Visual loss related to macular subretinal fluid and cystoid macular edema in HIV-related optic neuropathy

Optic nerve involvement may occur in various infectious diseases, but is rarely reported after infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). We report the atypical case of a 38-year-old patient in whom the presenting features of HIV infection were due to a bilateral optic neuropathy associated with macular subretinal fluid and cystoid macular edema, which responded well to antiretroviral therapy

Bioluminescence intensity modeling and sampling strategy optimization

Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society 2005. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology 22 (2005): 1267–1281, doi:10.1175/JTECH1760.1.The focus of this paper is on the development of methodology for short-term (1–3 days) oceanic bioluminescence (BL) predictions and the optimization of spatial and temporal bioluminescence sampling strategies. The approach is based on predictions of bioluminescence with an advection–diffusion–reaction (tracer) model with velocities and diffusivities from a circulation model. In previous research, it was shown that short-term changes in some of the salient features in coastal bioluminescence can be explained and predicted by using this approach. At the same time, it was demonstrated that optimization of bioluminescence sampling prior to the forecast is critical for successful short-term BL predictions with the tracer model. In the present paper, the adjoint to the tracer model is used to study the sensitivity of the modeled bioluminescence distributions to the sampling strategies for BL. The locations and times of bioluminescence sampling prior to the forecast are determined by using the adjoint-based sensitivity maps. The approach is tested with bioluminescence observations collected during August 2000 and 2003 in the Monterey Bay, California, area. During August 2000, BL surveys were collected during a strong wind relaxation event, while in August 2003, BL surveys were conducted during an extended (longer than a week) upwelling-favorable event. The numerical bioluminescence predictability experiments demonstrated a close agreement between observed and model-predicted short-term spatial and temporal changes of the coastal bioluminescence.This work has been supported by the Ocean Optics and Biology and Physical Oceanography Programs of the Office of Naval Research. Shulman’s support is through the NRL “Use of a Circulation Model to Enhance Predictability of Bioluminescence in the Coastal Ocean” project sponsored by the Office of Naval Research

On some aspects of the geometry of differential equations in physics

In this review paper, we consider three kinds of systems of differential equations, which are relevant in physics, control theory and other applications in engineering and applied mathematics; namely: Hamilton equations, singular differential equations, and partial differential equations in field theories. The geometric structures underlying these systems are presented and commented. The main results concerning these structures are stated and discussed, as well as their influence on the study of the differential equations with which they are related. Furthermore, research to be developed in these areas is also commented.Comment: 21 page

Calcitization of aragonitic bryozoans in Cenozoic tropical carbonates from East Kalimantan, Indonesia

© The Author(s) 2016. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The file attached is the published version of the article

Pinning and trapped field in MgB2- and MT-YBaCuO bulk superconductors manufactured under pressure

The relevant pinning centers of Abrikosov vortices in MgB$_{2}$–based materials are oxygen-enriched Mg-B-O inclusions or nanolayers and inclusions of MgB$_{x}$ (x>4) phases. The high critical current densities, j$_{c}$, of 10$^{6}$ and 10$^{3}$A/cm$^{2}$ at 1 and 8.5 T, respectively, at 20 K can be achieved in polycrystalline materials (prepared at 2 GPa) containing a large amount of admixed oxygen. Besides, oxygen can be incorporated into the MgB$_{2}$ structure in small amounts (MgB$_{1.5}$O$_{0.5}$), which is supported by Auger studies and calculations of the DOS and the binding energy. The j$_{c}$ of melt textured YBa$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-δ }$ (or Y123)-based superconductors (MT-YBaCuO) depends not only on the perfectness of texture and the amount of oxygen in the Y123 structure, but also on the density of twins and micro-cracks formed during the oxygenation (due to shrinking of the c-lattice parameter). The density of twins and microcracks increases with the reduction of the distance between Y$_{2}$BaCuO$_{5}$ (Y211) inclusions in Y123. At 77 K j$_{c}$=8⋅10$^{4}$ A/cm$^{2}$ in self-field and j$_{c}$=10$^{3}$ A/cm$^{2}$ at 10 Т were found in materials oxygenated at 16 MPa for 3 days with a density of twins of 22–35 per μm (thickness of the lamellae: 45-30 nm) and a density of micro-cracks of 200–280 per mm. Pinning can occur at the points of intersection between the Y123 twin planes and the Y211 inclusions. MTYBaCuO at 77 K can trap 1.4 T (38×38×17 mm, oxygenated at 0.1 MPa for 20 days) and 0.8 T (16 mm in diameter and 10 mm thick with 0.45 mm holes oxygenated at 10 MPa for 53 h). The sensitivity of MgB$_{2}$ to magnetic field variations (flux jumps) complicates estimates of the trapped field. At 20 K 1.8 T was found for a block of 30 mm in diameter and a thickness of 7.5 mm and 1.5 T (if the magnetic field was increased at a rate of 0.1 T) for a ring with dimensions 24×18 mm and a thickness of 8 mm

“Conjugate Channeling” Effect in Dislocation Core Diffusion: Carbon Transport in Dislocated BCC Iron

Dislocation pipe diffusion seems to be a well-established phenomenon. Here we demonstrate an unexpected effect, that the migration of interstitials such as carbon in iron may be accelerated not in the dislocation line direction [symbol], but in a conjugate diffusion direction. This accelerated random walk arises from a simple crystallographic channeling effect. [c] is a function of the Burgers vector b, but not [symbol], thus a dislocation loop possesses the same everywhere. Using molecular dynamics and accelerated dynamics simulations, we further show that such dislocation-core-coupled carbon diffusion in iron has temperature-dependent activation enthalpy like a fragile glass. The 71° mixed dislocation is the only case in which we see straightforward pipe diffusion that does not depend on dislocation mobility.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant No. CMMI-0728069)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant No. DMR-1008104)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant No. DMR-1120901

Effects of the combination of camptothecin and doxorubicin or etoposide on rat glioma cells and camptothecin-resistant variants

From the rat C6 glioma cell line in culture, we selected camptothecin-resistant variants by growth in the presence of increasing amounts of this drug (C6CPT10, C6CPT50 and C6CPT100, growing respectively with 10, 50 and 100 ng ml–1camptothecin). The degree of resistance to camptothecin ranged between 15-fold (C6CPT10) and 30-fold (C6CPT50and C6CPT100). The C6CPT10cell line presented a collateral sensitivity to etoposide (3.6-fold), while the C6CPT50 and C6CPT100 cell lines were cross-resistant to etoposide (1.8-fold) The resistant lines were characterised by a two-fold reduced content and catalytic activity of topoisomerase I, and C6CPT50 and C6CPT100 presented a significant increase in topoisomerase IIα content and catalytic activity and a marked overexpression of P-glycoprotein. We explored the cytotoxicity of combinations of a topoisomerase I inhibitor (camptothecin) and a topoisomerase II inhibitor (doxorubicin or etoposide) at several molar ratios, allowing the evaluation of their synergistic or antagonistic effects on cell survival using the median effect principle. The simultaneous combination of camptothecin and doxorubicin or etoposide was additive or antagonistic in C6 cells, slightly synergistic in the C6CPT10 line and never more than additive in the C6CPT50 and C6CPT100 cell lines. The sequential combination of doxorubicin and camptothecin gave additivity in the order camptothecin → doxorubicin and antagonism in the order doxorubicin → camptothecin. Clinical protocols combining a topoisomerase I and a topoisomerase II inhibitor should be considered with caution because antagonistic effects have been observed with combinations of camptothecin and doxorubicin.© 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co