Elucidating the mitochondrial proteome of Toxoplasma gondii reveals the presence of a divergent cytochrome c oxidase

The mitochondrion of apicomplexan parasites is critical for parasite survival, although the full complement of proteins that localize to this organelle has not been defined. Here we undertake two independent approaches to elucidate the mitochondrial proteome of the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii. We identify approximately 400 mitochondrial proteins, many of which lack homologs in the animals that these parasites infect, and most of which are important for parasite growth. We demonstrate that one such protein, termed TgApiCox25, is an important component of the parasite cytochrome c oxidase (COX) complex. We identify numerous other apicomplexan-specific components of COX, and conclude that apicomplexan COX, and apicomplexan mitochondria more generally, differ substantially in their protein composition from the hosts they infect. Our study highlights the diversity that exists in mitochondrial proteomes across the eukaryotic domain of life, and provides a foundation for defining unique aspects of mitochondrial biology in an important phylum of parasites.This work was supported by a Discovery Grant and QEII fellowship from the Australian Research Council (ARC DP110103144) to GvD

Assessing L2 Argumentation in the UAE Context

In this rapidly changing world, argumentation and critical thinking skills are undeniably crucial for new generations of Emirati students. These skills lay the groundwork for a competitive economy, which is a priority for the UAE in its Vision 2021. Specifically, today’s modern workplaces require workers to evaluate different propositions and develop their own after weighing up these various ideas, and thus the ability to defend arguments in English has become increasingly important for UAE university students in English-medium universities as well as their future professional contexts. Despite this importance, research regarding argumentation and the related critical thinking skills is sorely lacking in the UAE. This chapter delineates how written argumentation was assessed in a timed essay in a mandatory argumentative writing course taken by university freshmen in a government university in the UAE, and how the feedback gleaned from this common assessment was mapped to the teaching curriculum to shed light on the teaching effectiveness and to provide directions for future teaching

Work functions, ionization potentials, and in-between: Scaling relations based on the image charge model

We revisit a model in which the ionization energy of a metal particle is associated with the work done by the image charge force in moving the electron from infinity to a small cut-off distance just outside the surface. We show that this model can be compactly, and productively, employed to study the size dependence of electron removal energies over the range encompassing bulk surfaces, finite clusters, and individual atoms. It accounts in a straightforward manner for the empirically known correlation between the atomic ionization potential (IP) and the metal work function (WF), IP/WF$\sim$2. We formulate simple expressions for the model parameters, requiring only a single property (the atomic polarizability or the nearest neighbor distance) as input. Without any additional adjustable parameters, the model yields both the IP and the WF within $\sim$10% for all metallic elements, as well as matches the size evolution of the ionization potentials of finite metal clusters for a large fraction of the experimental data. The parametrization takes advantage of a remarkably constant numerical correlation between the nearest-neighbor distance in a crystal, the cube root of the atomic polarizability, and the image force cutoff length. The paper also includes an analytical derivation of the relation of the outer radius of a cluster of close-packed spheres to its geometric structure.Comment: Original submission: 8 pages with 7 figures incorporated in the text. Revised submission (added one more paragraph about alloy work functions): 18 double spaced pages + 8 separate figures. Accepted for publication in PR

Agarose-Based biomaterials: Opportunities and challenges in cartilage tissue engineering

The lack of adequate blood/lymphatic vessels as well as low-potential articular cartilage regeneration underlines the necessity to search for alternative biomaterials. Owing to their unique features, such as reversible thermogelling behavior and tissue-like mechanical behavior, agarose-based biomaterials have played a key role in cartilage tissue repair. Accordingly, the need for fabricating novel highly efficient injectable agarose-based biomaterials as hydrogels for restoration of injured cartilage tissue has been recognized. In this review, the resources and conspicuous properties of the agarose-based biomaterials were reviewed. First, different types of signals together with their functionalities in the maintenance of cartilage homeostasis were explained. Then, various cellular signaling pathways and their significant role in cartilage tissue engineering were overviewed. Next, the molecular structure and its gelling behavior have been discussed. Eventually, the latest advancements, the lingering challenges, and future ahead of agarose derivatives from the cartilage regeneration perspective have been discussed. © 2020 by the authors

CovidCTNet: an open-source deep learning approach to diagnose covid-19 using small cohort of CT images

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is highly contagious with limited treatment options. Early and accurate diagnosis of Covid-19 is crucial in reducing the spread of the disease and its accompanied mortality. Currently, detection by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard of outpatient and inpatient detection of Covid-19. RT-PCR is a rapid method; however, its accuracy in detection is only ~70�75. Another approved strategy is computed tomography (CT) imaging. CT imaging has a much higher sensitivity of ~80�98, but similar accuracy of 70. To enhance the accuracy of CT imaging detection, we developed an open-source framework, CovidCTNet, composed of a set of deep learning algorithms that accurately differentiates Covid-19 from community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and other lung diseases. CovidCTNet increases the accuracy of CT imaging detection to 95 compared to radiologists (70). CovidCTNet is designed to work with heterogeneous and small sample sizes independent of the CT imaging hardware. To facilitate the detection of Covid-19 globally and assist radiologists and physicians in the screening process, we are releasing all algorithms and model parameter details as open-source. Open-source sharing of CovidCTNet enables developers to rapidly improve and optimize services while preserving user privacy and data ownership. © 2021, The Author(s)

Evaluation of patients' satisfaction from dental care services: TUMS, school of dentistry, 1385-86

"nBackground and Aims: Association between patient satisfaction and success of the treatment determines the quality of health care. Measuring the level of satisfaction is an important factor for improving the quality of services provided by a system, so it is necessary to determine the expectations of patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the patient satisfaction from services provided by the dental faculty of Tehran University of Medical Sciences."nMaterials and Methods: In this descriptive and cross-sectional study, 385 patients were randomly selected from different departments of dental faculty including prosthodontics, endodontics, periodontics, operative dentistry, radiology and oral medicine. A two-part questionnaire including demographic characteristics of patients and satisfaction from reception process, infection control, student and personnel behavior, and the outcome of treatment was filled out by patients. Data were analyzed using SPSS software."nResults: The most dissatisfying factor was the time wasted in paying the cost and the most satisfying factor was student behavior. General satisfaction form the process was evaluated (complete satisfaction 51.9%, partial satisfaction 38.4% and dissatisfaction 9.6%), and 62.9% of patients were completely agree with introducing dental faculty to others."nConclusion: The most satisfying item was student behavior which indicates that this factor is of great importance in increasing the quality of treatment. The deficiencies determined by patient can provide reliable data for determination and regulation of health care policies