Plasma proteome correlates of lipid and lipoprotein: biomarkers of metabolic diversity and inflammation in children of rural Nepal.

Proteins involved in lipoprotein metabolism can modulate cardiovascular health. While often measured to assess adult metabolic diseases, little is known about the proteomes of lipoproteins and their relation to metabolic dysregulation and underlying inflammation in undernourished child populations. The objective of this population study was to globally characterize plasma proteins systemically associated with HDL, LDL, and triglycerides in 500 Nepalese children. Abnormal lipid profiles characterized by elevated plasma triglycerides and low HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations were common, especially in children with subclinical inflammation. Among 982 proteins analyzed, the relative abundance of 11, 12, and 52 plasma proteins was correlated with LDL-cholesterol (r = -0.43∼0.70), triglycerides (r = -0.39∼0.53), and HDL-C (r = -0.49∼0.79) concentrations, respectively. These proteins included apolipoproteins and numerous unexpected intracellular and extracellular matrix binding proteins, likely originating in hepatic and peripheral tissues. Relative abundance of two-thirds of the HDL proteome varied with inflammation, with acute phase reactants higher by 4∼40%, and proteins involved in HDL biosynthesis, cholesterol efflux, vitamin transport, angiogenesis, and tissue repair lower by 3∼20%. Untargeted plasma proteomics detects comprehensive sets of both known and novel lipoprotein-associated proteins likely reflecting systemic regulation of lipoprotein metabolism and vascular homeostasis. Inflammation-altered distributions of the HDL proteome may be predisposing undernourished populations to early chronic disease

Dehydration of potato slices following brief dipping in osmotic solutions: effect of conditions and understanding the mechanism of water loss

A novel variant of osmotic dehydration, named here as post-dipping dehydration – where a material is dipped in a salt or sugar solution for a very short time followed by simple exposure to ambient conditions was explored with the aim of lowering water content of potato slices but at the same time not gain a high level of sugar/salt. The rate of water loss, which was rapid initially, was found to approach equilibrium. This paper also explored whether the water loss process could subsequently be kick started once again, by employing a multi-stage process, where each stage consisted of osmotic solution dipping followed by ambient holding of the potato slices that had reached equilibrium in the earlier stage. Water loss values comparable to conventional osmotic dehydration could be achieved thus, but with significantly lower overall solid gain (less than 50%) – which can potentially yield a significantly healthy product option

Systematic study of trace radioactive impurities in candidate construction materials for EXO-200

The Enriched Xenon Observatory (EXO) will search for double beta decays of 136Xe. We report the results of a systematic study of trace concentrations of radioactive impurities in a wide range of raw materials and finished parts considered for use in the construction of EXO-200, the first stage of the EXO experimental program. Analysis techniques employed, and described here, include direct gamma counting, alpha counting, neutron activation analysis, and high-sensitivity mass spectrometry.Comment: 32 pages, 6 figures. Expanded introduction, added missing table entry. Accepted for publication in Nucl. Instrum. Meth.

A Large Hadron Electron Collider at CERN

This document provides a brief overview of the recently published report on the design of the Large Hadron Electron Collider (LHeC), which comprises its physics programme, accelerator physics, technology and main detector concepts. The LHeC exploits and develops challenging, though principally existing, accelerator and detector technologies. This summary is complemented by brief illustrations of some of the highlights of the physics programme, which relies on a vastly extended kinematic range, luminosity and unprecedented precision in deep inelastic scattering. Illustrations are provided regarding high precision QCD, new physics (Higgs, SUSY) and electron-ion physics. The LHeC is designed to run synchronously with the LHC in the twenties and to achieve an integrated luminosity of O(100) fb$^{-1}$. It will become the cleanest high resolution microscope of mankind and will substantially extend as well as complement the investigation of the physics of the TeV energy scale, which has been enabled by the LHC

Collective dynamics of random Janus oscillator networks

Janus oscillators have been recently introduced as a remarkably simple phase oscillator model that exhibits non-trivial dynamical patterns -- such as chimeras, explosive transitions, and asymmetry-induced synchronization -- that once were only observed in specifically tailored models. Here we study ensembles of Janus oscillators coupled on large homogeneous and heterogeneous networks. By virtue of the Ott-Antonsen reduction scheme, we find that the rich dynamics of Janus oscillators persists in the thermodynamic limit of random regular, Erd\H{o}s-R\'enyi and scale-free random networks. We uncover for all these networks the coexistence between partially synchronized state and a multitude of states displaying global oscillations. Furthermore, abrupt transitions of the global and local order parameters are observed for all topologies considered. Interestingly, only for scale-free networks, it is found that states displaying global oscillations vanish in the thermodynamic limit

Evaluating diode laser and conventional scalpel techniques in maxillary labial frenectomy for patient perception, tissue healing, and clinical efficacy: six-month results of a randomized controlled study

