Molecular epidemiology of canine parvovirus in Namibia

openDogs and cats have an increasing importance in the daily life of many families, and their care is a consolidated goal of Veterinary Medicine. It is in this context that canine parvovirosis emerges as a very widespread disease, feared for its characteristics of persistence, infectivity and lethality. It is caused by a small, single-stranded DNA virus member of the species Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 (genus Protoparvovirus, family Parvoviridae), the Canine parvovirus (CPV). There are several antigenic variants of CPV, including CPV-2a, CPV-2b, and CPV-2c, each with slightly different characteristics and prevalence in different parts of the world. CPV is a highly contagious viral infection that affects dogs, especially puppies, and can lead to severe illness or death if left untreated. and It can be transmitted through direct contact with infected dogs or their faces, as well as through contaminated objects or environments. Vaccination is an important preventive measure against CPV infection. The present work aims to increase the knowledge of CPV epidemiology and investigate the Namibian epidemiological situation. To this purpose, newly generated sequences from Namibian domestic dogs and jackals were obtained and compared with already available ones. A dedicated phylogeographic analysis revealed that the introduction was more likely mediated by other African countries, highlighting the challenge of controlling illegal animal imports across land borders. Similarly, the absence of any geographical clustering within Namibia testify a substantially unconstrained viral circulation among districts. Although the limited wild animals' sample size prevents any definitive conclusion, the identity of the sequences from the jackal and the ones originating from the domestic dogs suggests a potential inter-species transmission.Dogs and cats have an increasing importance in the daily life of many families, and their care is a consolidated goal of Veterinary Medicine. It is in this context that canine parvovirosis emerges as a very widespread disease, feared for its characteristics of persistence, infectivity and lethality. It is caused by a small, single-stranded DNA virus member of the species Carnivore protoparvovirus 1 (genus Protoparvovirus, family Parvoviridae), the Canine parvovirus (CPV). There are several antigenic variants of CPV, including CPV-2a, CPV-2b, and CPV-2c, each with slightly different characteristics and prevalence in different parts of the world. CPV is a highly contagious viral infection that affects dogs, especially puppies, and can lead to severe illness or death if left untreated. and It can be transmitted through direct contact with infected dogs or their faces, as well as through contaminated objects or environments. Vaccination is an important preventive measure against CPV infection. The present work aims to increase the knowledge of CPV epidemiology and investigate the Namibian epidemiological situation. To this purpose, newly generated sequences from Namibian domestic dogs and jackals were obtained and compared with already available ones. A dedicated phylogeographic analysis revealed that the introduction was more likely mediated by other African countries, highlighting the challenge of controlling illegal animal imports across land borders. Similarly, the absence of any geographical clustering within Namibia testify a substantially unconstrained viral circulation among districts. Although the limited wild animals' sample size prevents any definitive conclusion, the identity of the sequences from the jackal and the ones originating from the domestic dogs suggests a potential inter-species transmission

Study of multifunctional PVA based hydrogels with nanoparticle and molecular additives

Dans cette étude, l'effet de différents additifs de renforcement, les nanocristaux de cellulose (CNC) et l'acide tannique (TA), sur l'hydrogel d'alcool polyvinylique (PVA), préparé à l'aide de la méthode de congélation/décongélation, a été examiné. L'influence de la CNC en tant qu'additif de nanoparticules et de l'AT en tant qu'additif moléculaire sur la structure et les propriétés des hydrogels a été étudiée à l'aide de la spectroscopie infrarouge à réflexion totale atténuée (ATR-IR), de la diffraction des rayons X sur poudre (XRD) et du balayage différentiel calorimétrie (DSC). Les propriétés mécaniques, d'auto-guérison et de mémoire de forme des hydrogels ont également été étudiées. Les résultats expérimentaux ont révélé que les hydrogels PVA-CNC et PVA-TA préparés ont des propriétés différentes bien que des liaisons H soient formées entre la matrice PVA et les deux additifs dans les deux hydrogels. L'ajout de TA améliore plus significativement les propriétés mécaniques (module d'Young, résistance à la traction, allongement à la rupture et ténacité) que le CNC. Cependant, l'hydrogel PVA-CNC conserve de manière significative la capacité d'auto-guérison, contrairement à l'hydrogel PVA-TA qui perd considérablement la fonction d'auto-guérison. De plus, une étude comparative détaillée a été réalisée en utilisant des hydrogels PVA-CNC et PVA-TA contenant la même quantité de 1% en poids d'additif. L'ensemble de ces travaux indique que les additifs nanoparticulaires et moléculaires des hydrogels de PVA préparés dans les mêmes conditions peuvent donner lieu à des propriétés très différentes, et que les liaisons H (nombre, nature, force) entre l'additif et la matrice ainsi que les leur interfaces peuvent être un facteur déterminant.Abstract : In this study, the effect of different reinforcing additives, Cellulose Nanocrystals (CNC) and Tannic acid (TA), on Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) hydrogel, prepared using the freeze/thaw method, has been examined. The influence of CNC as a nanoparticle additive, and TA as a molecular additive on the structure and properties of the hydrogels was investigated using attenuated total reflection-infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The mechanical, self-healing, and shape memory properties of hydrogels were also studied. The experimental results found that the prepared PVA-CNC and PVA-TA hydrogels have different properties although H-bonds are formed between the PVA matrix and the two additives in both hydrogels. The addition of TA improves more importantly the mechanical properties (Young’s modulus, tensile strength, elongation at break and toughness) than CNC. However, the PVA-CNC hydrogel retains significantly the self-healing capability, in contrast to PVA-TA hydrogel that loses greatly the self-healing function. Furthermore, a detailed comparative study was carried out using PVA-CNC and PVA-TA hydrogels containing the same amount of 1 wt% of additive. The whole of this work indicates that nanoparticle and molecular additives in PVA hydrogels prepared under the same conditions may give rise to very different properties, and that the H-bonds (number, nature, strength) between the additive and the matrix as well as their interfaces may be a determinant factor

Water quality monitoring of Madlabekken constructed wetlands

Master's thesis in Environmental TechnologyAs urbanized areas grow in scale, the negative impact on urban surface runoff increases. This fact creates the urge to take proper measures to control and prevent the downside effects of urbanization on natural water resources. This study analyzed the water quality of Madlabekken stream and Madlabekken constructed wetland. The main focus of this work is to evaluate whether the inlet to the wetland is urban area runoff, or if it contains periodic household wastewater contributions. In addition, estimating the wetland’s efficiency is the secondary objective. Weekly samplings were collected from January to May 2018 continuously, and some grab samplings were done before this period between October to December 2017. Evaluation of water quality parameters including TSS, CODt, CODs, TP, PO4-3, TN and NH4+ at both inlet and outlet of the wetland was achieved by performing weekly analyses of water samples. The overall results showed that the quality of water is in range of urban storm runoff and in some cases much lower. The analyzed samples did not show a trace of wastewater and sewage. The highest concentrations were observed in February due to temperatures below zero which caused low levels of water in channels. Also, due to low concentrations, this constructed wetland did not show high efficiency in removing pollutants. Nevertheless, generally removal efficiency found to increase in the higher concentration of TSS and nutrients, and it was close to similar CWs removal efficiency in higher concentrations. TSS was reduced by 46%, and the reduction percentage for CODt and CODs was 22% and 6% respectively. For TP and PO4-3, in average the reduction is approx. 25% and 5% respectively. For TN and NH4+, considering the removal efficiency variation in different months, on average no reduction was found from influent to effluent. Ultimately, comparing to similarly CWs, this wetland has a lower removal efficiency

Effect Of Nanoparticulates (Gd2o3, Eu2o3, Ce2o3) Addition On Properties Of (Bi1.6 Pb 0.4)Sr2 Ca2 Cu3 O10 Ceramics Superconductors

The effects of Rare Earth oxide (M) nanoparticulates addition in (Bi1.6Pb0.4)Sr2Ca2Cu3O10 + xM with M = Gd2O3, Eu2O3, Ce2O3 and x = 0.0-0.05 system, prepared by the conventional solid state reaction method have been investigated for structural, electrical and magnetic properties. The sizes of nanoparticulates oxide are 150 nm, 4 nm and 50nm respectively for Gd2O3, Eu2O3 and Ce2O3. The samples were calcined at 800° C and 830° C for 48 hours followed by sintering at 850° C for 120 hours. The morphological appearance of the samples with Gd2O3 addition generally showed platelet-like grains with random orientations, typically of 2223 phase’s structure, and by increasing the amount of nanoparticulate the platelet tend to stick together. At high percentage of nanoparticulate addition in Gd2O3 the microstructure displayed grain size from to 1.5 μm to 10 μm and increased number of pores. The morphologies of fractured surface of pellets of specimen from x=0.00-x=0.05 Ce2O3 nanoparticulate, showed that the flaky nature of the grains gradually vanished and the edges of the grains become softer and the size of the grain changed from 10 μm to 2 μm. At x=0.03 of Eu2O3 the grain size become larger in comparison with other samples. The volume fraction of the high-TC (2223) phase for addition of Gd2O3 decreased from 89% for x=0.005 to 58% for x=0.05 and in the low- TC (2212) phase the volume increased from 3.4% to 41.2 % for x=0.005 and x=0.05, respectively. The c-axis parameter decreased from 37.1293 Å to 36.7800 Å at x=0.005 to x=0.05 for Gd2O3 addition on Bi-2223. For addition with Eu2O3, we can observe some increasing in x=0.03, from x=0.01-x=0.03 volume fractions increased from x=0.01-x=0.03 according to following percentage of 83.2% to 94.3%, respectively. The lattice parameter in the c-axis increased for x=0.00 to x=0.03 in Eu2O3 addition from 37.1264 Å to 37.1432 Å. In addition with Ce2O3 nanoparticulate in pure Bi-2223, with increasing in the amount, the volume fractions reduced from 92.67% for x=0.00 to 57% in x=0.05, the c-axis also decreased from 37.1193Å to 36.8870Å for x=0.00-0.05. The critical temperature with increasing amounts of Gd2O3 x=0.00-x=0.05 decreased from 101 K to 96 K, respectively. For samples with the addition of Eu2O3, TC decreased from 101 K to 98 K and started to increase for x=0.03 with TC =103.74 K. When Ce2O3 content was further increased, the electrical behavior started to change. The onset critical temperatures were reduced from 101 K to 93 K for x=0.00-x=0.05, respectively. Measurements of AC magnetic susceptibility as a function of temperature and AC field amplitudes have been carried out for samples containing Gd2O3 nanoparticulate at constant frequency f=333.3 Hz. It is shown that with increasing addition content from x=0.00- x=0.05, the diamagnetic onset temperature decreased from 107 K for pure sample to 97 K for Gd2O3 in last content. The analysis for comparison is based on the availability of higher percentage of the high-TC (2223) phase in the sample, the suppression degree of diamagnetic behavior with respect to AC fields; rapid or slow shift of the summit in χʹʹ (T) to lower temperature with increasing field amplitude and the sharpness of χʹ (T) for the intergranular component for the same field amplitude

Perancangan Spiral Oil Groove Tool Pada Mesin Bubut Manual

Spiral oil groove tools adalah alat bantu industri manufaktur untuk membuat berbagai macam jenis alur oli pada bantalan luncur yang digunakan pada mesin bubut manual. Jenis alur oli yang dapat dibuat adalah figure eight dan double figure eight dengan pitch alur oli 50mm s/d 150mm dan diameter dalam bantalan luncur 50mm s/d 200mm. Dimana dengan alat tersebut tidak memerluikan keahlian khusus sehingga dapat membantu industri manufaktur lebih mudah dalam pembuatan alur oli pada bantalan luncur serta dapat menekan biaya produksi

Stellar populations in the outskirts of M31: The mid-infrared view

The mid-infrared provides a unique view of galaxy stellar populations, sensitive to both the integrated light of old, low-mass stars and to individual dusty mass-losing stars. We present results from an extended Spitzer/IRAC survey of M31 with total lengths of 6.6 and 4.4 degrees along the major and minor axes, respectively. The integrated surface brightness profile proves to be surprisingly difficult to trace in the outskirts of the galaxy, but we can also investigate the disk/halo transition via a star count profile, with careful correction for foreground and background contamination. Our point-source catalog allows us to report on mid-infrared properties of individual objects in the outskirts of M31, via cross-correlation with PAndAS, WISE, and other catalogs

Postpartum Depression Among Women With Previous Infertility in Health Care Centers of Hamadan in 2018

Background: Childbirth is one of the important goals of family, so the infertility can cause many problems for the family. Therefore, the aims of the current study were the frequency of postpartum depression and evaluate the relationship between postpartum depression, socio demographic factors and quality of marital satisfaction in postpartum women with a history of infertility referring to health centers in Hamadan.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study. The study population consisted of all primiparous women with a history of infertility referring to Hamadan health care centres in 2018, of which 240 were randomly selected according to the inclusion criteria during one year. Subjects were assessed by demographic and clinical information checklist, Edinburgh Depression Inventory (EPDS) and marital relationship quality scale (Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale; RDAS). All statistical calculations were performed by busing chi square with SPSS-17.Results: Totally 152 out of 240 participants (63.3%), had a degree of depression, of which 57 (23.7%) had a mild depression, 63 (26.3%) had moderate depression and 32 (13.3%) had severe depression. According to result of the study, marital satisfaction in 23.3% (56), 37.1% (89) and 39.6% (95) were good, moderate and low respectively. The quality of marital relationship associated significantly with and postpartum depression (χ2=19.3,P<0.001). The results of the study showed that there was a significant relationship between age, occupation, educational level, duration of infertility and depression (P<0.05), but there was no significant relationship between ethnicity, insurance and depression (P<0.05).Conclusion: Regarding the results obtained in this study and comparison with existing studies, the infertility problem can cause mental and psychological disorders in women. It seems that the marital satisfaction and its relationship with different factors and the proper interventions by health care providers are necessary to prevent postpartum depression in these women

In vitro regeneration ability of diploid and autotetraploid plants of Cichorium intybus L.

Polyploidy has played a significant role in the evolutionary history of plants and is a valuable tool for obtaining useful characteristics. Because of the novelty of polyploids, comparison of their in vitro culture responses with diploids would be notable. In this study, leaf explants from diploid, autotetraploid and mixoploid plants of Cichorium intybus L. were cultured in vitro on the similar media and under same conditions. The ploidy level of the obtained calluses and regenerants were determined by flow cytometry analysis. The callogenic response of leaf explants cultured on the callus induction medium did not depend on the ploidy level of their parental plants. According to the flow cytometry analysis, the increased ploidy levels (4x) and (8x) were observed in the callus cultures with diploid and tetraploid origin, respectively. A considerable difference was observed between the ploidy level of mixoploid plants and their calluses, indicating the dominance of diploid cells in the callus tissue. The results showed that polyploidy led to the loss of organogenic potential as the tetraploid origin calluses failed to regenerate, while the diploid origin calluses successfully regenerated to whole plants.Полиплоидия сыграла значительную роль в эволюционной истории растений как ценный инструмент получения полезных признаков. В настоящей работе приведено сравнение культурального ответа in vitro полиплоидов с диплоидами. Листовые экспланты диплоидных, автотетраплоидных и миксоплоидных растений Cichorium intybus L. культивировали на одних и тех же средах в одинаковых условиях. Уровень плоидности индуцированных каллусов и регенерантов определяли с помощью жидкостной цитометрии. Способность листовых эксплантов к каллусообра-зованию на среде для индукции каллуса не зависела от уровня плоидности исходных растений. По данным жидкостной цитометрии в каллусных культурах диплоидного и тетраплоидного происхождения на блюдалось увеличение уровней плоидности (4x и 8x соответственно). Значительные отличия в уровнях плоидности обнаружены у миксоплоидных растений и их каллусов, при этом в каллусной ткани доминировали диплоидные клетки. Показано, что поли плоидия приводила к потере органогенного потенциала, так как тетраплоидные каллусы не были способны к регенерации, а в каллусах диплоидного происхождения успешно происходила регенерация растений

A modified bond-based peridynamics model without limitations on elastic properties

This study proposes a novel Modified Bond-Based PeriDynamic (MBB-PD) model based on the bonds' classification. This classification of bonds is performed on the basis of the equivalent hypothetical local strains and falls into three categories of horizontal normal, vertical normal, and shear bonds. While the classical Bond-Based PD (BB-PD) considers only the stretch of bonds, all components of the bonds' strains are taken into account in the proposed model.A local imaginary element is considered around each bond to estimate the true strains of each bond. The constitutive relations are derived from equating the strain energies of the bonds' deformations to the Classical Continuum Mechanics (CCM) strain energies for a generalized combined loading condition. A novel critical stretch criterion and critical angle criterion are proposed to predict the failure of normal and shear strain bonds, respectively.It is also shown that, unlike the classical BB-PD, the proposed model does not impose any limitations on the value of Poisson's ratio. The model is verified by investigating some intact plane stress and plane strain problems under mechanical and thermal loadings. Moreover, the deformation and damage contours and the corresponding stress-strain responses are presented for different problems with pre-existing defects and validated with the eXtended Finite Element method's (XFEM) analysis

Identifying and Using Driver Nodes in Temporal Networks

In many approaches developed for defining complex networks, the main assumption is that the network is in a relatively stable state that can be approximated with a fixed topology. However, in several applications, this approximation is not adequate because a) the system modeled is dynamic by nature, and b) the changes are an essential characteristic that cannot be approximated. Temporal networks capture changes in the topology of networks by including the temporal information associated with their structural connections, i.e., links or edges. We focus here on controllability of temporal networks, that is, the study of steering the state of a network to any desired state at deadline tf within Δt=tf−t0 steps through stimulating key nodes called driver nodes. Recent studies provided analytical approaches to find a maximum controllable subspace for an arbitrary set of driver nodes. However, finding the minimum number of driver nodes Nc required to reach full control is computationally prohibitive. In this work, we propose a heuristic algorithm that quickly finds a suboptimal set of driver nodes with size Ns \u3e Nc . We conduct experiments on synthetic and real-world temporal networks induced from ant colonies and e-mail communications of a manufacturing company. The empirical results in both cases show the heuristic algorithm efficiently identifies a small set of driver nodes that can fully control the networks. Also, as shown in the case of ants’ interactions networks, the driver nodes tend to have a large degree in temporal networks. Furthermore, we analyze the behavior of driver nodes within the context of their datasets, through which, we observe that queen ants tend to avoid becoming a driver node