Suppression of Absolute Instabilities by Appropriate Choice of Rheological Parameters of Anisotropic Viscoelastic Tube Conveying Fluid

The stability of the steady flow of a viscous liquid through a thick-wall, three-layer, viscoelastic tube with different rheological parameters for each layer is studied. It is shown that the system can be in both absolute and convective unstable states. It is shown that the absolute instability of the system can be converted into a convective instability, and in some cases the system can even be stabilized with an appropriate choice of the rheological parameters. It is found that an anisotropic tube composed of layers possessing distinct rheological values can completely eliminate all absolute instability modes. The present model can be applied to blood vessels that are composed of three viscoelastic layers with distinct rheological properties and to distensible tubes conveying fluids in different technical devices

Case Report: Bilateral absence of fifth ray in feet, cleft palate, malformed ears, and corneal opacity in a patient with Miller syndrome

Background: Miller syndrome is one of the acrofacial dysostosis syndromes, which are characterized by malformations of the craniofacial region and limbs.Case report: A 26 month old male child, the product of healthy nonconsanguineous parents has many typical features of Miller syndrome. He has cleft lip and palate, malar hypoplasia, left crumpled cup shaped ear, and prominent nose together with the absence of the fifth ray in feet (postaxial) and fixation of interphalangeal joints of both thumbs (preaxial). However the limb affection is bilateral and symmetrical against what is usually reported (bilateral with more affection of one side) and the micrognathia is very mild. Our patient has also bilateral corneal opacities as well as underdeveloped external genitals.Conclusion: There is phenotypic variability in Miller syndrome, and our patient may represent a new distinct subgroup in postaxial acrofacial dysostosis.Keywords: Miller syndrome; Gene´e–Weidemann syndrome; Postaxial acrofacial dysostosis syndrome; Corneal opacit

CONSERVATION OF THE MURAL PAINTINGS OF THE GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH DOM E OF SAINT GEORGE, OLD CAIRO-EGYPT

The church of Mary Girgis (Saint George) was built by Athanasius "who also founded the Church of Saints Cyrus and John". The Church was destroyed, and all the rest of the original edifice is a room which covered by huge dome known as the Wedding Hall, dating to the 14th century. The huge dome of the wedding Hall contains several mural paintings represented Coptic arts. The dome mural paintings was darkened and severely damaged as significant detachments of the painted layer and the underneath support lost their cohesion and separated into many pieces, delamination and flaking of the ceiling painting. The most important causes for the monument state of degradation were the environmental condition such as the effects of the groundwater, the presence of salts, the humidity (active in all its forms as infiltration, capillarity and condensation) and the improper previous interventions at the structural level (fillings in the cracks with gypsum mortars). The aim of this study is to characterize the components of the pictorial surface which consists of pigments, the binding media, the plaster layer and its support and introduce the conservation project of the mural painting which was carried out at the dome "between" 2004-20013. Prior to the conservation intervention, the materials were characterized by optical microscopy, polarizing microscope, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. The chemical analyses have determined the nature and composition of the materials used in the painting process (mortars, pigments, binders), have identified the causes of physical and chemical altering processes of pigment layers and provided knowledge on the execution technique. The interior painting was executed according to the Byzantine technique, on a fresco plaster (intonaco) consisting of lime mortar, pigments were obtained by mixing pigments with water. After the material characterization, the conservation and restoration of the mural painting, which including cleaning, injection grouting, fixation of the paint layer, filling of the support gaps with mortar, consolidation, restoration and completion of lost parts, were carried out

Evaluation of a school based comprehensive sexuality education program among very young adolescents in rural Uganda

