to comparatively polar monomers. [Display omitted] • 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) can be (co)polymerized via Cu(0)-RDRP in a non-polar solvent. • Well-defined HEMA homopolymers are accessible in a wide range of molecular weights for the first time. • Chlorine-based initiation/catalytic system is shown to be superior to the bromine-based one. • The use of purified HEMA is necessary when targeting high molecular weight polymers. • The non-polar solvent enables well-controlled copolymerization of HEMA with non-polar/lipophilic comonomers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The certification of wine quality is essential to the wine industry. The main goal of this work is to develop a machine learning model to forecast wine quality using the dataset. We utilised samples from the red wine dataset (RWD) with eleven distinct physiochemical properties. With the initial RWD, five machine learning (ML) models were trained and put to the test. The most accurate algorithms are Random Forest (RF) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). Using these two ML approaches, the top three features from a total of eleven features are chosen, and ML analysis is performed on the remaining features. Several graphs are employed to demonstrate the feature importance based on the XGBoost model and RF. Wine quality was predicted using relevant characteristics, often referred to as fundamental elements, that were shown to be essential during the feature selection procedure. When trained and tested without feature selection, with feature selection (RF), and with key attributes, the XGBoost classifier displayed 100% accuracy. In the presence of essential variables, the RF classifier performed better. Finally, to assess the precision of their predictions, the authors trained an RF classifier, validated it, and changed its hyperparameters. To address collinearity and decrease the quantity of predictors without sacrificing model accuracy, we have also used cluster analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To determine the effect of functional strength training (FST) and strength training (ST) on sit-to-stand (STS) performance and functional-autonomy (FA) in older adults. Methods: A total of 30 subjects participated in the study, which were randomly allocated to two groups--ST group (control N = 15) and FST group (experimental N = 15) with pre and post experimental design. Outcome Measures: Time taken for STS performance which was assessed by 5 time STS test and FA which was assessed by Latin American Development Group for Maturity (GDLAM) protocol. Results: Both FST and ST significantly improved STS performance and FA in older adults (p = 0.001), but FST was found to be more effective tool on STS performance and FA for older adults in between group analysis. Conclusion: Our results provide evidence that FST is more beneficial for older adults than ST. This helps in early rehabilitation of the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different Low Salinity Waters (LSWs) are investigated in this work to understand the role of some ions, which were recognized from our previous work and the literature for their effect on wettability alteration. Different flooding stages were followed. The primary stage was by injecting synthetic seawater (SSW) and the secondary stage was with SSW diluted by 10 (LSW 1:10) and 50 (LSW 1:50) times, single and two salt brines, such as Na2SO4, MgCl2, and NaCl+MgCl2 at 70 °C. The flooding sequence was due to that most of the fields in the North Sea were flooded with seawater. Two flooding rates were followed, 4 PV/day (PV = Pore Volume) and 16 PV/day in all the experiments. One of the observations was the increase of the pH during the flooding with LSW and single salt brines. The increase of the pH was attributed to mineral precipitation/dissolution as the results of ionic interactions. The effluent ion concentrations measured to understand the most likely oil recovery mechanisms. The results showed that the higher the SSW dilution the slower the oil recovery response. In presence of SO42-, Ca/Mg, higher oil recovery. The exchange between Ca/Mg, was in line with field observations. A geochemical simulation was done for a comparison with the experimental data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on several case studies regarding acute encephalopathy with biphasic seizures and reduced diffusion (AESD). Topics discussed include a 2-year-old girl was suffering from febrile status epilepticus, patient was treated with antibiotics and levetiracetam was added for seizure management, brain MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) showed reduced diffusion and a 14-month-old girl was suffering with a febrile generalised seizure and biochemical markers are not helpful.