This study aims to compare scalpel and diode laser techniques regarding patients’ perceptions, tissue healing, diastema, and periodontal clinical parameters in the treatment of abnormal labial frenum. This prospective, randomized, controlled trial evaluated 43 patients (aged 18-55) requiring labial frenectomy, randomized to scalpel or diode laser therapy. Plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI) were measured at baseline, 4 weeks, and 6 months post-surgery. Keratinized gingiva width (KGW) of maxillary central incisors and diastemas were measured at baseline and 6 months post-surgery. Postoperative pain was evaluated on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28 using a visual analog scale. Wound healing was assessed at 7 days and 4 weeks postoperatively, scored based on the degree of epithelialization and the presence of ulceration or necrosis. At 6 months, both groups showed a significant reduction in PI, GI, and diastema (P<0.05). KGW increased in both groups, with a significant increase in the laser group (P<0.05), though baseline and 6-month KGW values were not significantly different between groups: baseline values were 5.30 ± 1.396 for the scalpel group and 5.05 ± 1.276 for the laser group, and 6-month values were 5.65 ± 1.152 for the scalpel group and 5.50 ± 1.147 for the laser group (P<0.05). The diode laser group had significantly lower pain scores than scalpel group on days 1, 3, and 7 (P<0.05). however, from day 14 onward, there was no statistically significant difference in pain scores between groups (P<0.05). Tissue healing was significantly faster on day 7 in the scalpel group (P<0.05). Frenectomy with diode laser effectively reduces pain, although it may delay wound healing. Laser therapy serves as a feasible alternative to the scalpel method. However, further research is necessary to fully assess its benefits and limitations in soft tissue procedures

A Process‐Based Framework to Characterize and Classify Runoff Events: The Event Typology of Germany

This study proposes a new process‐based framework to characterize and classify runoff events of various magnitudes occurring in a wide range of catchments. The framework uses dimensionless indicators that characterize space–time dynamics of precipitation events and their spatial interaction with antecedent catchment states, described as snow cover, distribution of frozen soils, and soil moisture content. A rigorous uncertainty analysis showed that the developed indicators are robust and regionally consistent. Relying on covariance‐ and ratio‐based indicators leads to reduced classification uncertainty compared to commonly used (event‐based) indicators based on absolute values of metrics such as duration, volume, and intensity of precipitation events. The event typology derived from the proposed framework is able to stratify events that exhibit distinct hydrograph dynamics even if streamflow is not directly used for classification. The derived typology is therefore able to capture first‐order controls of event runoff response in a wide variety of catchments. Application of this typology to about 180,000 runoff events observed in 392 German catchments revealed six distinct regions with homogeneous event type frequency that match well regions with similar behavior in terms of runoff response identified in Germany. The detected seasonal pattern of event type occurrence is regionally consistent and agrees well with the seasonality of hydroclimatic conditions. The proposed framework can be a useful tool for comparative analyses of regional differences and similarities of runoff generation processes at catchment scale and their possible spatial and temporal evolution

Using Nonlinear Static Procedures for the Seismic Assessment of Irregular RC Buildings

The application of Nonlinear Static Procedures (NSPs) to assess the seismic vulnerability of existing structures has become widely accepted and extensively used in the literature as well as in engineering practice. Nevertheless, their success in predicting the response of irregular buildings is not yet fully verified. The main goal of the present study is to evaluate the capability and accuracy of some of the existing nonlinear static procedures (N2 and ACSM, in this case) to estimate the seismic performance of irregular structures. In order to accomplish this objective, four existing buildings, irregular in plan and elevation, were subjected to an extensive number of nonlinear static and dynamic analyses. The comparisons, focused on both global and local response parameters provide first indications on the reliability of static procedures to estimate the actual response of irregular RC buildings.N/

Effect of Different Modelling Assumptions on the Seismic Response of RC Structures

The introduction of new regulations for seismic assessment of structures established stricter performance requirements for existing buildings. In order to account for the poor seismic behaviour of such buildings, recent seismic codes, namely Eurocode 8 (EC8), introduce a number of prescriptions regarding issues such as analysis type, load distribution, accidental eccentricity, etc. At the same time, these codes give room for engineering judgment to be used with reference to the definition of structural and non-structural elements such as slabs or infill walls, and obviously leave the modelling assumptions, such as Finite Elements typology, meshing, mass modelling, etc. to the analyst decision. As such, four existing RC buildings, representative of traditional Mediterranean construction, considering different modelling assumptions, were subjected to an extensive number of nonlinear static analyses. The interpretation of possible deviations in the results will hopefully provide indications on the relative importance of each modelling parameter or decision.N/

An Easily Constructed, Tuning Free, Ultra-broadband Probe for NMR

We have developed an easy to construct, non-resonant wideband NMR probe. The probe is of the saddle coil geometry and is designed such that the coil itself forms a transmission line. The probe thus requires no tuning or matching elements. We use the probe with a spectrometer whose duplexer circuitry employs a simple RF switch instead of the more common lambda/4 lines, so the entire probe and spectrometer perform in an essentially frequency-independent manner. Despite being designed with electro- and magnetostatic formulas, the probe performs well at frequencies up to 150 MHz and beyond. We expect that with additional design effort, the probe could be modified for use at significantly higher frequencies. Because our construction method relies on commercial circuit fabrication techniques, identical probes can be easily and accurately produced