Radiative transfer in highly scattering materials - numerical solution and evaluation of approximate analytic solutions

Numerical solutions for radiative transport in a class of anisotropically scattering materials are presented. Conditions for convergence and divergence of the iterative method are given and supported by computed results. The relation of two flux theories to the equation of radiative transfer for isotropic scattering is discussed. The adequacy of the two flux approach for the reflectance, radiative flux and radiative flux divergence of highly scattering media is evaluated with respect to solutions of the radiative transfer equation

Measurement of C1-Inhibitor function alone is sufficient for diagnosis of hereditary angioedema

The World Allergy Organisiation/European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (WAO/EAACI) 2017/2018 guidelines recommend measuring complement4 levels, followed by C1-inhibitor level and function for diagnosis of hereditary angioedema (HAE). We analysed 6 months’ worth of data generated in our laboratory which is a specialist regional immunology service and also provides laboratory service for the Barts Health immunology department, which is a GA2LEN/HAEi-Angioedema Centre of Excellence and Reference (ACARE) and hence, investigates a large number of patients for HAE. We found that an efficient and sensitive approach for laboratory diagnosis of HAE is to only test the C1-inhibitor function. This approach had a sensitivity of 100% and reduced the cost of laboratory investigations for HAE diagnosis by 45%

Can we use biomarkers of coagulation to predict which patients with foot and ankle injury will develop vein thrombosis?

Background Our aim was to determine whether plasma levels of Tissue Factor (TF), Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule 1 (VCAM-1), Interleukin 6 (IL-6) or D-dimer after foot and ankle injury could predict which patients would develop deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Methods Patients aged 18–60 years with acute foot and ankle injury had venous blood sample to measure TF, VCAM-1, IL-6 and D-dimer within 3 days of injury. Patients had bilateral lower limb venous ultrasound to assess for DVT on discharge from clinic. Results 21 of 77 patients were found to have DVT (27%). There was no statistically significant association between levels of TF, VCAM-1, IL-6 or D-dimer and subsequent development of DVT. Conclusion Tissue Factor (TF), Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM-1), Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and D-dimer levels were not associated with development deep vein thrombosis in patients with acute foot and ankle injury

Comparison of classical multi-locus sequence typing software for next-generation sequencing data

Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) is a widely used method for categorizing bacteria. Increasingly, MLST is being performed using next-generation sequencing (NGS) data by reference laboratories and for clinical diagnostics. Many software applications have been developed to calculate sequence types from NGS data; however, there has been no comprehensive review to date on these methods. We have compared eight of these applications against real and simulated data, and present results on: (1) the accuracy of each method against traditional typing methods, (2) the performance on real outbreak datasets, (3) the impact of contamination and varying depth of coverage, and (4) the computational resource requirements

The effect of active toe movement (AToM) on calf pump function and deep vein thrombosis in patients with acute foot and ankle trauma treated with cast - a prospective randomized study

Background Patients with foot and ankle trauma treated with cast are advised to perform toe movements to prevent venous thromboembolism (VTE). Our aim was to determine the effect of active toe movement on asymptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and venous calf pump function. Methods Patients aged 18–60 years with acute foot and ankle trauma requiring below knee non weight bearing cast were randomized to intervention (regular active toe movement) or control groups (n = 100). Patients had bilateral lower limb venous ultrasound to assess for DVT on discharge from clinic. Patients requiring chemical thromboprophylaxis were excluded. Results 78 completed the study. 27% sustained asymptomatic DVT, with no statistically significant difference in calf pump function or DVT incidence between groups. All DVT's occurred in the injured lower limb. Conclusion Active toe movement is not a viable strategy for thromboprophylaxis in patients with acute foot and ankle trauma treated with cast

Moraine-dammed glacial lakes and threat of glacial debris flows in South-East Kazakhstan

Glacier retreat has caused the emergence of numerous moraine-dammed glacial lakes (MGL) over the last century which have become research foci in many mountain regions of the world. Outbursts of MGLs have caused destructive floods and debris flows, leading to numerous human casualties and significant material damage. The mountains of South-Eastern Kazakhstan have also become prone to lake outburst floods and related debris flows, specifically in the second half of the 20th century. This paper presents and reviews existing surveys and knowledge along with results of own investigations on the formation of MGLs and the characteristics of lake outburst floods and debris flows in the Kazakh part of Tien Shan. We suggest a workflow to identify the most dangerous types of lakes and provide information about their morphogenetic features and hazard criteria. The number of MGLs increased since the 1970s with more than 160 existing in 2018. Forty were identified as being dangerous. Forty-eight lake outbursts occurred since 1950 with all the documented events happened between end of June and end of August. The most dangerous outbursts were caused by ruptures in ice-cored moraine dams. Outbursts of nine MGLs caused disastrous debris flows, with some occurring repeatedly. The number of outbursts clearly decreased since the year 2000 compared to 1970–2000. However, due to ongoing glacier retreat new lakes are forming at higher altitudes. Their greater potential energy makes possible future outbursts more dangerous. Re-evaluation of existing methods to calculate the water volume and peak discharge based on bathymetric measurements and observed outbursts revealed that the applied equations provide suitable approximations and allow supporting mitigation and prevention measures. Finally, the presentation of implemented measures to lower the water level using siphons or artificial flow channels shows that they can reduce the lake outburst hazards. However, they are associated with risks and financial costs and it needs to be carefully considered whether protection measures of the endangered areas are more cost effective.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Genomic diversity of Escherichia coli isolates from backyard chickens and guinea fowl in the Gambia

