Proportional Hazard Bivariate Kumaraswamy Model Applied on Fish Mercury Concentration

International advisory bodies have developed guidelines for testing mercury and aquatic items to protect human health and international trade. The mercury absorption in fish has a great effect on human health. For modeling this problem, a new bivariate distribution using the proportional hazard rate (PHR) model with Kumaraswamy marginal called BKPH is derived and studied via statistical properties and reliability measures. Moreover, several methods of parameter estimation are discussed, including maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), method of moments estimation (MME), and inference function for margins estimation (IFM). In the simulation study, the performance of estimators depending on their estimation methodologies is compared. Finally, a comparative study of the proposed BKPH with several bivariate Kumaraswamy distributions via goodness of fit criteria was introduced. The results of the study proved the potentiality of the BKPH model and has a best fitting on mercury fish absorption data

The Interactions of Surface Damage on RF Cavity Operation

Studies of low frequency RF systems for muon cooling has led to a variety of new techniques for looking at dark currents, a new model of breakdown, and, ultimately, a model of RF cavity operation based on surface damage. We find that cavity behavior is strongly influenced by the spectrum of enhancement factors on field emission sites.Three different spectra are involved: one defining the initial state of the cavity, the second determined by the breakdown events, and the third defining the equilibrium produced as a cavity operates at its maximum field. We have been able to measure these functions and use them to derive a wide variety of cavity parameters: conditioning behavior, material, pulse length, temperature, vacuum, magnetic field, pressure, gas dependence. In addition we can calculate the dependence of breakdown rate on surface field and pulse length. This work correlates with data from Atom Probe Tomography. We will describe this model and new experimental data

Water flow between soil aggregates

Aggregated soils are structured systems susceptible to non-uniform flow. The hydraulic properties depend on the aggregate fabric and the way the aggregates are assembled. We examined the hydraulic behavior of an aggregate packing. We focused on conditions when water mostly flows through the aggregates, leaving the inter-aggregate pore space air-filled. The aggregates were packed in 3mm thick slabs forming a quasi two-dimensional bedding. The larger aggregates were wetted with water and embedded in smaller aggregates equilibrated at a lower water content. The water exchange between wet and drier aggregates was monitored by neutron radiography. The three-dimensional arrangement of the aggregates was reconstructed by neutron tomography. The water flow turned out to be controlled by the contacts between aggregates, bottle-necks that slow down the flow. The bottle-neck effect is due to the narrow flow cross section of the contacts. The water exchange was simulated by considering the contact area between aggregates as the key parameter. In order to match the observed water flow, the contact area must be reduced by one to two orders of magnitude relative to that obtained from image analysis. The narrowness of the contacts is due to air-filled voids within the contact

Water flow between soil aggregates

Aggregated soils are structured systems susceptible to non-uniform flow. The hydraulic properties depend on the aggregate fabric and the way the aggregates are assembled. We examined the hydraulic behavior of an aggregate packing. We focused on conditions when water mostly flows through the aggregates, leaving the inter-aggregate pore space air-filled. The aggregates were packed in 3mm thick slabs forming a quasi two-dimensional bedding. The larger aggregates were wetted with water and embedded in smaller aggregates equilibrated at a lower water content. The water exchange between wet and drier aggregates was monitored by neutron radiography. The three-dimensional arrangement of the aggregates was reconstructed by neutron tomography. The water flow turned out to be controlled by the contacts between aggregates, bottle-necks that slow down the flow. The bottle-neck effect is due to the narrow flow cross section of the contacts. The water exchange was simulated by considering the contact area between aggregates as the key parameter. In order to match the observed water flow, the contact area must be reduced by one to two orders of magnitude relative to that obtained from image analysis. The narrowness of the contacts is due to air-filled voids within the contact

Acetyl-L-carnitine and/or liposomal co-enzyme Q10 prevent propionic acid-induced neurotoxicity by modulating oxidative tissue injury, inflammation, and ALDH1A1-RA-RARα signaling in rats

