Analysis of the individual risk of altitude decompression sickness under repeated exposures

In a case-control study, researchers examined the risk of decompression sickness (DCS) in individual subjects with higher number of exposures. Of the 126 subjects, 42 showed one or more episodes of DCS. Examination of the exposure-DCS relationship by odds ratio showed a linear relationship. Stratification analysis showed that sex, tissue ratio, and the presence of Doppler microbubbles were cofounders of this risk. A higher number of exposures increased the risk of DCS in this analysis

Differential Expression Of Gap Junction mRNAs And Proteins In The Developing Murine Kidney And In Experimentally Induced Nephric Mesenchymes

The expression of three gap junction (GJ) proteins, alpha-1 (Cx43), beta-1 (Cx32), and beta-2 (Cx26), and their transcripts were examined during the ontogeny of the mouse and rat kidney. These proteins were expressed in two non-overlapping patterns. The alpha-1 GJ protein was first observed in mesenchymal cells in the 12-day mouse kidney. By day 14 and thereafter, the ai protein was detected in the transient S-shaped bodies, but not in the podocytes of the maturing glomeruli. After birth the antigen was retained in a small subset of secretory tubules.The beta-1 and beta-2 GJ proteins were similar in their developmental patterns. They were first detected in a small subset of secretory tubules in the subcortical zone of day 17 embryos. These tubules were identified by immunohistochemical markers to be proximal. At birth, practically all proximal tubules expressed the two antigens.This analysis of GJ proteins was consistent with the results of S1 nuclease protection assays showing that, while the alpha-1 mRNA appeared early during kidney development and declined around birth, the two beta mRNAs appeared later and became intensified during the last days of intrauterine development.In experimentally induced metanephric mesenchymes, a transient expression of the alpha-1 GJ protein was seen during the segregation of the tubular anlagen. beta-1 and beta-2 GJ proteins were not detected in such induced mesenchymes cultivated up to 7 days.These observations provide evidence for the cell-specific utilization of different GJ genes during different stages of kidney organogenesis. The alpha-1 gene is activated during the early segregation of the secretory tubule and might contribute to its compartmentalization, while the beta-1 and beta-2 gene products are not detected until advanced stages of development. The latter gene products might be correlated with the physiological activity of the proximal tubules in vivo, as they are not expressed in experimentally induced tubules detectable with markers for proximal tubules

Reconstructing an ancestral genotype of two hexachlorocyclohexane-degrading Sphingobium species using metagenomic sequence data.

Over the last 60 years, the use of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) as a pesticide has resulted in the production of >4 million tons of HCH waste, which has been dumped in open sinks across the globe. Here, the combination of the genomes of two genetic subspecies (Sphingobium japonicum UT26 and Sphingobium indicum B90A; isolated from two discrete geographical locations, Japan and India, respectively) capable of degrading HCH, with metagenomic data from an HCH dumpsite (∼450 mg HCH per g soil), enabled the reconstruction and validation of the last-common ancestor (LCA) genotype. Mapping the LCA genotype (3128 genes) to the subspecies genomes demonstrated that >20% of the genes in each subspecies were absent in the LCA. This includes two enzymes from the 'upper' HCH degradation pathway, suggesting that the ancestor was unable to degrade HCH isomers, but descendants acquired lin genes by transposon-mediated lateral gene transfer. In addition, anthranilate and homogentisate degradation traits were found to be strain (selectively retained only by UT26) and environment (absent in the LCA and subspecies, but prevalent in the metagenome) specific, respectively. One draft secondary chromosome, two near complete plasmids and eight complete lin transposons were assembled from the metagenomic DNA. Collectively, these results reinforce the elastic nature of the genus Sphingobium, and describe the evolutionary acquisition mechanism of a xenobiotic degradation phenotype in response to environmental pollution. This also demonstrates for the first time the use of metagenomic data in ancestral genotype reconstruction, highlighting its potential to provide significant insight into the development of such phenotypes

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): Physiotherapists' use, knowledge and attitudes

This paper reports on a survey regarding physiotherapists’ knowledge, use and attitudes to non–steroidal anti–inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), some of which have recently been re–scheduled to non–prescription dispensing. A written survey instrument was developed and administered to 750 physiotherapists in South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory (50% of the registered physiotherapists). Responses were received from 285 physiotherapists. The survey identified opportunities for patient misuse and misadventures with NSAIDs in conjunction with physiotherapy management. Differences in physiotherapists’ understanding of the dosage and actions of oral and topic administrations of NSAIDs were highlighted, as were the moral and ethical responsibilities of physiotherapists to patients considering taking NSAIDs. The study identified the need for regular professional updates on quality use of NSAIDs

