Search

We have investigated the THz range magneto-optical response of ultralow carrier density films of Sb$_2$Te$_3$ using time-domain THz polarimetry. Undoped Sb$_2$Te$_3$ has a chemical potential that lies inside the bulk valence band. Thus its topological response is masked by bulk carriers. However, with appropriate buffer layer engineering and chemical doping, Sb$_2$Te$_3$ thin films can be grown with extremely low electron or hole densities. The ultralow carrier density samples show unusual optical properties and quantized response in the presence of magnetic fields. Consistent with the expectations for Dirac fermions, a quantized Hall response is seen even in samples where the zero field conductivity falls below detectable levels. The discontinuity in the Faraday angle with small changes in the filling fraction across zero is manifestation of the parity anomaly in 2D Dirac systems with broken time reversal symmetry.

Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) is one of the most important medicinal and spicy herbs in the world. There is no report on the relationships between physio-biochemical characters, embryo regeneration and limonene synthase gene expression in cumin. This experiment was conducted to study physio-biochemical characters, embryo regeneration, limonene synthase gene expression, and their relationship in superior Iranian cumin landraces (Northern Khorasan, Kerman, Semnan, and Golestan) during two years. Results showed that Kerman landrace was superior in terms of embryo regeneration rate (89.33%), limonene synthase gene expression (17.2 fold), proline (3.9 mg/g FW), protein (3.35 mg/g FW), soluble sugars (9.8 mg/g FW), carotenoids (76 mg/g FW), chlorophyll b (16.17 mg/g FW), and monoterpene hydrocarbons (34.7%) contents. Embryo regeneration rate was negatively correlated with essential oil (r = −0.78*) and it was positively correlated with limonene synthase gene expression (r = 0.94**) and physio-biochemical characters including peroxidase activity (r = 0.95**) and the contents of proline (r = 0.82*), protein (r = 0.88*), soluble sugars (r = 0.99**), carotenoids (r = 0.97**), chlorophyll a (r = 0.95**), chlorophyll b (r = 0.84*), chlorophyll a + b (r = 0.91**), limonene (r = 0.94**), and monoterpene hydrocarbons (r = 0.93**). There was a positive and significant correlation between embryo regeneration rate and altitude (r = 0.75*). So it is concluded that embryo regeneration of cumin landraces are dependent of changes in altitude of their origins. The positive regression and correlation coefficients of soluble sugars with embryo regeneration rate indicate that this character is a suitable selective index for improving embryo regeneration rate. Considering the narrow-sense heritability of soluble sugars, this character can be used in breeding of embryo regeneration.

Application of fungicides and pesticides is highly demanded and effective for improvement of agricultural production. In this study, the electrochemical behavior of mercazole (CDZ) at the chitosan-carbon nanoparticles-modified glassy carbon electrode (CS-CNPs/GCE) was discussed in detail through cyclic voltammetry. The results of the investigation of the electrochemical response of CDZ revealed a considerable improvement in the oxidation and reduction peak currents of CDZ on the CS-CNPs/GCE compared to the bare GCE. CDZ underwent totally reversible oxidation at this system and well-defined peaks were observed. Furthermore, density functional theory studies were carried out to investigate the nature of the adsorption process of CDZ molecules on the outer surface of CS-CNPs/GCE. Square wave voltammetry was used as a powerful tool for detection of CDZ in different concentrations. The oxidation mechanism of CDZ was a reversible, pH-dependent and adsorption-controlled process. Under the optimal conditions, the highly sensitive response with a wide linear range from 0.04 μM to 1.0 μM with a sufficiently low detection limit of 17.7 nM was obtained which demonstrates promising results for the future usage in agricultural applications.

Background: Anesthesia is performed in two major methods including regional and general.The aim of this study was to compare the effect of anesthesia method (spinal and general) on oxidative stress indiabetic patients underwent diabetic amputation surgery.Methods: In this randomized control trial, 40 patients with diabetic foot who were candidate for foot amputationsurgery at our academic hospital in 2013, were selected and divided into two groups based on anesthesia method.Lipid peroxide level and serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were measured before anesthesia induction and onehour after surgery. As the normal range, the findings obtained from 23 healthy volunteers were utilized.Results: Mean age was 54.9±11.21 and 52.4±11.23 years in the spinal anesthesia (SA) and the general anesthesia(GA) group, respectively (P=0.49). Serum TAC in GA group increased from 1.03±0.04 mM to 2.98±0.7 mM. In SAgroup, the increase of serum TAC from 1.22±0.11 mM to 3.42±0.5 mM was observed that indicated the increase ofserum TAC in both groups was not significantly different (P=0.21). Serum Malondialdehyde (MDA) in GA and SAgroups did not show a significant difference before surgery (31.14±3.9 mM vs. 29.06±2.49 mM in GA and SA groups,respectively) (P=0.31), while it was significantly different after surgery (23.14±2.6 mM and 19.24±2.7 mM in GA and SAgroups, respectively) (P=0.03).Conclusion: lower limb amputation can help to control oxidative stress in diabetic patients; and considering serumMDA as a marker of oxidative stress, SA seems to be more effective to control this problem.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to critically evaluate the relation between green tea (GT) consumption and the risk of breast cancer. Popular electronic databases were systematically searched for papers in English language. All case-control and cohort studies in addition to randomized clinical trials were included if they assessed the chemopreventive effects of GT on breast cancer. The quality of included studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa and Jadad scale. This systematic review comprised 14 studies: 9 case-control studies, 4 cohort studies, and 1 clinical trial. Odds ratio (OR) in case-control studies suggested that women in the group receiving the highest level of GT had 19% reduction in breast cancer risk compared with those who received the lowest level of GT (summary OR = 0.81, p = .031; 95% CI [0.66, 0.981]; heterogeneity, I2 = 71.53, p

