Polarization versus Mori-Tanaka approximations for effective conductivity of isotropic composites

Our polarization approximations for the effective conductivity of isotropic multicomponent materials, constructed recently as approximate solutions to the minimum energy principles, are compared with the widely used Mori-Tanaka approximation, derived as an approximate solution of the field equations. The similarities and differences, advantages and disadvantages of both approaches are analysed with illustrating numerical examples

Applying convolutional neural networks for limited-memory application

Currently, convolutional neural networks (CNN) are considered as the most effective tool in image diagnosis and processing techniques. In this paper, we studied and applied the modified SSDLite_MobileNetV2 and proposed a solution to always maintain the boundary of the total memory capacity in the following robust bound and applied on the bridge navigational watch & alarm system (BNWAS). The hardware was designed based on raspberry Pi-3, an embedded single board computer with CPU smartphone level, limited RAM without CUDA GPU. Experimental results showed that the deep learning model on an embedded single board computer brings us high effectiveness in application

Data Descriptor: Daily observations of stable isotope ratios of rainfall in the tropics

We present precipitation isotope data (δ2H and δ18O values) from 19 stations across the tropics collected from 2012 to 2017 under the Coordinated Research Project F31004 sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Rainfall samples were collected daily and analysed for stable isotopic ratios of oxygen and hydrogen by participating laboratories following a common analytical framework. We also calculated daily mean stratiform rainfall area fractions around each station over an area of 5° x 5° longitude/latitude based on TRMM/GPM satellite data. Isotope time series, along with information on rainfall amount and stratiform/convective proportions provide a valuable tool for rainfall characterisation and to improve the ability of isotope-enabled Global Circulation Models to predict variability and availability of inputs to fresh water resources across the tropics.Fil: Munksgaard, Niels C.. James Cook University; Australia. Charles Darwin University. School of Environmental Research; AustraliaFil: Kurita, Naoyuki. Nagoya University; JapónFil: Sánchez Murillo, Ricardo. Universidad Nacional; Costa RicaFil: Ahmed, Nasir. Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission; BangladeshFil: Araguas, Luis. International Atomic Energy Agency (iaea); AustriaFil: Balachew, Dagnachew L.. International Atomic Energy Agency (iaea); AustriaFil: Bird, Michael I.. James Cook University; AustraliaFil: Chakraborty, Supriyo. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology; IndiaFil: Kien Chinh, Nguyen. Center for Nuclear Techniques; VietnamFil: Cobb, Kim M.. Georgia Institute of Technology; Estados UnidosFil: Ellis, Shelby A.. Georgia Institute of Technology; Estados UnidosFil: Esquivel Hernández, Germain. Universidad Nacional; Costa RicaFil: Ganyaglo, Samuel Y.. National Nuclear Research Institute; GhanaFil: Gao, Jing. Chinese Academy of Sciences; República de ChinaFil: Gastmans, Didier. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Kaseke, Kudzai F.. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; India. University of California Santa Barbara; Estados UnidosFil: Kebede, Seifu. Addis Ababa University; EtiopíaFil: Morales, Marcelo Raul. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Mueller, Moritz. Swinburne University of Technology; MalasiaFil: Poh, Seng Chee. Universiti Malaysia Terengganu; MalasiaFil: Santos, Vinícius dos. Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho; BrasilFil: Shaoneng, He. Nanyang Technological University; SingapurFil: Wang, Lixin. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; IndiaFil: Yacobaccio, Hugo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Zwart, Costijn. James Cook University; Australi

Interactions between climate change, urban infrastructure and mobility are driving dengue emergence in Vietnam.

Dengue is expanding globally, but how dengue emergence is shaped locally by interactions between climatic and socio-environmental factors is not well understood. Here, we investigate the drivers of dengue incidence and emergence in Vietnam, through analysing 23 years of district-level case data spanning a period of significant socioeconomic change (1998-2020). We show that urban infrastructure factors (sanitation, water supply, long-term urban growth) predict local spatial patterns of dengue incidence, while human mobility is a more influential driver in subtropical northern regions than the endemic south. Temperature is the dominant factor shaping dengue's distribution and dynamics, and using long-term reanalysis temperature data we show that warming since 1950 has expanded transmission risk throughout Vietnam, and most strongly in current dengue emergence hotspots (e.g., southern central regions, Ha Noi). In contrast, effects of hydrometeorology are complex, multi-scalar and dependent on local context: risk increases under either short-term precipitation excess or long-term drought, but improvements in water supply mitigate drought-associated risks except under extreme conditions. Our findings challenge the assumption that dengue is an urban disease, instead suggesting that incidence peaks in transitional landscapes with intermediate infrastructure provision, and provide evidence that interactions between recent climate change and mobility are contributing to dengue's expansion throughout Vietnam

A randomized, double-blind placebo controlled trial of balapiravir, a polymerase inhibitor, in adult dengue patients.

BACKGROUND: Dengue is the most common arboviral infection of humans. There are currently no specific treatments for dengue. Balapiravir is a prodrug of a nucleoside analogue (called R1479) and an inhibitor of hepatitis C virus replication in vivo. METHODS: We conducted in vitro experiments to determine the potency of balapiravir against dengue viruses and then an exploratory, dose-escalating, randomized placebo-controlled trial in adult male patients with dengue with <48 hours of fever. RESULTS: The clinical and laboratory adverse event profile in patients receiving balapiravir at doses of 1500 mg (n = 10) or 3000 mg (n = 22) orally for 5 days was similar to that of patients receiving placebo (n = 32), indicating balapiravir was well tolerated. However, twice daily assessment of viremia and daily assessment of NS1 antigenemia indicated balapiravir did not measurably alter the kinetics of these virological markers, nor did it reduce the fever clearance time. The kinetics of plasma cytokine concentrations and the whole blood transcriptional profile were also not attenuated by balapiravir treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Although this trial, the first of its kind in dengue, does not support balapiravir as a candidate drug, it does establish a framework for antiviral treatment trials in dengue and provides the field with a clinically evaluated benchmark molecule. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT01096576

Hexavalent Chromium Inhibited Zebrafish Embryo Development by Altering Apoptosis- and Antioxidant-Related Genes

This study aimed to assess the effects of hexavalent chromium on zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo development. The zebrafish embryos were treated with solutions containing chromium at different concentrations (0.1, 1, 3.125, 6.25, 12.5, 50, and 100 µg/mL). The development of zebrafish embryos was estimated by the determination of survival rate, heart rate, and the measurement of larvae body length. Real time RT-PCR and Western blot were performed to assess the expression of apoptosis- and antioxidant-related genes. The results showed that the reduced survival rate of zebrafish embryos and larvae was associated with an increase in chromium concentration. The exposure of higher concentrations resulted in a decrease in body length of zebrafish larvae. In addition, a marked increase in heart rate was observed in the zebrafish larvae under chromium treatment, especially at high concentrations. The real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that the transcript expressions for cell-cycle-related genes (cdk4 and cdk6) and antioxidant-related genes (sod1 and sod2) were downregulated in the zebrafish embryos treated with chromium. Western blot analysis revealed the upregulation of Caspase 3 and Bax, while a downregulation was observed in Bcl2. These results indicated that hexavalent chromium induced changes in zebrafish embryo development by altering apoptosis- and antioxidant-related genes

Organophosphate Pesticide Exposure: Effect on Farmers’ Sperm Quality in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Using pesticides in the An Giang province is widespread. However, studies on the health effect of organophosphate pesticide have not been updated within the past 12 years. This study aimed to assess exposure to organophosphate pesticides and their effects on sperm quality among farmers in the An Giang Province, Mekong Delta, Vietnam. During the winter – spring crop season of December 2021 to February 2022, a cross-sectional study was conducted on farmers aged 18 to 60 years-old based on seven communes’ health checkup programs. The pesticide spray group included farmers who had sprayed pesticides in the previous week and had a history of working in agriculture for more than 2 years. The control group was defined as those who lived in the same community, had not worked in agriculture, and had never sprayed pesticides. Demographic characteristics and blood, urine, and semen samples were collected and analyzed. Data for 184 eligible participants were analyzed, including 116 farmers in the pesticide spray group and 68 non-farmers in the control group. Pesticide spray contributed to a decrease in the sperm quality index of 6.253 units (95% CI, 4.472–8.749). Increasing each pseudocholinesterase (PChE) unit (kIU/L) was associated with an increase of 1.181 units in the sperm quality index (95% CI, 0.757–0.947). Preventive methods for organophosphate pesticide exposure, such as administrative controls, engineering controls, substitution, and personal protective equipment should be applied to control health risks. In the An Giang setting, personal protective equipment is feasible, but most types of equipment are not used. The immediate priority is to determine the cause of personal protective equipment not being used and to find solutions to encourage people to use them.</p