The Immunological Basis of Dry Eye Disease and Current Topical Treatment Options.

Homeostasis of the lacrimal functional unit is needed to ensure a well-regulated ocular immune response comprising innate and adaptive phases. When the ocular immune system is excessively stimulated and/or immunoregulatory mechanisms are disrupted, the balance between innate and adaptive phases is dysregulated and chronic ocular surface inflammation can result, leading to chronic dry eye disease (DED). According to the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society Dry Eye Workshop II definition, DED is a multifactorial disorder of the ocular surface characterized by impairment and loss of tear homeostasis (hyperosmolarity), ocular discomfort or pain, and neurosensory abnormalities. Dysregulated ocular immune responses result in ocular surface damage, which is a further contributing factor to DED pathology. Several therapeutics are available to break the vicious circle of DED and prevent chronic disease and progression, including immunosuppressive agents (steroids) and immunomodulators (cyclosporine and lifitegrast). Given the chronic inflammatory nature of DED, each of these agents is commonly used in clinical practice. In this study, we review the immunopathology of DED and the molecular and cellular actions of current topical DED therapeutics to inform clinical decision making

Simulación de la distorsión durante el tratamiento térmico de temple en piezas de acero utilizadas en la industria automotriz

Se presenta un método innovador en el que se introducen las mediciones del esfuerzo residual, como condición inicial (condiciones de frontera) en un software de elemento finito para determinar la deformación dimensional en piezas templadas utilizadas en la industria automotriz. La distorsión fue simulada utilizando el análisis de elemento finito (ANSYS). Las variables consideradas fueron temperatura de austenización, temperatura del medio de temple, y condición de esfuerzos residuales. Los resultados mostraron que los esfuerzos residuales no tienen un efecto importante sobre la distorsión. Se detecto que a mayor temperatura de austenización y a menor temperatura del medio de temple la distorsión aumenta. Los esfuerzos residuales y la distorsión de las piezas a diferentes temperaturas fueron evaluados para obtener las condiciones óptimas de distorsión

Social roles and aging from a life-span perspective

Este trabalho investigou os papéis sociais e as tarefas evolutivas desempenhados por adultos. O local escolhido para investigação foi um assentamento de famílias de baixa renda do Distrito Federal criado em 1989. Utilizou-se um questionário contendo 17 questões abertas e 15 questões fechadas, preenchido pela primeira autora durante uma visita domiciliar. Participaram 98 respondentes (73 F e 25 M), sendo 51 entre 50 e 59 anos e 47 a partir de 60 anos. Os resultados apontaram que este grupo é heterogêneo e que seus papéis sociais são influenciados pelas variáveis demográficas (idade, sexo, escolaridade, ocupação, naturalidade e estado civil) e também pelas variáveis relativas à moradia atual. Concluiu-se também que as expectativas sociais, o suporte social e a escolarização são fatores de suma importância para oferecer recursos para a otimização e compensação necessárias a um envelhecimento bem sucedido. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTThis study investigated the social roles and developmental tasks of adults. The study took place in a settlement of low-income families, created in The Federal District in 1989. Data were collected through a questionnaire composed of 17 open and 15 closed questions, administered by the first author during a home visit. There were 98 respondents, 73 female and 25 male, being 51 between 50 to 59 years old and 47 elders above the age of 60. The result indicated that this group is heterogeneous and that its social roles are influenced by the demographic variables - age, sex, educational level, work, place of the birth and marital status, as well for the relative variables to current residence. The data allow the conclusion that social expectations, social support and the educational level are important resources for the optimization and necessary compensation to successful aging

The ISM properties and gas kinematics of a redshift 3 massive dusty star-forming galaxy

We present CO (J = 1 → 0; 3 → 2; 5 → 4; 10 → 9) and 1.2 kpc resolution [C II] line observations of the dusty star-forming galaxy (SFG) HXMM05—carried out with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array, the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy, the Plateau de Bure Interferometer, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, measuring an unambiguous redshift of z = 2.9850 ± 0.0009. We find that HXMM05 is a hyperluminous infrared galaxy (LIR = (4 ± 1) × 1013 Le) with a total molecular gas mass of (2.1 ± 0.7) × 1011(aCO/0.8) Me. The CO (J = 1 → 0) and [C II] emission are extended over ∼9 kpc in diameter, and the CO line FWHM exceeds 1100 km s−1 . The [C II] emission shows a monotonic velocity gradient consistent with a disk, with a maximum rotation velocity of vc = 616 ± 100 km s−1 and a dynamical mass of (7.7 ± 3.1) × 1011 Me. We find a star formation rate of 2900- + 595 750 Me yr−1 . HXMM05 is thus among the most intensely SFGs known at high redshift. Photodissociation region modeling suggests physical conditions similar to nearby SFGs, showing extended star formation, which is consistent with our finding that the gas emission and dust emission are cospatial. Its molecular gas excitation resembles the local major merger Arp 220. The broad CO and [C II] lines and a pair of compact dust nuclei suggest the presence of a late-stage major merger at the center of the extended disk, again reminiscent of Arp 220. The observed gas kinematics and conditions, together with the presence of a companion and the pair of nuclei, suggest that HXMM05 is experiencing multiple mergers as a part of the evolution

