A case of episcleral tattooing – an emerging body modification trend

In 2007 an article was published describing the first forays into the practice of episcleral tattooing. Currently only a handful of people worldwide have undergone this procedure, whereby a needle is used to inject dye under the bulbar conjunctiva. To date there have been no previous reports of the risks and complications of this emerging practice in the medical literature. We present a case involving a complication that arose in one of the few people in Britain to have undergone episcleral tattooing for cosmetic purposes

Reanalysis and Simulation Suggest a Phylogenetic Microarray Does Not Accurately Profile Microbial Communities

The second generation (G2) PhyloChip is designed to detect over 8700 bacteria and archaeal and has been used over 50 publications and conference presentations. Many of those publications reveal that the PhyloChip measures of species richness greatly exceed statistical estimates of richness based on other methods. An examination of probes downloaded from Greengenes suggested that the system may have the potential to distort the observed community structure. This may be due to the sharing of probes by taxa; more than 21% of the taxa in that downloaded data have no unique probes. In-silico simulations using these data showed that a population of 64 taxa representing a typical anaerobic subterranean community returned 96 different taxa, including 15 families incorrectly called present and 19 families incorrectly called absent. A study of nasal and oropharyngeal microbial communities by Lemon et al (2010) found some 1325 taxa using the G2 PhyloChip, however, about 950 of these taxa have, in the downloaded data, no unique probes and cannot be definitively called present. Finally, data from Brodie et al (2007), when re-examined, indicate that the abundance of the majority of detected taxa, are highly correlated with one another, suggesting that many probe sets do not act independently. Based on our analyses of downloaded data, we conclude that outputs from the G2 PhyloChip should be treated with some caution, and that the presence of taxa represented solely by non-unique probes be independently verified

Dualities in Quantum Hall System and Noncommutative Chern-Simons Theory

We discuss different dualities of QHE in the framework of the noncommutative Chern-Simons theory. First, we consider the Morita or T-duality transformation on the torus which maps the abelian noncommutative CS description of QHE on the torus into the nonabelian commutative description on the dual torus. It is argued that the Ruijsenaars integrable many-body system provides the description of the QHE with finite amount of electrons on the torus. The new IIB brane picture for the QHE is suggested and applied to Jain and generalized hierarchies. This picture naturally links 2d $\sigma$-model and 3d CS description of the QHE. All duality transformations are identified in the brane setup and can be related with the mirror symmetry and S duality. We suggest a brane interpretation of the plateu transition in IQHE in which a critical point is naturally described by $SL(2,R)$ WZW model.Comment: 31 pages, 4 figure

Anaerobic Metazoans: No longer an oxymoron

The sediments of a deep-sea hypersaline and sulfidic Mediterranean basin have yielded an unexpected discovery, the first multicellular animals living entirely without oxygen. Reported by Danovaro et al. in BMC Biology, these three new species of Loricifera add a new and remarkable dimension to anoxic ecosystems previously thought to support only unicellular life

NC Effective Gauge Model for Multilayer FQH States

We develop an effective field model for describing FQH states with rational filling factors that are not of Laughlin type. These kinds of systems, which concern single layer hierarchical states and multilayer ones, were observed experimentally; but have not yet a satisfactory non commutative effective field description like in the case of Susskind model. Using $D$ brane analysis and fiber bundle techniques, we first classify such states in terms of representations characterized, amongst others, by the filling factor of the layers; but also by proper subgroups of the underlying $U(n)$ gauge symmetry. Multilayer states in the lowest Landau level are interpreted in terms of systems of $D2$ branes; but hierarchical ones are realized as Fiber bundles on $D2$ which we construct explicitly. In this picture, Jain and Haldane series are recovered as special cases and have a remarkable interpretation in terms of Fiber bundles with specific intersection matrices. We also derive the general NC commutative effective field and matrix models for FQH states, extending Susskind theory, and give the general expression of the rational filling factors as well as their non abelian gauge symmetries.Comment: 54 pages 11 figures, LaTe

A review of acoustic telemetry in Europe and the need for a regional aquatic telemetry network

Background Globally, there are a large and growing number of researchers using biotelemetry as a tool to study aquatic animals. In Europe, this community lacks a formal network structure. The aim of this study is to review the use of acoustic telemetry in Europe and document the contribution of cross-boundary studies and inter-research group collaborations. Based on this, we explore the potential benefits and challenges of a network approach to identify future priorities and best practices for aquatic biotelemetry research in Europe. Results Over the past decade, there was an approximately sevenfold increase in the number of acoustic telemetry studies published on marine and diadromous species in Europe compared to a sixfold increase globally. Over 90% of these studies were conducted on fishes and undertaken in coastal areas, estuaries, or rivers. 75% of these studies were conducted by researchers based in one of five nations (Norway, UK, France, Portugal, and Spain) and, even though 34% were based on collaborations between scientists from several countries, there was only one study with an acoustic receiver array that extended beyond the borders of a single country. In recent years, acoustic telemetry in European waters has evolved from studying behavioural aspects of animals (82.2%), into more holistic approaches addressing management-related issues (10%), tagging methods and effects (5%), and technology and data analysis development (2.8%). Conclusions Despite the increasing number of publications and species tracked, there is a prominent lack of planned and structured acoustic telemetry collaborations in Europe. A formal pan-European network structure would promote the development of (1) a research platform that could benefit the acoustic telemetry community through capacity building, (2) a centralized database, and (3) key deployment sites and studies on priority species requiring research in Europe. A network may increase efficiency, expand the scope of research that can be undertaken, promote European science integration, enhance the opportunities and success of acquiring research funding and, ultimately, foster regional and transatlantic collaborations. It may also help address research priorities such as the large-scale societal challenges arising from climate change impacts and assist the EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive via identification of good environmental status of endangered or commercially important species.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Culture-independent molecular analysis of bacterial diversity in uranium-ore/-mine waste-contaminated and non-contaminated sites from uranium mines

