Potential and limits of InSAR to characterize interseismic deformation independently of GPS data: Application to the southern San Andreas Fault system

The evaluation of long-wavelength deformation associated with interseismic strain accumulation traditionally relies on spatially sparse GPS measurements, or on high spatial-resolution InSAR velocity fields aligned to a GPS-based model. In this approach the InSAR contributes only short-wavelength deformation and the two data sets are dependent, thereby challenging the evaluation of the InSAR uncertainties and the justification of atmospheric corrections. Here we present an analysis using 7 years of Envisat InSAR data to characterize interseismic deformation along the southern San Andreas Fault (SAF) and the San Jacinto Fault (SJF) in southern California, where the SAF bifurcates onto the Mission Creek (MCF) and the Banning (BF) fault strands. We outline the processing steps for using InSAR alone to characterize both the short- and long-wavelength deformation, and evaluate the velocity field uncertainties with independent continuous GPS data. InSAR line-of-sight (LOS) and continuous GPS velocities agree within ∼1–2 mm/yr in the study area, suggesting that multiyear InSAR time series can be used to characterize interseismic deformation with a higher spatial resolution than GPS. We investigate with dislocation models the ability of this mean LOS velocity field to constrain fault slip rates and show that a single viewing geometry can help distinguish between different slip-rate scenarios on the SAF and SJF (∼35 km apart) but multiple viewing geometries are needed to differentiate slip on the MCF and BF (<12 km apart). Our results demonstrate that interseismic models of strain accumulation used for seismic hazards assessment would benefit from the consideration of InSAR mean velocity maps

Interseismic coupling and refined earthquake potential on the Hayward-Calaveras fault zone

Interseismic strain accumulation and fault creep is usually estimated from GPS and alignment arrays data, which provide precise but spatially sparse measurements. Here we use interferometric synthetic aperture radar to resolve the interseismic deformation associated with the Hayward and Calaveras Faults (HF and CF) in the East San Francisco Bay Area. The large 1992–2011 SAR data set permits evaluation of short- and long-wavelength deformation larger than 2 mm/yr without alignment of the velocity field to a GPS-based model. Our time series approach in which the interferogram selection is based on the spatial coherence enables deformation mapping in vegetated areas and leads to refined estimates of along-fault surface creep rates. Creep rates vary from 0 ± 2 mm/yr on the northern CF to 14 ± 2 mm/yr on the central CF south of the HF surface junction. We estimate the long-term slip rates by inverting the long-wavelength deformation and the distribution of shallow slip due to creep by inverting the remaining velocity field. This distribution of slip reveals the locations of locked and slowly creeping patches with potential for a M6.8 ± 0.3 on the HF near San Leandro, a M6.6 ± 0.2 on the northern CF near Dublin, a M6.5 ± 0.1 on the HF south of Fremont, and a M6.2 ± 0.2 on the central CF near Morgan Hill. With cascading multisegment ruptures the HF rupturing from Berkeley to the CF junction could produce a M6.9 ± 0.1, the northern CF a M6.6 ± 0.1, the central CF a M6.9 ± 0.2 from the junction to Gilroy, and a joint rupture of the HF and central CF could produce a M7.1 ± 0.1

Survival rate of colorectal cancer in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Different studies have been conducted to estimate the survival rate of colorectal cancer in Iran but there is no overall estimate of the survival rate. The aim of this study was to calculate the pooled 1, 3, and 5-year survival rate of the patients with colorectal cancer in Iran. Methods: To retrieve relevant studies, we conducted a systematic search in Iranian databases, including Iran Medex, Magiran, SID, and international databases such as Medlin/PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar using "Colorectal Neoplasms" and "Survival Rate" as keywords up to December 1st, 2017. We used random effect model to estimate pooled 1, 3, and 5-year survival rates of the patients with colorectal cancer in Iran. To assess the heterogeneity, we used Chi-squared test at the 5 significance level (p &lt; 0.05) and I2 Index. We used meta-regression and subgroup analysis to find a potential source of heterogeneity. Results: After a systematic search, 196 articles were found, of the 38 studies met the eligibility criteria and are included in our meta-analysis. The pooled 1, 3, and 5-year survival rates in patient with colorectal cancer were 0.84 (95 CI: 0.81-0.87), 0.64 (95CI: 0.59-0.70), and 0.54 (95CI: 0.49-0.58) respectively. The 5-year survival rate in the subgroup of women was 0.5 (0.44-0.56) and in male subgroup was 0.44 (0.40-0.48). In a subgroup of the tumor site, the 5-year survival rate in colon cancer was 0.6 (0.49-0.75) and rectum cancer was 0.54 (0.36-0.69). In multivariable models, there was a significant association between years of study and 5-year survival rate as a source of heterogeneity (β = 18.9, P=0.01). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, women had a better survival rate than men, and according to the tumor site, the 5-year survival rate in colon cancer was better than the rectum cancer. © 2019 Asian Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention

Pre-supernova stellar feedback in nearby starburst dwarf galaxies

Context. Stellar feedback in dwarf galaxies remains, to date, poorly explored, yet is crucial to understanding galaxy evolution in the early Universe. In particular, pre-supernova feedback has recently been found to play a significant role in regulating and disrupting star formation in larger spiral galaxies, but it remains uncertain if it also plays this role in dwarfs.Aims. We study the ionised gas properties and stellar content of individual star-forming regions across three nearby, low-metallicity (12 + log(O/H)∼7.5), dwarf (M* ∼ 40 × 106 M⊙), starburst (log(SFR)∼ − 2.8) galaxies (J0921, KKH046, and Leo P) to investigate how massive stars influence their surroundings and how this influence changes as a function of environment.Methods. We extracted integrated spectra of 30 HII regions from archival VLT/MUSE integral field spectroscopic observations of these three dwarf starburst galaxies. We fitted the HII regions’ main emission lines with Gaussian profiles to derive their oxygen abundances, electron densities, and luminosities, and we used the Stochastically Lighting Up Galaxies (SLUG) code to derive the stellar mass, age, and bolometric luminosity of the stellar populations driving the HII regions. We quantified two pre-supernova stellar feedback mechanisms, namely the direct radiation pressure and photoionisation feedback, and explored how feedback strength varies with HII region properties.Results. Our findings suggest that stellar feedback has less of an impact on evolved regions, with both the pressure of the ionised gas and the direct radiation pressure decreasing as a function of HII region size (i.e. the evolutionary stage). We find that these stellar feedback mechanisms are also dependent on the metallicity of the HII regions. These findings extend results from stellar feedback studies of more massive star-forming galaxies to the low-mass, low-metallicity regime. In addition, we conclude that the use of stochastic stellar population models significantly affects the relationships found between feedback-related pressure terms and HII region properties, and in particular that non-stochastic models can severely underestimate the bolometric luminosity of low-mass stellar populations

Phenolic metabolism and antioxidant activity during endodormancy of Kiwifruit buds

Bud dormancy is an adaptability process in woody plants that enables them to survive in unfavorable conditions. In the present study, the phenols, antioxidant capacity, and activity of three enzymes were evaluated during endodormancy phases in two Hayward and Tomuri cultivars and two female and male Golden genotypes of kiwifruit buds. The buds were collected from ten-year-old own-rooted vines from the end of October 2015 until the end of January 2016 in the north of Iran. The results revealed that phenols, antioxidant capacity (RSA), phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities of buds significantly increased at the beginning of endodormancy and subsequently decreased at the end of the endodormancy. The POD activity increased in Hayward and Tomuri from the onset of endodormancy and continued for two weeks after the endodormancy release. The total phenol had a positive and significant correlation with RSA and PAL enzyme activity. Furthermore, higher antioxidant capacity and phenols in both male and female Golden genotypes were attributed to the higher PAL enzyme activity in both genotypes. This study proposes that the RSA%, PAL activity, and phenol concentration could be employed as a biomarker to indicate bud dormancy phases in kiwifruit.

Molecular investigation of etiologic agents causing vulvovaginal candidiasis

Background: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is an ordinary infection caused by Candida species. Meanwhile, a shift towards non-albicans Candida (NAC) species has been detected in VVC patients. Objectives: This study aimed at molecular identification of Candida isolates, causing VVC. Methods: Vaginal secretion samples of 320 non-pregnant vaginitis patients at Shahid Akbar-Abadi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital in Tehran (Iran) were collected. Samples were evaluated using mycological and molecular approaches. Vaginitis isolates were analyzed with the PCR using NL1 and NL4 primers, and the D1/D2 region of the large-subunit rRNA gene was amplified and sequenced. Results: In total, 100 Candida isolates were identified from VVC and recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC). Candida albicans was the most frequent (51), followed by C. glabrata (36), C. krusei (Pichia kudriavzevii) (8), and C. kefyr (Kluyveromyces marxianus) (5). 51 and 49 of isolates had C. albicans and NAC, respectively. Conclusions: Candida albicans and C. glabrata were the most common agents of vulvovaginal candidiasis. NAC spp. (49) was found as an important agent associated with VVC. © 2020, Author(s)

Prevalence and predictive factors for nosocomial infection in the military hospitals: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: To assess prevalence and predictive factors for Nosocomial Infection (NI) in the military hospitals. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane and PreQuest databases were systematically searched for studies published between Jan 1991 and Oct 2017 that reported the prevalence of NI and predictive factors among military hospitals. We performed the meta-analysis using a random effects model. Subgroup analysis was done for heterogeneity and the Egger test to funnel plots was used to assess publication bias. Results: Twenty-eight studies with 250,374 patients were evaluated in meta-analysis. The overall pooled estimate of the prevalence of NI was 8 (95 6.0�9.0). The pooled prevalence was 2 (95 CI: 2.0�3.0) when we did sensitivity analysis and excluding a study. The prevalence was highest in burn unit (32) and ICU (15). Reported risk factors for NI included gender (male vs female, OR: 1.45), age (Age�65, OR: 2.4), diabetes mellitus (OR: 2.32), inappropriate use of antibiotics (OR: 2.35), received mechanical support (OR: 2.81), co-morbidities (OR: 2.97), admitted into the ICU (OR: 2.26), smoking (OR: 1.36) and BMI (OR: 1.09). Conclusion: The review revealed a difference of prevalence in military hospitals with other hospitals and shows a high prevalence of NI in burn units. Therefore careful disinfection and strict procedures of infection control are necessary in places that serve immunosuppressed individuals such as burn patient. Moreover, a vision for the improvement of reports and studies in military hospitals to report the rate of these infections are necessary. © 2021, Iranian Journal of Public Health. All rights reserved

Candidemia and its risk factors in neonates and children

Objectives: The present study was conducted to raise attention to the frequency of Candida spp. and evaluation of risk factors of candidemia in hospitalized neonates and children. Methods: Identification of Candida at species level was done using the PCR-RFLP method. The Candida albicans complex and Candida parapsilosis complex were differentiated using the HWP1 gene amplification and PCR-RFLP with NlaIII restriction enzyme, respectively. Results: Out of 75 blood culture specimens, 42 (84) cases were positive for Candida spp. of whom 30 (71.42) and 12 (28.57) cases were female and male, respectively. Thirty-two (76) candidemia were presented in pediatrics with 6 years up to 12 years, 10 (23.80) in neonates of one month or less. In the present study, Candida parapsilosis (n =25; 59.52) was the most prevalent isolated species followed by C. albicans (n =11; 26.19), C. tropicalis (n =4; 9.52), and Candida glabrata (n =2; 4.76). Conclusions: According to potentially dangerous complications of bloodstream infection by Candida spp. in neonates and children, it is necessary to identify and eliminate the underlying conditions and risk factors of this disease. © 2020, Author(s)

Expressions of TWIST1 and CD105 markers in colorectal cancer patients and their association with metastatic potential and prognosis

Background: TWIST1 and CD105, which contribute to tumor malignancy, are overexpressed in cancers. Accordingly, TWIST1 enhances epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and promotes the formation of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Also, CD105 is a neoangiogenesis marker in endothelial cells, which is introduced as a CSC marker in tumoral epithelial cells in several types of cancers. The present study was aimed to investigate expressions of TWIST1 and CD105 in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Methods: Expressions of TWIST1 and CD105 in 250 CRC tissue samples were evaluated using immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays (TMAs). In this regard, TWIST1 expression was investigated in the subcellular locations (cytoplasm and nucleus), while CD105 was mapped in endothelial cells and cytoplasmic tumor cells of CRC tissues. The association between the expression of these markers and clinicopathological parameters, as well as survival outcomes were analyzed. Results: Results indicate a statistically significant association between higher nuclear expression levels of TWIST1 and distant metastases in CRC (P = 0.040) patients. In addition, it was shown that the increased nuclear expression of TWIST1 had a poor prognostic value for disease-specific survival (DSS) and progression-free survival (PFS) (P = 0.042, P = 0.043, respectively) in patients with CRC. Moreover, analysis of CD105 expression level has revealed that there is a statistically significant association between the increased expression of CD105 in tumoral epithelial cells and more advanced TNM stage (P = 0.050). Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that nuclear TWIST1 and cytoplasmic CD105 expressions in tumor cells had associations with more aggressive tumor behavior and more advanced diseases in CRC cases. © 2021, The Author(s)

Energy wrinkles and phase-space folds of the last major merger

Relying on the dramatic increase in the number of stars with full 6D phase-space information provided by the Gaia Data Release 3, we resolve the distribution of the stellar halo around the Sun to uncover signatures of incomplete phase-mixing. We show that, for the stars likely belonging to the last massive merger, the (vr, r) distribution contains a series of long and thin chevron-like overdensities. These phase-space substructures have been predicted to emerge following the dissolution of a satellite, when its tidal debris is given time to wind up, thin out, and fold. Such chevrons have been spotted in external galaxies before; here, we report the first detection in our own Milky Way. We also show that the observed angular momentum Lz distribution appears more prograde at high energies, possibly revealing the original orbital angular momentum of the in-falling galaxy. The energy distribution of the debris is strongly asymmetric with a peak at low E – which, we surmise, may be evidence of the dwarf’s rapid sinking – and riddled with wrinkles and bumps. We demonstrate that similar phase-space and (E, Lz) substructures are present in numerical simulations of galaxy interactions, both in bespoke N-body runs and in cosmological hydrodynamical zoom-in suites. The remnant traces of the progenitor’s disruption and the signatures of the on-going phase-mixing discovered here will not only help to constrain the properties of our Galaxy’s most important interaction, but also can be used as a novel tool to map out the Milky Way’s current gravitational potential and its perturbations