Autophagy gene activity may act as a key factor for sensitivity of tumor cells to oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus

Background: Beclin1 is an important, primary molecule for autophagy. Objectives: It is suggested that the control of the autophagy path increases the sensitivity of tumor cells to VSV. Materials and Methods: In this study, the degree of Beclin1 gene expression in two cell lines, HeLa and A549, has been examined and the percentage of living cells subsequent infection with virus has been evaluated by MTT assay method. Results: The results showed that the degree of Beclin1 gene expression in HeLa cells in comparison with A549 cells has reduced, and the sensitivity of these cells to vesicular stomatits virus (VSV) oncolysis is more than A549. Conclusions: It seems that by using some methods for reducing autophagy, it is possible to make tumor cells more sensitive to virotherapy and even other treatments. © 2016, Iranian Journal of Cancer Prevention

Hydrothermal Endometrial Ablation Can Reduce the Need for Hysterectomy and Transfusion

The authors report that hydrothermal ablation can obviate the necessity for transfusion in cases of persistent uterine bleeding secondary to large submucosal and intrauterine myomas that are resistant to medical therapy

Survival Analysis of Bridge Superstructures in Wisconsin

Although survival analyses have long been used in biomedical research, their application to engineering in general, and bridge engineering in particular, is a more recent phenomenon. In this research, survival (reliability) of bridge superstructures in Wisconsin was investigated using the Hypertabastic accelerated failure time model. The 2012 National Bridge Inventory (NBI) data for the State ofWisconsin were used for the analyses. A recorded NBI superstructure condition rating of 5 was chosen as the end of service life. The type of bridge superstructure, bridge age, maximum span length (MSL) and average daily traffic (ADT) were considered as possible risk factors in the survival of bridge superstructures. Results show that ADT and MSL can substantially affect the survival of bridge superstructures at various ages. The reliability of Wisconsin superstructures at the ages of 50 and 75 years is on the order of 63% and 18%, respectively, when the ADT and MSL values are at Wisconsin’s mean values

Conditional survival analysis for concrete bridge decks

Bridge decks are a significant factor in the deterioration of bridges, and substantially affect long-term bridge maintenance decisions. In this study, conditional survival (reliability) analysis techniques are applied to bridge decks to evaluate the age at the end of service life using the National Bridge Inventory records. As bridge decks age, the probability of survival and the expected service life would change. The additional knowledge gained from the fact that a bridge deck has already survived a specific number of years alters (increases) the original probability of survival at subsequent years based on the conditional probability theory. The conditional expected service life of a bridge deck can be estimated using the original and conditional survival functions. The effects of average daily traffic and deck surface area are considered in the survival calculations. Using Wisconsin data, relationships are provided to calculate the probability of survival of bridge decks as well as expected service life at various ages. The concept of survival dividend is presented and the age when rapid deterioration begins is defined

stoRNA: Stateless Transparent Proofs of Storage-time

Proof of Storage-time (PoSt) is a cryptographic primitive that enables a server to demonstrate non-interactive continuous availability of outsourced data in a publicly verifiable way. This notion was first introduced by Filecoin to secure their Blockchain-based decentralized storage marketplace, using expensive SNARKs to compact proofs. Recent work employs the notion of trapdoor delay function to address the problem of compact PoSt without SNARKs. This approach however entails statefulness and non-transparency, while it requires an expensive pre-processing phase by the client. All of the above renders their solution impractical for decentralized storage marketplaces, leaving the stateless trapdoor-free PoSt with reduced setup costs as an open problem. In this work, we present stateless and transparent PoSt constructions using probabilistic sampling and a new Merkle variant commitment. In the process of enabling adjustable prover difficulty, we then propose a multi-prover construction to diminish the CPU work each prover is required to do. Both schemes feature a fast setup phase and logarithmic verification time and bandwidth with the end-to-end setup, prove, and verification costs lower than the existing solutions