Soil, water and sediment samples collected from in and around Jaduguda, Bagjata and Turamdih mines were analyzed for physicochemical parameters and cultured, and yet to be cultured microbial diversity. Culturable fraction of microbial community measured as Colony Forming Unit (CFU) on R2A medium revealed microbes between 104 and 109 CFU/g sample. Community DNA was extracted from all the samples; 16S rRNA gene amplified, cloned and subject to Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis. Clones representing each OTU were selected and sequenced. Sequence analyses revealed that non-contaminated samples were mostly represented by Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria (β-, γ-, and/or δ-subdivisions) along with less frequent phyla Nitrospira, Deferribacteres, Chloroflexi. In contrast, samples obtained from highly contaminated samples showed distinct abundance of β-,γ- and α-Proteobacteria along with Acidobacteria,Bacteroidetes and members of Firmicutes, Chloroflexi, Candidate division, Planctomycete, Cyanobacteria and Actinobacteria as minor groups. Our data represented the baseline information on bacterial community composition within non-contaminated samples which could potentially be useful for assessing the impact of metal and radionuclides contamination due to uranium mine activities

Inflation and late time acceleration in braneworld cosmological models with varying brane tension

Braneworld models with variable brane tension $\lambda$ introduce a new degree of freedom that allows for evolving gravitational and cosmological constants, the latter being a natural candidate for dark energy. We consider a thermodynamic interpretation of the varying brane tension models, by showing that the field equations with variable $\lambda$ can be interpreted as describing matter creation in a cosmological framework. The particle creation rate is determined by the variation rate of the brane tension, as well as by the brane-bulk energy-matter transfer rate. We investigate the effect of a variable brane tension on the cosmological evolution of the Universe, in the framework of a particular model in which the brane tension is an exponentially dependent function of the scale factor. The resulting cosmology shows the presence of an initial inflationary expansion, followed by a decelerating phase, and by a smooth transition towards a late accelerated de Sitter type expansion. The varying brane tension is also responsible for the generation of the matter in the Universe (reheating period). The physical constraints on the model parameters, resulted from the observational cosmological data, are also investigated.Comment: 25 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in European Physical Journal

Free-living monitoring of Parkinson’s disease: lessons from the field

Wearable technology comprises miniaturized sensors (e.g. accelerometers) worn on the body and/or paired with mobile devices (e.g. smart phones) allowing continuous patient monitoring in unsupervised, habitual environments (termed free-living). Wearable technologies are revolutionising approaches to healthcare due to their utility, accessibility and affordability. They are positioned to transform Parkinson’s disease (PD) management through provision of individualised, comprehensive, and representative data. This is particularly relevant in PD where symptoms are often triggered by task and free-living environmental challenges that cannot be replicated with sufficient veracity elsewhere. This review concerns use of wearable technology in free-living environments for people with PD. It outlines the potential advantages of wearable technologies and evidence for these to accurately detect and measure clinically relevant features including motor symptoms, falls risk, freezing of gait, gait, functional mobility and physical activity. Technological limitations and challenges are highlighted and advances concerning broader aspects are discussed. Recommendations to overcome key challenges are made. To date there is no fully validated system to monitor clinical features or activities in free living environments. Robust accuracy and validity metrics for some features have been reported, and wearable technology may be used in these cases with a degree of confidence. Utility and acceptability appears reasonable, although testing has largely been informal. Key recommendations include adopting a multi-disciplinary approach for standardising definitions, protocols and outcomes. Robust validation of developed algorithms and sensor-based metrics is required along with testing of utility. These advances are required before widespread clinical adoption of wearable technology can be realise

Reheating the Universe in Braneworld Cosmological Models with bulk-brane energy transfer

The emergence of the cosmological composition (the reheating era) after the inflationary period is analyzed in the framework of the braneworld models, in which our Universe is a three-brane embedded in a five-dimensional bulk, by assuming the possibility of the brane-bulk energy exchange. The inflaton field is assumed to decay into normal matter only, while the dark matter is injected into the brane from the bulk. To describe the reheating process we adopt a phenomenological approach, by describing the decay of the inflaton field by a friction term proportional to the energy density of the field. After the radiation dominated epoch the model reduces to the standard four dimensional cosmological model. The modified field equations are analyzed analytically and numerically in both the extra-dimensions dominate reheating phase (when the quadratic terms in energy density dominate the dynamics), and in the general case. The evolution profiles of the matter, of the scalar field and of the scale factor of the universe are obtained for different values of the parameters of the model, and of the equations of state of the normal and dark matter, respectively. The equation describing the time evolution of the ratio of the energy density of the dark and of the normal matter is also obtained. The ratio depends on the rate of the energy flow between the bulk and the brane. The observational constraint of an approximately constant ratio of the dark and of the baryonic matter requires that the dark matter must be non-relativistic (cold). The model predicts a reheating temperature of the order of $3\times 10^6$ GeV, a brane tension of the order of $10^{25}$ GeV$^4$, and the obtained composition of the universe is consistent with the observational data.Comment: 29 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in JCA