Aim: The objective of the present study is the assessment of otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) for hearing screening of high risk infants. Study Design: Prospective, hospital-based. Materials and Methods: Distortion product OAEs (DPOAEs) and brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA) recordings were obtained for 30 controls and 100 infants with one or more high risk factors, in a sound treated room and the results were interpreted. ABR peak latencies, amplitudes, and waveform morphology in high risk infants were compared with those in control group. DPOAE as screening test was evaluated in terms of various parameters with BERA/ABR taken as gold standard. Results: Absolute latencies of Wave I and Wave V and interpeak latency of I-V were significantly prolonged in high risk group as compared to control group. The most common causes to contribute significantly for hearing impairment were found to be hyperbilirubinemia, birth asphyxia, meningitis/septicemia. DPOAE when compared with ABR taken as gold standard showed that sensitivity of the test was 87.7% (74.5%-94.9%) and specificity was 74.5% (60.0%-85.2%). Positive predictive value was 76.7% (63.2%-86.6%) and negative predictive value of the test was 86% (71.9%-94.3%). Positive likelihood ratio was 0.29 (0.18-0.46) and negative likelihood ratio was 6.08 (2.82-13.09). Conclusion: ABR/BERA, though highly reliable, is a tedious and time consuming test. DPOAE is a simple and rapid test with relatively higher acceptability but low sensitivity and specificity; therefore, limits its role as independent screening test. DPOAE-ABR test series is an effective way to screen all the high risk infants at the earliest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fluid structure interaction phenomenon occurring in confined implosions is investigated using highspeed three-dimensional digital image correlation (DIC) experiments. Aluminum tubular specimens are placed inside a confining cylindrical structure that is partially open to a pressurized environment. These specimens are hydrostatically loaded until they naturally implode. The implosion event is viewed, and recorded, through an acrylic window on the confining structure. The velocities captured through DIC are synchronized with the pressure histories to understand the effects of confining environment on the implosion process. Experiments show that collapse of the implodable volume inside the confining tube leads to strong oscillating water hammer waves. The study also reveals that the increasing collapse pressure leads to faster implosions. Both peak and average structural velocities increase linearly with increasing collapse pressure. The effects of the confining environment are better seen in relatively lower collapse pressure implosion experiments in which a long deceleration phase is observed following the peak velocity until wall contact initiates. Additionally, the behavior of the confining environment can be viewed and understood through classical water hammer theory. A one-degree-of-freedom theoretical model was created to predict the impulse pressure history for the particular problem studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term phaeohyphomycosis (PHM) means dark-pigmented fungal hyphae. Cerebral PHM (CPHM) with onychomycosis is extremely rare; very few have been reported so far. The authors report a case of CPHM with onychomycosis in a 37-year-old male from a rural background in Haryana, India, with involvement of the left frontal lobe. The mass was resected and biopsy was sent for histopathological examination. He was given antifungal drugs in the postoperative period. The patient responded very well to the treatment, and there were no signs of recurrence at the 6-month follow-up visit. The clinical features, imaging and histopathological investigations, and management of this rare entity are discussed, and the available literature is also reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years, the awful COVID-19 pandemic effect has become a lethal sickness. The processing of the gathered samples requires extra time due to the use of medical diagnostic equipment, methodologies, and clinical testing procedures for the early diagnosis of infected individuals. An innovative multimodal paradigm for the early diagnosis and precise categorization of COVID-19 is put up as a solution to this issue. To extract distinguishing features from the prepared chest X-ray picture and cough (audio) database, chest X-ray-based and cough-based model are used here. Other public chest X-ray image datasets, and the Coswara cough (audio) dataset containing 92 COVID-19 positive, and 1079 healthy subjects (people) using the deep Uniform-Net, and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The weighted sum-rule fusion method and ensemble deep learning algorithms are utilized to further combine the extracted features. For the early diagnosis of patients, the framework offers an accuracy of 98.67%. [Display omitted] • A novel multimodal framework is proposed for the early diagnosis and accurate classification of COVID-19. • The extracted features are fused using the weighted sum-rule fusion technique for early diagnosis and accurate prediction. • The framework provided an accuracy of 98.67% (X-ray based) and 86.53% (cough based diagnosis) for early diagnosis of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particulate Matter (PM) levels in the ambient air of three urban sites of strategic importance in Punjab (second largest agricultural state of India) were monitored from September 2013 to June 2014 covering two seasons of crop residue burning episodes of rice and wheat, respectively. During both crop periods, the levels varied from 71 to 167 μgm −3 (PM 10 ) and 43–107 μgm −3 (PM 2.5 ), which were observed to be much beyond the permissible limits of 100 μgm −3 for PM 10 and 60 μgm −3 for PM 2.5 set by state pollution control agencies. Simultaneously, Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) parameters of children (age group 10–16 years) residing at these sites were monitored. PFT parameters like Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) and Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) were monitored on 50 healthy subjects at each site. The results indicated an alarming fall in FVC (5%–7%) and in PEF (4%–6%) parameters during the crop residue burning period’s .The decrement was almost same for all age groups of children. The adverse effect was more on female subjects than male subjects. The impact of particulate matter pollution was more prominent in industrially important site (7%, SIS) as compared to historically (3%, HIS) and commercially (4%, CAS) important sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycrystalline RAgSn (R=Ho, Er) compounds, synthesized by arc melting method are found to crystallize in cubic crystal structure with the space group Pm3 m. The dc and ac magnetic susceptibility data show that the compounds are antiferromagnetic at low temperatures. The absence of magnetic hysteresis reveals the soft magnetic nature. Magnetocaloric effect has been estimated from magnetization data that show moderate value for these compounds. The structure of the electronic states and corresponding inter-band transitions calculated for these compounds within the LSDA+U method are found in good agreement with experimental optical conductivity. The theoretical calculations also confirm antiferromagnetic ordering in RAgSn (R=Ho, Er). The values of the effective magnetic moments of holmium and erbium are found to be close to the experimental ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The moisture sorption behaviour of three coating thicknesses of shellac and polyurethane films on Dalbergia sissoo substrate is studied in this paper. The thin films of either coat failed to reduce the water vapour transmission significantly. However, the thick coats were able to reduce this rate illustrating the importance film thickness of coating used on surfaces of wood products. The increment in Moisture Content over the conditioned MC showed a clear film thickness effect in the case of PU with the increments reducing with increasing thickness. The Moisture Exclusion Effectiveness of PU coating showed better values than shellac coating with both the finishes showing a thickness effect. More importantly, the study illustrated the effect of coating thickness even when the differences are small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Congenital scoliosis is not normally associated with pain in young children. We are presenting two cases of young patients with congenital scoliosis and moderate to severe pain. There were no spinal cord abnormalities found in these patients. The magnetic resonance imaging and CT scan revealed disc degeneration with Modic changes at the apex of the congenital scoliosis. We hypothesized that the mechanical instability resulting from poor spinal element formations associated with congenital scoliosis was responsible for causing the disc degeneration and endplate changes. Modic changes have been reported to be associated with pain in degenerative conditions of the spine. Both patients underwent a posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation, which relieved their pain immediately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our aim was to determine whether maternal HIV infection in the current era is associated with an increased incidence of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) in their infants. Methods: Infants born to 149 HIV-positive women at our hospital over a 5-year period were compared with infants born to HIV-negative women in a retrospective case-control study. Charts of all 298 patients included in the study were reviewed for maternal and infant demographics, HIV treatment, vertical transmission and untoward events at delivery or during the hospital course. Results: When compared with HIV-negative women, a greater proportion of HIV-positive women had meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF), 33% vs. 13%, P<0.001; and thick MSAF, 17% vs. 5%, P<0.001, respectively. Seven of 298 infants were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit for MAS; all seven were born to HIV-positive women (P=0.015). Although in utero exposure to illicit drugs is a reported risk factor for meconium staining of the amniotic fluid and such drug exposure was more common among our HIV-positive sample, controlling for this and other possible covariates did not greatly reduce the association of HIV status with meconium-related complications of delivery. Conclusions: Infants born to HIV-positive women had significantly more MSAF and MAS than infants born to non-infected women. It is unclear whether this association results from maternal HIV infection itself or from anti-retroviral therapy. Maternal and infant care providers should be prepared for this complication when attending to the deliveries of HIV-positive women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TbNiGe 2 compound crystallizes in the CeNiSi 2 type orthorhombic crystal structure and shows antiferromagnetic ordering below 39 K. Magnetization isotherms show linear dependence for field up to 50 kOe. It shows inverse magnetocaloric effect, which is attributed to antiferromagnetic interactions between the moments. The resistivity data was fitted in high and low temperature regimes. The low temperature fit confirms the antiferromagnetic ordering, while the high temperature data follow Bloch-Grüneisen-Mott relation. Ab initio LSDA + U calculations show no spin polarization from Ni 3d electronic states and reproduce the antiferromagnetic long-range ordering of the Tb magnetic moments and their values in good agreement with the previous neutron diffraction data. Optical conductivity data supports the electronic structure calculations and show that it is mostly provided by the transitions involving Ni 3d and Tb 4f electronic states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eosinophilic granuloma is an uncommon granulomatous disease which can affect the temporal bone. Also known as Langerhans cell histiocytosis, the lesion is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of Langerhans cells. Although initially silent, the disease may erode the mastoid cortex, destroy the tegmen, and extend into the cranial vault, as well as erode the semicircular canals or cochlea. These lesions almost always become infected and can be confused with chronic otomastoiditis. Equally important, temporal bone involvement may represent only one manifestation of a multifocal disease. This report describes a case of 40‑year‑old male with eosinophilic granuloma involving the right temporal bone extending into midbrain region causing focal compression and displacement of part of the temporal lobe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Type I interferon is known to inhibit HIV-1 replication through the induction of interferon stimulated genes (ISG), including a number of HIV-1 restriction factors. To better understand interferon-mediated HIV-1 restriction, we constructed a constitutively active form of the RIG-I adapter protein MAVS. Constitutive MAVS was generated by fusion of full length MAVS to a truncated form of the Epstein Barr virus protein LMP1 (ΔLMP1). Supernatant from ΔLMP1-MAVS-transfected 293T cells contained high levels of type I interferons and inhibited HIV replication in both TZM-bl and primary human CD4+ T cells. Supernatant from ΔLMP1-MAVS-transfected 293T cells also inhibited replication of VSV-G pseudotyped single cycle SIV in TZM-bl cells, suggesting restriction was post-entry and common to both HIV and SIV. Gene array analysis of ΔLMP1-MAVS-transfected 293T cells and trans-activated CD4+ T cells showed significant upregulation of ISG, including previously characterized HIV restriction factors Viperin, Tetherin, MxB, and ISG56. Interferon blockade studies implicated interferon-beta in this response. In addition to direct viral inhibition, ΔLMP1-MAVS markedly enhanced secretion of IFN-β and IL-12p70 by dendritic cells and the activation and maturation of dendritic cells. Based on this immunostimulatory activity, an adenoviral vector (Ad5) expressing ΔLMP1-MAVS was tested as a molecular adjuvant in an HIV vaccine mouse model. Ad5-Gag antigen combined with Ad5-ΔLMP1-MAVS enhanced control of vaccinia-gag replication in a mouse challenge model, with 4/5 animals showing undetectable virus following challenge. Overall, ΔLMP1-MAVS is a promising reagent to inhibit HIV-1 replication in infected tissues and enhance vaccine-mediated immune responses, while avoiding toxicity associated with systemic type I interferon administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of experiments have been performed to study magnetic, electronic and optical properties of HoNiSi, along with theoretical calculations. The compound crystallizes in orthorhombic crystal structure and orders antiferromagnetically at T N = 4.6 K. Magnetization isotherms show curvature in low fields, revealing a field induced metamagnetic transition. Application of field reduces the resistivity near T N , which results in a large negative MR. The maximum value of MR has been found to be −24% at 4 K for 50 kOe. Strong antiferromagnetic interactions among the moments below 4 K result in positive MR, which changes with field. The antiferromagnetic ordering with the effective magnetic moments of Ho close to the observed value is obtained in the LSDA + U calculations accounting for the electronic correlations in the 4f Ho shell. In the experimental optical conductivity interband transitions involving 4f Ho and 5d Ho forms the main features in good agreement with the theoretical electronic structure of HoNiSi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

R CuGe ( R =Tb–Er) compounds have been studied by structural, magnetic, magnetocaloric and magnetotransport measurements. All these compounds are iso-structural and show antiferromagnetic ordering below their Néel temperatures ( T N ). Except TbCuGe, all the studied compounds show large magnetocaloric effect (MCE), arising due to the field induced metamagnetic transition. They also show a sign reversal of magnetoresistance (MR) with change in temperature or field. The non-monotonic variation of the magnitude of MR is attributed to the competing effects of Lorentz force, changes in the spin disorder scattering and the spin fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vaccination with tumor-associated antigens can induce cancer-specific CD8+ T cells. A recent improvement has been the targeting of antigen to dendritic cells (DC) using antibodies that bind DC surface molecules. This study explored the use of multi-trimers of CD40L to target the gp100 melanoma tumor antigen to DC. The spontaneously-multimerizing gene Surfactant Protein D (SPD) was used to fuse gp100 tumor antigen and CD40L, creating the recombinant protein SPD-gp100-CD40L. This “third generation” DC-targeting vaccine was designed to both target antigen to DC and optimally activate dendritic cells by aggregating CD40 trimers on the DC membrane surface. SPD-gp100-CD40L expressed as a 110 kDa protein. Analytical light scattering analysis gave elution data corresponding to 4-trimer and multi-trimer SPD-gp100-CD40L oligomers. The protein was biologically active on dendritic cells and induced CD40-mediated NF-κB signaling. DNA vaccination with SPD-gp100-CD40L plasmid, together with plasmids encoding IL-12p70 and GM-CSF, significantly enhanced survival and inhibited tumor growth in a B16-F10 melanoma model. Expression of gp100 and SPD-CD40L as separate molecules did not enhance survival, highlighting the requirement to encode gp100 within SPD-CD40L for optimal vaccine activity. These data support a model where DNA vaccination with SPD-gp100-CD40L targets gp100 to DC in situ, induces activation of these DC, and generates a protective anti-tumor response when given in combination with IL-12p70 and GM-CSF plasmids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GdCuSi has been studied by structural, magnetic, magneto-thermal, and magneto-transport measurements. The compound crystallizes in the NiIn-type hexagonal structure. Magnetic measurements show antiferromagnetic ordering at T = 14.2 K and a magnetic anomaly near 5 K, which are confirmed by different measurements. Magnetocaloric effect (MCE) has been estimated from both magnetization and heat capacity data and it shows a change in sign below T. Similar to MCE, magnetoresistance (MR) data also show sign change below T. The compound shows large MCE and MR near its ordering temperature. The sign change in MCE and MR is attributed to the non-collinear antiferromagnetic structure of the compound. The theoretical calculations suggest competition of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic interactions, which causes non-collinear magnetic structure in this compound. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RRhGe (R = Tb, Dy, Er, Tm) compounds have been studied by different experimental probes and theoretical ab initio calculations. These compounds show very interesting magnetic and transport properties. All the compounds are antiferromagnetic with some of them showing spin-reorientation transition at low temperatures. The magnetocaloric effect estimated from magnetization data shows high values in all these compounds. Magnetoresistance is negative near the ordering temperatures and positive at low temperatures. The electronic structure calculations accounting for electronic correlations in the 4f rare-earth shell reveal the closeness of the antiferromagnetic ground state and other types of magnetic orderings in the rare-earth sublattice. These calculations are also in agreement with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosis of coeliac disease was facilitated in this case by a study evaluating coeliac disease screening in consecutive, undifferentiated presentations to a paediatric emergency department (manuscript in preparation). A wide range of extra-intestinal manifestations are associated with coeliac disease. The family were contacted to arrange formal repeat testing (tissue transglutaminase 2 IgA antibody 150 units, deamidated gliadin peptide IgG antibody 60 units) and a routine questionnaire was administered, revealing no history of typical symptoms of coeliac disease. [Extracted from the article]

A comprehensive experimental!numerical study on the implosion of longitudinally offcentered cylindrical implodable volumes was conducted within a tubular confining space. In partic ular, the aim of this study was to examine the changes in the implosion mechanics and in the nature of pressure waves, arising from the longitudinally off-centered location of the implodable volume. Experiments were conducted with 31.8 mm outer diameter, cylindrical aluminum 606I-T6 implodable volumes placed concentrically within the confining tube. Three longitudinal offset locations were chosen within the confining tube, such that distance from the center of the implodable volume to the center of confining tube is equal to: (a) zero, (b) 317 of the half-length of confining tube (L), and (c) 5 U7. Pressure transducers mounted on the inner suiface of the confining tube were used to capture the pressure waves released during the implosion event. Computational simulations were performed using a coupled Eulerian-Lagrangian scheme to explicitly model the implosion process of the tubes along with the resulting compressible fluid flow. The experiments revealed that the longitudinal asymmetric placement of the implodable volume enhances the strength of hammer pressure waves generated during the implosion process. The off-centered location of the implodable volume causes a pressure imbalance in the entire length of the confining tube. Hence, the water particle velocity shifts toward the implodable volume producing high pressure region at the end-plate near the implodable volume, while the other end-plate experiences significantly longer cavitation due to low pressure. This far end-plate cavitation duration is also found to increase with increasing longitudinal offset, even though the total combined cavitation duration at both the end-plates is approximately same for all offset locations. With high correlation observed between the experiments and simulations, computation models were further used to correlate the longitudinal offset and the signature of pressure waves at various interpolated locations. Simulations show that there is increase in both the peak pressure and the impulse of the hammer wave with increasing longitudinal offset of the implodable volume. Simulations also show that the collapse rate of the implodable volume decreases with the increasing longitudinal offset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polycrystalline HoSn 1.1 Ge 0.9 and DySn 1.1 Ge 0.9 compounds have been studied by means of different experimental probes. Both the compounds are antiferromagnetic and show metamagnetic transition at low temperatures. HoSn 1.1 Ge 0.9 shows a sign change in magnetocaloric effect (MCE) and magnetoresistance (MR) with field, which is attributed to the metamagnetic transition. DySn 1.1 Ge 0.9 shows characteristics of a typical antiferromagnet, as evidenced by magnetization, MCE and MR data. 119 Sn Mössbauer studies show hyperfine splitting at low temperatures, consistent with magnetization data. Thermoelectric power and resistivity measurements reveal metallic behavior in these compounds. Magnetic, magnetocaloric and the magnetoresistance data clearly show that the antiferromagnetic coupling in DySn 1.1 Ge 0.9 is stronger than in HoSn 1.1 Ge 0.9 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RTX ( R = rare earths, T = 3 d /4 d /5 d , transition metals such as Sc, Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, and X = p -block elements such as Al, Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn, As, Sb, Bi) series is a huge family of intermetallics compounds. These compounds crystallize in different crystal structures depending on the constituents. Though these compounds have been known for a long time, they came to limelight recently in view of the large magnetocaloric effect (MCE) and magnetoresistance (MR) shown by many of them. Most of these compounds crystallize in hexagonal, orthorhombic and tetragonal crystal structures. Some of them show crystal structure modification with annealing temperature; while a few of them show iso-structural transition in the paramagnetic regime. Their magnetic ordering temperatures vary from very low temperatures to temperatures well above room temperature (∼510 K). Depending on the crystal structure, they show a variety of magnetic and electrical properties. These compounds have been characterized by means of a variety of techniques/measurements such as X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, magnetic properties, heat capacity, magnetocaloric properties, electrical resistivity, magnetoresistance, thermoelectric power, thermal expansion, Hall effect, optical properties, XPS, Mössbauer spectroscopy, ESR, μSR, NMR, and NQR. Some amount of work on theoretical calculations on electronic structure, crystal field interaction and exchange interactions has also been reported. The interesting aspect of this series is that they show a variety of physical properties such as Kondo effect, heavy fermion behavior, spin glass state, intermediate valence, superconductivity, multiple magnetic transitions, metamagnetism, large MCE, large positive as well as negative MR, spin orbital compensation, magnetic polaronic behavior, and pseudo gap effect. Except Mn, no other transition metal in these compounds possesses considerable magnetic moments. Because of this R Mn X compounds in general have high ordering temperatures. Interstitial modification using hydrogen is found to alter their crystal structures and magnetic properties considerably. RTX compounds also show interesting pressure effects on their structural and magnetic properties. In summary, these compounds show variety of physical properties over a wide range of temperatures. This review is intended to cover all the important results obtained in this family, particularly in the last few years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive study on the hydrostatic implosion of carbon fiber reinforced epoxy composite tubes is conducted experimentally to examine the failure and damage mechanisms of collapse. Experiments are performed in a pressure vessel designed to provide constant hydrostatic pressure through the collapse. Filament-wound, braided, and roll-wrapped carbon-fiber/epoxy tubes are studied to explore the effect of geometry and reinforcement architecture on the modes of failure. 3-D Digital Image Correlation technique, which is first calibrated for the underwater environment, is used to capture the full-field deformation and velocities during the implosion event. Dynamic pressure transducers are employed to measure the pressure pulses generated by the event and evaluate its damage potential. The results show that composites with braided fabric reinforcements are found to have more damage potential to adjacent structures than those containing unidirectional reinforcements, as they release pressure waves with significantly greater impulse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wood finishes protect the surface of wood from external agents, enhance its looks and improve its gloss (luster). On constant external exposure, UV rays gradually degrade the film coating resulting in loss of gloss. In this study, two commonly used finishes namely spirit shellac and polyurethane finish were used to investigate the pattern of loss of gloss due to UV interference. Two coatings of polyurethane (PU) and spirit shellac finish were applied on the surface of eucalyptus samples. The gloss levels of these and unfinished samples were monitored for different times of exposure of them to UV light. Gloss was measured at 600 gloss head using a Tri micro gloss meter regularly for 20 hours durations of UV exposure. Observations and analysis revealed that the natural gloss of uncoated samples of eucalyptus were least affected on UV exposure with only 8,3%-10% loss in gloss. The PU and shellac coated surfaces also showed very little reduction in gloss (6,9%-15,4%) most of which happened in the first 40 hours of exposure. Thus both the finishes in this study were found effective to a good extent in maintaining the gloss of the finished surface against exposure to UV light. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physical processes associated with the implosion of cylindrical tubes in a hydrostatic underwater environment were investigated using high-speed three-dimensional digital image correlation (3D DIC). This study emphasizes visualization and understanding of the real-time deformation of the implodable volume and the associated fluid- structure interaction phenomena. Aluminium 6061-T6 cylindrical tubes were used as the implodable volumes. Dynamic tourmaline pressure transducers were placed at selected locations to capture the pressure history generated during each implosion event. A series of small-scale calibration experiments were first performed to establish the applicability of 3D DIC for measuring the deformation of submerged objects. The results of these experiments indicated that the effects of refraction due to water and the optical windows can be accounted for by evaluation of the camera's intrinsic and extrinsic parameters using a submerged calibration grid when the surface normal of the optical windows is collinear with the camera's optical axis. Each pressure history was synchronized with its respective high-speed DIC measurements. DIC results showed that the highest rate of increase in contact area correlates to the largest pressure spike during the implosion process. The results also indicated that, for a given diameter, longer implodable volumes generated higher pressure spikes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present structural, magnetic, thermal, magnetocaloric, and electrical transport properties of polycrystalline GdRhSn. Magnetization data show that it orders antiferromagnetically at TN = 16.2 K. The compound has the ZrNiAl type hexagonal crystal structure at room temperature and undergoes a first order iso-structural transition in the paramagnetic state at 245 K. The unit cell volume change at the transition is small (-0.07%) but discontinuous, in agreement with the first-order nature of the transition observed by magnetic, transport, and heat capacity measurements. The anisotropic changes of the lattice parameters are Δa/a = 0.28% and Δc/c = -0.64% on cooling. A substantial change in the 4f and conduction electron hybridization, giving rise to an increased integrated DOS, occurs when the high temperature phase transforms to the low temperature phase. A moderate magnetocaloric effect at TN (ΔSM = -6.5 J/kg K and ΔTad = 4.5 K for ΔH = 50 kOe) has been measured using both magnetization and heat capacity data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A fundamental experimental investigation, with corresponding computational simulations, was conducted to understand the physical mechanisms of implosions of cylindrical shells occurring within a tubular confining space which has a limited potential energy reservoir. In particular, attention was focused on studying the generation of pressure waves from the implosion, the interaction of the pressure waves with the confining tube walls and end caps, and the collapse mechanisms of the implodable volume. Experiments were conducted with three implodable volume geometries which had similar critical collapse pressures. The implodable volumes were aluminum 6061-T6 cylindrical tubing and were placed concentrically within the confining tube. Pressure histories recorded along the length of the confining tube during the experiments were utilized to analytically evaluate the deformation of the implodable volume using fluid–structure coupled deformation models. Computational simulations were conducted using a coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian scheme to explicitly model the implosion process of the tubes along with the resulting compressible fluid flow. The numerical model developed in this study is shown to have high correlation with the experimental results and will serve as a predictive tool for the simulation of the implosion of different cylindrical geometries as well as various tube-in-tube implosion configurations. The experimental results show that the limited hydrostatic potential energy available in a confined environment, as compared to a free field, significantly influences the implosion process. The wall velocities of the implodable volume during the collapse, as well as the extent of the collapse progression, are largely affected by the sudden decrease in the available hydrostatic potential energy. This energy is shown to be partially transformed into elasto-plastic strain energy absorbed in the deformation of the implodable volume, as well as the kinetic energy of the water during the implosion process. Experiments also show that the extent of the collapse progression of an implodable volume can potentially be inhibited within a closed environment, which can lead to the arresting of an implosion event prior to completion for larger implodable volumes. The pressure waves generated during collapse comprise of waves emitted due to the impact of the implodable volume walls, the arrest of rushing water and contact propagation along the walls. These processes later evolve into water hammer type axial wave behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

J Dermatol 2016;43:275-9. 2 Harb J, Motaparthi K. Clinicopathologic findings of guttate leukoderma in Darier disease: A helpful diagnostic feature. Thus, dermoscopic evaluation of greasy papules and guttate leukoderma may allow earlier diagnosis of this disease and may help in appropriate management. A 15-year-old boy presented with multiple itchy hyperpigmented papules over face and trunk and hypopigmented macules over limbs for the last 8 years. [Extracted from the article]

Trauma to primary tooth leads to abnormal variations in crown and root canals of permanent teeth that presents a challenge in diagnosis and clinical management to the practitioner. This article presents a detailed case report of the endodontic treatment of a three canalled maxillary central incisor and maxillary lateral incisor having single canal with open apex linked with periodontal defect. Root canals were prepared with hand files and canals were irrigated with 2.5% sodium hypochlorite solution. Calcium hydroxide was placed as an intracanal medicament. As the expected healing did not occur even after one month of calcium hydroxide therapy, so periapical endodontic surgery was performed using Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). Satisfactory clinical and radiographic results were obtained at 12 months. Detailed knowledge of the anatomical variations in the root canal and awareness of their configuration is essential for the success of such cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large magnetocaloric effect (MCE) and magnetoresistance (MR) together with negligible hysteresis loss have been observed in ErNiSi compound, which undergoes metamagnetic transition at low temperatures. Magnetization, heat capacity, and resistivity measurements confirm the metamagnetic transition. Both MCE and MR follow H² dependence in the paramagnetic regime. The maximum value of isothermal entropy change (ΔSM) and MR for a field change of 50 kOe are found to be 19.1 J/kg K and ~34%, respectively. Large MCE with negligible magnetic hysteresis loss could make this material promising for low temperature magnetic refrigeration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of experiments were conducted to determine the Johnson--Cook parameters for three different cast aluminum alloys, namely, A356, A357, and F357. Room temperature compression experiments were performed under varying rates of loading ranging from 10-3 s-1 to 5000s-1. High temperature compression (235 °C and 435 °C) experiments were performed at an average strain rate of 5000s-1. A split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus was utilized in conjunction with an induction coil heating system for applying dynamic loading at elevated temperatures. In addition, experiments were performed under high strain rate tensile loading using tensile SHPB apparatus, and the fractured specimens were examined under scanning electron microscope (SEM) to understand the failure modes in these alloys. Highspeed photography was used to capture the chronological progression of the deformation under dynamic tensile loading. The results indicated that all the three cast aluminum alloys were sensitive to strain rate and temperature. A356 exhibited the least value of flow stress under both static and dynamic loading conditions, and the highest elongation before break under dynamic tensile loading. The SEM images of the fractured specimens under dynamic tensile loading showed characteristics of transcrystalline ductile fracture in these cast aluminum alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]