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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has created public health crisis and economic instability globally. However, the pandemic and the nationwide lockdown have a significant impact on the psychosocial status, emotional state, relationships of individuals, family, and community. Families were facing challenges due to lockdown and will do their best to develop adaptive behavior for attaining self-stability. The present study helps to understand the effect of lockdown on family well-being and the shift of intrafamilial relationships during the lockdown. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in an urban area of Kakinada from April to June 2020. A convenient sample of 300 families was selected by systematic random method. One parent and one adolescent child from each family, a total of 600 study participants were included under the study. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using IBM SPSS. The mean, frequencies, proportion, and Chi-square test were used to analyze data. Results: Adaptability has increased during lockdown by sharing of household work, from 3% before to 91.7%. 97.3% were happy spending time with family members. Communication and satisfaction have increased by a decrease in conflicts, from 19.7% to 7% during the lockdown. Only 3.08% of adults were facing either physical or verbal abuse. Conclusions: During the lockdown period, the family members spent quality time together acquired new skills, and conflicts among them were reduced. Domestic violence is low in this particular study area and familial bonding is high.

Background: In older adults multimorbidity increases with age and this increases the consumption of medications and the risk of Polypharmacy (PP). Along with this, the use of Potentially Inappropriate Medications (PIMs) among the elderly patients is a very common public concern. Objectives: The primary objective is to assess the pattern of PP and estimate the proportion of PP and PIMs among the geriatric in-patients. The secondary objective is to find out the association between serum creatinine and PP. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among the geriatric in-patients aged ≥65 years admitted in medical wards by reviewing the case sheets. PIMs use was identified using Beer's criteria. Descriptive statistics like mean, range, standard deviation and proportions were used for Polypharmacy and PIMS. Inferential statistics like Pearson's Chi-squared test was used to find out association between serum creatinine and PP. Results: A total of 84 geriatric in-patients were enrolled as study subjects. Mean number of drugs prescribed was 6.9 (±3.2) and range 2-18. Proportion of PP was 73.8% and that of PIMs was found in 33.3% in the patients. There was significant association between an increase in serum creatinine levels with an increase in consumption of drugs. (p = 0.009) Conclusion: The proportion of PP and PIM and was found to be high among the geriatric patients. There was an increase in serum creatinine levels with increased consumption of drugs.

Solid state transformer (SST) is a high frequency switched power electronic based transformer with high controllability that enables flexible connectivity between existing medium voltage power distribution network, low voltage AC residential system and envisioned DC residential system. The SST is not a direct replacement of a conventional low frequency transformer, but a multi-purpose device that offers improved functionalities. The demanded requirements of the future power systems such as integration of distributed generation, DC loads and storage have enabled the microgrid technology to evolve. This paper is focused on the SST as an intermediary tool for microgrids. An overview of existing and possible SST based microgrid designs and control architectures, their advantages, disadvantages and the identified selection criteria are presented. With a special focus on existing experimental setups, the paper is concluded highlighting the possible areas of research that would enhance the integration of the SSTs into microgrids in the future.

DC microgrids present an effective power system solution for increased integration of renewable sources while providing clear benefits, such as high efficiency and simpler control. However, the protection of DC networks still remains a challenge due to strict time limits for fault interruption imposed by fast rising fault currents in DC systems, and absence of frequency and phasor information. This paper introduces a technique for fast detection and isolation of the faults in the DC microgrids without de-energizing the whole network. In the proposed algorithm, branch current measurements are sampled and Wavelet transform is applied to capture the characteristic changes in the current signals caused by network faults. The temporal variations in the relative wavelet energy within the frequency bands are acquired to construct the feature vector for classification. Artificial neural networks are used as the classifier as it provides a soft criterion for fault detection, featuring smart fault detection capability. The relatively fast calculation time of artificial neural networks makes it a good candidate for this application, due to the strict time restrictions inherited in DC fault isolation. To evaluate the performance, a comprehensive study on the proposed scheme is presented. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in terms of fast and reliable fault detection and inbuilt accurate fault localization capability.

