X-Raying the Dark Side of Venus - Scatter from Venus Magnetotail?

This work analyzes the X-ray, EUV and UV emission apparently coming from the Earth-facing (dark) side of Venus as observed with Hinode/XRT and SDO/AIA during a transit across the solar disk occurred in 2012. We have measured significant X-Ray, EUV and UV flux from Venus dark side. As a check we have also analyzed a Mercury transit across the solar disk, observed with Hinode/XRT in 2006. We have used the latest version of the Hinode/XRT Point Spread Function (PSF) to deconvolve Venus and Mercury X-ray images, in order to remove possible instrumental scattering. Even after deconvolution, the flux from Venus shadow remains significant while in the case of Mercury it becomes negligible. Since stray-light contamination affects the XRT Ti-poly filter data from the Venus transit in 2012, we performed the same analysis with XRT Al-mesh filter data, which is not affected by the light leak. Even the Al-mesh filter data show residual flux. We have also found significant EUV (304 A, 193 A, 335 A) and UV (1700 A) flux in Venus shadow, as measured with SDO/AIA. The EUV emission from Venus dark side is reduced when appropriate deconvolution methods are applied; the emission remains significant, however. The light curves of the average flux of the shadow in the X-ray, EUV, and UV bands appear different as Venus crosses the solar disk, but in any of them the flux is, at any time, approximately proportional to the average flux in a ring surrounding Venus, and therefore proportional to the average flux of the solar regions around Venus obscuring disk line of sight. The proportionality factor depends on the band. This phenomenon has no clear origin; we suggest it may be due to scatter occurring in the very long magnetotail of Venus.Comment: This paper has been accepted in The Astrophysical Journa

Demographic parameters of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii (Hom.: Aphididae), population in cotton fields of Gorgan

Age-specific life table parameters of Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae), one of the major pests of cotton in the Gorgan region, were determined on Gossypium hirsutum L. at different periods during 2002 and 2003 growing seasons. Population projection matrices were used to calculate aphid population elasticity and sensitivities to the changes of aphid survival and fecundity rates. A. gossypii attained its optimum growth and reproduction rates at early season (July). At this condition, the net reproductive rate (17.16 female/female), intrinsic rate of increase (0.349 female/female/time) and finite rate of increase (1.42) were the largest, while population doubling time (1.96 days) was the smallest. At mid and late seasons (August and September) the intrinsic rates of increase were 0.257 and 0.208, respectively. The lowest intrinsic rate of increase (0.073) was observed during a short period in early August. Survival curves of the aphid population were near to Deevyâs type III. The elasticity and sensitivity of nymph survival rates were higher than the adult fecundity rates and decreased relative to the age increasing

From hybrid fibers to microfibers: The characteristics of polyamide 6/polypropylene blend via one‐step twin‐screw melt extrusion

Multimaterial textiles are frequently employed to attain a certain function or aesthetic effect. The multimaterial assemblies face recycling limitations due to challenges to sort and separate the component materials. A one‐step melt extrusion approach to process two mixed common textile polymers, polyamide 6 (PA6), and polypropylene (PP), into PA6:PP hybrid fibers is reported in this study. PA6:PP hybrid fibers were produced in four different configurations; PA6‐50 (50 wt% PA6), PA6‐60 (60 wt% PA6), PA6‐65 (65 wt% PA6), and PA6‐80 (80 wt% PA6). The PP component was sacrificially removed from the hybrid fibers and the resultant PA6 fiber structure was analyzed. The SEM images show the development of PA6 microfibers in PA6‐50 and PA6‐60 hybrid fibers with mean diameters of 0.76 μm and 1.13 μm upon fiber drawing, respectively. In PA6‐65 hybrid fibers, the PA6 microfibers were found along with areas where PA6 was encapsulating the PP. Thermal and mechanical properties of the untreated and treated hybrid fibers were also investigated. PA6‐60 hybrid fibers were processed into single jersey knitted fabrics and treated to obtain PA6 microfibers fabrics. The bursting strength and wicking properties of the fabric, before and after treatment, were comparatively studied. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2020. © 2020 Society of Plastics Engineer

Out of pocket payment by inpatients after health sector evolution plan and its effecting factors: A report of Iran

Background: The health transformation plan (HTP) was implemented in April 2014 in university hospitals to provide equitable access to healthcare, improve the quality of care, and protect patients against high costs of hospitals. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate out of pocket (OOP) payment by inpatients after the health sector evolution plan (HSEP) and its effective factors in hospitals affiliated with Iran University of Medical Science. Methods: In this study, descriptive and cross-sectional research design was utilized. 277 patients at 5 hospitals affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences were selected via simple random approach. Checklists and hospital bills were used to collect data. Then the data were analyzed by SPSS 19.0. Results: The results indicated that OOP was 18.71 of the total hospitals expenditure. There was a significant relationship among insurance status, location, and OOP (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The OOP rate of hospitalized patients was not in accordance with the goal set in the HSEP. Thus, policymakers and managers should take serious measures to decrease out-of-pocket payments. © 2020, Author(s)

