Dominant g(9/2)^2 neutron configuration in the 4+1 state of 68Zn based on new g factor measurements

The $g$ factor of the $4_1^+$ state in $^{68}$Zn has been remeasured with improved energy resolution of the detectors used. The value obtained is consistent with the previous result of a negative $g$ factor thus confirming the dominant $0g_{9/2}$ neutron nature of the $4_1^+$ state. In addition, the accuracy of the $g$ factors of the $2_1^+$, $2_2^+$ and $3_1^-$ states has been improved an d their lifetimes were well reproduced. New large-scale shell model calculations based on a $^{56}$Ni core and an $0f_{5/2}1pg_{9/2}$ model space yield a theoretical value, $g(4_1^+) = +0.008$. Although the calculated value is small, it cannot fully explain the experimental value, $g(4_1^+) = -0.37(17)$. The magnitude of the deduced B(E2) of the $4_1^+$ and $2_1^+$ transition is, however, rather well described. These results demonstrate again the importance of $g$ factor measurements for nuclear structure determination s due to their specific sensitivity to detailed proton and neutron components in the nuclear wave functions.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figs, submitted to PL

Attendance in a national screening program for diabetic retinopathy:a population-based study of 205,970 patients

AIMS: A nationwide diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening program has been established in Denmark since 2013. We aimed to perform an evaluation of adherence to DR screenings and to examine whether non-adherence was correlated to DR progression. METHODS: The population consisted of a register-based cohort, who participated in the screening program from 2013 to 2018. We analyzed age, gender, marital status, DR level (International Clinical DR severity scale, none, mild-, moderate-, severe non-proliferative DR (NPDR) and proliferative DR (PDR)), comorbidities and socioeconomic factors. The attendance pattern of patients was grouped as either timely (no delays > 33%), delayed (delays > 33%) or one-time attendance (unexplained). RESULTS: We included 205,970 patients with 591,136 screenings. Rates of timely, delayed and one-time attendance were 53.0%, 35.5% and 11.5%, respectively. DR level at baseline was associated with delays (mild-, moderate-, severe NPDR and PDR) and one-time attendance (moderate-, severe NPDR and PDR) with relative risk ratios (RRR) of 1.68, 2.27, 3.14, 2.44 and 1.18, 2.07, 1.26, respectively (P < 0.05). Delays at previous screenings were associated with progression to severe NPDR or PDR (hazard ratio (HR) 2.27, 6.25 and 12.84 for 1, 2 and 3+ delays, respectively). Any given delay doubled the risk of progression (HR 2.28). CONCLUSIONS: In a national cohort of 205,970 patients, almost half of the patients attended DR screening later than scheduled or dropped out after first screening episode. This was, in particular, true for patients with any levels of DR at baseline. DR progression in patients with delayed attendance, increased with the number of missed appointments

Marriage “sharia style”: everyday practices of Islamic morality in England

The growing visibility of Islam in the public spaces of Western societies is often interpreted in the media as a sign of Muslim radicalisation. This article questions this postulate by examining the flourishing Muslim marriage industry in the UK. It argues that these ‘halal’ services, increasingly popular among the young generation of British Muslims, reflect the semantic shifting of categories away from the repertoire of Islamic jurisprudence to cultural and identity labels visible in public space. Informed by long-term ethnographic fieldwork in the British field of Islamic law, this article examines a Muslim speed-dating event, which took place in central London in 2013. It investigates how Islamic morality is maintained and negotiated in everyday social interactions rather than cultivated via discipline and the pursuit of virtuous dispositions. Using Goffman’s “frame analysis” and his interpretation of the social as a space of “performances” as well as recent anthropological reflections on “ordinary ethics” (Lambek) and “everyday Islam” (Schielke, Osella and Soares), it examines the potential for such practices to define the contours of a new public culture where difference is celebrated as a form of distinction

Preoperative risk score for prediction of long-term outcomes after hepatectomy for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Report of a collaborative, international-based, external validation study.

peer reviewe

Crystal Structure of Outer Membrane Protein NMB0315 from Neisseria meningitidis

NMB0315 is an outer membrane protein of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B (NMB) and a potential candidate for a broad-spectrum vaccine against meningococcal disease. The crystal structure of NMB0315 was solved by single-wavelength anomalous dispersion (SAD) at a resolution of 2.4 Å and revealed to be a lysostaphin-type peptidase of the M23 metallopeptidase family. The overall structure consists of three well-separated domains and has no similarity to any previously published structure. However, only the topology of the carboxyl-terminal domain is highly conserved among members of this family, and this domain is a zinc-dependent catalytic unit. The amino-terminal domain of the structure blocks the substrate binding pocket in the carboxyl-terminal domain, indicating that the wild-type full-length protein is in an inactive conformational state. Our studies improve the understanding of the catalytic mechanism of M23 metallopeptidases

Predation efficiency of Anopheles gambiae larvae by aquatic predators in western Kenya highlands

Abstract Background The current status of insecticide resistance in mosquitoes and the effects of insecticides on non-target insect species have raised the need for alternative control methods for malaria vectors. Predation has been suggested as one of the important regulation mechanisms for malaria vectors in long-lasting aquatic habitats, but the predation efficiency of the potential predators is largely unknown in the highlands of western Kenya. In the current study, we examined the predation efficiency of five predators on Anopheles gambiae s.s larvae in 24 hour and semi- field evaluations. Methods Predators were collected from natural habitats and starved for 12 hours prior to starting experiments. Preliminary experiments were conducted to ascertain the larval stage most predated by each predator species. When each larval instar was subjected to predation, third instar larvae were predated at the highest rate. Third instar larvae of An. gambiae were introduced into artificial habitats with and without refugia at various larval densities. The numbers of surviving larvae were counted after 24 hours in 24. In semi-field experiments, the larvae were counted daily until they were all either consumed or had developed to the pupal stage. Polymerase chain reaction was used to confirm the presence of An. gambiae DNA in predator guts. Results Experiments found that habitat type (P &lt; 0.0001) and predator species (P &lt; 0.0001) had a significant impact on the predation rate in the 24 hour evaluations. In semi-field experiments, predator species (P &lt; 0.0001) and habitat type (P &lt; 0.0001) were significant factors in both the daily survival and the overall developmental time of larvae. Pupation rates took significantly longer in habitats with refugia. An. gambiae DNA was found in at least three out of ten midguts for all predator species. Gambusia affins was the most efficient, being three times more efficient than tadpoles. Conclusion These experiments provide insight into the efficiency of specific natural predators against mosquito larvae. These naturally occurring predators may be useful in biocontrol strategies for aquatic stage An. gambiae mosquitoes. Further investigations should be done in complex natural habitats for these predators

Programmed cell death and its role in inflammation

Cell death plays an important role in the regulation of inflammation and may be the result of inflammation. The maintenance of tissue homeostasis necessitates both the recognition and removal of invading microbial pathogens as well as the clearance of dying cells. In the past few decades, emerging knowledge on cell death and inflammation has enriched our molecular understanding of the signaling pathways that mediate various programs of cell death and multiple types of inflammatory responses. This review provides an overview of the major types of cell death related to inflammation. Modification of cell death pathways is likely to be a logical therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases