Optimal Control of HIV Dynamic Using Embedding Method

This present study proposes an optimal control problem, with the final goal of implementing an optimal treatment protocol which could maximize the survival time of patients and minimize the cost of drug utilizing a system of ordinary differential equations which describes the interaction of the immune system with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Optimal control problem transfers into a modified problem in measure space using an embedding method in which the existence of optimal solution is guaranteed by compactness of the space. Then the metamorphosed problem is approximated by a linear programming (LP) problem, and by solving this LP problem a suboptimal piecewise constant control function, which is more practical from the clinical viewpoint, is achieved. The comparison between the immune system dynamics in treated and untreated patients is introduced. Finally, the relationships between the healthy cells and virus are shown

Estimation of influenza and severe acute respiratory illness incidence (Burden) in three provinces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2012 and 2013 Estimation de l�incidence (charge) de la grippe et de l�infection respiratoire aiguë sévère en République islamique d�Iran pour 2012 et 2013

There are few estimates of influenza burden in the WHO Region for the Eastern Mediterranean. In this study we estimated the burden of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) and influenza-associated SARI (F-SARI) in selected provinces of Islamic Republic of Iran, the trends of SARI and confirmed cases of influenza (F-SARI) over 12 months (seasonality), and the age groups most at risk. Using the electronic Iranian influenza surveillance system and data of cases in sentinel hospitals of 3 selected provinces, we estimated the monthly trend (seasonality) of incidence for SARI and F-SARI, overall incidence of SARI and F-SARI and their disaggregation by age with the aid using the Monte Carlo technique. The age groups most at-risk were children aged under 2 years and adults older than 50 years. © 2016, World Health Organization. STI. All rights reserved

Thermoelectric performance of n-type Mg2Ge

Magnesium-based thermoelectric materials (Mg2X, X = Si, Ge, Sn) have received considerable attention due to their availability, low toxicity, and reasonably good thermoelectric performance. The synthesis of these materials with high purity is challenging, however, due to the reactive nature and high vapour pressure of magnesium. In the current study, high purity single phase n-type Mg2Ge has been fabricated through a one-step reaction of MgH2 and elemental Ge, using spark plasma sintering (SPS) to reduce the formation of magnesium oxides due to the liberation of hydrogen. We have found that Bi has a very limited solubility in Mg2Ge and results in the precipitation of Mg2Bi3. Bismuth doping increases the electrical conductivity of Mg2Ge up to its solubility limit, beyond which the variation is minimal. The main improvement in the thermoelectric performance is originated from the significant phonon scattering achieved by the Mg2Bi3 precipitates located mainly at grain boundaries. This reduces the lattice thermal conductivity by ~50% and increases the maximum zT for n-type Mg2Ge to 0.32, compared to previously reported maximum value of 0.2 for Sb-doped Mg2Ge

Elucidating mechanisms of genetic cross-disease associations at the PROCR vascular disease locus

Many individual genetic risk loci have been associated with multiple common human diseases. However, the molecular basis of this pleiotropy often remains unclear. We present an integrative approach to reveal the molecular mechanism underlying the PROCR locus, associated with lower coronary artery disease (CAD) risk but higher venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk. We identify PROCR-p.Ser219Gly as the likely causal variant at the locus and protein C as a causal factor. Using genetic analyses, human recall-by-genotype and in vitro experimentation, we demonstrate that PROCR-219Gly increases plasma levels of (activated) protein C through endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) ectodomain shedding in endothelial cells, attenuating leukocyte– endothelial cell adhesion and vascular inflammation. We also associate PROCR-219Gly with an increased pro- thrombotic state via coagulation factor VII, a ligand of EPCR. Our study, which links PROCR-219Gly to CAD through anti-inflammatory mechanisms and to VTE through pro-thrombotic mechanisms, provides a framework to reveal the mechanisms underlying similar cross-phenotype associations