Numerical Study of CNT Micro Fin Array for Cooling Application

Heat removing from a microelectronic chip packaging has grand effect on performance and durability of the chip. Today's microchips with high power densities would require efficient methods of cooling. Recently, vertical alignment CNTs, due to their superior thermal, electrical and mechanical properties, was suggested as an effective micro cooler on the level of modern electronics demands. In this paper, the cooling performance of the CNT fin structures is studied numerically. Flow of air was considered as the working fluid flow. CFD simulations have been carried out for a series of CNT micro-fin cooling architectures based on one and two dimensional fin array models. The modeling results indicate that fluid speed is the key factor in heat transfer capacity of the device. Also, the results of 2D carbon nanotube fin array model show more precise and greater thermal performance than that of 1D model. Finally, the examination of pressure drop between inlet and outlet of the cooling device is presented as an important factor which could limit the fluid speed and fin height effect on heat sink performance also investigated

Goiter frequency is more strongly associated with gastric adenocarcinoma than urine iodine level

Purpose: We designed our study to evaluate the hypothesis that gastric cancer is correlated with iodine deficiency or thyroid dysfunction. Materials and Methods: We investigated the total body iodine reserve, thyroid function status and autoimmune disorder in 40 recently diagnosed gastric adenocarcinoma cases versus 80 healthy controls. The participants came from a region with high gastric cancer rate but sufficient iodine supply due to salt iodination. The investigation included urine iodine level, thyroid gland clinical and ultrasonograph-ic examination, and thyroid function tests. Results: Goiter was detected more frequently in the case group (P=0.001); such a finding, however, was not true for lower than normal urine iodine levels. The free T3 mean level was significantly lower in the case group compared to the control group (P=0.005). Conclusions: The higher prevalence of goiter rather than low levels of urinary iodine in gastric adenocarcinoma cases suggests that goi-ter, perhaps due to protracted but currently adjusted iodine deficiency, is more likely to be associated with gastric adenocarcinoma com-pared to the existing iodine deficiency itself. © 2013 by The Korean Gastric Cancer Association

Subtle local structural variations in oxygen deficient niobium germanate thin film glasses as revealed by x-ray absorption spectroscopy

6 págs.; 4 figs.; 2 tabs. 16th International Conference on X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS16) ; Open Access funded by Creative Commons Atribution Licence 3.0The local electronic and crystal structure of niobium-lead-germanate, Nb2O5-PbO- GeO2 (NPG), glass thin films on silicon substrates were probed by XANES and EXAFS. NPG glasses are promising candidates for applications in nonlinear optical devices because they exhibit interesting optical characteristics such as high nonlinear third order optical susceptibility. In this work NPG glasses were prepared with pulsed laser deposition method with varying oxygen partial pressure to induce thin films with different oxygen stoichiometry. Previously, it was shown that oxygen stoichiometry has a very important effect to produce unusual high optical susceptibility. Detailed EXAFS and XANES analyses in a series of NPG thin films revealed the subtle variations in the local environment around Nb atoms and the Nb oxidation states caused by oxygen deficiencies. Published under licence by IOP Publishing LtdPeer Reviewe

Prevalence of legionella species in water resources of Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Legionella species are ubiquitous and naturally found in lakes, rivers, streams and hot springs, and other water resources. The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Legionella species in water resources of Iran by a systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: In search of papers relevant to the prevalence of Legionella in water resources of Iran, the scientific information database in both English and Persian languages was used. The search was limited to studies between the year 2000 and end of July 2016. Each cohort and cross-sectional study that reported the contamination of water with Legionella was included in the present study. For data analysis, comprehensive meta-analysis software with Cochran�s Q and I2 tests were used. P values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of Legionella species in water resources of Iran was 27.3 (95 CI: 25.3-29.3). The prevalence of Legionella spp. in hospital water, dental settings water, and other water resources were 28.8 (95 CI: 26.4-31.2), 23.6 (95 CI: 16.1-33.2), and 29.6 (95 CI: 25.6-33.8), respectively. The most common Legionella species was L. pneumophila with a prevalence of 60.5 (95 CI: 53.3-67.2) and the prevalence of all other species was 52.5 (95 CI: 44.7-60.2). The highest prevalence was reported in Isfahan with 55.7 (95 CI: 48.0-63.0). Conclusion: Based on the results, the prevalence rate of Legionella species in water resources of Iran was high and the most common Legionella species was L. pneumophila. © 2018, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved