Allelic forms of merozoite surface protein-3 in Plasmodium falciparum isolates from southeast of Iran

Background: Genetic diversity has provided Plasmodium falciparum with the potential capacity of avoiding the immune response, and possibly supported the natural selection of drug or vaccine-resistant parasites. Merozoite surface protein-3 (MSP-3) has been used to develop vaccines and investigate the genetic diversity regarding P. falciparum malaria in Iran. Objectives: The main goal of this study was to analyze the polymorphic antigen MSP-3 genes across southeast of Iran among four different districts, to identify the differences in the allele frequency and genetic diversity. Materials and Methods: Nested polymerase chain reaction amplification was used to determine polymorphisms of N-terminal region of the MSP-3 gene. A total of 85 microscopically positive P. falciparum infected individuals from southeast of Iran were included in this study. Results: Of the 85 confirmed P. falciparum samples obtained from four different districts, 72 were successfully scored for MSP-3.The MSP-3 allele classes (K1 and 3D7 types) showed comparable prevalence in all districts. Overall frequencies of K1 and 3D7 allele classes were 94.5 % for both. Conclusions: Since no study has yet looked at the extent of P. falciparum MSP-3 in this geographic region, these data can be helpful to support development of a vaccine based on MSP-3 against malaria. There should be a comparative analysis in different seasonal peaks to indicate the allelic polymorphism of MSP-3 over a period. © 2014, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences; Published by Kowsar Corp

Conspecific relation between two seasonal migratory forms of endangered Caspian trout, Salmo trutta caspius Kessler, 1877, revealed by RAPD markers

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to estimate genetic relationships between two seasonal immigrant forms (namely fall-run and spring-run) of Caspian trout Salmo trutta caspius. In this regard, 62 fin tissue samples were collected from southern parts of the Caspian Sea basin and examined with 16 oligodecamer primers to asses their genetic diversity as well as probable specific population bands. The total number of RAPD bands produced in spring and fall-run were 162 bands, of which 69 and 53 bands were polymorphic for each population. Nei's genetic identity and genetic distance between spring-run and fall-run populations were 0.9858 and 0.01430, respectively. The RAPD based data revealed that the two migratory forms of Caspian salmon were categorized in conspecific value

Migrating to Cloud-Native Architectures Using Microservices: An Experience Report

Migration to the cloud has been a popular topic in industry and academia in recent years. Despite many benefits that the cloud presents, such as high availability and scalability, most of the on-premise application architectures are not ready to fully exploit the benefits of this environment, and adapting them to this environment is a non-trivial task. Microservices have appeared recently as novel architectural styles that are native to the cloud. These cloud-native architectures can facilitate migrating on-premise architectures to fully benefit from the cloud environments because non-functional attributes, like scalability, are inherent in this style. The existing approaches on cloud migration does not mostly consider cloud-native architectures as their first-class citizens. As a result, the final product may not meet its primary drivers for migration. In this paper, we intend to report our experience and lessons learned in an ongoing project on migrating a monolithic on-premise software architecture to microservices. We concluded that microservices is not a one-fit-all solution as it introduces new complexities to the system, and many factors, such as distribution complexities, should be considered before adopting this style. However, if adopted in a context that needs high flexibility in terms of scalability and availability, it can deliver its promised benefits

The long-wave potential-vorticity dynamics of coastal fronts

This paper studies the propagation of free, long waves on a potential vorticity front in the presence of a vertical coast, using a -layer, quasi-geostrophic model with piecewise-constant potential vorticity. The coastal boundary induces flow through image vorticity and a Kelvin wave, either of which can reinforce or oppose the Rossby wave dynamics at the front. The behaviour of the front depends strongly on the relative strengths of these three mechanisms, which are explicit in our model. The richest behaviour, which includes kink solitons (under-compressive shocks) and compound-wave structures, occurs in the regime where vortical effects are dominant. The evolution of the front is described by a fully nonlinear finite-amplitude equation including first-order dispersive effects, which is related to the modified Korteweg–de Vries equation. The different behaviours are classified using the canonical example of the Riemann problem, which we analyse using El’s technique of ‘dispersive shock-fitting’. Contour-dynamic simulations show that the dispersive long-wave theory captures the behaviour of the full quasi-geostrophic system to a high degree of accuracy

Hydraulic control of continental shelf waves

This paper studies the hydraulic control of continental shelf waves using an inviscid barotropic quasi-geostrophic model with piecewise-constant potential vorticity, in which the shelf is represented by a flat step of variable width. A coastal-intensified geostrophic current generates topographic Rossby waves, which can become critical at a local decrease in shelf width when the background current opposes Rossby wave propagation. That is, the shelfbreak perturbation permanently modifies the flow field over arbitrarily large distances and the flow transitions from subcritical to supercritical as it crosses the perturbation. Critically controlled flows also lead to the exchange of significant volumes of water between the shelf and the deep ocean. We derive the boundaries for which critical control occurs in terms of a Froude number and the dimensionless magnitude of the perturbation, and analyse the possible transitions between controlled and far-field flow. When first-order dispersive terms are included in the model, transitions are resolved by dispersive shock waves, which remain attached to the forcing region when the Froude number is close to the boundary for critical flow. Contour dynamic simulations show that the dispersive long-wave model captures the quantitative behaviour of the full quasi-geostrophic system for slowly varying shelves, and replicates the qualitative behaviour even when the long-wave parameter is order one

Vortex competition in coastal outflows

Experiments and field observations have shown that there are at least two modes of behavior for river plumes. In many cases, the plume turns to the right (in the Northern Hemisphere) on leaving the river mouth and follows the direction of Kelvin-wave propagation. Alternatively, a “bulge” can form in the plume and a fraction of the outflow volume becomes trapped near the mouth. This paper discusses how bulge formation can be affected by the vorticity profile at the river mouth. Due to the image effect, regions of cyclonic vorticity tend to propagate rightwards, whereas regions of anticyclonic vorticity propagate leftward upon exit from the source. If an outflow consists of regions of cyclonic vorticity to the left of regions of anticyclonic vorticity, the two image effects are in competition. We explore this phenomenon using a quasi-geostrophic model with piecewise-constant potential vorticity, which allows the vorticity profile at the source to be set as part of the problem. We present analytic solutions valid in the source region and at the head of the plume and show that all of the outflow travels rightwards if and only if the region of cyclonic vorticity is dominant. The initial-value problem for the model is integrated numerically using the method of contour dynamics, and the full parameter space is explored. We find that if the cyclonic and anticyclonic contributions cancel, as in the experiments of Avicola and Huq (2003), then steady solutions are unstable and a bulge can form downstream of the river mouth

Inheritance of RAPD marker in female grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella), male bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and their F1 hybrids

Genetic variation and inheritance of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers in female grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) and male bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) and their F1 offspring hybrid have been studied. For this purpose, genomic DNA was extracted from muscle tissue according to phenol-chloroform method, and six decamer primers were used for amplifying polymorphic DNA. Results from 77 produced bands showed that all RAPD bands pattern of parents were present in F1 offspring hybrid, which indicated the high influence and dominance of the mentioned markers. The low difference in polymorphisms in used markers between F1 offspring hybrid and parents shows that parents are heterozygous in some loci, which can cause low difference in hybrids of two distinct genera. Although our results revealed that RAPD markers had a suitable efficiency in distinguishing parents from F1 hybrids, genetic diversity of triploid and diploid F1 hybrid were not detected by introduced primers

Attitude of pregnant women towards Normal delivery and factors driving use of caesarian section in Iran (2016)

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: Normal delivery is a natural and physiological process with numerous benefits for mother and baby. Giving birth by Caesarean Section (CS) should be limited to the cases in which normal delivery is not possible. The purpose of the study was to determine the attitudes of pregnant women towards Normal Delivery and factors driving the use of Caesarian Section in Kermanshah, Iran. Methods: This analytical-descriptive study was conducted on 410 pregnant women referred to the PHC centers in Kermanshah in western Iran. They had been selected through a multi-stage sampling method, including clustering, randomized, and proportional sampling, from among all eligible women. Data was collected using a questionnaire standardized by previous studies. The level of 0.05 was considered significance association, whenever applied. Results: The mean and standard deviation for participant age was 27.65 ± 5.37 years. The median score for participant attitude was 60.7 ± 9.5 (range from 22 to 85). Generally, 21.5% had a negative attitude toward normal delivery and preferred CS. Participant attitude was negatively correlated with a pregnant woman's age, lower age, and a more positive attitude towards vaginal childbirth. The attitude of women with a history of normal delivery was 63 ± 9 and for those with a history of CS was 56.7 ± 9.3, significantly different. Conclusion: Most women had a positive attitude towards normal delivery, particularly those who had experienced normal delivery in their previous childbirth. Although only a quarter of the participants had a negative attitude toward normal delivery, this figure still was of utmost significance, therefore educational interventions, specifically encouraging women with history of normal delivery to consult their peers, are recommended

AUV location detection in an enclosed environment

Normally, experiments are done in a controlled environment so that different systems under test can be isolated. The added benefit is that the sensors used are a lot more accurate under controlled conditions. In the experiments perform on underwater robot localization, this was not the case. The sonar localization equipment use perform flawlessly in open water as it was designed to do, but poorly in an indoor pool. It is believed that the sonar had too much power causing too many reflections in the enclosed space. Unfortunately the experiments are better done in a pool so as to control the elements under test. This paper is the search to improve the equipment\u27s accuracy in an enclosed environment by attempting to reduce the power of the sonar via mechanical means