Ecological basis of coevolutionary history

Journal ArticleMacroevolutionary patterns are difficult to interpret because they are the product of a time scale so vast that deterministic and chance events are hard to distinguish. Although the macroevolutionary history of a group can be reconstructed from extant species, determining the ecological context in which that group evolved is a tall order. Ecology involves interactions between organisms and both the living and nonliving components of their environments

The Medical Case for a Positron Emission Tomography and X-ray Computed Tomography Combined Service in Oman

The value of a positron emission tomography and X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) combined service in terms of diagnostic accuracy, cost-effectiveness and impact on clinical decision-making is welldocumented in the literature. Its role in the management of patients presenting with cancer is shifting from early staging and restaging to the early assessment of the treatment response. Currently, the application of PET/CT has extended to non-oncological specialties—mainly neurology, cardiology and rheumatology. A further emerging application for PET/CT is the imaging of infection/inflammation. This article illustrates some of the PET/CT applications in both oncological and non-oncological disorders. In view of the absence of this modality in Oman, this article aims to increase the awareness of the importance of these imaging modalities and their significant impact on diagnosis and management in both oncological and non-oncological specialties for patients of all age groups as well as the decision-makers

A Forensic Study of the Effectiveness of Selected Anti-Virus Products Against SSDT Hooking Rootkits

For Microsoft Windows Operating Systems, both anti-virus products and kernel rootkits often hook the System Service Dispatch Table (SSDT). This research paper investigates the interaction between these two in terms of the SSDT. To investigate these matters, we extracted digital evidence from volatile memory, and studied that evidence using the Volatility framework. Due to the diversity in detection techniques used by the anti-virus products, and the diversity of infection techniques used by rootkits, our investigation produced diverse results, results that helped us to understand several SSDT hooking strategies, and the interaction between the selected anti-virus products and the rootkit samples. Keywords: System Service Dispatch Table (SSDT), Anti-virus, Rootkits, Memory Analysis, Volatilit

Association between alcohol and cardiovascular disease: Mendelian randomisation analysis based on individual participant data

Lista completa dos Autores: Holmes MV, Dale CE, Zuccolo L, Silverwood RJ, Guo Y, Ye Z, Prieto-Merino D, Dehghan A, Trompet S, Wong A, Cavadino A, Drogan D, Padmanabhan S, Li S, Yesupriya A, Leusink M, Sundstrom J, Hubacek JA, Pikhart H, Swerdlow DI, Panayiotou AG, Borinskaya SA, Finan C, Shah S, Kuchenbaecker KB, Shah T, Engmann J, Folkersen L, Eriksson P, Ricceri F, Melander O, Sacerdote C, Gamble DM, Rayaprolu S, Ross OA, McLachlan S, Vikhireva O, Sluijs I, Scott RA, Adamkova V, Flicker L, Bockxmeer FM, Power C, Marques-Vidal P, Meade T, Marmot MG, Ferro JM, Paulos-Pinheiro S, Humphries SE, Talmud PJ, Mateo Leach I, Verweij N, Linneberg A, Skaaby T, Doevendans PA, Cramer MJ, van der Harst P, Klungel OH, Dowling NF, Dominiczak AF, Kumari M, Nicolaides AN, Weikert C, Boeing H, Ebrahim S, Gaunt TR, Price JF, Lannfelt L, Peasey A, Kubinova R, Pajak A, Malyutina S, Voevoda MI, Tamosiunas A, Maitland-van der Zee AH, Norman PE, Hankey GJ, Bergmann MM, Hofman A, Franco OH, Cooper J, Palmen J, Spiering W, de Jong PA, Kuh D, Hardy R, Uitterlinden AG, Ikram MA, Ford I, Hyppönen E, Almeida OP, Wareham NJ, Khaw KT, Hamsten A, Husemoen LL, Tjønneland A, Tolstrup JS, Rimm E, Beulens JW, Verschuren WM, Onland-Moret NC, Hofker MH, Wannamethee SG, Whincup PH, Morris R, Vicente AM, Watkins H, Farrall M, Jukema JW, Meschia J, Cupples LA, Sharp SJ, Fornage M, Kooperberg C, LaCroix AZ, Dai JY, Lanktree MB, Siscovick DS, Jorgenson E, Spring B, Coresh J, Li YR, Buxbaum SG, Schreiner PJ, Ellison RC, Tsai MY, Patel SR, Redline S, Johnson AD, Hoogeveen RC, Hakonarson H, Rotter JI, Boerwinkle E, de Bakker PI, Kivimaki M, Asselbergs FW, Sattar N, Lawlor DA, Whittaker J, Davey Smith G, Mukamal K, Psaty BM, Wilson JG, Lange LA, Hamidovic A, Hingorani AD, Nordestgaard BG, Bobak M, Leon DA, Langenberg C, Palmer TM, Reiner AP, Keating BJ, Dudbridge F, Casas JP; InterAct Consortium.To use the rs1229984 variant in the alcohol dehydrogenase 1B gene (ADH1B) as an instrument to investigate the causal role of alcohol in cardiovascular disease. DESIGN: Mendelian randomisation meta-analysis of 56 epidemiological studies