Introduction: The present research aimed to examine Visual Working Memory (VWM) test scores, as well as hormonal, genomic, and brain anatomic changes in the male rhesus macaques exposed to Extremely Low Frequency Magnetic Field (ELF-MF). Methods: Four monkeys were exposed to two different ELF-MF frequencies: 1 Hz (control) and 12 Hz (experiment) with 0.7 µT (magnitude) 4 h/d for 30 consecutive days. Before and after the exposure, VWM test was conducted using a coated devise on a movable stand. About 10 mL of the animals blood was obtained from their femoral vain and used to evaluate their melatonin concentration. Blood lymphocytes were used for assaying the expressions of N-Methyl-D-aspartate NMDA-receptor genes expression before and after ELF exposure. Anatomical changes of hippocampus size were also assessed using MRI images. Results: Results indicated that VWM scores in primates exposed to 12 Hz frequency ELF increased significantly. Plasma melatonin level was also increased in these animals. However, these variables did not change in the animals exposed to 1 Hz ELF. At last, expression of the NMDA receptors increased at exposure to 12 Hz frequency. However, hippocampal volume did not increase significantly in the animals exposed to both frequencies. Conclusion: In short, these results indicate that ELF (12 Hz) may have a beneficial value for memory enhancement (indicated by the increase in VWM scores). This may be due to an increase in plasma melatonin and or expression of NMDA glutamate receptors. However, direct involvement of the hippocampus in this process needs more research.

The characterization of ion beam current density distribution and beam uniformity is crucial for improving broad-beam ion source technologies. The design of the broad ion beam extraction system directly affects these two parameters, therefore, depending on the application, the design and geometry of the source is changed. In this study, the effect of the presence or the absence of a neutralization process on the ion beam density was investigated. Also, the effect of the probe bias on the ion beam current measurement was evaluated. Eventually, using a flat probe, the ion beam profiles obtained from the extraction system of the ion source (Model RFIS 60, ACECR, Iran) were measured at energies from 300 eV to 1000 eV and compared in terms of current and uniformity of the ion beam in the absence of the neutralizer. In these experiments, screen and accelerator grids with different geometries (flat and convex grids) were used for comparison purposes. According to the obtained results, the flat grids generate a higher current density while the convex grids generate a more uniform beam. Therefore, each of these grid geometries can be suitable depending on the desired application.

The influence of polymer aging, water pH, and aqueous Pb concentration on Pb deposition onto low density polyethylene (LDPE) was investigated. LDPE pellets were aged by ozonation at 85 °C. ATR-FTIR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of aged LDPE surfaces showed that a variety of polar functional groups (>C O C O, >COO) were formed during aging. These functional groups likely provided better nucleation sites for Pb(OH)2 deposition compared to new LDPE, which did not have these oxygen-containing functional groups. The type and amount of Pb species present on these surfaces were evaluated through XPS. The influence of exposure duration on Pb deposition onto LDPE was modeled using the pseudo-first-order equation. Distribution ratios of 251.5 for aged LDPE and 69.3 for new LDPE showed that Pb precipitates had greater affinity for the surface of aged LDPE compared to new LDPE. Aged LDPE had less Pb surface loading at pH 11 compared to loading at pH 7.8. Pb surface loading for aged LDPE changed linearly with aging duration (from 0.5–7.5 h). Pb surface loading on both new and aged LDPE increased linearly with increasing Pb initial concentration. Greater Pb precipitation rates were found for aged LDPE compared to new LDPE at both tested pH values.