Background: Limited research has been conducted on the effectiveness of sexuality education for very young adolescents (VYAs) ages 10-14 years in Sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, evaluations of sexuality education programs often report outcomes of risky sexual practices, yet positive aspects of sexuality are hardly studied and rarely reported. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) intervention for VYAs in Uganda, analyzing both positive and negative outcome indicators. Methods: We conducted a mixed methods study, incorporating a cluster randomized trial (NCT03669913) among pupils in 33 randomly selected primary schools in Mbarara district. This was followed by a qualitative evaluation of the intervention in 4 schools that included 14 in-depth interviews and 3 focus group discussions distributed among pupils, teachers and parents. Quantitative data were analyzed using ordered logistic regression to compare differences in the change from baseline to endline between the intervention and control arms. We conducted bivariate analysis and multiple regression analysis controlling for key covariates, including age, gender, school location (rural vs urban), truancy, and orphanhood. Qualitative data were analyzed by thematic approach using ATLAS TI. Results: Between July 2016 and August 2017, 1096 pupils were recruited. Outcomes were studied among 380 pupils in the intervention arm and 484 pupils in the control arm. The proportion of pupils who ever had sex increased from 9 to 12.1% in intervention compared to 5.2 to 7.4% in the control group between baseline and endline, however the differences between groups were not statistically significant. We found greater improvements in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge among intervention schools (AOR: 2.18, 95% CI: 1.66-2.86) and no significant differences in self-esteem, body image or gender equitable norms. Qualitative evidence echoes perceived SRH knowledge acquisition, increased their perception of SRH related risks, and intentions to delay sexual intercourse to prevent unwanted pregnancy, HIV and other STIs. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that CSE can improve SRH knowledge and behavioral intentions among VYAs in Uganda. These results further emphasize the importance of initiating sexuality education before most adolescents have started engaging in sexual activity, enabling them to make informed decisions in the future

Properties of asymmetric nuclear matter in different approaches

Properties of asymmetric nuclear matter are derived from various many-body approaches. This includes phenomenological ones like the Skyrme Hartree-Fock and relativistic mean field approaches, which are adjusted to fit properties of nuclei, as well as more microscopic attempts like the Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approximation, a self-consistent Greens function method and the so-called $V_{lowk}$ approach, which are based on realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions which reproduce the nucleon-nucleon phase shifts. These microscopic approaches are supplemented by a density-dependent contact interaction to achieve the empirical saturation property of symmetric nuclear matter. The predictions of all these approaches are discussed for nuclear matter at high densities in $\beta$-equilibrium. Special attention is paid to behavior of the isovector component of the effective mass in neutron-rich matter.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure

Neuromodulation of the neural circuits controlling the lower urinary tract

The inability to control timely bladder emptying is one of the most serious challenges among the many functional deficits that occur after a spinal cord injury. We previously demonstrated that electrodes placed epidurally on the dorsum of the spinal cord can be used in animals and humans to recover postural and locomotor function after complete paralysis and can be used to enable voiding in spinal rats. In the present study, we examined the neuromodulation of lower urinary tract function associated with acute epidural spinal cord stimulation, locomotion, and peripheral nerve stimulation in adult rats. Herein we demonstrate that electrically evoked potentials in the hindlimb muscles and external urethral sphincter are modulated uniquely when the rat is stepping bipedally and not voiding, immediately pre-voiding, or when voiding. We also show that spinal cord stimulation can effectively neuromodulate the lower urinary tract via frequency-dependent stimulation patterns and that neural peripheral nerve stimulation can activate the external urethral sphincter both directly and via relays in the spinal cord. The data demonstrate that the sensorimotor networks controlling bladder and locomotion are highly integrated neurophysiologically and behaviorally and demonstrate how these two functions are modulated by sensory input from the tibial and pudental nerves. A more detailed understanding of the high level of interaction between these networks could lead to the integration of multiple neurophysiological strategies to improve bladder function. These data suggest that the development of strategies to improve bladder function should simultaneously engage these highly integrated networks in an activity-dependent manner

The mechanisms used by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli to control filopodia dynamics

Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) subverts actin dynamics in eukaryotic cells by injecting effector proteins via a type III secretion system. First, WxxxE effector Map triggers transient formation of filopodia. Then, following recovery from the filopodial signals, EPEC triggers robust actin polymerization via a signalling complex comprising Tir and the adaptor proteins Nck. In this paper we show that Map triggers filopodia formation by activating Cdc42; expression of dominant-negative Cdc42 or knock-down of Cdc42 by siRNA impaired filopodia formation. In addition, Map binds PDZ1 of NHERF1. We show that Map–NHERF1 interaction is needed for filopodia stabilization in a process involving ezrin and the RhoA/ROCK cascade; expression of dominant-negative ezrin and RhoA or siRNA knock-down of RhoA lead to rapid elimination of filopodia. Moreover, we show that formation of the Tir-Nck signalling complex leads to filopodia withdrawal. Recovery from the filopodial signals requires phosphorylation of a Tir tyrosine (Y474) residue and actin polymerization pathway as both infection of cells with EPEC expressing TirY474S or infection of Nck knockout cells with wild-type EPEC resulted in persistence of filopodia. These results show that EPEC effectors modulate actin dynamics by temporal subverting the Rho GTPases and other actin polymerization pathways for the benefit of the adherent pathogen

High dose intravenous immunoglobulin in Rh and ABO hemolytic disease of Egyptian neonates

Background: Despite advances made in the use of phototherapy, and in order to avoid sequelae of kernicterus, the treatment of hyperbilirubinemia may require one or several exchange transfusions, an invasive therapy which is not without risk. Intravenous immune globulin treatment in isoimmune hyperbilirubinemia has been shown to be effective, but the response to treatment is variable. Objective: To evaluate effectiveness of high dose Intravenous immune globulin (HD-IVIG) in reducing the need for exchange transfusion, duration of phototherapy and/or hospitalization in neonates with isoimmune hemolytic disease due to Rh or ABO incompatibility. Methods: The study included 116 direct Coombs' test positive neonates delivered at Gynecology and Obstetrics Hospital of Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt. They were randomly assigned to receive phototherapy with HD-IVIG in a single dose of 1 gm/kg (60 neonates, intervention group) or phototherapy (56 neonates, control group). Results: Nine neonates in the intervention group (15%) and 23 (41%) in the control group required single exchange transfusion (p< 0.001). Multiple exchange transfusion was indicated in 15 neonates (26.8%) in the control group versus none in the intervention group (p< 0.001). Compared with control group, neonates in the intervention group had shorter mean duration of intensive phototherapy (9.97 versus 35.5 hours, p<0.001) and hospital stay (27.9 versus 103.5 hours, p< 0.001). No adverse effects of HD-IVIG administration were noted. Conclusion: HD-IVIG effectively reduced the requirement for exchange transfusion and duration of phototherapy and hospitalization in isoimmune hemolytic disease of the newborn.Keywords: Hemolytic disease of newborn; hyperbilirubinemia; exchange transfusion; high dose intravenous immunoglobulin

The enteropathogenic Escherichia coli effector NleH inhibits apoptosis induced by Clostridium difficile toxin B

Clostridium difficile is a leading cause of nosocomial infections, causing a spectrum of diseases ranging from diarrhoea to pseudomembranous colitis triggered by a range of virulence factors including C. difficile toxins A (TcdA) and B (TcdB). TcdA and TcdB are monoglucosyltransferases that irreversibly glycosylate small Rho GTPases, inhibiting their ability to interact with their effectors, guanine nucleotide exchange factors, and membrane partners, leading to disruption of downstream signalling pathways and cell death. In addition, TcdB targets the mitochondria, inducing the intrinsic apoptotic pathway resulting in TcdB-mediated apoptosis. Modulation of apoptosis is a common strategy used by infectious agents. Recently, we have shown that the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) type III secretion system effector NleH has a broad-range anti-apoptotic activity. In this study we examined the effects of NleH on cells challenged with TcdB. During infection with wild-type EPEC, NleH inhibited TcdB-induced apoptosis at both low and high toxin concentrations. Transfected nleH1 alone was sufficient to block TcdB-induced cell rounding, nuclear condensation, mitochondrial swelling and lysis, and activation of caspase-3. These results show that NleH acts via a global anti-apoptotic pathway