Chickens and guinea fowl are commonly reared in Gambian homes as affordable sources of protein. Using standard microbiological techniques, we obtained 68 caecal isolates of Escherichia coli from 10 chickens and 9 guinea fowl in rural Gambia. After Illumina whole-genome sequencing, 28 sequence types were detected in the isolates (4 of them novel), of which ST155 was the most common (22/68, 32 %). These strains span four of the eight main phylogroups of E. coli, with phylogroups B1 and A being most prevalent. Nearly a third of the isolates harboured at least one antimicrobial resistance gene, while most of the ST155 isolates (14/22, 64 %) encoded resistance to ≥3 classes of clinically relevant antibiotics, as well as putative virulence factors, suggesting pathogenic potential in humans. Furthermore, hierarchical clustering revealed that several Gambian poultry strains were closely related to isolates from humans. Although the ST155 lineage is common in poultry from Africa and South America, the Gambian ST155 isolates belong to a unique cgMLST cluster comprising closely related (38-39 alleles differences) isolates from poultry and livestock from sub-Saharan Africa - suggesting that strains can be exchanged between poultry and livestock in this setting. Continued surveillance of E. coli and other potential pathogens in rural backyard poultry from sub-Saharan Africa is warranted

Ageing enhances cellular immunity to myeloperoxidase and experimental anti-myeloperoxidase glomerulonephritis

OBJECTIVES: Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis is an autoimmune disease characterised by small blood vessel inflammation, commonly affecting the kidneys and respiratory tract. It is unclear why the incidence of this condition increases with age. Previous studies in a passive antibody transfer system in aged mice have implicated innate effectors. To test the hypothesis that autoimmunity to myeloperoxidase, an autoantigen responsible for ANCA-associated vasculitis, increases with age, anti-myeloperoxidase autoimmunity was studied in murine models of active autoimmunity and disease induced by cellular immunity. METHODS: Young (8 weeks) and aged (either 15 or 22 month) mice were immunised with whole proteins or peptides from ovalbumin, as a model foreign antigen, or myeloperoxidase protein or peptides. Mice were subjected to a model of active anti-myeloperoxidase glomerulonephritis. Cellular and humoral immune responses and tissue inflammation were assessed. RESULTS: While cellular immunity to ovalbumin was diminished in aged mice, cellular autoimmunity to myeloperoxidase and its immunodominant CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes was increased after immunization with either MPO peptides or whole MPO protein, assessed by peptide and antigen specific production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interferon-γ and interleukin-17A. MPO-ANCA titres were not increased in aged mice compared with young mice. In experimental anti-MPO glomerulonephritis, cell mediated injury was increased, likely due to CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, innate immunity and the increased vulnerability of aged kidneys. CONCLUSION: Heightened cellular immunity to MPO develops with ageing in mice and may contribute to the increased incidence and severity of ANCA-associated vasculitis in older people

Bs∗BKB_s^* B K vertex from QCD sum rules

The form factors and the coupling constant of the $B_s^* B K$ vertex are calculated using the QCD sum rules method. Three point correlation functions are computed considering both $K$ and $B$ mesons off-shell and, after an extrapolation of the QCDSR results, we obtain the coupling constant of the vertex. We study the uncertainties in our result by calculating a third form factor obtained when the $B^*_s$ is the off-shell meson, considering other acceptable structures and computing the variations of the sum rules' parameters. The form factors obtained have different behaviors but their simultaneous extrapolations reach to the same value of the coupling constant $g_{B_s^* B K}=10.6 \pm 1.7$. We compare our result with other theoretical estimates.Comment: 11 pages, 11 figure

GenomeRing: alignment visualization based on SuperGenome coordinates

Motivation: The number of completely sequenced genomes is continuously rising, allowing for comparative analyses of genomic variation. Such analyses are often based on whole-genome alignments to elucidate structural differences arising from insertions, deletions or from rearrangement events. Computational tools that can visualize genome alignments in a meaningful manner are needed to help researchers gain new insights into the underlying data. Such visualizations typically are either realized in a linear fashion as in genome browsers or by using a circular approach, where relationships between genomic regions are indicated by arcs. Both methods allow for the integration of additional information such as experimental data or annotations. However, providing a visualization that still allows for a quick and comprehensive interpretation of all important genomic variations together with various supplemental data, which may be highly heterogeneous, remains a challenge