Optimal positron-beam excited plasma wakefields in Hollow and Ion-Wake channels

A positron-beam interacting with the plasma electrons drives radial suck-in, in contrast to an electron-beam driven blow-out in the over-dense regime, $n_b>n_0$. In a homogeneous plasma, the electrons are radially sucked-in from all the different radii. The electrons collapsing from different radii do not simultaneously compress on-axis driving weak fields. A hollow-channel allows electrons from its channel-radius to collapse simultaneously exciting coherent fields. We analyze the optimal channel radius. Additionally, the low ion density in the hollow allows a larger region with focusing phase which we show is linearly focusing. We have shown the formation of an ion-wake channel behind a blow-out electron bubble-wake. Here we explore positron acceleration in the over-dense regime comparing an optimal hollow-plasma channel to the ion-wake channel. The condition for optimal hollow-channel radius is also compared. We also address the effects of a non-ideal ion-wake channel on positron-beam excited fields.Comment: Proceedings of IPAC2015, Richmond, VA, USA 3: Alternative Particle Sources and Acceleration Techniques A22 - Plasma Wake eld Acceleration http://accelconf.web.cern.ch/AccelConf/IPAC2015/papers/wepje001.pdf, 2015 (ISBN 978-3-95450-168-7) pp 2674-267

Diagnosis and Genetic Analysis of Glutaric Acidaemia Type I : Very rarely seen inborn error of metabolism

N

Dependence of Nucleosome Mechanical Stability on DNA Mismatches

The organization of nucleosomes into chromatin and their accessibility are shaped by local DNA mechanics. Conversely, nucleosome positions shape genetic variations, which may originate from mismatches during replication and chemical modification of DNA. To investigate how DNA mismatches affect the mechanical stability and the exposure of nucleosomal DNA, we used an optical trap combined with single-molecule FRET and a single-molecule FRET cyclization assay. We found that a single base-pair C-C mismatch enhances DNA bendability and nucleosome mechanical stability for the 601-nucleosome positioning sequence. An increase in force required for DNA unwrapping from the histone core is observed for single base-pair C-C mismatches placed at three tested positions: at the inner turn, at the outer turn, or at the junction of the inner and outer turn of the nucleosome. The results support a model where nucleosomal DNA accessibility is reduced by mismatches, potentially explaining the preferred accumulation of single-nucleotide substitutions in the nucleosome core and serving as the source of genetic variation during evolution and cancer progression. Mechanical stability of an intact nucleosome, that is mismatch-free, is also dependent on the species as we find that yeast nucleosomes are mechanically less stable and more symmetrical in the outer turn unwrapping compared to Xenopus nucleosomes

A longitudinal study of the prevalence of post-surgical inguinodynia and the factors responsible for the development of chronic pain among the patients undergoing open hernioplasty at a tertiary care center

Background: Chronic groin pain (Inguinodynia) is a potential complication following inguinal hernia mesh repair and has a significant impact on the quality of life. The incidence varies among studies ranging between 0% and 62.9%. Aims and Objectives: The present study was conducted with the objectives of estimating the prevalence of post-surgical inguinodynia among the patients undergoing open hernioplasty. The secondary objective was to assess the factors associated with the development of post-surgical inguinodynia. Materials and Methods: A longitudinal study was carried out in a tertiary care center in Bangalore, Karnataka among the hernia patients attending the outpatient department of General Surgery department. A pro forma prepared with expert validation was used to collect details regarding pre-operative characteristics, type of anesthesia, intraoperative findings, and post-operative complications. The pain was assessed by the visual analog scale. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were used to identify the risk factors. Results: A total of 112 patients underwent hernioplasty. Out of this, 108 were males and 4 were females. The mean age of the patients was 48±10.8 years. Majority of them (84, 77.7%) presented with indirect inguinal hernia. The prevalence of inguinodynia at 3-month post-hernia surgery was 21.4% (n=24). Patients with significant pre-operative pain had higher chances of developing chronic pain (P=0.000). It was found that post-operative surgical site infection was associated with increased chances of development of chronic pain (P=0.000). Conclusion: Our study found that around one-fifth of the hernia patients had developed chronic post-surgical inguinal pain following open hernioplasty. There was no significant relationship between patients’ characteristics and development of chronic post-operative pain. The presence of pre-operative pain and post-operative infection in the patients was significantly associated with the development of chronic pain. Intraoperative nerve identification and chronic post-operative pain did not have a significant relationship in our study. Most of the patients who developed chronic pain had experienced only mild pain and none of them had severe inguinal pain. From the findings of our study, we would like to recommend that all measures must be taken to prevent and treat post-operative surgical site infection which leads to the development of chronic pain in patients

