SECOND INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON RANAVIRUSES:: A NORTH AMERICAN HERPETOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Ranaviruses are large double stranded DNA viruses of poikilothermic vertebrates including amphibians, reptiles and fish. In North America, ranaviral disease and ranavirus-related die-off events have been documented in all three classes. Ranaviruses are found worldwide, appear to be emerging in some regions, and are increasingly recognized as a threat to many species

The Effects of Quantum Entropy on the Bag Constant

The effects of quantum entropy on the bag constant are studied at low temperatures and small chemical potentials. The inclusion of the quantum entropy of the quarks in the equation of state provides the hadronic bag with an additional heat which causes a decrease in the effective latent heat inside the bag. We have considered two types of baryonic bags, $\Delta$ and $\Omega^-$. In both cases we have found that the bag constant without the quantum entropy almost does not change with the temperature and the quark chemical potential. The contribution from the quantum entropy to the equation of state clearly decreases the value of the bag constant.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures (two parts each

Evaluation of the Removal of Organic Sulfur from Coal

As the removal of sulfur from coal prior to combustion acquires more importance in order to meet evermore stringent antipollution regulations, research on the development of methods for the cleaning of coal continues to expand. Reviews are available which describe the various methods for desulfurizing coal (1, 2, 3). The sulfur content in coal is usually a few per cent, but it can range from less than 0.5 per cent to as much as 8 per cent or more. Much of the sulfur is inorganic in nature, occurring in discrete mineral phases; the inorganic sulfur is mostly pyrite with small amounts of sulfates such as gypsum. Part of the sulfur in coal is termed organic sulfur, being intimately bound to the organic coal matrix. The chemical nature of this organic sulfur is not well established. During the desulfurization of coal, some of the coarse inorganic sulfur components can be removed

Association between HCV infection and diabetes type 2 in Egypt: Is it time to split up?

Purpose: There is a conflicting evidence about the association between hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and diabetes mellitus. The objective of this study was to assess this association in Egypt, the country with the highest HCV prevalence in the world. Methods: The source of data was from the Egypt Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2008. Using multivariable logistic regression analyses to account for known confounders, the association was investigated at two levels']: (1) HCV exposure (HCV antibody status) and diabetes mellitus and (2) diabetes mellitus and chronic HCV infection (HCV RNA status) among HCV-exposed individuals. Results: We found no evidence for an association between HCV antibody status and diabetes (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.87; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63-1.19). However, among HCV-exposed individuals, we found an evidence for an association between diabetes and active HCV infection (adjusted OR = 2.44, 95% CI, 1.30-4.57). Conclusions: Although it does not appear that HCV exposure and diabetes are linked, there might be an association between diabetes and chronic HCV infection. The HCV-diabetes relationship may be more complex than previously anticipated. Therefore, a call for an "amicable divorce" to the HCV-diabetes relationship could be premature

Do the Barker Codes End?

A Barker code is a binary code with k^th autocorrelation <= 1 for all nonzero k. At the workshop, the Barker code group split into four non-disjoint subgroups: - An "algebra group", who explored symmetries of the search space that preserve the autocorrelations' magnitude. - A "computing group", who explored methods for quickly finding binary codes with very good autocorrelation properties. - A "statistics group", who explored ways to quantify what has been empirically observed about autocorrelation in the search space S_2^N. - A "continuous group", who explored a non-discrete analogue of the problem of finding sequences with good autocorrelations

An occupational perspective on the lived experience of menstruation for autistic adults

Menstruation is known to have potentially adverse impacts at multiple levels of occupational performance (Armour et al., 2019). Little research has to date, however, directly investigated the everyday menstruation experiences of autistic individuals, for whom menses and menarche are widely thought to be particularly occupationally disruptive (Steward et al., 2018). In this paper, a qualitative research design was employed to address the lived experiences of menstruation among a small set (N=6) of autistic adults in the UK. With institutional ethical approval (reference: 2511/SRPM/2021), in-depth online interviews were conducted. These yielded 34,734 words of transcript, which were thematically analysed using the six steps described by Braun and Clarke (2006), and interpreted through an Occupational Perspective of Health Framework (Wilcock and Hocking, 2015). Three interconnected global themes were identified. 1. ‘Sense of self’, addressing participants’ sensory overload and amplified experiences of anxiety, ‘brain fog’ and concern with cleanliness. 2. ‘Attributional work’, addressing events and contexts which were taken to trigger and/or exacerbate key problems (such as the need to use public restrooms). 3. ‘Reclaiming orderliness’, addressing participants’ pragmatic strategies for overcoming the increased unpredictability inherent in their lives during periods. It was concluded that menstruation poses specific, significant challenges for autistic individuals which require autism-specific solutions. These challenges impact individuals’ ability to particularly perform occupations of self-care, productivity, and leisure. As such, Occupational Therapists have a key role to play in the provision of support to address the impact of menstruation on occupational engagement and participation. References: Armour, M., Parry, K., Al-Dabbas, M., Curry, C., Holmes, K., MacMillan, F., Ferfolja, T. and Smith, C.A. (2019) 'Self-care strategies and sources of knowledge on menstruation in 12,526 young women with dysmenorrhea: A systematic review and meta-analysis', PloS One, 14(7), pp. e0220103. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220103. Braun, V. and Clarke, V. (2006) 'Using thematic analysis in psychology', Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), pp. 77-101. doi: 10.1191/1478088706qp063oa. Steward, R., Crane, L., Mairi Roy, E., Remington, A. and Pellicano, E. (2018) '“Life is much more difficult to manage during periods”: Autistic experiences of menstruation', Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(12), pp. 4287-4292. doi: 10.1007/s10803-018-3664-0. Wilcock, A.A. and Hocking, C. (2015) An Occupational Perspective of Health. Thorofare, NJ: SLACK Incorporated