Research activities arising from the University of Kent

In this paper I describe research activities in the field of optical fiber sensing undertaken by me after leaving the Applied Optics Group at the University of Kent. The main topics covered are long period gratings, neural network based signal processing, plasmonic sensors, and polymer fiber gratings. I also give a summary of my two periods of research at the University of Kent, covering 1985–1988 and 1991–2001

The XMM cluster survey: exploring scaling relations and completeness of the dark energy survey year 3 redMaPPer cluster catalogue

We cross-match and compare characteristics of galaxy clusters identified in observations from two sky surveys using two completely different techniques. One sample is optically selected from the analysis of 3 years of Dark Energy Survey observations using the redMaPPer cluster detection algorithm. The second is X-ray selected from XMM observations analysed by the XMM Cluster Survey. The samples comprise a total area of 57.4 deg2, bounded by the area of four contiguous XMM survey regions that overlap the DES footprint. We find that the X-ray-selected sample is fully matched with entries in the redMaPPer catalogue, above λ > 20 and within 0.1 <0.9. Conversely, only 38 per cent of the redMaPPer catalogue is matched to an X-ray extended source. Next, using 120 optically clusters and 184 X-ray-selected clusters, we investigate the form of the X-ray luminosity-temperature (LX -TX ), luminosity-richness (LX -λ), and temperature-richness (TX -λ) scaling relations. We find that the fitted forms of the LX -TX relations are consistent between the two selection methods and also with other studies in the literature. However, we find tentative evidence for a steepening of the slope of the relation for low richness systems in the X-ray-selected sample. When considering the scaling of richness with X-ray properties, we again find consistency in the relations (i.e. LX -λ and TX -λ) between the optical and X-ray-selected samples. This is contrary to previous similar works that find a significant increase in the scatter of the luminosity scaling relation for X-ray-selected samples compared to optically selected samples

Dark Energy Survey Year 1 results: weak lensing mass calibration of redMaPPer galaxy clusters

We constrain the mass--richness scaling relation of redMaPPer galaxy clusters identified in the Dark Energy Survey Year 1 data using weak gravitational lensing. We split clusters into 4×3 bins of richness λ and redshift z for λ≥20 and 0.2≤z≤0.65 and measure the mean masses of these bins using their stacked weak lensing signal. By modeling the scaling relation as ⟨M 200m |λ,z⟩=M 0 (λ/40) F ((1+z)/1.35) G , we constrain the normalization of the scaling relation at the 5.0 per cent level as M 0 =[3.081±0.075(stat)±0.133(sys)]⋅10 14 M ⊙ at λ=40 and z=0.35 . The richness scaling index is constrained to be F=1.356±0.051 (stat)±0.008 (sys) and the redshift scaling index G=−0.30±0.30 (stat)±0.06 (sys) . These are the tightest measurements of the normalization and richness scaling index made to date. We use a semi-analytic covariance matrix to characterize the statistical errors in the recovered weak lensing profiles. Our analysis accounts for the following sources of systematic error: shear and photometric redshift errors, cluster miscentering, cluster member dilution of the source sample, systematic uncertainties in the modeling of the halo--mass correlation function, halo triaxiality, and projection effects. We discuss prospects for reducing this systematic error budget, which dominates the uncertainty on M 0. Our result is in excellent agreement with, but has significantly smaller uncertainties than, previous measurements in the literature, and augurs well for the power of the DES cluster survey as a tool for precision cosmology and upcoming galaxy surveys such as LSST, Euclid and WFIRST

The XXL survey: first results and future

The XXL survey currently covers two 25 sq. deg. patches with XMM observations of ~10ks. We summarise the scientific results associated with the first release of the XXL data set, that occurred mid 2016. We review several arguments for increasing the survey depth to 40 ks during the next decade of XMM operations. X-ray (z1 cluster density. It will eventually constitute a reference study and an ideal calibration field for the upcoming eROSITA and Euclid missions