Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus: current situation and travel-associated concerns

This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.The emergence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2012 brought back memories of the occurrence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2002. More than 1500 MERS-CoV cases were recorded in 42 months with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 40%. Meanwhile, 8000 cases of SARS-CoV were confirmed in six months with a CFR of 10%. The clinical presentation of MERS-CoV ranges from mild and non-specific presentation to progressive and severe pneumonia. No predictive signs or symptoms exist to differentiate MERS-CoV from community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized patients. An apparent heterogeneity was observed in transmission. Most MERS-CoV cases were secondary to large outbreaks in healthcare settings. These cases were secondary to community-acquired cases, which may also cause family outbreaks. Travel-associated MERS infection remains low. However, the virus exhibited a clear tendency to cause large outbreaks outside the Arabian Peninsula as exemplified by the outbreak in the Republic of Korea. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about MERS-CoV and highlight travel-related issues

Geology, geochemistry and are characteristics of the Jordanian phosphates

Abstract Jordan is situated on the northwestern side of the Arabian Plate, along the eastern flank of the ancient Tethys Ocean on the western side of the Dead Sea Transform. The country hosts huge phosphate deposits. The deposits at Eshidiya are comprised of overburden, four phosphate beds (A0, Al, A2 and A3), a coquina/marl waste bed, and two silicified phosphate chert interwaste beds. Eshidiya ore beds are treated separately through beneficiation and upgrading, as they produce products of different grade; they are subdivided into three classes. A 65% TCP (tricalcium phosphate) sub-commercial product is also produced. The detrimental impurities are considered to be among the lowest in the world. Chemical analyses of major oxides, organic matter and some traces in the product, which indicate almost similar chemical signature, are discussed herein

Questions in/of English

Our starting point is provided by two accounts of observed lessons. The two lessons happened, at more or less the same time, in the same English department in an East London secondary school. Both lessons, observed by the second- and third-named authors, involved the shared reading of the same novel. We are interested in the difference between these two lessons, a difference that is manifested most clearly in the different ways in which questions enter in the two lessons. We argue that this difference is symptomatic of two fundamentally different versions of English as a school subject

Solving multiple linear regression problem using artificial neural network

Multiple linear regressions are an important tool used to find the relationship between a set of variables used in various scientific experiments. In this article we are going to introduce a simple method of solving a multiple rectilinear regressions (MLR) problem that uses an artificial neural network to find the accurate and expected output from MLR problem. Different artificial neural network (ANN) types with different architecture will be tested, the error between the target outputs and the calculated ANN outputs will be investigated. A recommendation of using a certain type of ANN based on the experimental results will be raised

Pharmacological Or Genetic Targeting Of Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) Channels Can Disrupt The Planarian Escape Response

In response to noxious stimuli, planarians cease their typical ciliary gliding and exhibit an oscillatory type of locomotion called scrunching. We have previously characterized the biomechanics of scrunching and shown that it is induced by specific stimuli, such as amputation, noxious heat, and extreme pH. Because these specific inducers are known to activate Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channels in other systems, we hypothesized that TRP channels control scrunching. We found that chemicals known to activate TRPA1 (allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) and hydrogen peroxide) and TRPV (capsaicin and anandamide) in other systems induce scrunching in the planarian species Dugesia japonica and, except for anandamide, in Schmidtea mediterranea. To confirm that these responses were specific to either TRPA1 or TRPV, respectively, we tried to block scrunching using selective TRPA1 or TRPV antagonists and RNA interference (RNAi) mediated knockdown. Unexpectedly, co-treatment with a mammalian TRPA1 antagonist, HC-030031, enhanced AITC-induced scrunching by decreasing the latency time, suggesting an agonistic relationship in planarians. We further confirmed that TRPA1 in both planarian species is necessary for AITC-induced scrunching using RNAi. Conversely, while co-treatment of a mammalian TRPV antagonist, SB-366791, also enhanced capsaicin-induced reactions in D. japonica, combined knockdown of two previously identified D. japonica TRPV genes (DjTRPVa and DjTRPVb) did not inhibit capsaicin-induced scrunching. RNAi of DjTRPVa/DjTRPVb attenuated scrunching induced by the endocannabinoid and TRPV agonist, anandamide. Overall, our results show that although scrunching induction can involve different initial pathways for sensing stimuli, this behavior’s signature dynamical features are independent of the inducer, implying that scrunching is a stereotypical planarian escape behavior in response to various noxious stimuli that converge on a single downstream pathway. Understanding which aspects of nociception are conserved or not across different organisms can provide insight into the underlying regulatory mechanisms to better understand pain sensation

A Literature Review on the Correlation Between Shear Bond Strength and the Degree of Conversion of Orthodontic Adhesive Systems

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive literature review on the correlation between shear bond strength and the degree of conversion of the orthodontic adhesive systems. Thus, this is considered as a major issue for the success of the orthodontic bonding techniques. Material and Methods: Electronic searches were performed in Pubmed and Scopus databases using relevant keywords. Textbook searching was also applied. Following the selection, full-text English language papers were fully reviewed to ensure that they met both the inclusion and the exclusion criteria. Results: Recent studies suggest that when increasing the DC, the SBS will increase. Thus, this results to a stiffer and a more durable resin. Conclusions: There is a wide range of factors affecting the SBS, DC, and their correlation. Some of them are related to the tooth etching techniques, adhesive related factors, curing units, and bracket materials. More research is required to develop more understanding of the role of these factors in determining the bonding success. This is because there are no specific published papers which were directly linked to the correlation between the SBS and the DC of orthodontic adhesives

Globalization and water resources management : the changing value of water

The Jordan River system, which is shared by Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan and Palestine, is a major issue in the current Middle East peace negotiations. Although we believe that the International Water Law is the most suitable basis to solve the disputes between Arab countries and Israel, it is worthwhile developing multi weighting approximation criteria for determining the water rights for the above riparian countries. The paper provides an overview of current resolution principles and procedures and presents the conflict resolution process in theory. The aim of this paper is to develop multi-criteria decision tool to the problem of allocating the waters of the Jordan River Basin between all riparian parties. The prime principle of the criteria is equitable and reasonable allocation factors identified by the International Law Commission in its draft articles on the non navigational uses of water. A general mathematical model was derived that found the optimal allocation outcome based on the weight of each factor. The approach presented here should be seen as a trial to deal with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict over water rights in such complex trans-boundary water resources system. It is hoped that, water negotiators review this approach