This paper presents an extension of H/A/Alpha polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) decomposition for polarimetric interferometric SAR (PolInSAR) images, and introduces new parameters using both polarimetric and interferometric data. These parameters provide more information than extracted parameters from H/A/Alpha PolSAR decomposition. The new parameters significantly increase the potential of PolSAR data for, for example, forest and oriented building discrimination. With the availability of interferometric information in addition to PolSAR information, there is the possibility to reduce the entropy of PolSAR data. The relationship between the entropy of PolInSAR decomposition and coherence between images has also been shown. E-SAR PolInSAR L-band data of Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, Northern Sweden, and Goermin, Germany are used to validate the H/A/Alpha PolInSAR decomposition. The experimental results on the first data set, including agricultural, forest, and urban areas, show that this decomposition has a better performance than the standard H/A/Alpha decomposition method in oriented urban areas with large orientation angle, for example. Also, the results on the second data set of a forest area show that the PolInSAR decomposition has more reasonable and superior performance over the PolSAR decomposition. The forest and nonforest regions can be correctly discriminated by using the presented PolInSAR parameters. Finally, in the last data set, the better detection of the agricultural crops and fields boundaries is provided by the proposed method.

Despite recent declines in stroke mortality in high-income countries, the incidence and mortality of stroke have increased in many low- and middle-income countries. Population-based information on stroke in such countries is a research priority to address this rising trend. This study was designed to evaluate 5-year stroke mortality and its associated factors.During a 12-month period beginning from November 2006, 624 patients with first-ever stroke (FES) living in Mashhad, Iran, were recruited and followed longitudinally. Kaplan-Meier analyses were used to determine the cumulative risk of death. Prognostic variables associated with death were assessed using a Cox proportional hazard, backward logistic regression model.The 5-year cumulative risk of death was 53.8% for women and 60.5% for men (log rank = .1). The most frequent causes of death were stroke (41.2%), myocardial infarction/vascular diseases (16.4%), and pneumonia (14.2%). In multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis, male gender (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.64), age (HR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.03-1.05, per 1-year increase), National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score at admission (HR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.09-1.12, per 1-point increase), atrial fibrillation (HR: 1.78, CI: 1.24-2.54), and education 12 years (HR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.08-2.4) were associated with greater 5-year case fatality.Long-term case fatality following stroke in Iran is greater than that observed in many high-income countries. Targeting strategies to reduce the poor outcome following stroke, such as treating AF, is likely to reduce this disparate outcome.

Residential plumbing is critical for the health and safety of populations worldwide. A case study was conducted to understand fixture water use, drinking water quality and their possible link, in a newly plumbed residential green building. Water use and water quality were monitored at four in-building locations from September 2015 through December 2015. Once the home was fully inhabited average water stagnation periods were shortest at the 2nd floor hot fixture (90 percentile of 0.6–1.2 h). The maximum water stagnation time was 72.0 h. Bacteria and organic carbon levels increased inside the plumbing system compared to the municipal tap water entering the building. A greater amount of bacteria was detected in hot water samples (6–74,002 gene copy number/mL) compared to cold water (2–597 gene copy number/mL). This suggested that hot water plumbing promoted greater microbial growth. The basement fixture brass needle valve may have caused maximum Zn (5.9 mg/L), Fe (4.1 mg/L), and Pb (23 μg/L) levels compared to other fixture water samples (Zn ≤ 2.1 mg/L, Fe ≤ 0.5 mg/L and Pb ≤ 8 μg/L). At the basement fixture, where the least amount of water use events occurred (cold: 60–105, hot: 21–69 event/month) compared to the other fixtures in the building (cold: 145–856, hot: 326–2230 event/month), greater organic carbon, bacteria, and heavy metal levels were detected. Different fixture use patterns resulted in disparate water quality within a single-family home. The greatest drinking water quality changes were detected at the least frequently used fixture.

Objective Thymectomy considered as a standard procedure in treatment of all the steps of myasthenia gravis. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) thymectomy is one of the minimally invasive procedures that because of the short duration of hospitalization, less postoperative pain, and scar after surgery, nowadays it is replaced the traditional methods of surgery for patients with myasthenia gravis, but there are still differences and concerns. The aim of this study was to compare outcomes of two different techniques of surgery, VATS versus transsternal (TS) in the treatment of myasthenia gravis. Methods In this pilot study, 42 patients with myasthenia gravis and without a thymus tumor were evaluated based on Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America classification and drug consumption. Then, they randomly underwent two different techniques of surgery: VATS versus TS. Patients were evaluated based on preoperative and postoperative variables. Results Duration of intensive care unit stay and hospitalization has been reduced in patients who underwent VATS thymectomy operation technique. In addition, duration of surgical procedure has been reduced significantly in these patients. These patients have less blood loss during surgery compared with TS group. The Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America postoperative status in VATS thymectomy revealed that the number of patients with complete stable remission was higher and number of persons remained unchanged was lower in this group. Conclusions VATS thymectomy is a safe and appropriate approach comparing with traditional methods such as TS thymectomy for patients with myasthenia gravis. This method has better results after surgery and can be used as a minimally invasive alternative method instead of TS thymectomy.

Artemisinin, a sesquiterpene lactone produced by some Artemisia species, is an efficacious anti-malarial drug, effective against cancer, hepatitis, and schistosomiasis. A. annua is a main source of artemisinin while other Artemisia species produce less artemisinin content. The aim of the current study was to identify the limiting factor of artemisinin biosynthesis in studied Artemisia species, compared to A. annua. The specialized 10-celled biseriate glandular trichomes on the leaves, stems, and inflorescences of some Artemisia species are as a site of artemisinin synthesis. The leaves of five Artemisia species, having different artemisinin contents were assessed in terms of the glandular trichomes density, and area per leaf, and the expression of artemisinin biosynthesis genes and two genes (Aa-TTG1 and Aa-TFAR1) involved in trichome formation. This study identified one novel plant sources of artemisinin (A. deserti, 5.30 mg g−1 DW) that statistically performed as well as A. annua of Iran (6.27 mg g−1 DW), but inferior to A. annua cv. Anamed (14.50 mg g−1 DW) at the flowering stage. A. deserti had the highest trichome area per leaf area accompanied with a high expression of Aa-ADS, Aa-AlDH1, Aa-CYP71AV1, Aa-TTG1, and Aa-TFAR1 genes. A. persica with low artemisinin content had a high density of glandular trichome, high expression of TTG1 and TFAR1, but low expression of artemisinin biosynthetic genes. A. khorassanica with no artemisinin content had a very low density of glandular trichome and gene expression. The artemisinin content of A. deserti is significantly as same as A. annua of Iran and inferior to A. annua cv. Anamed despite having the highest glandular trichome area per leaf, and high relative expression of Aa-ADS, Aa-ALDH1, Aa-CYP71AV1, Aa-TTG1, and Aa-TFAR1. We suggest that it is related to the preferential oxidation of artemisinic aldehyde to artemisinic acid than the reduction of the artemisinic aldehyde to dihydroartemisinic aldehyde, due to the very high expression of Aa-ALDH1 and Aa-CYP71AV1, and the low expression of Aa-DBR2. It is possible to develop high artemisinin producer plant by overexpression of Aa-DBR2 in A. deserti. It is concluded that there is a relationship between the enhancement of artemisinin content and increased expression of some genes.

Understanding the mutual interaction between electronic excitations and lattice vibrations is key for understanding electronic transport and optoelectronic phenomena. Dynamic manipulation of such interaction is elusive because it requires varying the material composition on the atomic level. In turn, recent studies on topological insulators (TIs) have revealed the coexistence of a strong phonon resonance and topologically protected Dirac plasmon, both in the terahertz (THz) frequency range. Here, using these intrinsic characteristics of TIs, we demonstrate a new methodology for controlling electron–phonon interaction by lithographically engineered Dirac surface plasmons in the Bi2Se3 TI. Through a series of time-domain and time-resolved ultrafast THz measurements, we show that, when the Dirac plasmon energy is less than the TI phonon energy, the electron–phonon coupling is trivial, exhibiting phonon broadening associated with Landau damping. In contrast, when the Dirac plasmon energy exceeds that of the p...

Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$, one of the most widely studied topological insulators (TIs), is naturally electron-doped due to n-type native defects. However, many years of efforts to achieve p-type Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ thin films have failed so far. Here, we provide a solution to this long-standing problem, showing that the main culprit has been the high density of interfacial defects. By suppressing these defects through an interfacial engineering scheme, we have successfully implemented p-type Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ thin films down to the thinnest topological regime. On this platform, we present the first tunable quantum Hall effect (QHE) study in Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ thin films, and reveal not only significantly asymmetric QHE signatures across the Dirac point but also the presence of competing anomalous states near the zeroth Landau level. The availability of doping tunable Bi$_{2}$Se$_{3}$ thin films will now make it possible to implement various topological quantum devices, previously inaccessible., Comment: 40 Pages, 8 Figures, 2 Tables, Accepted to Nano Letters

Background: Little is known about the risk of recurrent stroke in low- and middle-income countries. This study was designed to identify the long-term risk of stroke recurrence and its associated factors. Methods: From November 21, 2006 for a period of 1 year, 624 patients with first-ever stroke (FES) were registered from the residents of 3 neighborhoods in Mashhad, Iran. Patients were followed up for the next 5 years after the index event for any stroke recurrence or death. We used competing risk analysis and cause-specific Cox proportional hazard models to estimate the cumulative incidence of stroke recurrence and its associated variables. Results: The cumulative incidence of stroke recurrence was 14.5% by the end of 5 years, with the largest rate during the first year after FES (5.6%). Only advanced age (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.02; 95% CI 1.01–1.04) and severe stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score >20; HR 2.23; 95% CI 1.05–4.74) were independently associated with an increased risk of 5-year recurrence. Case fatality at 30 days after first recurrent stroke was 43.2%, which was significantly greater than the case fatality at 30 days after FES of 24.7% (p = 0.001). Conclusion: A substantial number of our patients either died or had stroke recurrences during the study period. Advanced age and the severity of the index stroke significantly increased the risk of recurrence. This is an important finding for health policy makers and for designing preventive strategies in people surviving their stroke.

Background: Serum cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) is a non-collagen glycoprotein produced by the cartilage, synovium, tendon, and meniscus. Recent studies showed that COMP is a reliable factor for monitoring cartilage damage. Objective: To determine the relationship between serum COMP concentration and the severity of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: This cross-sectional study lasted from 2013 to 2015 at the Rheumatology Clinic of Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. The study population consisted of eligible patients who presented to our clinic during the study period. Four groups (150 subjects) were included as early RA (50 patients), late RA (50 patients), grades II and III OA (osteoarthritis) (25 cases, 17 grade II and 8 grade III joint destruction), and healthy controls (25 individuals). These were included consecutively. Serum COMP level was assessed by sandwich ELISA technique. In addition, ESR, hs-CRP, serum RF, and anti-CCP were assayed. X-rays of the knees (in OA) and hands (in RA) were examined for the degree of joint damage/erosion using the Short Erosion Scale (SES) in RA and Kellgren-Lawrence grading in OA. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare mean COMP level among the groups and ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) analysis to determine the diagnostic accuracy of COMP in diagnosis of late RA were used by SPSS software (ver. 20.0). Results: Mean (±SD) serum COMP levels were 18 (±10.6) U/L in early RA, 19.3 (±9.6) U/L in late RA, 10.9 (±4.5) U/L in OA, and 4.2 (±3.8) in controls; p

The Hendou-abad copper mineral district is located along the eastern margin of the central part of Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (UDMA). The mineralization is hosted in the Late Eocene basaltic andesite and trachybasalt, where it is associated with epidote, calcite, and quartz as alteration minerals, and red, white, and green breccias. Two main events of mineralization with alteration have been distinguished: hypogene and supergene. Abundant parallel dike swarms intrude Late Eocene volcanic rocks of the Henduo-abad. The Hendou-abad dikes are seen as a few cm to 4 m wide and

Background: Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is a B-cell malignancy that mainly affects young adults in economically developed countries. Classical HL (cHL) is the most common type, comprising >95% of cases. We demonstrated strong heritability of cHL in adolescents and young adults (AYA) with a high risk to the unaffected co-twins of affected monozygotic (MZ) twins. We and others identified common risk variants by GWAS, and sequencing of familial and sporadic HL patients previously identified rare pathogenic germline variants in genes with varying functions. Few have replicated in other families. A greater understanding of the genes involved in cHL predisposition is needed. We performed germline whole-exome sequencing (WES) for 48 individuals in 14 multiplex families with AYA cHL patients to identify novel cHL predisposition genes. Methods: Index cases from multiplex families were ascertained from the USC twin registries (International Twin Registry or California Twin Program, 7 index cases, 2 additional cases, and 7 unaffected relatives) or from the USC Cancer Surveillance Program (7 index cases, 4 additional cases, and 21 unaffected relatives). Among the twin pairs, 5 were concordant MZ pairs, one was a concordant dizygotic pair and one was an MZ discordant pair with a second case occurring in the daughter of the unaffected MZ co-twin. The other 7 families included 4 with two affected siblings, one with a child/father pair, and two with child/uncle pairs; the latter 3 families had specimens available for the index child case only. All index cases were diagnosed under 50 years old, with the median age 27. DNA samples were extracted from blood or saliva of 48 individuals in 14 multiplex families, with specimens from 20 of 28 reported cases. Germline WES was performed using the Nextera® Rapid Capture Exome kit, with data pre-processing performed based on Genome Analysis Toolkit best practices guidelines, and additional filtering applied using BCFtools. Variants were annotated using ANNOVAR. We filtered out variants with an allele frequency >0.001 in population databases (gnomAD or TOPMed), and variants documented as benign/likely benign in ClinVar. We retained splicing/ncRNA variants and exonic variants with loss-of-function/missense/unknown functional consequences, and with a CADD score >10. We further limited variants to those in 1,073 candidate predisposition genes, including cancer/immunodeficiency/hematological-related genes in the Pediatric Cancer Variant Pathogenicity Information Exchange (PeCanPIE) and genes previously identified in sequencing studies or GWAS for cHL. Variants in candidate genes were visually inspected in the Integrative Genomics Viewer and were analyzed for their potential pathogenicity through the PeCanPIE MedalCeremony pipeline. Variants predicted to be tolerated by PeCanPIE were removed. Variants found only in HL patients and not in their sibling controls were considered to be potentially causal. Results: In 45 subjects that passed sequencing QC (3 controls were removed due to low mean coverage) and following variant filtering, there were 33 variants in 33 genes found only in cHL patients but not in their sibling controls, among 9 of 14 families. None of the variants appeared in more than one family. One variant in PGK1 was previously reported as pathogenic/likely pathogenic in ClinVar in patients with phosphoglycerate kinase 1 deficiency associated with hemolytic anemia. Nine variants were reported in ClinVar as variants of uncertain significance, of which 3 were previously reported in patients with immunodeficiency disorders (in genes IL2RA, MALT1, and PRKDC) and 2 were reported in patients with dyskeratosis congenita (TERT) and other anemia-associated disorders (EPB42). Of 22 variants not reported in ClinVar, one was a missense variant in NPAT, a gene previously associated with familial lymphoma; 4 were in genes associated with immune disorders (PLCG2, LIG1, C1QB, and NOD2) and 3 were in genes associated with anemia (SPTB, ALDOA, and GATA1). To our knowledge, none of these genes other than NPAT have previously been implicated in predisposition to HL. Conclusions: WES in 20 AYA cHL patients among multiplex families identified putative novel predisposition genes for HL, including genes implicated in anemia and immune function. Assessment of these genes in sequencing studies of independent HL families is required to understand their role in HL predisposition. Disclosures Wadé: Flatiron Health: Current Employment; Roche: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.

Bioreactors for space habitation systems have unique constraints. One type of reactor that could meet these constraints are membrane aerated biological reactors (MABRs). The objective of this work was to establish the performance and optimal loading capacities of multiple MABRs with a variety of habitation waste streams. The MABRs operated over a large range of organic nitrogen (ON) and organic carbon (OC) loading rates (36–220 g/m3-d and 20–200 g/m3-d, respectively) across all wastewaters excluding humidity condensate (HC) where ON and OC loading rates ranged from 1.6 to 11 g/m3-d and 7–55 g/m3-d, respectively. OC and ON transformation rates (29–210 g/m3-d and 23–170 g/m3-d, respectively) were proportional to loading rates and similar to MABRs treating terrestrial high strength wastewaters at similar loadings. MABR maximum loading rates are limited by ON oxidation which controls pH. Above a pH of ~7.8 ON removal is inhibited by free ammonium due to the elevated concentrations of ON in all wastewaters excluding HC. While loading rates are lower than typical terrestrial systems, the MABRs stably operated for up to 5 years with limited maintenance and no solids processing. This work supports the use of MABRs to reliably stabilize habitation wastewaters with minimal consumables. These results also support the use of these MABRs for terrestrial high strength, low volume wastewaters where complex technology may be unsupportable, such as in rural or developing communities with no centralized treatment or for applications where typical two-phase aeration can lead to undesirable off gassing.

Natural rubber (NR, cis-1,4-polyisoprene) is applied in over 50,000 products. It has unique properties, which cannot be matched by synthetic rubber. The para rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg.) belonging to the Euphorbiaceae family is currently the only commercial source of NR. Alternative rubber-producing sources and systems are required to increase the biological and geographic diversity of natural rubber production, especially because of H. brasiliensis need for specialized growth conditions and its susceptibility to fungal pathogens. After describing rubber-producing plants, laticifer cells, rubber particles, and NR biosynthesis, this review focuses on the current challenges and potential ways to improve rubber production from Taraxacum kok-saghyz, a strong candidate alternative NR crop in temperate regions. In vitro culture, genetic engineering, and focused gene editing are discussed, in the context of rubber biosynthesis, but complementary breeding research (including interspecific hybridization and polyploidy induction), will be needed to fully develop this new rubber crop.

Considering its potential photoactivity, zinc ferrite has been extensively used as a photocatalytic material. In the present investigation, zinc ferrite powder synthesized using mechanical alloying of hematite and zinc oxide powder at molar ratio of 1:1 was sintered and crushed for deposition by flame spraying on 316 stainless-steel plate. Surface characteristics, microstructure, and phase composition of the flame-sprayed zinc ferrite film were evaluated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and x-ray diffraction analysis, respectively, while aqueous methylene blue solutions were employed to study the photocatalytic activity of the coating. It was concluded that zinc ferrite coating deposited by flame spraying not only possesses high photoabsorption ability, but can also exhibit sufficient photoactivity under visible-light irradiation.

In this study a new multi-objective assembly line balancing problem is studied. Objectives like the number of stations, the equipment purchasing cost, the worker time dependent wage, and worker dependent dis-quality level of the stations is to be minimized simultaneously with worker allocation and equipment assignment possibilities. The problem also is formulated in a fuzzy environment. To solve such problem, a new hybrid fuzzy interactive approach is proposed in two stages. In the first stage, the fuzzy formulation is converted to a crisp multi-objective formulation using a credibility-based chance constrained programming approach. Then in the second stage, the obtained crisp multi-objective formulation is solved by a new hybrid fuzzy programming approach. To evaluate the proposed approach, two generated examples and a case study from garment production industries are used for computational experiments. The extensive computational study prove the superiority of the proposed approach over the well-known approaches of the literature.

Lophomonas blattrum (L.b) is a parasitic protozoa which is important in the medical practice of respiratory patients. It is transmitted through aspiration, and it is a potential element in bronchial and respiratory infections among the patients with pneumonia and asthma. The purpose of this study was the investigation of Lophomonas blattrum frequency in asthmatic patients and control group. Participant in this crosssectional study was patients who referred to respiratory specialist clinic of Imam Reza Hospital. Direct smear of samples of patient’s phlegm and giemsa stained smear were prepared and observed under light microscope and this was done for control group as well. Then the prevalence of the parasite is measured by investigating the samples. There were 4(10%) positive samples among 40 asthmatic participants. 3 women and 1 man with average age of 43years. All the four patients were controlled regarding the severity of the disease. None of the control group members was positive for (L.b). 10% of asthmatic patients were infected with Lophomonas blattrum whose symptoms eliminated after treatment with metronidazole. It is therefore suggested to test asthmatic patients for Lophomonas blattrum who suffer from respiratory symptoms despite the proper control of their disease.

The task of detecting and identifying objects remotely has long been an area of intense interest and active research. Active sensing of objects with radio waves is a whole new domain of target detection which is made available by radar remote sensors. Land cover/use information extraction is one of the most important applications of radar remote sensing, especially in urban areas. In this paper, we take a new look at the built-up area extraction problem in polarimetric SAR (PolSAR) data and assume canonical scattering mechanisms as our signal sources which combination of them with appropriate weight fractions formed a scattering vector of each pixel. The set of the scattering mechanisms is divided into two groups: the scattering mechanism of built-up area, and non-objected scattering mechanisms. Then, we describe a technique which simultaneously annihilates the effect of non-objected scattering mechanisms, and detects the presence of a scattering mechanism of interest. The experimental results on several quad-polarimetric datasets show the significant agreement with expected results, while saving computational complexity.

Copper coatings were deposited on steel substrates by high-velocity oxy-fuel spraying. The microstructure of the feedstock copper powders and free-standing coatings were evaluated by optical and scanning electron microscopy. The x-ray diffraction pattern was utilized to determine phase compositions of powders and coatings. Oxygen content was determined by a LECO-T300 oxygen determiner. The thermal conductivity of the coatings was measured in two directions, through-thickness and in-plane by laser flash apparatus. The electrical resistivity of the coatings was measured by the four-point probe method. Oxygen content of the coatings was two times higher than that of the initial powders (0.35–0.37%). The thermal and electrical conductivities of the coatings were different depending on the direction of the measurement. The thermal and electrical conductivity of the coatings improved after annealing for 6 h at a temperature of 600°C.

A sensitive electrochemical sensor was developed for the analysis of dobutamine (Dob) using a glassy carbon electrode modified with multi-walled carbon nanotubes–boehmite nanoparticle composite (BNP–MWNTs/GCE). Scanning electron microscopy was used for the characterization of synthesized BNPs and the morphology of BNP–MWNTs on the surface of GCE. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the BNP–MWNTs/GCE exhibited higher peak current than bare GCE due to synergetic effect of BNPs and MWCNTs on the electrochemical oxidation of Dob. The effect of various experimental parameters such as pH, scan rate, accumulation time on the voltammetric response of Dob was studied and optimized. A wide linear range from 0.005 to 1.0 µM with a low detection limit of 8.9 nM was found for voltammetric quantification of Dob. The prepared sensor exhibited the acceptable repeatability, high reproducibility along with good stability which makes it appropriate candidate for determination Dob in pharmaceutical preparations.

In response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, over 1 million gallons of dispersant were applied in Gulf of Mexico offshore waters; Corexit 9500 was the most applied dispersant. The impact on organisms in nearshore and freshwaters has received little scrutiny. Acute 48 h toxicity of Corexit 9500 and a new hyperbranched polyethylenimine (HPEI) dispersant-like compound were evaluated for the freshwater indicator organism, Daphnia magna and for larval and early spat stages of the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica. For D. magna, Corexit 9500 demonstrated toxicity (EC50 of 0.14 [0.13, 0.15] ppm) similar to the 10-kDa HPEI (EC50 of 0.16 [0.12, 0.19] ppm). HPEI toxicity increased as a function of molecular weight (1.2 to 750 kDa). The 10 kDa size HPEI was further investigated because it dispersed crude oil with equal effectiveness as Corexit. For Corexit, 100% oyster mortality was detected for the ≤0.2-mm size classes and mortality >50% for the 0.3- and 0.7-mm size classes at the two greatest concentrations (25 and 50 ppm). HPEI (10 kDa) exhibited low mortality rates (

Background: Approximately 25% of the residents’ time in each shift is allocated to educating lower-level assistants and interns. Assistants have played a major role in interns’ education. Aim: To assess the teaching abilities of emergency medicine assistants in the training and monitoring of medical interns and undergraduate students. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed in 2015 at the emergency center of Imam Reza hospital in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. We employed a researcher-made questionnaire to search the capability of emergency medicine residents to assess the teaching capabilities of emergency medicine residents to interns. This questionnaire was completed by 106 interns. The Validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by three specialist experts and reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha (0.94). This questionnaire consists of 24 questions in six areas. The analysis was performed by descriptive statistics using SPSS 16. Result: The study showed that the least favorable score was related to “residents get feedback on each shift” and the highest score was given to “a friendly relationship with the Interns and residents”. Conclusion: Considering the key role of residents in the education and training of future healthcare specialists, training interventions and allocating sufficient time to the proper education of different members of healthcare teams and medical students could largely contribute to the development of clinical training systems.

