Finding the brightest galactic bulge microlensing events with a small aperture telescope and image subtraction

Following the suggestion of Gould and Depoy (1998) we investigate the feasibility of studying the brightest microlensing events towards the Galactic bulge using a small aperture (≈ 10 cm) telescope. We used one of the HAT telescopes to obtain 151 expos

International survey of Cronobacter sakazakii and other Cronobacter spp. in follow up formulas and infant food

A coordinated survey for Cronobacter and related organisms in powdered infant formula, follow up formula and infant foods was undertaken by 8 laboratories in 7 countries in recognition of and in response to the data needs identified in an FAO/WHO call for data in order to develop global risk management guidance for these products. The products (domestic and imported) were purchased from the local market and were categorised according to their principle ingredients. A total of 290 products were analysed using a standardised procedure of pre-enrichment in 225 ml Buffered Peptone Water (BPW), followed by enrichment in Enterobacteriaceae Enrichment (EE) broth, plating on the chromogenic Cronobacter Druggan–Forsythe–Iversen (DFI) agar and presumptive identification with ID 32 E. Presumptive Cronobacter isolates were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Aerobic plate counts (APC) of the products were also determined on nutrient agar. Fourteen samples had APC > 105 cfu/g, 3 of which contained probiotic cultures. C. sakazakii was isolated from 27 products; 3/91 (3%) follow up formulas (as defined by Codex Alimentarius Commission), and 24/199 (12%) infant foods and drinks. Hence C. sakazakii was less prevalent in follow up formula than other foods given to infants over the same age range. A range of other bacteria were also isolated from follow up formulas, including Acinetobacter baumannii, Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Citrobacter freundii, and Serratia ficaria. There was significant variation in the reconstitution instructions for follow up formulas. These included using water at temperatures which would enable bacterial growth. Additionally, the definition of follow up formula varied between countries

Management of anticoagulant-refractory thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome

Lifelong anticoagulation with warfarin or alternative vitamin K antagonist is the standard anticoagulant treatment for thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome. Anticoagulant-refractory thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome can be broadly defined as breakthrough thrombosis while on standard oral anticoagulation treatment and its management is a major challenge given the serious nature of the thrombotic disease observed, which has become refractory to oral anticoagulation. The factors (genetic and cellular) that cause anticoagulant-refractory thrombotic antiphospholipid syndrome are now better understood. However, efforts to use this greater understanding have not yet transformed the capacity to treat it successfully in many patients. In this Viewpoint, we review the factors that are likely to be contributing to the cause of this syndrome and consider how they might be modified or inhibited. We also discuss management, including general strategies to minimise thrombotic risk, intensification of anticoagulation, addition of an antiplatelet agent, adjunctive treatment for thrombosis, immunomodulatory therapy, complement inhibition, vascular options, and future potential therapeutic targets

Low-mass star formation in Lynds 1333

Medium-resolution optical spectroscopy of the candidate YSOs associated with the small, nearby molecular cloud Lynds~1333 revealed four previously unknown classical T Tauri stars, two of which are components of a visual double, and a Class I source, IRAS 02086+7600. The spectroscopic data, together with new V,R_ C,I_C photometric and 2MASS J, H, and K_s data allowed us to estimate the masses and ages of the new T Tauri stars. We touch on the possible scenario of star formation in the region. L1333 is one of the smallest and nearest known star forming clouds, therefore it may be a suitable target for studying in detail the small scale structure of a star forming environment.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, accepted by MNRA

Fullerene-modified polyamide 6 by in situ anionic polymerization in the presence of PCBM

Activated anionic ring-opening polymerization of e-caprolactam (ECL) was carried out for the first time in the presence of [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) to prepare polyamide 6 (PA6)-based composites comprising up to 3 wt% of this fullerene derivative. This in situ polymerization process produced high molecular weight composites containing 52–80 % of gel fraction at PCBM concentration C0.5 wt%. Spectral, thermomechanical, synchrotron X-ray, and scanning electron microscopy data were used to elucidate the structure and morphology of the PA6/PCBM composites. A mechanism of the chemical structure evolution was proposed starting with incipient complexation between ECL and PCBM, via subsequent chemical linking of ECL moieties on the C60 spheroid and final formation of star-burst and cross-linked morphologies. PCBM amounts of 0.1 wt% and more decreased the volume resistivity from 10E12 Ω.cm (neat PA6) to 10E9–10E7 Ω.cm, thus opening the way for new applications of anionic PA6.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Neuroevolutionary multiobjective methodology for the optimization of the injection blow molding process

Injection blow molding process is widely used in the industry to produce plastic parts. One of the main challenges in optimizing this process is to find the best manufacturing thickness profiles which provides the desirable mechanical properties to the final part with minimal material usage. This paper proposes a methodology based on a neuroevolutionary approach to optimize this process. This approach focuses on finding the optimal thickness distribution for a given blow molded product as a function of its geometry. Neural networks are used to represent thickness distributions and an evolutionary multiobjective optimization algorithm is applied to evolve neural networks in order to find the best solutions, i.e., to obtain the best trade-off between material usage and mechanical properties. Each solution is evaluated through finite element analysis simulation considering the design of an industrial bottle. The results showed that the proposed technique was able to find good solutions where the material was distributed along the most critical regions to maintain adequate mechanical properties. This approach is general and can also be applied to different geometries.FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia in the scope of the project: PEst-OE/EEI/UI0319/2014 and the European project MSCA-RISE-2015, NEWEX, with reference 73420

Quality of life in children with primary antibody deficiency.

Primary antibody deficiency disorders (PADs) can have an excellent outlook if diagnosed early and treated appropriately, but require lifelong treatment with immunoglobulin replacement. Some carry risks of inflammatory complications even with optimal treatment. Quality of life (QoL) and the psychological impact of PADs has been relatively little studied, particularly in children. The purpose of this study was to evaluate QoL and psychological impact in a large group of children affected by a range of PADs, as well as a group with transient hypogammaglobulinemia of infancy (THI). Both parental and, where appropriate, child ratings, were collected using standardised questionnaires (PedsQL and SDQ). Higher rates of psychological difficulties, particularly emotional and peer-relationship difficulties were found in children with PAD when compared with healthy controls. Quality of life was poorer than in healthy controls, and also worse than in children affected by diabetes mellitus. Variations in QoL and the degree of psychological difficulties were found between specific diagnostic groups, with children affected by THI being amongst those with the lowest scores for QoL. Further studies are needed to corroborate and extend these findings, but this study confirms previous findings that primary antibody deficiency has a significant impact on quality of life and psychological well-being, and additionally suggests that the impact varies according to severity of the underlying condition. For those with significant difficulties psychological intervention at an early stage may be beneficial

Modelling pellet flow in single extrusion with DEM

Plasticating single-screw extrusion involves the continuous conversion of loose solid pellets into a pressurized homogeneous melt that is pumped through a shaping tool. Traditional analyses of the solids conveying stage assume the movement of an elastic solid plug at a fixed speed. However, not only the corresponding predictions fail considerably, but it is also well known that, at least in the initial screw turns, the flow of loose individual pellets takes place. This study follows previous efforts to predict the characteristics of such a flow using the discrete element method. The model considers the development of normal and tangential forces resulting from the inelastic collisions between the pellets and between them and the neighbouring metallic surfaces. The algorithm proposed here is shown to be capable of capturing detailed features of the granular flow. The predictions of velocities in the cross- and down-channel directions and of the coordination number are in good agreement with equivalent reported results. The effect of pellet size on the flow features is also discussed

Significant locus and metabolic genetic correlations revealed in genome-wide association study of anorexia nervosa

OBJECTIVE: The authors conducted a genome-wide association study of anorexia nervosa and calculated genetic correlations with a series of psychiatric, educational, and metabolic phenotypes. METHOD: Following uniform quality control and imputation procedures using the 1000 Genomes Project (phase 3) in 12 case-control cohorts comprising 3,495 anorexia nervosa cases and 10,982 controls, the authors performed standard association analysis followed by a meta-analysis across cohorts. Linkage disequilibrium score regression was used to calculate genome-wide common variant heritability (single-nucleotide polymorphism [SNP]-based heritability [h2SNP]), partitioned heritability, and genetic correlations (rg) between anorexia nervosa and 159 other phenotypes. RESULTS: Results were obtained for 10,641,224 SNPs and insertion-deletion variants with minor allele frequencies >1% and imputation quality scores >0.6. The h2SNP of anorexia nervosa was 0.20 (SE=0.02), suggesting that a substantial fraction of the twin-based heritability arises from common genetic variation. The authors identified one genome-wide significant locus on chromosome 12 (rs4622308) in a region harboring a previously reported type 1 diabetes and autoimmune disorder locus. Significant positive genetic correlations were observed between anorexia nervosa and schizophrenia, neuroticism, educational attainment, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and significant negative genetic correlations were observed between anorexia nervosa and body mass index, insulin, glucose, and lipid phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: Anorexia nervosa is a complex heritable phenotype for which this study has uncovered the first genome-wide significant locus. Anorexia nervosa also has large and significant genetic correlations with both psychiatric phenotypes and metabolic traits. The study results encourage a reconceptualization of this frequently lethal disorder as one with both psychiatric and metabolic etiology

Common mechanisms of placental dysfunction in preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and COVID-19 in pregnant women

COVID-19 infection, preeclampsia and gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnancy cause similar changes in the placenta and influence development of the fetus between conception and birth in gestation. Proper uterine and placental vascularization is essential for normal fetal development. The transplacental exchange is regulated and maintained by the placental endothelium. During placental implantation, the trophoblast differentiates into two distinct layers, the inner cytotrophoblast and outer syncytiotrophoblast, which are key elements of the human placental barrier. Proinflammatory cytokines exacerbate ischemic events and create an upward spiral of an inflammatory reaction in the placenta. Placental pathology in gestational COVID-19 shows desquamation and damage of trophoblast and chronic histiocytic intervillositis. Similar lesions also occur in gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia. The systemic inflammatory response of the mother, the increased inflammation in the placenta and cytokine production by placental trophoblasts should be monitored throughout pregnancy. Placental angiogenesis can be evaluated by serum vascular endothelial growth factor, Annexin A2, placental growth factor or sclerostin. Tissue damage can be assessed by measuring levels of serum lactate dehydrogenase and myeloperoxidase. Blood flow can be monitored with three-dimensional Doppler and pathological changes can be documented with paraffin-embedded tissue sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and electron microscope images as well as immunohistochemistry tests for vascular endothelial growth factor, placental growth factor, sclerostin and Annexin A2. The damage of maternal and fetal vascular perfusion (villitis and fibrin deposition) is a common mechanism of gestational diseases. The placenta lesions liberate anti-endothelial factors that lead to anti-angiogenic conditions and are the common mechanism of maternal placental vascular malperfusion in gestational diseases. Keywords: dysfunction, inflammation, pathology, placenta, pregnancy, vascularizatio