Monolithic Integration of a Plasmonic Sensor with CMOS Technology

Monolithic integration of nanophotonic sensors with CMOS detectors can transform the laboratory based nanophotonic sensors into practical devices with a range of applications in everyday life. In this work, by monolithically integrating an array of gold nanodiscs with the CMOS photodiode we have developed a compact and miniaturized nanophotonic sensor system having direct electrical read out. Doing so eliminates the need of expensive and bulky laboratory based optical spectrum analyzers used currently for measurements of nanophotonic sensor chips. The experimental optical sensitivity of the gold nanodiscs is measured to be 275 nm/RIU which translates to an electrical sensitivity of 5.4 V/RIU. This integration of nanophotonic sensors with the CMOS electronics has the potential to revolutionize personalized medical diagnostics similar to the way in which the CMOS technology has revolutionized the electronics industry

Determination of Near-Surface Anisotropy From Surface Electromagnetic Data

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) signatures, such as reflection moveout, are sensitive to the presence of azimuthal anisotropy. Azimuthal anisotropy can occur as an intrinsic property of the medium and/or due to the presence of fractures. In such cases, the GPR normal moveout (NMO) velocity, along different orientations of common-midpoint (CMP) gathers, varies with azimuth. This fact is well known in surface reflection seismology. The azimuthal variation of the NMO velocity in an arbitrary medium is elliptical. Considering the analogy between seismic wave propagation in surface seismology and GPR sounding, we can transfer some of the ideas between both fields, including the ellipticity of the NMO velocity in a fractured medium. Here, we discuss briefly GPR reflection moveout in azimuthally anisotropic media. Our study focuses on the transverse mode of electromagnetic wave propagation in which the polarization is normal to the incidence plane of the CMP gathers. A field data example is presented in which three GPR CMP gathers are acquired along three different azimuths, 60° apart, over a fractured medium. Our data analysis demonstrates the azimuthal variation of the GPR NMO velocity, which is utilized to invert for the local orientation of the fracture system in the near surface. The results obtained from the field example agree with the information obtained from geology and near surface studies. This work has important applications in imaging near surface geologic structures and in the determination of tectonic-induced fractures in the near surface.Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Earth Resources LaboratorySaudi Aramc

Killer Jobs: The Dark Side of Being a Physical Education Teacher

The profession of physical education (PE) teacher involves a variety of risks. Most PE teachers or future teachers are aware of the risks associated with their students becoming injured. Sport law classes often discuss negligence, risk management, proper supervision, suitable equipment, appropriate instruction, proper matching of opponents, etc. The focus is primarily or exclusively on student safety. Rarely is the focus on the risks PE teachers face themselves. This article discusses the largely neglected topics of transportation, workplace violence, and slip/trip and falls, all of which are occupational hazards for PE teachers, potentially associated with serious injuries or death

Roar of the Crowd: Noise-Related Safety Concerns in Sport

In sport the safety of staff, participants and spectators is of the utmost importance. Therefore, sport venue and event managers should take every precaution to address safety concerns while planning for and executing events or activities. While venue managers have a legal duty to protect fans and participants, federal regulations exist to ensure a safe workplace for all employees, including those at a sports event. This is a conceptual article intended to assist practitioners to identify potentially unexpected hazards within the work environment, as well as strategies to eliminate or manage them. The authors examine existing federal regulations, current research associated with hearing/noise-related concerns and specific research undertaken in the sport environment. The article concludes with recommended prevention strategies for facility and event managers to assist them in meeting their professional and legal obligations

Pluripotent and Multipotent Stem Cells Display Distinct Hypoxic miRNA Expression Profiles

MicroRNAs are reported to have a crucial role in the regulation of self-renewal and differentiation of stem cells. Hypoxia has been identified as a key biophysical element of the stem cell culture milieu however, the link between hypoxia and miRNA expression in stem cells remains poorly understood. We therefore explored miRNA expression in hypoxic human embryonic and mesenchymal stem cells (hESCs and hMSCs). A total of 50 and 76 miRNAs were differentially regulated by hypoxia (2% O2) in hESCs and hMSCs, respectively, with a negligible overlap of only three miRNAs. We found coordinate regulation of precursor and mature miRNAs under hypoxia suggesting their regulation mainly at transcriptional level. Hypoxia response elements were located upstream of 97% of upregulated hypoxia regulated miRNAs (HRMs) suggesting hypoxia-inducible-factor (HIF) driven transcription. HIF binding to the candidate cis-elements of specific miRNAs under hypoxia was confirmed by Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with qPCR. Role analysis of a subset of upregulated HRMs identified linkage to reported inhibition of differentiation while a downregulated subset of HRMs had a putative role in the promotion of differentiation. MiRNA-target prediction correlation with published hypoxic hESC and hMSC gene expression profiles revealed HRM target genes enriched in the cytokine:cytokine receptor, HIF signalling and pathways in cancer. Overall, our study reveals, novel and distinct hypoxia-driven miRNA signatures in hESCs and hMSCs with the potential for application in optimised culture and differentiation models for both therapeutic application and improved understanding of stem cell biology