Learning in the wild:Understanding networked ties in Reddit

In this chapter we study informal learning processes occurring in Reddit. We provide empirical evidence of what factors may explain the formation of ties among the users of two online communities on Reddit (AskStatistics and AskSocialScience)

Seroprevalence of canine distemper virus (CDV) in the free-roaming dog (Canis familiaris) population surrounding Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Canine distemper virus (CDV) is a global multi-host pathogen that is capable of causing considerable mortality in a range of species and is important in the field of conservation medicine. Nepal's Chitwan National Park is a protected area providing habitat for 32% of the country's mammal species including endangered carnivores such as the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) that are susceptible to CDV. The presence of free-roaming dogs around protected areas could represent a source of infectious disease for transmission to local wildlife. A cross-sectional demographic and canine distemper virus seroprevalence study of 100 free-roaming dogs from the Chitwan National Park buffer zone and surrounding area was conducted in November 2019. The overall seroprevalence indicating past exposure to canine distemper virus was 80.0% (95% CI: 70.8-87.3). Of the host variables assessed, sex and age were positively associated with seroprevalence at the univariable level, with male dogs demonstrating lower seroprevalence than females (OR = 0.32, 95% CI: 0.11-0.91) and adult dogs demonstrating higher seroprevalence than juveniles (OR = 13.94, 95% CI: 1.37-142.29). The effect of sex was no longer significant at the multivariable level, but the direction of the effect remained the same. The effect of age remained significant after multivariable analysis (OR = 9.00, 95% CI: 1.03-192.75). No spatial associations were demonstrated in relation to the buffer zone area or boundary of Chitwan National Park. Free-roaming dog neutering and vaccination programmes can provide a useful baseline for future CDV studies in the region, and a proxy to monitor disease threats to susceptible wildlife

Understanding the Adhesion Performance of Glued Laminated Timber Manufactured with Australian Softwood and High-Density Hardwood Species

To be commercialised, glued laminated timber must typically conform to a strict bond integrity assessment. While the associated testing protocols vary slightly from country to country, the general method consists of a series of swelling (water immersion) and shrinkage (drying) cycles. The approach is independent of the species and adhesive type. Those cycles strain the gluelines to a level depending on the species’ moisture uptake, timber dimensional movement and modulus of elasticity, as well as adhesive layer elasticity. High density and high modulus of elasticity materials frequently fail within the glueline regions rather than within the timber and therefore fail the bond integrity assessment. To better understand the mechanisms that lead to glueline failure, glulam samples were manufactured using three prominent Australian commercial timbers of various densities (Radiata pine – Pinus radiata, Southern pine – Pinus caribaea/Pinus elliottii, and Spotted gum – Corymbia citriodora) and two structural adhesive types (resorcinol formaldehyde and polyurethane). Using advanced measurement techniques (digital image correlation and strain gauges), the response of the different species and adhesive types to moisture swelling and shrinkage, as well as times at which glueline separation occurs, were captured. A relationship was observed between moisture uptake and delamination percentages with spotted gum producing significantly higher levels of delamination and significantly lower moisture uptake values, compared to both radiata pine and southern. While the polyurethane glued samples on average produced higher levels of delamination, the digital image correlation data indicates that the time at which this delamination occurs is later than the samples glued with resorcinol formaldehyde. No relationship exists between the block shear strength, wood fibre amounts, and delamination percentages

Material parameter identification of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites

In this article, several aspects of material parameter identification are addressed. We compare several methods to identify material parameters of a constitutive model for small strain, linear elastic transverse isotropy based on experimental data of specimens made from composite plates. These approaches range from identifying the five material parameters from purely analytical considerations to the fully numerical identification on the basis of finite elements and various data provided by digital image correlation (DIC). The underlying experimental tests range from purely uniaxial tensile tests with varying fiber orientation to shear and compression tests. A specific measuring instrument has been developed for the latter tests to obtain unique material parameters—motivated by the concept of local identifiability. Besides, we compare the numerical differentiation, which is the common procedure in parameter identification, with the fully analytical derivation of sensitivities within the DIC/FEM approach