The continuity of the inversion and the structure of maximal subgroups in countably compact topological semigroups

In this paper we search for conditions on a countably compact (pseudo-compact) topological semigroup under which: (i) each maximal subgroup $H(e)$ in $S$ is a (closed) topological subgroup in $S$; (ii) the Clifford part $H(S)$(i.e. the union of all maximal subgroups) of the semigroup $S$ is a closed subset in $S$; (iii) the inversion $\operatorname{inv}\colon H(S)\to H(S)$ is continuous; and (iv) the projection $\pi\colon H(S)\to E(S)$, $\pi\colon x\longmapsto xx^{-1}$, onto the subset of idempotents $E(S)$ of $S$, is continuous

Molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis in the Somali region, eastern Ethiopia

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in low-income countries like Ethiopia. However, because of the limited laboratory infrastructure there is a shortage of comprehensive data on the genotypes of clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) complex (MTBC) in peripheral regions of Ethiopia. The objective of this study was to characterize MTBC isolates in the Somali region of eastern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three health institutions between October 2018 and December 2019 in the capital of Somali region. A total of 323 MTBC isolates (249 from pulmonary TB and 74 from extrapulmonary TB) were analyzed using regions of difference 9 (RD 9)-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and spoligotyping. Results: Of the 323 MTBC isolates, 99.7% (95% CI: 99.1-100%) were M. tuberculosis while the remaining one isolate was M. bovis based on RD 9-based PCR. Spoligotyping identified 71 spoligotype patterns; 61 shared types and 10 orphans. A majority of the isolates were grouped in shared types while the remaining grouped in orphans. The M. tuberculosis lineages identified in this study were lineage 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 with the percentages of 7.4, 2.2, 28.2, 60.4, and 0.6%, respectively. Most (87.9%) of the isolates were classified in clustered spoligotypes while the remaining 12.1% isolates were singletons. The predominant clustered spoligotypes identified were SIT 149, SIT 21, SIT 26, SIT 53, and SIT 52, each consisting of 17.6, 13.3, 8.4, 7.4, and 5%, respectively. Lineage 3 and lineage 4, as well as the age group (15-24), were associated significantly with clustering. Conclusion: The MTBC isolated from TB patients in Somali region were highly diverse, with considerable spoligotype clustering which suggests active TB transmission. In addition, the Beijing spoligotype was isolated in relatively higher frequency than the frequencies of its isolation from the other regions of Ethiopia warranting the attention of the TB Control Program of the Somali region

Drug sensitivity of clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its association with bacterial genotype in the Somali region, Eastern Ethiopia

Background: Drug resistance is becoming a major bottleneck for tuberculosis (TB) control programs in countries with high TB burdens. Although several studies were conducted on the drug sensitivity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) in central Ethiopia, there is a lack of data on the drug sensitivity of M. tuberculosis in the peripheral regions of the country including in the Somali region. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the drug sensitivity of M. tuberculosis and its association with bacterial genotype and evaluate the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF (Xpert) in detecting resistance to rifampicin (RIF). Methods: A total of 302 M. tuberculosis were tested using the BD BACTEC-Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube 960 (MGIT 960) system for their drug sensitivity to the first-line anti-TB drugs. Besides, the drug sensitivity of 10 multidrug-resistant (MDR) M. tuberculosis isolates was evaluated for the second-line anti-TB drugs. Additionally, 177 of the 302 isolates were tested for genotypic drug resistance using Xpert. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for the evaluation of the association between variables and drug sensitivity. Results: The overall prevalence of resistance to at least one drug was 11.6% (95% CI: 7.9-15.2%), while the prevalence of MDR was 3.3% (95% CI: 1.3-5.3%). Two of the 10 MDR isolates were resistant to capreomycin. The spoligotype Shared International Type (SIT) 149 was significantly associated with either monoresistance or MDR (p < 0.05). Of the 177 isolates tested by Xpert, 6.2% (11/177) were RIF-resistant. Discordant between Xpert and MGIT 960 was observed in one isolate and linked with probe-binding delay (DeltaCT max = 5.8). The sensitivity and specificity of the Xpert assay were 100 and 99.4%, respectively, while its positive and negative predictive values were 90.9 and 100%, respectively. Conclusion: The magnitude of MDR M. tuberculosis in the Somali region of Ethiopia was higher than the national prevalence of MDR-TB warranting the strengthening of the TB control program in the Somali region. Besides, drug resistance was associated with SIT 149 spoligotype (genotype). The Xpert assay was observed to have high sensitivity and specificity in detecting RIF-resistant M. tuberculosis, which is encouraging for its application widely

Development and Evaluation of SENSE-ational Mealtimes: a Book for Families with Mealtime Difficulties