Bovine coronavirus in neonatal calf diarrhoea in Iran

Partial gene sequencing for the bovine coronavirus at the World Genebank is available for many countries, which are distributed unevenly in five continents, but so far, no sequencing of strains has been recorded in Iran. One hundred ninety-four stool samples from calves with diarrhoea less than one-month old were collected from five different geographical regions of country in order to detect coronavirus and characterize it if coronavirus was found. Samples were screened for the presence of BCoV by using a commercially available ELISA kit. Furthermore, RT-PCR was carried out on positive samples for confirmation of the presence of N and S specific genes. Sequencing and phylogenetic analysis was carried out following RT-PCR tests. 7.2% of samples, were positive for BCoV and all stool samples from the South-West, Northeast and West regions of Iran were negative. The results showed that all the strains of coronavirus identified in Iran were completely in independent clusters and that they did not stand in the same cluster as any of the strains identified in other parts of the world. The strains from Iran were quite different from strains in other parts of the world but from the point of similarity these viruses showed some similarities to the European strains, such as those found in France, Croatia, Denmark and Sweden

Spatial distribution of the natural enemies of the cotton aphid, and the comparison of its estimating procedures in cotton fields of Gorgan, Iran

Spatial distribution of different natural enemies of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, was determined by fitting data to either Poisson (random) or negative binomial (aggregated) distributions and calculating dispersion indices, during 2002 and 2003 growing seasons in cotton fields of Gorgan, northern Iran. Based on R2 and p-values of regression analysis, for most of the natural enemy groups, Taylorâs power law generally provided a more adequate description of variance/mean relationships than Iwaoâs patchiness regression model. Natural enemy populations, especially parasitoids, cecidomyiid species and coccinellid eggs, were aggregated during most of the growing season, and negative binomial models generally fitted the data sets better than the Poisson series in cotton fields. Percentage fit for some species such as larva and adult stages of chrysopids, adult stages of Coccinella septempunctata L. and Scymnus spp., and spider species, showed a distinct tendency to the Poisson distribution and low values of Taylorâs b index. There were no significant relationships between k (a measure of the amount of clumping in negative binomial distribution) and mean values, indicating the existence of a common k for the most of the natural enemy groups. These results can provide a reliable basis to develop proper sampling plans for estimating or classifying natural enemy populations in cotton fields of Gorgan

Addressing resistance to antibiotics in systematic reviews of antibiotic interventions

Antibiotics are among the most important interventions in healthcare. Resistance of bacteria to antibiotics threatens the effectiveness of treatment. Systematic reviews of antibiotic treatments often do not address resistance to antibiotics even when data are available in the original studies. This omission creates a skewed view, which emphasizes short-term efficacy and ignores the long-term consequences to the patient and other people. We offer a framework for addressing antibiotic resistance in systematic reviews. We suggest that the data on background resistance in the original trials should be reported and taken into account when interpreting results. Data on emergence of resistance (whether in the body reservoirs or in the bacteria causing infection) are important outcomes. Emergence of resistance should be taken into account when interpreting the evidence on antibiotic treatment in randomized controlled trials or systematic reviews

Mechanical Strain Tailoring via Magnetic Field Assisted 3D Printing of Iron Particles Embedded Polymer Nanocomposites

The development of efficient, energy saving, eco-friendly and automated manufacturing of free-form variable-thickness polymer composite components has created a step-change and enabling technology for the composites industry seeking geometry tailoring during a mouldless and/or additive manufacturing such as that in 3D printing. The current article presents ongoing research on the 3D printing of polymer nanocomposites embedded with ferromagnetic iron particles. This research involves exposing the nanocomposite to a magnetic field remotely during the fabrication process. The magnetic field is applied unidirectionally by using constant-strength magnets placed on a fused deposition method (FDM) based 3D printing platform. The magnets are symmetrically fixed on both sides of the printed nanocomposite. A high-performance polylactic acid (PLA) grade polymer was selected, which is commonly used for rigid structures. The setup utilised Neodymium magnets with a constant strength below 1T. The printing process maintained a consistent temperature of 220°C for the nozzle and 40°C for the bed. Observations have shown that the nanocomposites being printed undergo permanent macro-scale deformations caused by the extrinsic strains induced by the surrounding iron particles in response to the relatively low magnetic field (<1T). To provide a theoretical understanding of these induced strains, a Multiphysics constitutive equation has been developed. This equation aims to describe the micromechanics of the field-induced strains and study the evolution of magnetisation within a relatively thick nanocomposite (5mm thickness). Experimental measurements have quantified the macro-scale geometric variations achieved during printing, and a correlation has been established between these variations and the extrinsic strains derived from the theoretical solution, i.e. induced 1.3 mm. The theoretical solution accurately provides the description of the actual field induced strains during the 3D printing process provided that precise temperature values for the layers are accounted for. The theory also predicts a high sensitivity of field induced deformation to such temperatures and interconnects the Multiphysics parameters in explicit expressions for the phenomenon occurring. The results demonstrate a viable and disruptive magnetic field equipped fabrication approach with ability to extend to geometry control during its process