Propionic acid (PPA) is a short-chain fatty acid produced endogenously by gut microbiota and found in foodstuffs and pharmaceutical products as an additive. Exposure to PPA has been associated with the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effect of acetyl‐L‐carnitine (ALCAR) and liposomal Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) against cerebral and cerebellar oxidative injury, inflammation, and cell death, and alterations in ALDH1A1-RA-RARα signaling in an autism-like rat model induced by PPA. The rats were treated with PPA and concurrently received ALCAR and/or CoQ10 for 5 days. The animals were sacrificed, and the cerebral cortex and cerebellum were collected for analysis. PPA caused histopathological alterations along with increased malondialdehyde (MDA), NF-κB p65, TNF-α, and IL-6 in the cerebrum and cerebellum of rats. Reduced glutathione (GSH) and antioxidant enzymes were declined in the brain of rats that received PPA. Concurrent treatment with ALCAR and/or CoQ10 prevented tissue injury, decreased MDA, NF-κB p65, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, and enhanced cellular antioxidants in PPA-administered rats. ALCAR and/or CoQ10 upregulated Bcl-2 and decreased Bax and caspase-3 in the brain of rats. In addition, ALCAR and/or CoQ10 upregulated cerebral and cerebellar ALDH1A1 and RARα in PPA-treated rats. The combination of ALCAR and CoQ10 showed more potent effects when compared with the individual treatments. In conclusion, ALCAR and/or CoQ10 prevented tissue injury, ameliorated oxidative stress, inflammatory response, and apoptosis, and upregulated ALDH1A1-RA-RARα signaling in the brain of autistic rats

Is rejection a diffuse or localized process in small-bowel transplantation?

Utilization of endoscopy to both visualize and selectively biopsy an intestinal allograft has become the standard for early recognition and treatment of intestinal allograft rejection. Despite the widespread acceptance of the need for selective mucosal biopsies, it has not been shown that the histological features of intestinal allograft rejection are either localized or occur as part of a more diffuse phenomenon within a tubular allograft. To resolve these issues, 88 ileoscopies were performed in 12 small-bowel allograft recipients and mucosal biopsy samples were obtained at 5, 10, and 15 cm, respectively, from the ileal stoma. Each mucosal biopsy was labeled, processed, and evaluated individually for the presence and severity of any evidence for allograft rejection. The data obtained suggest that intestinal allograft rejection is a diffuse process, and biopsies obtained randomly from an ileal graft are likely to demonstrate evidence of allograft rejection when such is present. © 1994 Springer-Verlag New York Inc

Mejora de la producción de lípidos de un prometedor hongo oleaginoso Aspergillus sp. cepa EM2018 para la formación de biodiesel: optimización de las condiciones de cultivo e identificación

Oleaginous fungi have recently gained increasing attention among different microorganisms due to their ability for lipid production for the preparation of biofuel. In the present study, a locally isolated fungus E45, identified genetically as Aspergillus sp. strain EM2018, was found to produce 25.2% of the total lipids content of its dry cell weight (DCW). Optimization of culture conditions was performed and lipid accumula­tion increased by about 2.4 fold (from 25.2% to 60.1% of DCW) when the fungus was grown for seven days in the potato dextrose (50 g/L) liquid medium at pH 5.0, incubation temperature at 30 ºC and inoculum size of 2 × 106 spore/mL. Supplementation of the medium with yeast extract and NaNO3 at a concentration of 0.05% as organic and inorganic nitrogen sources, respectively, increased lipid production (53.3% lipid/dry biomass). Gas chromatography analysis of fungal lipids revealed the presence of saturated (mainly palmitic acid C16:0 (33%) and lignoceric acid C24:0 (15%)) and unsaturated fatty acids in different proportions (mainly linoleic acid C18:2 (24.4%), oleica cid C18:1 (14%) and arachidonic C20:4 (7.4%). These findings suggest this new oleaginous fungus as a promising feedstock for various industrial applications and for the preparation of biodiesel.Los hongos oleagino­sos recientemente están ganando una creciente atención entre diferentes microorganismos debido a sus capaci­dades de producción de lípidos para la preparación de biocombustibles. En el presente estudio, se descubrió que un hongo E45 aislado localmente, identificado genéticamente como la cepa Aspergillus sp. EM2018, produce un 25,2% de lípidos totales de su peso de células secas (DCW). Se realizó la optimización de las condiciones de cultivo y la acumulación de lípidos se incrementó aproximadamente 2,4 veces (del 25,2% al 60,1% de DCW) cuando el hongo creció durante siete días en un medio líquido de dextrosa de papa (50 g/L) a pH 5.0, 30 °C de temperatura de incubación y 2 × 106 esporas/ml de tamaño de inóculo. La suplementación del medio con extracto de leva­dura y NaNO3 a una concentración de 0,05% como fuentes de nitrógeno orgánico e inorgánico, respectivamente, aumentó aún más la producción de lípidos (53,3% de lípidos/biomasa seca). El análisis mediante cromatografía de gases de los lípidos fúngicos reveló la presencia de ácidos grasos saturados (principalmente palmítico C16:0 (33%) y lignocérico C24:0 (15%)) y ácidos grasos insaturados en diferentes proporciones (principalmente linoleico C18:2 (24.4%), oleico C18:1 (14%) y araquidónico C20:4 (7,4%). Estos hallazgos sugieren que este nuevo hongo oleaginoso es una materia prima prometedora para diversas aplicaciones industriales y preparación de biodiésel

What predicts word reading in Arabic?

