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The important of quality stain for proper diagnosis of haemoparasites cannot be overemphasized in parasitology. Natural stains are safer and more eco-friendly than synthetic ones. Henna leaves methanolic extract solution was optimized and used alongside Giemsia and Romanowsky stains to study prevalence of canine ehrlichiosis in Makurdi. Henna leaves methanol extract solution was optimized, 10% for 45 minutes stain was used independently alongside Giemsia and Romanowsky stains to study prevalence of Ehrlichia canis in dogs. One hundred dogs of three different breeds were sampled from four different locations within Makurdi and examined under microscope. The study revealed that henna is not a good stain for haemoparasites since it cannot be picked by the surface glycoprotein of the cell membrane of the parasites. Romanowsky stain revealed 3% prevalence while others recorded zero prevalence. Adult, male and exotic breed of dogs recorded higher prevalence than young, female and other breeds of dogs. The prevalence recorded agreed with the previous reports from western Nigeria but was at variance with reports from other part of the world. Low sensitivity of the method used and the stages of the disease may be possible reasons for low prevalence observed in the study. Henna is not recommended as a good stain for diagnosis of haemoparasites. Breed and age are predisposing factors to the disease, but sex has no significant association with the disease. A more sensitive method and different period of the year should be used for future similar study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The new construct of integrated temporal positivity—defined as the positive, adaptive, and dynamic use of the past, the present, and the future—is posited to promote optimal functioning. Based on the dualistic model of passion, the present research sought to test the hypothesis that harmonious passion, more than obsessive passion, triggers a higher use of integrated temporal positivity that, in turn, leads to one crucial type of sport performance, namely last-second performance. The results of 3 studies conducted with team-sport athletes (Study 1, n = 625; Study 2, n = 285; and Study 3, n = 263) provided clear support for the hypothesis. The results pave the way for future research focusing on the role of adaptive temporal processes in support of sport performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a self-similarity-analysis-based inundation process in which the water depth at the inlet increases as a power function of time. Numerical analyses of the inundation process are conducted to evaluate the feasibility and stability of two types of regimes: inertia-pressure regime and pressure-friction regime. Numerical simulations using the shallow water equations are conducted to investigate the influence of the increments in scaling coefficient and power which determine the temporal variation of the inlet water depth on the inundation process. Both regimes were realized in the numerical simulations, without considering the friction or inertia terms. Based on the linear stability analysis, it was proved that these processes are stable regardless of the increment in the scaling coefficient of the inlet water depth. The early phase of the inundation process is dominated by the scaling coefficient; whereas, eventually the inundation process depended on power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canine parvovirus is a deadly virus affecting the Canid family, causing virus-induced destruction of rapidly dividing haemopoietic precursor cells such as crypts of intestinal epithelial cells, thymus, lymph nodes, bone marrow precursor cells, blood cells and cardiac cells leading to multi-organ dysfunctions. The aim of this study was to determine the haematological, serum biochemical and electrolytic changes associated with canine parvovirus (CPV) -2 infection. An immunochromatographic test was used to differentiate the virus-positive and negative dogs using faecal samples. One hundred and sixty whole blood and serum samples were collected from apparently healthy and CPV-2-positive dogs in Plateau State, Nigeria. Haematological, serum biochemical and electrolytic analyses were done using standard methods. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a student t-test. Significance was accepted at probability values of p < 0.05. The haematological effect of CPV-2 showed a significant (P < 0.05) decrease in mean Packed Cell Volume (PCV), total red blood cell count, haemoglobin concentration, total white blood cell count, neutrophils, lymphocytes and platelet count. In addition, the CPV-2 significantly (P < 0.05) increased the mean aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, urea, creatinine, triglyceride and malondialdehyde, while the mean total protein, sodium, potassium, chloride and cholesterol significantly (P < 0.05) decreased in the infected dogs. From the findings, CPV infection variably and significantly affected some haematological and serum biochemical parameters of infected dogs. Therefore, clinicians should endeavour to incorporate haematinics, haptatonics and immunemodulators during the management of canine parvoviral infection as supportive drugs with fluid therapy to improve the survivability of infected animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tsunami is one of the deadliest natural disasters, responsible for more than 260,000 deaths and billions in economic losses over the last two decades. The footage of the devastating power of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami perhaps remains vivid in the memory of most survivors, and Malaysia was one of the countries affected by the unprecedented 2004 tsunami. It was the first time the Malaysian government had managed such a great disaster. This review, therefore, gathers the relevant literature pertaining to the efforts undertaken following the event of the 2004 tsunami from Malaysia's perspective. A compilation of post-event observations regarding tsunami characteristics is first presented in the form of maps, followed by building damage, including damage modes of wall failure, total collapse, debris impact and tilting of structures. In addition, hazard assessments and projections regarding a hypothetical future tsunami towards vulnerable hazard zones in Malaysia are reviewed. It is observed that future tsunami risks may originate from the Indian/Burma Plate, Andaman Island, Sunda Trench, Manila Trench, Sulu Trench, Negro Trench, Sulawesi Trench, Cotabato Trench and Brunei slide. A rundown of post-2004 measures and tsunami research undertaken in the country is also included in this review, serving as a reference for disaster management globally. Overall, the outcomes of this review are important for understanding tsunami vulnerability and the resilience of coastal infrastructures, which will be crucial for continued progress in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article comparatively explores the reception of Sergiu Nicolaescu's film Zile fierbinți (Hot Days, 1975) in socialist and postsocialist Romania and China. Received as a propagandistic film in one postsocialist context, the film is understood as a gesture toward social change in another. While the film began to be considered a paragon of propagandistic indoctrination in Romania after the fall of communism, in China Nicolaescu's work was and continues to be interpreted as a celebration of the individual under socialism and, at the time of its screening, resonated with the restructuring of the communist system during the Deng Xiaoping reform era. Drawing on 1970s Romanian film criticism, the author shows that the postsocialist-era reading of the film's protagonist as an authoritarian symbol of Romania's political dictatorship misses that socialist realism and the film de actualitate genres played an important role in negotiating a working-class response to the one-party state, while also gesturing toward certain reforms of Romanian state socialism. The author also reinterprets the figure of the film's protagonist, the socialist leader, as an invitation for more active political engagement and as a symbol of the potential restructuring of the Romanian economy along the more progressive lines of Yugoslavia's "worker self-management" and Hungary's "Gulash Communism." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We simulate possible stellar coronal mass ejection (CME) scenarios over the magnetic cycle of ϵ Eridani (18 Eridani; HD 22049). We use three separate epochs from 2008, 2011, and 2013, and estimate the radio emission frequencies associated with these events. These stellar eruptions have proven to be elusive, although a promising approach to detect and characterize these phenomena are low-frequency radio observations of potential type II bursts as CME-induced shocks propagate through the stellar corona. Stellar type II radio bursts are expected to emit below 450 MHz, similarly to their solar counterparts. We show that the length of time these events remain above the ionospheric cutoff is not necessarily dependent on the stellar magnetic cycle, but more on the eruption location relative to the stellar magnetic field. We find that these type II bursts would remain within the frequency range of LOFAR for a maximum of 20–30 minutes post-eruption for the polar CMEs (50 minutes for second harmonics). We find evidence of slower equatorial CMEs, which result in slightly longer observable windows for the 2008 and 2013 simulations. Stellar magnetic geometry and strength have a significant effect on the detectability of these events. We place the CMEs in the context of the stellar mass-loss rate (27–48× solar mass-loss rate), showing that they can amount to 3%–50% of the stellar wind mass-loss rate for ϵ Eridani. Continuous monitoring of likely stellar CME candidates with low-frequency radio telescopes will be required to detect these transient events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*)—the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the center of our galaxy—has been observed in most of the electromagnetic spectrum, from radio to X-rays. Diffuse γ-ray emission has been observed around Sgr A* and a γ-ray point source has been detected coinciding with the SMBH's position, although there is no definitive association between the two. In this work, we have used ∼11 yr of Fermi Large Area Telescope observations of the point source 4FGL J1745.6–2859 and performed a detailed imaging analysis across four energy bands. Our goal is to elucidate the nature of the γ-ray emission at the Galactic Center (GC) and whether it is associated with the SMBH. We find that the centroid of the emission approaches Sgr A*'s location as the energy increases. Assuming that the γ-ray point source is located at the GC, we estimate a luminosity of 2.61 × 1036 erg s−1 in the 100 MeV to 500 GeV energy range. This is consistent with Sgr A*'s bolometric luminosity. Based on the point source properties, we ruled out several potential candidates for its nature and favor a cosmic-ray origin either from protons, electrons, or both, accelerated by—or in the vicinity of—the SMBH. Our results indicate that the point source at the GC is indeed the γ-ray counterpart of Sgr A* in the GeV range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently discovered Indus stellar stream exhibits a diverse chemical signature compared to what is found for most other streams due to the abundances of two outlier stars, Indus_0 and Indus_13. Indus_13 exhibits an extreme enhancement in rapid neutron-capture (r-)process elements with [Eu/Fe] = + 1.81. It thus provides direct evidence of the accreted nature of r-process-enhanced stars. In this paper we present a detailed chemical analysis of the neutron-capture elements in Indus_13, revealing the star to be slightly actinide poor. The other outlier, Indus_0, displays a globular cluster-like signature with high N, Na, and Al abundances, while the rest of the Indus stars show abundances compatible with a dwarf galaxy origin. Hence, Indus_0 provides the first chemical evidence of a fully disrupted dwarf containing a globular cluster. We use the chemical signature of the Indus stars to discuss the nature of the stream progenitor which was likely a chemically evolved system, with a mass somewhere in the range from Ursa Minor to Fornax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synchrotron radiation from hot gas near a black hole results in a polarized image. The image polarization is determined by effects including the orientation of the magnetic field in the emitting region, relativistic motion of the gas, strong gravitational lensing by the black hole, and parallel transport in the curved spacetime. We explore these effects using a simple model of an axisymmetric, equatorial accretion disk around a Schwarzschild black hole. By using an approximate expression for the null geodesics derived by Beloborodov and conservation of the Walker–Penrose constant, we provide analytic estimates for the image polarization. We test this model using currently favored general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations of M87*, using ring parameters given by the simulations. For a subset of these with modest Faraday effects, we show that the ring model broadly reproduces the polarimetric image morphology. Our model also predicts the polarization evolution for compact flaring regions, such as those observed from Sgr A* with GRAVITY. With suitably chosen parameters, our simple model can reproduce the EVPA pattern and relative polarized intensity in Event Horizon Telescope images of M87*. Under the physically motivated assumption that the magnetic field trails the fluid velocity, this comparison is consistent with the clockwise rotation inferred from total intensity images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the use of approximate Bayesian neural networks (BNNs) in modeling hundreds of time delay gravitational lenses for Hubble constant (H0) determination. Our BNN was trained on synthetic Hubble Space Telescope quality images of strongly lensed active galactic nuclei with lens galaxy light included. The BNN can accurately characterize the posterior probability density functions (PDFs) of model parameters governing the elliptical power-law mass profile in an external shear field. We then propagate the BNN-inferred posterior PDFs into an ensemble H0 inference, using simulated time delay measurements from a plausible dedicated monitoring campaign. Assuming well-measured time delays and a reasonable set of priors on the environment of the lens, we achieve a median precision of 9.3% per lens in the inferred H0. A simple combination of a set of 200 test lenses results in a precision of 0.5 km s−1 Mpc−1 (0.7%), with no detectable bias in this H0 recovery test. The computation time for the entire pipeline—including the generation of the training set, BNN training and H0 inference—translates to 9 minutes per lens on average for 200 lenses and converges to 6 minutes per lens as the sample size is increased. Being fully automated and efficient, our pipeline is a promising tool for exploring ensemble-level systematics in lens modeling for H0 inference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present GHOST , a database of 16,175 spectroscopically classified supernovae (SNe) and the properties of their host galaxies. We have constructed GHOST using a novel host galaxy association method that employs deep postage stamps of the field surrounding a transient. Our gradient ascent method achieves fewer misassociations for low-z hosts and higher completeness for high-z hosts than previous methods. Using dimensionality reduction, we identify the host galaxy properties that distinguish SN classes. Our results suggest that the host galaxies of superluminous SNe, Type Ia SNe, and core-collapse SNe can be separated by brightness and derived extendedness measures. Next, we train a random forest model to predict SN class using only host galaxy information and the radial offset of the SN. We can distinguish Type Ia SNe and core-collapse SNe with ∼70% accuracy without any photometric or spectroscopic data from the event itself. Vera C. Rubin Observatory will usher in a new era of transient population studies, demanding improved photometric tools for rapid identification and classification of transient events. By identifying the host features with high discriminatory power, we will maintain SN sample purities and continue to identify scientifically relevant events as data volumes increase. The GHOST database and our corresponding software for associating transients with host galaxies are both publicly available through the astro _ ghost package. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]