Astrophysical point source search with the ANTARES neutrino telescope

The ANTARES neutrino telescope is installed at a depth of 2.5 km of the Mediterranean Sea and consists of a three-dimensional array of 885 photomultipliers arranged on twelve detector lines. The prime objective is to detect high-energy neutrinos from extraterrestrial origin. Relativistic muons emerging from charged-current muon neutrino interactions in the detector surroundings produce a cone of Cerenkov light which allows the reconstruction of the original neutrino direction. The collaboration has implemented different methods to search for neutrino point sources in the data collected since 2007. Results obtained with these methods as well as the sensitivity of the telescope are presented.Comment: 1 page, 1 figur

The Ideological Questions of Marriage in Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure

As one of the prominent ideologies of the nineteenth-century— in a complex interrelation with other contemporary ideological discourses particularly femininity and marriage—religion adopts a critical stance in Hardy's presentation of characters. Breaching the religio-conventional image of femininity as “Angel in the House” and “Cow Woman,” Hardy's Jude the Obscure (1895) is indeed deemed to be his milestone in presenting his anti-Christian attitudes towards the contemporary religion. This study aims to present Hardy's outright hostility towards the nineteenth-century Christianity through his creation of non-conformist characters, necessitating a parallel study with other contemporary discourses regarding marriage and femininity, and conflict with the religion of the time. Hardy's magnum opus, the work on which he was to stake his final reputation as a novelist, was clearly Jude the Obscure which as a noticeable socio-religious experimentation of the late nineteenth-century, reveals Hardy's perception of new ideas about femininity and marriage by presenting the hot contemporary issues of “New Woman” and “Free Union” through the development and presentation of Sue Bridehead and her free union with Jude, respectively. Hardy's presentation of Sue Bridehead as a “New Woman,” and employing the “Free Union” in marked contrast with the nineteenth-century convention of marriage as a “Bonded Pair” is Hardy's closing upshot of his final novelistic attempt. The non-conformist Jude and Sue are presented as figures touching the Victorian Christian standards of morality, while, the final tragic destiny of Jude and Sue's helplessness attest to the writer's substantial contribution as a Victorian male novelist to the ideologies circulating at the time

Some evidences about Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

[No abstract available

Differences in intention to use educational RSS feeds between Lebanese and British students: A multi‑group analysis based on the technology acceptance model

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) offers a means for university students to receive timely updates from virtual learning environments. However, despite its utility, only 21% of home students surveyed at a university in Lebanon claim to have ever used the technology. To investigate whether national culture could be an influence on intention to use RSS, the survey was extended to British students in the UK. Using the Technology Adoption Model (TAM) as a research framework, 437 students responded to a questionnaire containing four constructs: behavioral intention to use; attitude towards benefit; perceived usefulness; and perceived ease of use. Principle components analysis and structural equation modelling were used to explore the psychometric qualities and utility of TAM in both contexts. The results show that adoption was significantly higher, but also modest, in the British context at 36%. Configural and metric invariance were fully supported, while scalar and factorial invariance were partially supported. Further analysis shows significant differences between perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use across the two contexts studied. Therefore, it is recommended that faculty demonstrate to students how educational RSS feeds can be used effectively to increase awareness and emphasize usefulness in both contexts

Anti-influenza antibody level after vaccination in north of Iran

Objective:Influenza is a highly transmitted disease and about 10% of the world's population is affected by this disease annually. The aim of this research was to study the variation of serum antibody levels among subjects who had already been vaccinated against influenza. Methods And Materials:This descriptive-analytical study was carried out on 196 subjects who had influenza vaccination (influvac 2005/2006) and on 200 subjects who were matched with the vaccinated subjects by their ages in Gorgan which is located in the northeast of Iran. The subject's sera were prepared seven weeks after the influenza vaccination. Their serum antibody levels were determinated by the heamaglutination inhibition test. Results:The antibody titre in 81 subjects of the vaccinated group and in 175 subjects of the control group was less then 1/40. The mean antibody titre of the vaccinated subjects and the control group was 143.4±10.89 and 18.34±3.2, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (P value=0.000). Conclusion:The findings showed that the mean titre of the antibodies in the vaccinated and control groups was statistically different. This means that the influenza vaccine has good efficacy in our population

Crimean-congo hemorrhagic fever: Case series from a medical center in golestan province, Northeast of Iran (2004-2006)

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a widely distributed lethal disease, worldwide. Humans are usually infected with CCHF virus through a tick bite or close contact with viral contaminated tissues or with blood of domestic animals or of infected patients. The present study reports six cases of CCHF, who were in contact with both infected tissues and blood from sheep. In some regions like Golestan province (North of Iran), clinician suspicion may have an important role in early diagnosis and treatment of the disease. Conservative therapy (intensive monitoring) and prescription of antiviral medication (Ribavirin) accompanied with corticosteroids, was useful at the early stage of CCHF

Effect of ethanolic extract of Safflower on naloxone-induced morphine withdrawal signs in mice

Background and aims: Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) from Asteraceae family has different biological activities including analgesic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and neuroprotective effects. This study designed to evaluate its effect on naloxone -induced morphine withdrawal signs. Methods: In this experimental study, male NMRI mice (25-30 g) were randomly divided into 5 groups of 8: control groups received morphine and normal saline (10 ml/kg) and other groups received fluoxetine (20mg/kg) and different doses of ethanolic extract of Safflower (100, 200 and 400mg/kg). Morphine dependency was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of increasing doses (50-75 mg/kg) of morphine. Withdrawal signs were elicited by naloxone (5 mg/kg, i.p.) and number of jumpings and also presence of climbing, writing, wet dog shakes, teeth chattering, diarrhea, grooming and rearing during a 30 min period. The data were expressed with one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey test and Mann-Whitney U test for comparison of checked signs data and they were analyzed with SPSS 19 software. Results: The ethanolic extract at all doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg, i.p., P<0.001) and fluoxetine (20 mg/kg, i.p., P<0.01) significantly inhibited the number of jumps. Additionally, all doses of extract reduced the grooming and writing (P<0.05). Only 200 and 400 mg/kg of extract reduced the other checked signs including climbing, rearing and teeth chattering. All doses of extract couldn’t reduce wet dog shake and diarrhea significantly (P>0.05). Fluoxetine significantly inhibited the other signs except wet dog shakes and diarrhea. Conclusion: These findings indicated that Safflower extract has therapeutic potential in management of opiate withdrawal signs and this is comparable to the effect of fluoxetine. However, further studies need for clarify their exact mechanism of action