Infrared composition of the Large Magellanic Cloud

The evolution of galaxies and the history of star formation in the Universe are among the most important topics in today's astrophysics. Especially, the role of small, irregular galaxies in the star-formation history of the Universe is not yet clear. Using the data from the AKARI IRC survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud at 3.2, 7, 11, 15, and 24 {\mu}m wavelengths, i.e., at the mid- and near-infrared, we have constructed a multiwavelength catalog containing data from a cross-correlation with a number of other databases at different wavelengths. We present the separation of different classes of stars in the LMC in color-color, and color-magnitude, diagrams, and analyze their contribution to the total LMC flux, related to point sources at different infrared wavelengths

Feature selection for chemical sensor arrays using mutual information

We address the problem of feature selection for classifying a diverse set of chemicals using an array of metal oxide sensors. Our aim is to evaluate a filter approach to feature selection with reference to previous work, which used a wrapper approach on the same data set, and established best features and upper bounds on classification performance. We selected feature sets that exhibit the maximal mutual information with the identity of the chemicals. The selected features closely match those found to perform well in the previous study using a wrapper approach to conduct an exhaustive search of all permitted feature combinations. By comparing the classification performance of support vector machines (using features selected by mutual information) with the performance observed in the previous study, we found that while our approach does not always give the maximum possible classification performance, it always selects features that achieve classification performance approaching the optimum obtained by exhaustive search. We performed further classification using the selected feature set with some common classifiers and found that, for the selected features, Bayesian Networks gave the best performance. Finally, we compared the observed classification performances with the performance of classifiers using randomly selected features. We found that the selected features consistently outperformed randomly selected features for all tested classifiers. The mutual information filter approach is therefore a computationally efficient method for selecting near optimal features for chemical sensor arrays

Consumer credit in comparative perspective

We review the literature in sociology and related fields on the fast global growth of consumer credit and debt and the possible explanations for this expansion. We describe the ways people interact with the strongly segmented consumer credit system around the world—more specifically, the way they access credit and the way they are held accountable for their debt. We then report on research on two areas in which consumer credit is consequential: its effects on social relations and on physical and mental health. Throughout the article, we point out national variations and discuss explanations for these differences. We conclude with a brief discussion of the future tasks and challenges of comparative research on consumer credit.Accepted manuscrip

Health Sciences Students’ Attitude, Perception, and Experience of Using Educational Simulation in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Simulation-based education (SBE) provides a safe, effective, and stimulating environment for training medical and healthcare students. This is especially valuable for skills that cannot be practiced on real patients due to ethical and practical reasons. We aimed to assess medical students’ attitude, perception, and experience of simulation-based medical education in Saudi Arabia. Method: A validated cross-sectional survey, using the KidSIM scale, was conducted to measure the level of perception and experience of students from different health sciences specialties toward integrating simulation as an educational tool. Participants responded to questions investigated the importance of simulation, opportunities for Inter-Professional Education (IPE), communication, roles and responsibilities, and situation awareness. Only students with previous experience of SBE were considered for participation. Result: This survey was completed by 246 participants, of whom 165 (67%) were male students and 228 (93%) were aged between the range of 18–30 years old. Of the respondents, 104 (67%) were respiratory care students, 90 (37%) were anesthesia technology students, and 45 (18%) were nursing students. Most of the participants had previous experience in IPE simulation activities (84%), and more than half of the students (54%) had a grade point average (GPA) ranging between 5.00 and 4.50. Overall, students had positive attitudes toward and beliefs about SBE, with a mean score of 129.76 ± 14.27, on the KidSIM scale, out of 150. Students’ GPA was significantly associated with a better perception to the relevance of simulation (p = 0.005), communication (p = 0.003), roles and responsibilities (p = 0.04), and situation awareness (p = 0.009). GPA is merely the sole predictor for positive attitude toward simulation with coefficient Beta value of 4.285 (p = 0.001). There were no significant correlations between other students’ characteristic variables (gender, specialty, study year, experience in IPE, and prior critical care experience). Conclusion: We found that health sciences students’ perception of SBE in Saudi Arabia is generally positive, and students’ performance is a significant determinant of the positive perception