Abstract Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is a difficult-to-treat subepidermal autoimmune blistering skin disease (AIBD) with circulating and tissue-bound anti-type VII collagen antibodies. Different reports have indicated increased concentration of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF) in the serum and blister fluid of patients with subepidermal AIBD. Furthermore, successful anti-TNF treatment has been reported for individual patients with AIBD. Here we show that in mice, induction of experimental EBA by repeated injections of rabbit anti-mouse type VII collagen antibodies led to increased expression of TNF in skin, as determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunohistochemistry. To investigate whether the increased TNF expression is of functional relevance in experimental EBA, we inhibited TNF function using the soluble TNF receptor fusion protein etanercept (Enbrel) or a monoclonal antibody to murine TNF. Interestingly, mice that received either of these treatments showed significantly milder disease progression than controls. In addition, immunohistochemical staining demonstrated reduced numbers of macrophages in lesional skin in mice treated with TNF inhibitors compared with controls. Furthermore, etanercept treatment significantly reduced disease progression in immunization-induced EBA. In conclusion, increased expression of TNF in experimental EBA is of functional relevance, as both the prophylactic blockade of TNF and the therapeutic use of etanercept impaired induction and progression of experimental EBA. Thus, TNF is likely to serve as a new therapeutic target for EBA and AIBDs with a similar pathogenesis.

Ocean acidification is a result of the uptake of anthropogenic CO2 from the atmosphere into the ocean and has been identified as a major environmental and economic threat. The release of several thousands of petagrams of carbon over a few hundred years will have an overwhelming effect on surface ocean carbon reservoirs. The recorded and anticipated changes in seawater carbonate chemistry will presumably affect global oceanic carbonate production. Coccolithophores as the primary calcifying phytoplankton group, and especially Emiliania huxleyi as the most abundant species have shown a reduction of calcification at increased CO2 concentrations for the majority of strains tested in culture experiments. A reduction of calcification is associated with a decrease in coccolith weight. However, the effect in monoclonal cultures is relatively small compared to the strong variability displayed in natural E. huxleyi communities, as these are a mix of genetically and sometimes morphologically distinct types. Average coccolith weight is likely influenced by the variability in seawater carbonate chemistry in different parts of the world's oceans and on glacial/interglacial time scales due to both physiological effects and morphotype selectivity. An effect of the ongoing ocean acidification on E. huxleyi calcification has so far not been documented in situ. Here, we analyze E. huxleyi coccolith weight from the NW Mediterranean Sea in a 12-year sediment trap series, and surface sediment and sediment core samples using an automated recognition and analyzing software. Our findings clearly show (1) a continuous decrease in the average coccolith weight of E. huxleyi from 1993 to 2005, reaching levels below pre-industrial (Holocene) and industrial (20th century) values recorded in the sedimentary record and (2) seasonal variability in coccolith weight that is linked to the coccolithophore productivity. The observed long-term decrease in coccolith weight is most likely a result of the changes in the surface ocean carbonate system. Our results provide the first indications of an in situ impact of ocean acidification on coccolithophore weight in a natural E. huxleyi population, even in the highly alkaline Mediterranean Sea.

The response of coccolithophore calcification to ocean acidification has been studied in culture experiments as well as in present and past oceans. The response, however, is different between species and strains, and for the relatively small carbonate chemistry changes observed in natural environments, a uniform response of the entire coccolithophore community has not been documented so far. Moreover, previous palaeo-studies basically focus on changes in coccolith weight due to increasing CO2 and the resulting changes in the carbonate system, and only few studies focus on the influence of other environmental factors. In order to untangle changes in coccolithophore calcification due to environmental factors such as temperature and/or productivity from changes caused by increasing pCO2 and decreasing carbonate ion concentration, we here present a study on coccolith calcification from the Holocene North Atlantic Ocean. The pre-industrial Holocene, with its predominantly stable atmospheric CO2, provides the conditions for such a comprehensive analysis. For an analysis on changes in major components of Holocene coccolithophores under natural conditions, the family Noelaerhabdaceae was selected, which constitutes the main part of the assemblage in the North Atlantic. Records of average coccolith weights from three Holocene sediment cores along a north–south transect in the North Atlantic were analysed. During the Holocene, mean weight (and therefore calcification) of Noelaerhabdaceae (Emiliania huxleyi and Gephyrocapsa) coccoliths decreased at the Azores (Geofar KF 16) from around 7 to 6 pg, but increased at the Rockall Plateau (ODP site 980) from around 6 to 8 pg, and at the Vøring Plateau (MD08-3192) from 7 to 10 pg. The amplitude of average weight variability is within the range of glacial–interglacial changes that were interpreted to be an effect of decreasing carbonate ion concentration. By comparison with SEM assemblage counts, we show that weight changes are not only partly due to variations in the coccolithophore assemblage but also an effect of a change in calcification and/or morphotype variability within single species. Our results indicate that there is no single key factor responsible for the observed changes in coccolith weight. A major increase in coccolith weight occurs during a slight decrease in carbonate ion concentration in the late Holocene at the Rockall Plateau and Vøring Plateau. Here, more favourable productivity conditions apparently lead to an increase in coccolith weight, either due to the capability of coccolithophore species, especially E. huxleyi, to adapt to decreasing carbonate ion concentration or due to a shift towards heavier calcifying morphotypes.

The coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi is a marine phytoplankton species capable of forming small calcium carbonate scales (coccoliths) which cover the organic part of the cell. Calcification rates of E. huxleyi are known to be sensitive to changes in seawater carbonate chemistry. It has, however, not yet been clearly determined how these changes are reflected in size and weight of individual coccoliths and which specific parameter(s) of the carbonate system drive morphological modifications. Here, we compare data on coccolith size, weight, and malformation from a set of five experiments with a large diversity of carbonate chemistry conditions. This diversity allows distinguishing the influence of individual carbonate chemistry parameters such as carbon dioxide (CO2), bicarbonate (HCO3−), carbonate ion (CO32−), and protons (H+) on the measured parameters. Measurements of fine-scale morphological structures reveal an increase of coccolith malformation with decreasing pH suggesting that H+ is the major factor causing malformations. Coccolith distal shield area varies from about 5 to 11 μm2. Changes in size seem to be mainly induced by varying [HCO3−] and [H+] although influence of [CO32−] cannot be entirely ruled out. Changes in coccolith weight were proportional to changes in size. Increasing CaCO3 production rates are reflected in an increase in coccolith weight and an increase of the number of coccoliths formed per unit time. The combined investigation of morphological features and coccolith production rates presented in this study may help to interpret data derived from sediment cores, where coccolith morphology is used to reconstruct calcification rates in the water column.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has created public health crisis and economic instability globally. However, the pandemic and the nationwide lockdown have a significant impact on the psychosocial status, emotional state, relationships of individuals, family, and community. Families were facing challenges due to lockdown and will do their best to develop adaptive behavior for attaining self-stability. The present study helps to understand the effect of lockdown on family well-being and the shift of intrafamilial relationships during the lockdown. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in an urban area of Kakinada from April to June 2020. A convenient sample of 300 families was selected by systematic random method. One parent and one adolescent child from each family, a total of 600 study participants were included under the study. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, entered in Microsoft Excel and analyzed using IBM SPSS. The mean, frequencies, proportion, and Chi-square test were used to analyze data. Results: Adaptability has increased during lockdown by sharing of household work, from 3% before to 91.7%. 97.3% were happy spending time with family members. Communication and satisfaction have increased by a decrease in conflicts, from 19.7% to 7% during the lockdown. Only 3.08% of adults were facing either physical or verbal abuse. Conclusions: During the lockdown period, the family members spent quality time together acquired new skills, and conflicts among them were reduced. Domestic violence is low in this particular study area and familial bonding is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato larvae cause cystic echinococcosis, a highly contagious zoonotic illness that poses a worldwide threat to human health and development. The purpose of this study was to determine the therapeutic effectiveness of albendazole and praziquantel, each alone and in combination, in vivo and to estimate the serum levels of interleukin-2, interleukin-9 and interleukin-10 as biomarkers in evaluating the responsiveness to albendazole and praziquantel treatment in experimentally infected mice. To assess treatment efficacy in vivo, mice were intraperitoneally inoculated with viable protoscolices and then gavaged daily for 1 mo with albendazole (15 mg/kg/d) and praziquantel (25 mg/kg/d), separately and in combination (albendazole 15 mg/kg/d and praziquantel 25 mg/kg/d. The mice were euthanized on d 120 of the experiment and the number, size and location of the generated secondary hydatid cysts were investigated and serum levels of interleukin-2, interleukin-9 and interleukin-10 were estimated. The size and number of hydatid cysts were decreased upon treatment with each drug, but the decrease was significant (p<0.05) in isolates 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 10, and 2 and 3, respectively. The most often infected organ was the liver (44.91 %), followed by a peritoneal cavity (30.3 %), subcutaneous (21.1 %), spleen (3.29 %) and lungs (0.38 %). Interleukin-2 level was significantly elevated in mice inoculating with most parasite isolates, whereas interleukin-9 and interleukin-10 levels were not altered considerably experimentally in infected and treated mice compared with untreated control. Albendazole and praziquantel markedly reduced the number and size of secondary hydatid cysts compared to the untreated control group in Echinococcus granulosus-infected mice and stimulated the production of interleukin-2, which is helpful for parasite elimination. These results indicate that albendazole and praziquantel have protoscolicidal effects and the combination of albendazole and praziquantel has significant additive effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]