Association of blood lead level with neurological features in 972 children affected by an acute severe lead poisoning outbreak in Zamfara State, northern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: In 2010, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) investigated reports of high mortality in young children in Zamfara State, Nigeria, leading to confirmation of villages with widespread acute severe lead poisoning. In a retrospective analysis, we aimed to determine venous blood lead level (VBLL) thresholds and risk factors for encephalopathy using MSF programmatic data from the first year of the outbreak response. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We included children aged ≤5 years with VBLL ≥45 µg/dL before any chelation and recorded neurological status. Odds ratios (OR) for neurological features were estimated; the final model was adjusted for age and baseline VBLL, using random effects for village of residence. 972 children met inclusion criteria: 885 (91%) had no neurological features; 34 (4%) had severe features; 47 (5%) had reported recent seizures; and six (1%) had other neurological abnormalities. The geometric mean VBLLs for all groups with neurological features were >100 µg/dL vs 65.9 µg/dL for those without neurological features. The adjusted OR for neurological features increased with increasing VBLL: from 2.75, 95%CI 1.27-5.98 (80-99.9 µg/dL) to 22.95, 95%CI 10.54-49.96 (≥120 µg/dL). Neurological features were associated with younger age (OR 4.77 [95% CI 2.50-9.11] for 1-<2 years and 2.69 [95%CI 1.15-6.26] for 2-<3 years, both vs 3-5 years). Severe neurological features were seen at VBLL <105 µg/dL only in those with malaria. INTERPRETATION: Increasing VBLL (from ≥80 µg/dL) and age 1-<3 years were strongly associated with neurological features; in those tested for malaria, a positive test was also strongly associated. These factors will help clinicians managing children with lead poisoning in prioritising therapy and developing chelation protocols

Time-integrated luminosity recorded by the BABAR detector at the PEP-II e+e- collider

This article is the Preprint version of the final published artcile which can be accessed at the link below.We describe a measurement of the time-integrated luminosity of the data collected by the BABAR experiment at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy e+e- collider at the ϒ(4S), ϒ(3S), and ϒ(2S) resonances and in a continuum region below each resonance. We measure the time-integrated luminosity by counting e+e-→e+e- and (for the ϒ(4S) only) e+e-→μ+μ- candidate events, allowing additional photons in the final state. We use data-corrected simulation to determine the cross-sections and reconstruction efficiencies for these processes, as well as the major backgrounds. Due to the large cross-sections of e+e-→e+e- and e+e-→μ+μ-, the statistical uncertainties of the measurement are substantially smaller than the systematic uncertainties. The dominant systematic uncertainties are due to observed differences between data and simulation, as well as uncertainties on the cross-sections. For data collected on the ϒ(3S) and ϒ(2S) resonances, an additional uncertainty arises due to ϒ→e+e-X background. For data collected off the ϒ resonances, we estimate an additional uncertainty due to time dependent efficiency variations, which can affect the short off-resonance runs. The relative uncertainties on the luminosities of the on-resonance (off-resonance) samples are 0.43% (0.43%) for the ϒ(4S), 0.58% (0.72%) for the ϒ(3S), and 0.68% (0.88%) for the ϒ(2S).This work is supported by the US Department of Energy and National Science Foundation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (Canada), the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique and Institut National de Physique Nucléaire et de Physiquedes Particules (France), the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Germany), the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (Italy), the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (The Netherlands), the Research Council of Norway, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Spain), and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (United Kingdom). Individuals have received support from the Marie-Curie IEF program (European Union) and the A.P. Sloan Foundation (USA)

Measurement of ISR-FSR interference in the processes e+ e- --> mu+ mu- gamma and e+ e- --> pi+ pi- gamma

Charge asymmetry in processes e+ e- --> mu+ mu- gamma and e+ e- --> pi+ pi- gamma is measured using 232 fb-1 of data collected with the BABAR detector at center-of-mass energies near 10.58 GeV. An observable is introduced and shown to be very robust against detector asymmetries while keeping a large sensitivity to the physical charge asymmetry that results from the interference between initial and final state radiation. The asymmetry is determined as afunction of the invariant mass of the final-state tracks from production threshold to a few GeV/c2. It is compared to the expectation from QED for e+ e- --> mu+ mu- gamma and from theoretical models for e+ e- --> pi+ pi- gamma. A clear interference pattern is observed in e+ e- --> pi+ pi- gamma, particularly in the vicinity of the f_2(1270) resonance. The inferred rate of lowest order FSR production is consistent with the QED expectation for e+ e- --> mu+ mu- gamma, and is negligibly small for e+ e- --> pi+ pi- gamma.Comment: 32 pages,29 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev.