Human dynamic networks in opportunistic routing and epidemiology

Measuring human behavioral patterns has broad application across different sciences. An individual’s social, proximal and geographical contact patterns can have significant importance in Delay Tolerant Networking (DTN) and epidemiological modeling. Recent advances in computer science have not only provided the opportunity to record these behaviors with considerably higher temporal resolution and phenomenological accuracy, but also made it possible to record specific aspects of the behaviors which have been previously difficult to measure. This thesis presents a data collection system using tiny sensors which is capable of recording humans’ proximal contacts and their visiting pattern to a set of geographical locations. The system also collects information on participants’ health status using weekly surveys. The system is tested on a population of 36 participants and 11 high-traffic public places. The resulting dataset offers rich information on human proximal and geographic contact patterns cross-linked with their health information. In addition to the basic analysis of the dataset, the collected data is applied to two different applications. In DTNs the dataset is used to study the importance of public places as relay nodes, and described an algorithm that takes advantage of stationary nodes to improve routing performance and load balancing in the network. In epidemiological modeling, the collected dataset is combined with data on H1N1 infection spread over the same time period and designed a model on H1N1 pathogen transmission based on these data. Using the collected high-resolution contact data as the model’s contact patterns, this work represents the importance of contact density in addition to contact diversity in infection transmission rate. It also shows that the network measurements which are tied to contact duration are more representative of the relation between centrality of a person and their chance of contracting the infection

Fire safety in high rise residential building in Malaysia

With the increase in the high number of tall buildings being constructed in Malaysia, the building owners face many challenges. Not only the building owners will have to look after the maintenance of the buildings but they have also to consider the safety of the occupants, especially, in case there is a fire break out. The fire department will need the necessary equipment to ‘fight’ the fire and they need to be updated in the construction of these buildings. The aim of this study is to assess the fire safety regulation and also the factors taken into consideration in designing the fire safety requirements. The objectives of the study are to study the requirements of By-Laws 1984 (Malaysia) regarding the fire i.e. escape staircase, to identify the factors taken into consideration by building owners in term of fire regulation requirements, to assess the risk of fire in building and to evaluate the perception and behavior of occupants in case of fire outbreak. The study is focused on high-rise residential buildings with minimum of five storey’s height. The data was gathered from observing five numbers of selected high-rise residential buildings in Kuala Lumpur. The data is also collected through questionnaires. From the study, the staircase width and intermediate floor depth are designed and constructed using different dimensions. There are five basic steps to carry out a fire safety risk assessment in buildings i.e. to identify fire hazards, identify people at risk, ‘evaluate, remove, reduce and protect from risk’, ‘record, plan, inform, instruct and train’ and review. The perception and behavior of occupants in case of fire outbreak is that they will immediately evacuate the building if the fire alarm goes off. The occupants wish to evacuate the building using the staircase instead of the elevator

The Relation of Q Angle and Anthropometric Measures with Ankle Sprain; a Case-control study

Introduction: Since most studies on ankle sprain are medical and sports-related and not much epidemiologic and etiologic data from the general population exist in this field, the present study evaluates the relationship between Q angle and anthropometric measures with ankle sprain in the general population.Methods: In the present case-control study, all of the patients over 18 years age presenting to emergency departments (ED) of two educational Hospitals, complaining from ankle sprain, were evaluated during more than 1 year. A checklist consisting of demographic data, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and history of ankle sprain, as well as degree of Q angle was filled for all participants. The correlation of mentioned variables with incidence of ankle sprain was calculated using SPSS 22.Results: 300 patients with ankle sprain were evaluated (53.5% male). Mean age of the patients was 37.03 ± 14.20 years. Mean weight, height, and BMI were 71.71 ± 11.26 (43 – 114), 168.74 ± 8.63 (143 – 190) and 25.14 ± 3.19 (18.41 – 38.95), respectively. Mean Q angle of the patients was 12.78 ± 3.19 degrees (5 – 23). There was a significant correlation between weight (p < 0.001), BMI (p = 0.001), history of sprain (r: 0.26, p < 0.001) and Q angle (p = 0.002) with incidence of ankle sprain. In addition, there was a significant statistical correlation between weight (p = 0.031), BMI (p = 0.020) and Q angle (p = 0.004) with history of ankle sprain. In patients with a history of ankle sprain, Q angle was wider by about 2 degrees.Conclusion: It seems that the prevalence of ankle sprain directly correlates with high weight, BMI, and Q angle and is more prevalent in those with a history of sprain. Although the findings of the present study show a statistically significant correlation between these factors and ankle sprain, the correlation is not clinically significant

Lentiviral Mediated Overexpression of NGF in Adipose-derived Stem Cells

Introduction: Human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are multipotent stem cells that can self-renew and differentiate into various types of cells such as adipocytes, osteocytes, and neural cells. These stem cells can be isolated by minimally invasive technique in large amounts. ADSCs are a useful resource for cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Nerve growth factor (NGF) is the first neurotrophin factor discovered and characterized for its anti-apoptotic role in neural development. NGF can promote neuronal survival and neurite outgrowth and it also promotes neuron differentiation and migration. Moreover, research showed that NGF could protect axons from inflammatory damage, improve cognitive function in damaged brain models, and function in the prevention and treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. In this study we use Lentiviral vector-mediated gene transfer technique to deliver NGF gene to ADSCs and overexpress this factor in ADSCs. Method and Materials: ADSCs extracted from human adipose tissue after lipoaspiration by digestion method. ADSCs characterized with Flowcytometry and differentiation assay in adipogenic and osteogenic differential media. The NGF gene was cloned in pCDH-513B-1 (System Bioscience, Mountain View, CA, United States) under a cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter. Recombinant lentiviruses were produced according to the Prof. Trono lab protocol with some modifications in HEK 293T cells. The spinfection method was used to transduce ADSCs. NGF expression was assayed using fluorescent microscope to trace green fluorescent protein (GFP) marker, RT-PCR and western blotting. Results: Extracted ADSCs had mesenchymal morphology and differentiated into adipocytes and osteocytes in differentiating media. HEK293T easily transfected with pCDH-513B-1 and over 99% of them expressed GFP so we gathered pseudoviruses from the supernatant. ADSCs transduced with these pseudoviruses transferred NGF and after transduction expressed GFP, as seen under fluorescent microscope. RT-PCR and western blotting verified NGF overexpression in them

Effect of silicon on rice blast disease

Silicon is the second most plentiful element in soil and is beneficial for a large variety of plants. It is concentrated in plant tissues in quantities similar to that of macronutrients. Considerable damages to plants caused by abiotic stresses such as drought stress, salinity stress, heavy metal stress and nutrient imbalance, as well as biotic stresses like insect pests and pathogens and even herbivorous attacks, have been reported to be reduced significantly by silicon application. Among rice diseases, blast is recognized as the most devastating one. Silicon fertilization has been reported to be efficacious in controlling and mitigating rice blast severity. Two different hypotheses are proposed for the ability of silicon to lessen disease severity. The first hypothesis emphasizes on silicon function as a mechanical barrier against appressorial penetration, while the second hypothesis is based upon the belief that silicon has some physiological roles in disease resistance

Program to reduce empowerment barriers hindering mothers to contribute to speech skills of hearing-impaired children with cochlear implant

Background and aims: Given the importance of reducing barriers hindering the empowerment of mothers from contributing to the rehabilitation of hearing-impaired children with cochlear implants, the present study points to the direction of designing, adopting, and assessing a program that would lessen such barriers. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), participants were consecutively selected from individuals referring to speech-therapy centers serving hearing-impaired children in the Town of Shiraz (Iran). Intervention and control groups were established using randomized block selection (35 individuals per group). The parent-based intervention was adopted in 6 training sessions, each session lasting 80 minutes. A researcher-made questionnaire was employed to investigate empowerment barriers, while children’s speech skill was assessed using the Newsha scale. Results: Data collected from 35 intervention and 33 control group members were examined. Evaluation of primary and interactional effects of "time" and "group" shows time to have a meaningful effect on "parental discord" and "empowerment barrier" variables (P<0.001). Time-group interaction also proved significant regarding effects on "difficulty working with hearing-impaired child" and "parents’ false beliefs". Compared to the control group, the intervention group shows significant improvement across all variables at studied different time periods. Not to forget the immediate effects of time and group on the "speech skill" variable, which also proved significant (P=0.001). Conclusion: The results denote the effectiveness of the parent-based intervention on mothers’ empowerment and speech improvement in children with impaired hearing