Development of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in HIV Patients:A Danish Cohort Study (1983-2018) With American Validation (1999-2018)

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with several immune-mediated disorders. However, the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in people living with HIV (PLWH) remains unclear. We aimed to assess the risk of IBD among PLWH using a nationwide, population-based Danish cohort and to validate findings in a large American insurance-based database. METHODS: Using Danish registries (1983–2018), we identified 8995 PLWH and age- and sex-matched them to 449,750 HIV-negative individuals. Cox regression analysis was undertaken to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for IBD diagnosis. Results were stratified by sex, age, and year of HIV diagnosis. Using an American insurance-based cohort, Explorys (1999–2018), we assessed the prevalence odds ratio (OR) and 95% CI of IBD diagnosis in PLWH compared with HIV-negative individuals. RESULTS: IBD diagnosis among PLWH in Denmark was increased (HR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.78–2.83) compared with matched HIV-negative individuals. This was seen for both Crohn’s disease (HR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.47–3.44) and ulcerative colitis (HR: 2.24, 95% CI: 1.70–2.96) and in male (HR: 2.75, 95% CI: 2.15–3.52) but not female (HR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.48–1.79) PLWH. Explorys analysis also showed an increased odds of IBD diagnoses among PLWH (OR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.35–1.49). CONCLUSION: This study finds an increased risk of IBD diagnosis among PLWH in both a Danish and US cohort, highlighting a need to consider IBD in PLWH with new-onset gastrointestinal symptoms. Further research into the role of antiretroviral therapy in this relationship is required

Approaching Petavolts per meter plasmonics using structured semiconductors

A new class of strongly excited plasmonic modes that open access to unprecedented Petavolts per meter electromagnetic fields promise wide-ranging, transformative impact. These modes are constituted by large amplitude oscillations of the ultradense, delocalized free electron Fermi gas which is inherent in conductive media. Here structured semiconductors with appropriate concentration of n-type dopant are introduced to tune the properties of the Fermi gas for matched excitation of an electrostatic, surface "crunch-in" plasmon using readily available electron beams of ten micron overall dimensions and hundreds of picoCoulomb charge launched inside a tube. Strong excitation made possible by matching results in relativistic oscillations of the Fermi electron gas and uncovers unique phenomena. Relativistically induced ballistic electron transport comes about due to relativistic multifold increase in the mean free path. Acquired ballistic transport also leads to unconventional heat deposition beyond the Ohm's law. This explains the absence of observed damage or solid-plasma formation in experiments on interaction of conductive samples with electron bunches shorter than $\rm 10^{-13} seconds$. Furthermore, relativistic momentum leads to copious tunneling of electron gas allowing it to traverse the surface and crunch inside the tube. Relativistic effects along with large, localized variation of Fermi gas density underlying these modes necessitate the kinetic approach coupled with particle-in-cell simulations. Experimental verification of acceleration and focusing of electron beams modeled here using tens of Gigavolts per meter fields excited in semiconductors with $\rm 10^{18}cm^{-3}$ free electron density will pave the way for Petavolts per meter plasmonics.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figure

Affordable phenotyping of winter wheat under field and controlled conditions for drought tolerance

Drought stress is one of the key plant stresses reducing grain yield in cereal crops worldwide. Although it is not a breeding target in Northern Europe, the changing climate and the drought of 2018 have increased its significance in the region. A key challenge, therefore, is to identify novel germplasm with higher drought tolerance, a task that will require continuous characterization of a large number of genotypes. The aim of this work was to assess if phenotyping systems with low-cost consumer-grade digital cameras can be used to characterize germplasm for drought tolerance. To achieve this goal, we built a proximal phenotyping cart mounted with digital cameras and evaluated it by characterizing 142 winter wheat genotypes for drought tolerance under field conditions. The same genotypes were additionally characterized for seedling stage traits by imaging under controlled growth conditions. The analysis revealed that under field conditions, plant biomass, relative growth rates, and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from different growth stages estimated by imaging were significantly correlated to drought tolerance. Under controlled growth conditions, root count at the seedling stage evaluated by imaging was significantly correlated to adult plant drought tolerance observed in the field. Random forest models were trained by integrating measurements from field and controlled conditions and revealed that plant biomass and relative growth rates at key plant growth stages are important predictors of drought tolerance. Thus, based on the results, it can be concluded that the consumer-grade cameras can be key components of affordable automated phenotyping systems to accelerate pre-breeding for drought tolerance