Efficient and accurate word reading ability is critical for later reading success. As such, it is important to understand the component skills that underlie strong word reading ability. Although a growing research base points to the importance of phonological processing, morphological processing and orthographic processing for accurate and fluent word reading in Arabic, there are few studies that examine all three areas at one time to better understand their role in word reading. Additionally, it remains unclear whether the contribution of the various processes might differ across the early years when children are learning to read. 1,098 pupils in grades 1–3 participated in this study and took tests for phonological processing, morphological processing, orthographic processing, and word reading accuracy and fluency. According to the findings of regression analyses, the relative contribution of these underlying processes differed according to the method used to test word reading and the student’s grade level. Regarding accuracy, several subscales of phonological processing and two measures of orthographic processing accounted for significant differences in word reading accuracy for first graders. For second grade students, nonword repetition, elision, and all three measures of orthographic processing accounted for variance. In third grade, elision and memory for digits, word creation and morpheme identification, and letter/sound identification and orthographic fluency were significant predictors of word reading accuracy. In terms of fluency, two subscales of phonological processing, two measures of orthographic processing, and two measures of morphological processing explained significant differences in word reading fluency for first graders. For second grade students, nonword repetition, elision, RAN-digits, isolation, segmenting and all the measures of orthographic processing and word creation explained unique variance in word reading fluency. In third grade, elision, RAN-letters, RAN-digits and phoneme isolation, all measures of orthographic processing and morphological processing, explained variance in word reading fluency. Implications and future directions in research are discussed

Impact of FTO genotypes on BMI and weight in polycystic ovary syndrome : a systematic review and meta-analysis

Aims/hypothesis FTO gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been shown to be associated with obesity-related traits and type 2 diabetes. Several small studies have suggested a greater than expected effect of the FTO rs9939609 SNP on weight in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). We therefore aimed to examine the impact of FTO genotype on BMI and weight in PCOS. Methods A systematic search of medical databases (PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane CENTRAL) was conducted up to the end of April 2011. Seven studies describing eight distinct PCOS cohorts were retrieved; seven were genotyped for SNP rs9939609 and one for SNP rs1421085. The per allele effect on BMI and body weight increase was calculated and subjected to meta-analysis. Results A total of 2,548 women with PCOS were included in the study; 762 were TT homozygotes, 1,253 had an AT/CT genotype, and 533 were AA/CC homozygotes. Each additional copy of the effect allele (A/C) increased the BMI by a mean of 0.19 z score units (95% CI 0.13, 0.24; p = 2.26 × 10−11) and body weight by a mean of 0.20 z score units (95% CI 0.14, 0.26; p = 1.02 × 10−10). This translated into an approximately 3.3 kg/m2 increase in BMI and an approximately 9.6 kg gain in body weight between TT and AA/CC homozygotes. The association between FTO genotypes and BMI was stronger in the cohorts with PCOS than in the general female populations from large genome-wide association studies. Deviation from an additive genetic model was observed in heavier populations. Conclusions/interpretation The effect of FTO SNPs on obesity-related traits in PCOS seems to be more than two times greater than the effect found in large population-based studies. This suggests an interaction between FTO and the metabolic context or polygenic background of PCOS

Social presence and dishonesty in retail

Self-service checkouts (SCOs) in retail can benefit consumers and retailers, providing control and autonomy to shoppers independent from staff, together with reduced queuing times. Recent research indicates that the absence of staff may provide the opportunity for consumers to behave dishonestly, consistent with a perceived lack of social presence. This study examined whether a social presence in the form of various instantiations of embodied, visual, humanlike SCO interface agents had an effect on opportunistic behaviour. Using a simulated SCO scenario, participants experienced various dilemmas in which they could financially benefit themselves undeservedly. We hypothesised that a humanlike social presence integrated within the checkout screen would receive more attention and result in fewer instances of dishonesty compared to a less humanlike agent. This was partially supported by the results. The findings contribute to the theoretical framework in social presence research. We concluded that companies adopting self-service technology may consider the implementation of social presence in technology applications to support ethical consumer behaviour, but that more research is required to explore the mixed findings in the current study.<br/