Physical properties of SrSn4 single crystals

We present detailed thermodynamic and transport measurements on single crystals of the recently discovered binary intermetallic superconductor, SrSn4. We find this material to be a slightly anisotropic three-dimensional, strongly-coupled, possibly multi-band, superconductor. Hydrostatic pressure causes a decrease in the superconducting transition temperature at the rate of -0.068 K/kbar. Band structure calculations are consistent with experimental data on Sommerfeld coefficient and upper superconducting critical field anisotropy and suggest complex, multi-sheet Fermi surface formed by four bands.Comment: Figure 11 correcte

Effects of Orthogonal Rotating Electric Fields on Electrospinning Process

Electrospinning is a nanotechnology process whereby an external electric field is used to accelerate and stretch a charged polymer jet, so as to produce fibers with nanoscale diameters. In quest of a further reduction in the cross section of electrified jets hence of a better control on the morphology of the resulting electrospun fibers, we explore the effects of an external rotating electric field orthogonal to the jet direction. Through extensive particle simulations, it is shown that by a proper tuning of the electric field amplitude and frequency, a reduction of up to a $30 \%$ in the aforementioned radius can be obtained, thereby opening new perspectives in the design of future ultra-thin electrospun fibres. Applications can be envisaged in the fields of nanophotonic components as well as for designing new and improved filtration materials.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figure

Empirical Investigation on Agile Methods Usage: Issues Identified from Early Adopters in Malaysia

Agile Methods are a set of software practices that can help to produce products faster and at the same time deliver what customers want. Despite the benefits that Agile methods can deliver, however, we found few studies from the Southeast Asia region, particularly Malaysia. As a result, less empirical evidence can be obtained in the country making its implementation harder. To use a new method, experience from other practitioners is critical, which describes what is important, what is possible and what is not possible concerning Agile. We conducted a qualitative study to understand the issues faced by early adopters in Malaysia where Agile methods are still relatively new. The initial study involves 13 participants including project managers, CEOs, founders and software developers from seven organisations. Our study has shown that social and human aspects are important when using Agile methods. While technical aspects have always been considered to exist in software development, we found these factors to be less important when using Agile methods. The results obtained can serve as guidelines to practitioners in the country and the neighbouring regions

Botulinum toxin treatment of spasticity in diplegic cerebral palsy : a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study

This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of three doses of botulinum toxin A (BTX-A; Dysport®) in 125 patients (meanage 5.2 years, SD 2; 54% male)with dynamic equinusspasticity during walking. Participants were randomized toreceive Dysport (10, 20, or 30 units/kg) or placebo to thegastrocnemius muscle of both legs. Muscle length wascalculated from electrogoniometric measurements and thechange in the dynamic component of gastrocnemiusshortening at four weeks was prospectively identified as theprimary outcome measure. All treatment groups showedstatistically significant decreases in dynamic componentcompared with placebo at 4 weeks. Mean improvement indynamic component was most pronounced in the 20 units/kggroup, being equivalent to an increase in dorsiflexion with the knee extended at 19°, and was still present at 16 weeks. The safety profile of the toxin appears satisfactory

Transethnic analysis of the human leukocyte antigen region for ulcerative colitis reveals not only shared but also ethnicity-specific disease associations

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gut. Genetic association studies have identified the highly variable human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region as the strongest susceptibility locus for IBD, and specifically DRB1*01:03 as a determining factor for ulcerative colitis (UC). However, for most of the association signal such a delineation could not be made due to tight structures of linkage disequilibrium within the HLA. The aim of this study was therefore to further characterize the HLA signal using a trans-ethnic approach. We performed a comprehensive fine mapping of single HLA alleles in UC in a cohort of 9,272 individuals with African American, East Asian, Puerto Rican, Indian and Iranian descent and 40,691 previously analyzed Caucasians, additionally analyzing whole HLA haplotypes. We computationally characterized the binding of associated HLA alleles to human self-peptides and analysed the physico-chemical properties of the HLA proteins and predicted self-peptidomes. Highlighting alleles of the HLA-DRB1*15 group and their correlated HLA-DQ-DR haplotypes, we identified consistent associations across different ethnicities but also identified population-specific signals. We observed that DRB1*01:03 is mostly present in individuals of Western European descent and hardly present in non-Caucasian individuals. We found peptides predicted to bind to risk HLA alleles to be rich in positively charged amino acids such. We conclude that the HLA plays an important role for UC susceptibility across different ethnicities. This research further implicates specific features of peptides that are predicted to bind risk and protective HLA proteins

Angewandte Chemie

Extended Abstract Electrospinning has been recognized as an effective and inexpensive technique for fabrication of long fibers from various materials including polymers, composites and biomacromolecules with diameters ranging from a few nanometers to few micrometers Polymer-based drug delivery systems are used to improve the therapeutic properties of drugs in a safer, effective and reliable manner Gelatin is a natural biopolymer derived from animal collagen, having a long history of safe use in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics as well as food products In the current work electrospun fibers were developed as a new system for the delivery and release of an anticancer agent doxorubicin via electrospinning technique. The morphology of the fibers was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The fibers were made from gelatin as a biodegradable polymer and the release of doxorubicin was followed by UV-vis spectroscopy in phosphate buffer of pH 7.4 at 25 °C and 37 °C. The release profiles from gelatin electrospun fiber mats were compared with casting films with the same composition