Many families with young children experience mealtime difficulties whereby the child eats a limited range of foods and/or refuses new food. Clinical interventions typically include behaviour training, enhancement of parenting skills and nutrition education. Clinical experience and a review of the literature across several domains suggested that interventions that optimise reflective functioning and understandings about sensory preferences at mealtimes are needed for both mild and complex mealtime difficulties. This study describes the development of the SENSE-ational Mealtimes book for families with mealtime difficulties and reports the findings of the initial evaluation. A questionnaire was used to assess the change in the frequency of difficult mealtimes, level of concern, understandings, feelings and goals of mothers 2 months after the book was distributed in a community setting. Mothers also provided feedback regarding helpfulness of the book, needs of families and recommendations. There was a statistically significant improvement in all aspects, namely frequency of mealtime difficulties, level of concern, understandings, feelings and goals. The subjective data indicated that the concepts instrumental in enhancing most mothers' understandings were how sensory preferences and past experiences of all members of the family had an impact on mealtime interactions. Initial evaluation suggests that wide-spread access to the SENSE-ational Mealtimes book could be an inexpensive approach to reduce the costs of adverse effects of mealtime difficulties on the emotional well-being of families and dietary intake of children. Mothers unanimously recommended the SENSE-ational Mealtimes book for both targeted prevention of and early intervention with mealtime difficulties in families

Russellian Monism and Mental Causation

© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.According to Russellian monism, consciousness is constituted at least partly by quiddities: intrinsic properties that categorically ground dispositional properties described by fundamental physics. If the theory is true, then consciousness and such dispositional properties are closely connected. But how closely? The contingency thesis says that the connection is contingent. For example, on this thesis the dispositional property associated with negative charge might have been categorically grounded by a quiddity that is distinct from the one that actually grounds it. Some argue that Russellian monism entails the contingency thesis and that this makes its consciousness‐constituting quiddities epiphenomenal—a disastrous outcome for a theory that is motivated partly by its prospects for integrating consciousness into physical causation. We consider two versions of that argument, a generic version and an intriguing version developed by Robert J. Howell, which he bases on Jaegwon Kim's well‐known “exclusion argument.” We argue that neither succeeds.Peer reviewe

Kinetic study of the selective hydrogenation of styrene over a Pd egg-shell composite catalyst

This is a study on the kinetics of the liquid-phase hydrogenation of styrene to ethylbenzene over a catalyst of palladium supported on an inorganic–organic composite. This support has a better mechanical resistance than other commercial supports, e.g. alumina, and yields catalysts with egg-shell structure and a very thin active Pd layer. Catalytic tests were carried out in a batch reactor by varying temperature, total pressure and styrene initial concentration between 353–393 K, 10–30 bar, and 0.26–0.60 mol L−1. Kinetic models were developed on the assumptions of dissociative hydrogen chemisorption and non-negligible adsorption of hydrogen and styrene. Final chemical reaction expressions useful for reactor design were obtained. The models that best fitted the experimental data were those ones that considered the surface reaction as the limiting step. In this sense, a two-step Horiuti–Polanyi working mechanism with half hydrogenation intermediates gave the best fit of the experimental data. The heats of adsorption of styrene and ethylbenzene were also estimated.The authors are gratefully indebted to CONICET, ANPCyT and Universidad Nacional del Litoral for financially sponsoring this research work

Porphyrin accumulation induced by 5-aminolaevulinic acid esters in tumour cells growing in vitro and in vivo

The ability of 5-aminolaevulinic acid and some of its esterified derivatives to induce porphyrin accumulation has been examined in CaNT murine mammary carcinoma cells growing in culture and as tumours in vivo. Topical or intravenous administration of 5-aminolaevulinic acid-esters to mice bearing subcutaneous tumours produced lower porphyrin levels in the tumour than an equimolar dose of 5-aminolaevulinic acid. Reducing the dose of intravenous hexyl- or benzyl-ALA and topical hexyl-5-aminolaevulinic acid resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in porphyrin accumulation. A number of normal tissues accumulated higher concentrations of porphyrins than tumour tissue following intravenous administration of 5-aminolaevulinic acid-esters. Esterase activity in these normal tissues was greater than that in tumour tissue. In contrast to the situation in vivo, all of the 5-aminolaevulinic acid-esters examined were at least as effective as 5-aminolaevulinic acid when applied to cloned CaNT cells in vitro, with the drug concentration required for maximum porphyrin accumulation varying with ester chain-length. Tumour cells growing in culture released esterase activity into the medium. These findings suggest that the efficacy of 5-aminolaevulinic esters may vary depending on the esterase activity of the target tissue, and suggest caution when interpreting the findings of in vitro studies using these and similar prodrugs

Using formative research to develop the healthy eating component of the CHANGE! school-based curriculum intervention

Background: Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern. Many intervention studies have attempted to combat childhood obesity, often in the absence of formative or preparatory work. This study describes the healthy eating component of the formative phase of the Children’s Health Activity and Nutrition: Get Educated! (CHANGE!) project. The aim of the present study was to gather qualitative focus group and interview data regarding healthy eating particularly in relation to enabling and influencing factors, barriers and knowledge in children and adults (parents and teachers) from schools within the CHANGE! programme to provide populationspecific evidence to inform the subsequent intervention design. Methods: Semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with children, parents and teachers across 11 primary schools in the Wigan borough of North West England. Sixty children (N = 24 boys), 33 parents (N = 4 male) and 10 teachers (N = 4 male) participated in the study. Interview questions were structured around the PRECEDE phases of the PRECEDE-PROCEED model. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using the pen-profiling technique. Results: The pen-profiles revealed that children’s knowledge of healthy eating was generally good, specifically many children were aware that fruit and vegetable consumption was ‘healthy’ (N = 46). Adults’ knowledge was also good, including restricting fatty foods, promoting fruit and vegetable intake, and maintaining a balanced diet. The important role parents play in children’s eating behaviours and food intake was evident. The emerging themes relating to barriers to healthy eating showed that external drivers such as advertising, the preferred sensory experience of “unhealthy” foods, and food being used as a reward may play a role in preventing healthy eating. Conclusions: Data suggest that; knowledge related to diet composition was not a barrier per se to healthy eating, and education showing how to translate knowledge into behavior or action is required. The key themes that emerged through the focus groups and pen-profiling data analysis technique will be used to inform and tailor the healthy eating component of the CHANGE! intervention study. Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN03863885 Keywords: Nutrition, Childhood obesity, Pen-profiles, Health, School

Functional Cure of SIVagm Infection in Rhesus Macaques Results in Complete Recovery of CD4+ T Cells and Is Reverted by CD8+ Cell Depletion

Understanding the mechanism of infection control in elite controllers (EC) may shed light on the correlates of control of disease progression in HIV infection. However, limitations have prevented a clear understanding of the mechanisms of elite controlled infection, as these studies can only be performed at randomly selected late time points in infection, after control is achieved, and the access to tissues is limited. We report that SIVagm infection is elite-controlled in rhesus macaques (RMs) and therefore can be used as an animal model for EC HIV infection. A robust acute infection, with high levels of viral replication and dramatic mucosal CD4+ T cell depletion, similar to pathogenic HIV-1/SIV infections of humans and RMs, was followed by complete and durable control of SIVagm replication, defined as: undetectable VLs in blood and tissues beginning 72 to 90 days postinoculation (pi) and continuing at least 4 years; seroreversion; progressive recovery of mucosal CD4+ T cells, with complete recovery by 4 years pi; normal levels of T cell immune activation, proliferation, and apoptosis; and no disease progression. This “functional cure” of SIVagm infection in RMs could be reverted after 4 years of control of infection by depleting CD8 cells, which resulted in transient rebounds of VLs, thus suggesting that control may be at least in part immune mediated. Viral control was independent of MHC, partial APOBEC restriction was not involved in SIVagm control in RMs and Trim5 genotypes did not impact viral replication. This new animal model of EC lentiviral infection, in which complete control can be predicted in all cases, permits research on the early events of infection in blood and tissues, before the defining characteristics of EC are evident and when host factors are actively driving the infection towards the EC status

Recent Salmon Declines: A Result of Lost Feeding Opportunities Due to Bad Timing?

As the timing of spring productivity blooms in near-shore areas advances due to warming trends in global climate, the selection pressures on out-migrating salmon smolts are shifting. Species and stocks that leave natal streams earlier may be favoured over later-migrating fish. The low post-release survival of hatchery fish during recent years may be in part due to static release times that do not take the timing of plankton blooms into account. This study examined the effects of release time on the migratory behaviour and survival of wild and hatchery-reared coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) using acoustic and coded-wire telemetry. Plankton monitoring and near-shore seining were also conducted to determine which habitat and food sources were favoured. Acoustic tags (n = 140) and coded-wire tags (n = 266,692) were implanted into coho salmon smolts at the Seymour and Quinsam Rivers, in British Columbia, Canada. Differences between wild and hatchery fish, and early and late releases were examined during the entire lifecycle. Physiological sampling was also carried out on 30 fish from each release group. The smolt-to-adult survival of coho salmon released during periods of high marine productivity was 1.5- to 3-fold greater than those released both before and after, and the fish's degree of smoltification affected their downstream migration time and duration of stay in the estuary. Therefore, hatchery managers should consider having smolts fully developed and ready for release during the peak of the near-shore plankton blooms. Monitoring chlorophyll a levels and water temperature early in the spring could provide a forecast of the timing of these blooms, giving hatcheries time to adjust their release schedule