Apelinergic system in the kidney: implications for diabetic kidney disease

The bioactive peptides of the apelinergic system and its receptor APJ have been shown to play a protective role in experimental cardiovascular and diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Mechanisms of this renoprotective effect remain to be elucidated. In this study, we examined the localization of APJ within the normal kidney and its kidney expression in the db/db model of DKD. The effect of hyperglycemia and angiotensin II on APJ was examined in cultured podocytes. In the glomerulus, APJ colocalized with podocyte but not endothelial cell markers. In podocytes stimulated with Pyr1 Apelin-13, a change in the phosphorylation status of the signaling proteins, AKT, ERK, and p70S6K, was observed with an increase 15 min after stimulation. Apelin-13 decreased activity of Caspase-3 in podocytes after high glucose treatment reflecting an antiapoptotic effect of APJ stimulation. In podocytes, APJ mRNA was downregulated in high glucose, when compared to normal glucose conditions and exposure to angiotensin II led to a further significant decrease in APJ mRNA. APJ and preproapelin mRNA levels in kidneys from db/db mice were markedly decreased along with decreased tubular APJ protein by western blotting and immunostaining when compared to db/m controls. In conclusion, the apelinergic system is decreased in kidneys from db/db mice. Within the glomerulus, APJ is mainly localized in podocytes and in this cell type its activation by Apelin-13 abolishes the proapoptotic effect of high glucose, suggesting a potential therapeutic role of apelin and emerging agonists with extended half-life for therapy of DKD

Higher Dimensional Cylindrical or Kasner Type Electrovacuum Solutions

We consider a D dimensional Kasner type diagonal spacetime where metric functions depend only on a single coordinate and electromagnetic field shares the symmetries of spacetime. These solutions can describe static cylindrical or cosmological Einstein-Maxwell vacuum spacetimes. We mainly focus on electrovacuum solutions and four different types of solutions are obtained in which one of them has no four dimensional counterpart. We also consider the properties of the general solution corresponding to the exterior field of a charged line mass and discuss its several properties. Although it resembles the same form with four dimensional one, there is a difference on the range of the solutions for fixed signs of the parameters. General magnetic field vacuum solution are also briefly discussed, which reduces to Bonnor-Melvin magnetic universe for a special choice of the parameters. The Kasner forms of the general solution are also presented for the cylindrical or cosmological cases.Comment: 16 pages, Revtex. Text and references are extended, Published versio

Increased RPA1 gene dosage affects genomic stability potentially contributing to 17p13.3 duplication syndrome

A novel microduplication syndrome involving various-sized contiguous duplications in 17p13.3 has recently been described, suggesting that increased copy number of genes in 17p13.3, particularly PAFAH1B1, is associated with clinical features including facial dysmorphism, developmental delay, and autism spectrum disorder. We have previously shown that patient-derived cell lines from individuals with haploinsufficiency of RPA1, a gene within 17p13.3, exhibit an impaired ATR-dependent DNA damage response (DDR). Here, we show that cell lines from patients with duplications specifically incorporating RPA1 exhibit a different although characteristic spectrum of DDR defects including abnormal S phase distribution, attenuated DNA double strand break (DSB)-induced RAD51 chromatin retention, elevated genomic instability, and increased sensitivity to DNA damaging agents. Using controlled conditional over-expression of RPA1 in a human model cell system, we also see attenuated DSB-induced RAD51 chromatin retention. Furthermore, we find that transient over-expression of RPA1 can impact on homologous recombination (HR) pathways following DSB formation, favouring engagement in aberrant forms of recombination and repair. Our data identifies unanticipated defects in the DDR associated with duplications in 17p13.3 in humans involving modest RPA1 over-expression

Diet and lupus: what do the patients think?

OBJECTIVES: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Therefore, using diet to control blood lipid levels and modify cardiovascular disease risk could be a promising therapeutic strategy to control disease symptoms. The primary objective of this study was to learn about systemic lupus erythematosus patient experiences with diet, including their opinion on considering diet as a therapeutic option. The secondary objective was to obtain this information in a cost- and time-effective manner. METHODS: A lay summary and a 15-question diet-based online survey were publicly available for 3 weeks. Social media was used to promote the survey through relevant charities, hospitals and research groups. RESULTS: A total of 300 responses were received, 284 from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Patients reported that there was a lack of clinical counselling regarding diet, with only 24% stating their doctor had spoken to them about diet. Despite this, 100% of patients stated they would change their diet if they knew it would help their symptoms and 83% would take part in a future diet-based clinical trial. Text analysis of patient research suggestions identified a particular interest in using diet to treat fatigue and manage disease flares. CONCLUSIONS: This project successfully gathered patient information regarding diet and systemic lupus erythematosus over a short timeframe using an anonymous social media platform. The survey provided evidence that patients support further research and potential diet intervention studies investigating the effect of diet on the symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus