Incremental solution of LTMGA transfers transcribed with an advanced shaping approach

In the last decade the global optimisation of low-thrust multi-gravity assist transfers (LTMGA) has been tackled with different approaches. Some authors proposed to generate a first guess solution by building a multi-gravity assist transfer with impulsive manoeuvres and then using a direct or an indirect method to transcribe the multi-impulse arcs into low-thrust arcs. Other authors, notably Petropoulos et al. (2002), De Pascale et al. (2006), Wall et al. (2008) and Schütze et al. (2009), proposed the use of several forms of trajectory shaping to model low-thrust arcs. The disadvantage in all these studies is that the swingbys are powered and therefore suggest the use of high thrust propulsion along with the low thrust propulsion on board the spacecraft. The problem generally resides in the lack of flexibility of the low thrust trajectory models to satisfy a variety of boundary conditions. In this paper, a spherical shaping model is used whereby all encountered types of boundary constraints are satisfied analytically. Furthermore, a special incremental pruning of the search space is performed before employing a global optimiser. The process is conceptually equivalent to the approach proposed by Becerra et al. for the search space pruning of multi-gravity assist trajectories and exploits the decoupling of pairs of transfer arcs. Such decoupling removes the dependency of one arc from all those that are two or more before, and allows for pruning the search space in polynomial time. Numerical examples are presented for LTMGA transfers from Earth to asteroid Apollo and Earth to Jupiter

Milk Pathogens in Correlation with Inflammatory, Oxidative and Nitrosative Stress Markers in Goat Subclinical Mastitis

Goat mastitis is still frequently diagnosed in dairy farms, with serious consequences on milk quality and composition. The aim of this study was to establish correlations between milk microorganisms and biochemical parameters in goats with no signs of clinical mastitis. Thus, 76 milk samples were collected from a dairy goat farm, Carpathian breed, followed by microbiological, molecular (16S rRNA sequencing) and somatic cells analysis, determination of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), β-glucuronidase, catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), nitric oxide (NO) and lipid peroxides (LPO) using spectrophotometry and the ELISA method for 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) as the oxidative DNA damage indicator. Samples positive for bacterial growth showed a significant (p Staphylococcus aureus

Longitudinal 8-Epi-Prostaglandin F2-Alpha and Angiogenic Profile Mediator Evaluation during Pregnancy in Women with Suspected or Confirmed Pre-eclampsia

Background: In this exploratory study, we aimed to evaluate the dynamics of angiogenic [soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1), placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble Endoglin (sEng), and sFlt-1/PlGF, PlGF/sFlt-1, and sEng/PlGF ratios] and oxidative stress [8-epi-prostaglandin F2 alpha (8-epi-PGF2α) and 8-epi-PGF2α/PlGF ratio] mediator levels in women with suspected or confirmed pre-eclampsia (PE) at least two times during pregnancy. We also wanted to identify the possible correlations between 8-epi-PGF2α and angiogenic mediator levels at the time of inclusion of pregnant women. Methods: We included 40 pregnant women with suspected or confirmed PE, with a mean age of 29 years (range between 18 and 41 years) and gestational age between 18 and 28 weeks at inclusion in this study. The Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method to measure the levels of serum angiogenic and oxidative stress mediators was used. Results: The evaluation of baseline sFlt-1/PlGF ratios using a cut-off of 38 suggested that 25 pregnant women had a sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of >38 (sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of >38 group) and 15 had a sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of ≤38 (sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of ≤38 group). The increases in sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of >38 group were caused by both an increase in sFlt-1 (2.04-fold) and a decrease in PlGF levels (2.55-fold). The 8-epi-PGF2α median levels were higher in the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of >38 group (1.62-fold). During follow-up after pregnancy, we observed that the mean values of sFlt-1 and sEng and the median values of 8-epi-PGF2α and sFlt-1/PlGF, sEng/PlGF, and 8-epi-PGF2α/PlGF ratios increased directly proportional to gestational age for each measurement time until delivery in both groups. For five women who had a sFlt-1/PlGF ratio ≤38 at inclusion, sFlt-1/PlGF ratio was observed to increase to >38 later in pregnancy. We observed that, in the sFlt-1/PlGF ratio >38 group, baseline 8-epi-PGF2α levels better correlated with angiogenic mediator levels. Conclusions: Our study shows that 33.33% of pregnant women evaluated for suspected or confirmed PE with a sFlt-1/PlGF ratio of ≤38 displayed a rise in sFlt-1/PlGF ratio in subsequent weeks. In addition, together with angiogenic mediators, 8-epi-PGF2 α can be utilized as an independent predictor factor to help clinicians identify or predict which pregnant women will develop PE

Plexus 2019: Reflections

PLEXUS is a student-organized publication that showcases creative work by medical students, physicians, faculty, patients, and others in the medical community. Through the universal language of art, the journal aspires to connect those who seek to heal and to be healed.This year, we are excited to celebrate the 20th edition of Plexus. To commemorate this milestone, we chose the theme of “Reflections” to encourage introspection on an often long but rewarding journey through the path of medicine. We feel so privileged to be a part of an incredible field with a unique legacy, allowing us to reflect on our past heritage and future legacy. While the journal submission and publication process is run by medical students, we believe that the medical humanities is a creative space open to everyone in the medical community. In keeping with last year, we continued to include wonderful submissions from students in the UCI School of Nursing, as well as graduate students from the biological sciences. Every year we are amazed by the emotions, reflections, stories, richness, and creativity of the submissions. We thank all of our submitters for their time and thought. Additionally, please find our performing arts pieces on our website, www.uciplexus.org. Previous publications and submissions are also available online.A huge heartfelt thanks to our amazing editors, staff, and faculty for their support in making this special 20th edition possible. We would like to give special thanks to our faculty advisors Dr. Johanna Shapiro and Dr. Tan Nguyen, and Dr. Ellena Peterson (Associate Dean of Admissions & Outreach) – this journal would not have been possible without their continuous support and guidance. We hope you enjoy PLEXUS 2019 – Reflections.Co-Editors-in-Chief: Shreya Aiyar, Yvonne Lu, Priyanka SharmaDesign Chair: May Hui,Design Team: Ruchi Desai, Tammy TranPerforming Arts Chair: Janani PrasadCreative Writing Chair: Malcolm CrawfordSocial Media/Community Outreach Chair: Tammy TranWinners of the PLEXUS medical student competitions were made possible by the Program in Medical Humanities & Arts. Congratulations to this year’s winners:Writing:1st: Nazin Sedehi (MS3) “An Ode to My Bed”2nd: Olivia Tsai (MS2) “Encounter”3rd: Inbal Epstein (MS3) “Dr. Pyre”Visual:1st: Thalia Nguyen (MS3) “What Will My Reflection Show?”2nd: Michael Niechayev (MS4) “Little Del Mar”3rd: Sarah O’Dell (MS2) “Axonal Threads”Performing Arts1st: Matthew Sanford (Patient Account Rep, SBO, Medical Center) “First Takes 091818”2nd: Alex Miner (Resident physician) “Don’t Stop Kicking Mommy”3rd: Jeremy Martin and Nathan Calixto (MS4s) “Two German Songs: Widmung (Dedication) and Auf dem Flusse (On the River)

Plexus 2003

Editor: Gráinne McEvoy-MulhollandAssistant Editor: Eric HegedusEditorial Board:  Meghann Kaiser, Cristin Gail Ryan, Mary WangFaculty Advisors: Johanna Shapiro, Ph.D.; Lloyd Rucker, MDOur sincere thanks to the following people and departments:Kate Aceves, for typesetting, deign, and production;The Offices of Admissions, Dean, Alumni, and Dean of Students, for their support and generous funding;Our excellent printers – Graphic DepotUCI College of Medicine Journal of Arts & Humanities 2003 Editio