Interaction Between Electromagnetic Field and Human Body for Dual Band Balanced Antenna Using Hybrid Computational Method

yesThis paper describes a hybrid computational method which efficiently models the interaction between a small antenna placed in proximity with the human body. Results for several test cases of placed in different locations on the body are presented and discussed. The near and far fields were incorporated into the study to provide a full understanding of the impact on human tissue. The cumulative distribution function of the radiation efficiency and absorbed power is also provided. The antennas are assumed to be operating over the 2.4 GHz and 5.2 GHz WLAN frequencies

With a Little Help from my Friends: Acculturation and Mental Health in Arabic-speaking Refugee Youth Living with their Families

Introduction: Refugee youth are often faced with the compounding challenges of heightened exposure to traumatic events and acculturating to a new country during a developmental period when their sense of self is still forming. This study investigated whether refugee youth’s acculturation orientation (separation, integration, marginalization, and assimilation) is associated with depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms and aimed to identify additional indicators of acculturation that may contribute to mental health. Methods: A total of 101 Arabic-speaking refugee youths (aged 14–20 years), who were living with their families and attending school in Germany, took part in the study. They answered questions concerning traumatic exposure and posttraumatic stress symptoms, depressive symptoms, and several indicators of acculturation, including cultural orientation, positive and negative intra- and intergroup contact, language skills and friendship networks. All participants were categorized into one of four acculturation orientations using median splits. Results: Kruskal–Wallis rank sum tests revealed that acculturation orientation was not significantly associated with depressive symptoms [χ2 (3, 97) = 0.519, p = 0.915] or posttraumatic stress symptoms [χ2 (3, 97) = 0.263, p = 0.967]. Regression analysis revealed that German language skills were significantly associated with lower scores of depressive symptoms (p = 0.016) and number of friends in Germany was significantly associated with lower scores of depressive (p = 0.006) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (p = 0.002), respectively. Discussion: Policies that provide refugee youth with access to language classes and social activities with peers do not only enable them to actively participate in a new society but may also have a positive effect on their mental health

Determinants of brand loyalty in the apparel industry : a developing country perspective

Abstract: The study aims to investigate the determinants of brand loyalty in the apparel industry of Botswana. A descriptive quantitative design was followed, and data were collected from respondents using a self-administered questionnaire. A structured equation modelling technique was used to validate the hypotheses. The results indicated an array of positive significant relationships between brand awareness, brand image, brand trust, and brand loyalty. Additionally, brand commitment significantly moderated the influence of brand trust on brand loyalty. Therefore, it is important for the management of apparel brands to cultivate the levels of brand awareness, brand image, brand trust, and brand commitment in order to strengthen brand loyalty and, in turn, contribute to the longevity of apparel brands in Botswana

The comprehensive English National Lynch Syndrome Registry: development and description of a new genomics data resource

\ua9 2024 The Author(s). Background: Lynch Syndrome (LS) is a cancer predisposition syndrome caused by constitutional pathogenic variants in the mismatch repair (MMR) genes. To date, fragmentation of clinical and genomic data has restricted understanding of national LS ascertainment and outcomes, and precluded evaluation of NICE guidance on testing and management. To address this, via collaboration between researchers, the National Disease Registration Service (NDRS), NHS Genomic Medicine Service Alliances (GMSAs), and NHS Regional Clinical Genetics Services, a comprehensive registry of LS carriers in England has been established. Methods: For comprehensive ascertainment of retrospectively identified MMR pathogenic variant (PV) carriers (diagnosed prior to January 1, 2023), information was retrieved from all clinical genetics services across England, then restructured, amalgamated, and validated via a team of trained experts in NDRS. An online submission portal was established for prospective ascertainment from January 1, 2023. The resulting data, stored in a secure database in NDRS, were used to investigate the demographic and genetic characteristics of the cohort, censored at July 25, 2023. Cancer outcomes were investigated via linkage to the National Cancer Registration Dataset (NCRD). Findings: A total of 11,722 retrospective and 570 prospective data submissions were received, resulting in a comprehensive English National Lynch Syndrome Registry (ENLSR) comprising 9030 unique individuals. The most frequently identified pathogenic MMR genes were MSH2 and MLH1 at 37.2% (n = 3362) and 29.1% (n = 2624), respectively. 35.9% (n = 3239) of the ENLSR cohort received their LS diagnosis before their first cancer diagnosis (presumptive predictive germline test). Of these, 6.3% (n = 204) developed colorectal cancer, at a median age of initial diagnosis of 51 (IQR 40–62), compared to 73 years (IQR 64–80) in the general population (p < 0.0001). Interpretation: The ENLSR represents the first comprehensive national registry of PV carriers in England and one of the largest cohorts of MMR PV carriers worldwide. The establishment of a secure, centralised infrastructure and mechanism for routine registration of newly identified carriers ensures sustainability of the data resource. Funding: This work was funded by the Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK and Bowel Cancer UK. The funder of this study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report

Bi-allelic variants in SPATA5L1 lead to intellectual disability, spastic-dystonic cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and hearing loss

Spermatogenesis-associated 5 like 1 (SPATA5L1) represents an orphan gene encoding a protein of unknown function. We report 28 bi-allelic variants in SPATA5L1 associated with sensorineural hearing loss in 47 individuals from 28 (26 unrelated) families. In addition, 25/47 affected individuals (53%) presented with microcephaly, developmental delay/intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, and/or epilepsy. Modeling indicated damaging effect of variants on the protein, largely via destabilizing effects on protein domains. Brain imaging revealed diminished cerebral volume, thin corpus callosum, and periventricular leukomalacia, and quantitative volumetry demonstrated significantly diminished white matter volumes in several individuals. Immunofluorescent imaging in rat hippocampal neurons revealed localization of Spata5l1 in neuronal and glial cell nuclei and more prominent expression in neurons. In the rodent inner ear, Spata5l1 is expressed in the neurosensory hair cells and inner ear supporting cells. Transcriptomic analysis performed with fibroblasts from affected individuals was able to distinguish affected from controls by principal components. Analysis of differentially expressed genes and networks suggested a role for SPATA5L1 in cell surface adhesion receptor function, intracellular focal adhesions, and DNA replication and mitosis. Collectively, our results indicate that bi-allelic SPATA5L1 variants lead to a human disease characterized by sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) with or without a nonprogressive mixed neurodevelopmental phenotype

The Molecular and Cellular Strategies of Glioblastoma and Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer Cells Conferring Radioresistance

Ionizing radiation (IR) has been shown to play a crucial role in the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM; grade IV) and non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nevertheless, recent studies have indicated that radiotherapy can offer only palliation owing to the radioresistance of GBM and NSCLC. Therefore, delineating the major radioresistance mechanisms may provide novel therapeutic approaches to sensitize these diseases to IR and improve patient outcomes. This review provides insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying GBM and NSCLC radioresistance, where it sheds light on the role played by cancer stem cells (CSCs), as well as discusses comprehensively how the cellular dormancy/non-proliferating state and polyploidy impact on their survival and relapse post-IR exposure

DEFINING DENSITIES FOR URBAN RESIDENTIAL TEXTURE, THROUGH LAND USE CLASSIFICATION, FROM LANDSAT TM IMAGERY: CASE STUDY OF SPANISH MEDITERRANEAN COAST

In the recent epoch, there has been considerable debate about the urban development along the European Mediterranean area, also undertaken by the European Authorities, and in particular regarding the role of spatial planning in order to improve sustainable trends of land use. Great transformations along the Spanish Mediterranean coast have generated considerable changes in the traditional structure of the landscape, far from the typical model of Mediterranean cities, and the rapidity of these modern dynamics has been a significant impact on the spatial patterns, also associated with the expansion of urban connections through the whole territory. The increase of large peri-urban areas, sprawled on the territory, and caused by uncontrolled, uncoordinated and unplanned growth, inevitably has brought the cancellation of clearly identifiable boundaries between the city and the rural areas. Spatial analysis, within quantitative geography and linked to the emerging field of regional science, represents a synthesis of urban and regional economics that is consistent with the complex sciences which dominate the simulation of urban form and functions. Most urban models deal with the city in terms of the location of its economic and demographic activities, but there is also a move to link such models to urban morphologies (Batty 2008). According with these concepts, the investigation, also supported by the use of technologies such as remote sensing and GIS, aims to complement the spatial analysis of regional development dynamics by classifying urban structures and quantifying some of main characteristics based on morphological features

Long-Term Cultured Human Glioblastoma Multiforme Cells Demonstrate Increased Radiosensitivity and Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype in Response to Irradiation

The overall effect of senescence on cancer progression and cancer cell resistance to X-ray radiation (IR) is still not fully understood and remains controversial. How to induce tumor cell senescence and which senescent cell characteristics will ensure the safest therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment are under extensive investigation. While the evidence for passage number-related effects on malignant primary cells or cell lines is compelling, much less is known about how the changes affect safety and Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP), both of which are needed for the senescence cell-based vaccine to be effective against cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of repeated passaging on the biological (self-renewal capacity and radioresistance) and functional (senescence) characteristics of the different populations of short- and long-term passaging glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) cells responding to senescence-inducing DNA-damaging IR stress. For this purpose, we compared radiobiological effects of X-ray exposure on two isogenic human U87 cell lines: U87L, minimally cultured cells (3 years of continuous culturing after obtaining from the ATCC). U87L cells displayed IR dose-related changes in the signs of IR stress-induced premature senescence. These included an increase in the proportion of senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-Gal)-positive cells, and concomitant decrease in the proportion of Ki67-positive cells and metabolically active cells. However, reproductive survival of irradiated short-term cultured U87L cells was higher compared to long-term cultured U87H cells, as the clonogenic activity results demonstrated. In contrast, the irradiated long-term cultured U87H cells possessed dose-related increases in the proportion of multinucleated giant cancer cells (MGCCs), while demonstrating higher radiosensitivity (lower self-renewal) and a significantly reduced fraction of DNA-replicating cells compared to short-term cultured U87L cells. Conditioned culture medium from U87H cells induced a significant rise of SA-β-Gal staining in U87L cells in a paracrine manner suggesting inherent SASP. Our data suggested that low-dose irradiated long-term cultured GBM cells might be a safer candidate for a recently proposed senescence cell-based vaccine against cancer