Individuals with Major Depressive Disorder Report High Scores of Insecure-Avoidant and Insecure-Anxious Attachment Styles, Dissociative Identity Symptoms, and Adult Traumatic Events

Objective: Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) report more issues in social interaction compared to the general population. Moreover, dimensions of dissociation are considered dysfunctional strategies to cope with adverse life events. In this regard, current symptoms of MDD could be associated with traumatic events that occurred in childhood and in adult life. Given this background, the aim of the present study was to explore the associations between attachment styles as a proxy of quality of social interaction, dimensions of dissociation, and childhood and adult traumatic life events among individuals with MDD. Method: A total of 300 individuals with MDD (mean age: 31.31 years; 58.7% female) took part in this study. They completed a series of questionnaires on sociodemographic information, attachment styles, dimensions of dissociation, and childhood and adult traumatic life events. Results: Prevalence rates for attachment styles were as follows: anxious/ambivalent attachment style—71.7%; avoidant/dependent attachment style—13%; secure/close attachment style—15.3%. Compared to the general population, the participants reported higher prevalence rates of insecure attachment styles. Current symptoms of dissociation were associated with adult but not childhood traumatic life events. An anxious attachment style was associated with higher scores of dissociation. Conclusion: Psychotherapeutic treatment of individuals with MDD should consider the individuals’ challenging attachment styles and their risk of dissociation. While it is important to consider both adult and childhood traumatic events, in this research, more recent trauma occurring in adulthood was associated with current symptoms of dissociation

Clinical Significance and Different Expression of Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV and Procalcitonin in Mild and Severe COVID-19

Background: Coronavirus has become a global concern in 2019-20. The virus belongs to the coronavirus family, which has been able to infect many patients and victims around the world. The virus originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, which eventually spread around the world and became a pandemic. Materials and Methods: A total of 60 Patients with severe (n=30) and mild (n=30) symptoms of COIVD-19 were included in this study. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the patients. Real-time PCR was used to compare the relative expression levels of Procalcitonin and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) in a patient with severe and mild Covid-19 infection. Results: Procalcitonin and dipeptidyl peptidase IV markers in the peripheral blood of patients with severe symptoms, were positive in 29 (96.60%) and 26 (86.60%), respectively (n=30); however, positive rates in the mild symptoms patients group were 27 (90%) and 25 (83.30%), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between these two groups in terms of DDPIV and Procalcitonin (p&lt;0.001). Conclusion: Procalcitonin and DPPIV increase in patients with COVID-19 infection, significantly higher in the patients with more severe clinical symptoms than those with milder ones. More studies will be needed to verify the reliability of the current findings. Keywords: Procalcitonin, DPPIV, Severe symptoms, Mild symptoms, COVID-1

COVID-19 and Substance Use Disorders:Recommendations to a Comprehensive Healthcare Response. An International Society of Addiction Medicine (ISAM) Practice and Policy Interest Group Position Paper

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is escalating all over the world and has higher morbidities and mortalities in certain vulnerable populations. People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) are a marginalized and stigmatized group with weaker immunity responses, vulnerability to stress, poor health conditions, high-risk behaviors, and lower access to health care services. These conditions put them at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection and its complications. In this paper, an international group of experts on addiction medicine, infectious diseases, and disaster psychiatry explore the possible raised concerns in this issue and provide recommendations to manage the comorbidity of COVID-19 and Substance Use Disorder (SUD).Publisher PDFPeer reviewe