The temporal evolution of the polarimetric SAR data provides an extremely valuable information source for the various applications of this data. In this paper, the evolution of the agriculture crops in the time dimension is employed for multitemporal multidimensional speckle filtering. The proposed filtering method is based on a temporal statistical criterion dependent on all elements of the covariance matrix. Also, this method adaptively uses the pixels with the same scattering characteristics in the spatial and temporal space. The experimental results on time series of Radarsat-2 images show that the proposed filter preserves the polarimetric information and also has a better performance compared to the other used filters, based on different criteria such as the equivalent number of looks and edge-preservation parameter.

Fabrication of semiconductor coatings with photocatalytic action for photodegradation of organic pollutants is highly desirable. In this research, pure zinc oxide, which is well known for its promising photocatalytic activity, was deposited on stainless-steel plates by plasma spraying. The phase composition and microstructure of the deposited films were studied by x-ray diffraction analysis and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. Despite the low-energy conditions of the plasma spraying process, the zinc oxide coatings showed good mechanical integrity on the substrate. Their photocatalytic activity was evaluated using aqueous solution of methylene blue at concentration of 5 mg L−1. The results showed the potential of the plasma spraying technique to deposit zinc oxide coatings with photocatalytic action under ultraviolet illumination. Ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) diffuse reflectance spectroscopy confirmed that the plasma spraying method could deposit zinc oxide films with higher photoabsorption ability relative to the initial powder.

Broadband detection of mid-infrared (IR) photons extends to advanced optoelectronic applications such as imaging, sensing, and telecommunications. While graphene offers an attractive platform for broadband visible/IR photodetection, previous efforts to improve its responsivity, for example, by integrating light-absorbing colloids or waveguide or antenna fabrication, were achieved at the cost of reduced photon detection bandwidth. In this work, we demonstrate room-temperature operation of a novel mid-IR photodetector based on a graphene–Bi2Se3 heterostructure showing broadband detection and high responsivity (1.97 and 8.18 A/W at mid- and near-IR, respectively), in which simultaneous improvement of the spectral range and responsivity is achieved via exploiting broadband absorption of mid-IR and IR photons in a small-band-gap Bi2Se3 topological insulator and efficient hot carrier separation and strong photogating across the Bi2Se3/graphene interface. With sufficient room for further improvement by interface...

PURPOSE This study aimed to investigate the level of salivary endothelin-1 in premalignant and malignant lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, 75 cases were investigated of which 25 cases were healthy, 25 cases had oral lichen planus (OLP), and 25 cases had oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In order to collect the saliva samples, the unstimulated spitting was used. The samples were collected between 9 and 12 a.m. They were sent to the lab shortly after being collected and salivary endothelin-1 was recorded for each sample according to the instruction of factory by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and optical density at a wavelength of 450 nm. SPSS version 20 and one-way ANOVA and LSD tests were used to analyze the data. RESULTS The mean of salivary endothelin-1 level in patients with OSCC was 163.98 pg/ml, in patients with OLP was 160.9 pg/ml, and in healthy people was 137.19 pg/ml. The analysis of one-way ANOVA suggested that the level of salivary endothelin-1 in both groups was the same and significantly higher than that in control group (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The level of salivary endothelin-1 in patients with SCC and OLP was higher than that in healthy group. Thus, it can be used as the latest therapeutic protocol for oral premalignant and malignant lesions.

Background: Allergic rhinitis (AR) may be overdocumented in cases of dental caries because of controversies in the literature This study was conducted to investigate the potential relationship between AR and dental caries in children. Materials and Methods: A total of 296 children were included in this cross-sectional study. Participants were evaluated using the decay-missing-filled (DMF) index, and their AR status was evaluated by physical examination and through a standard questionnaire. Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics were compared among groups using Student's t-test or the Mann–Whitney U-test, the Chi-square test, and/or Fisher's exact test as appropriate. A level of P < 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant. Results: Evidence of AR was found in 77 (35.1%) participants. There was no significant difference in the rate of tooth decay or DMF between participants with or without AR (P = 0.07), but a significant difference was observed in the number of missing and filled teeth between those with and without AR (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in educational level, family income, milk intake, use of pacifier, use of a toothbrush, saliva secretion, or body mass index (P > 0.05 in all cases) between AR-positive and AR-negative patients. Fluoride therapy and oral breathing were identified as confounding factors and controlled using log-linear analysis. The mean rate of DMF in patients who also had AR was 20% greater than in the AR-negative group (odds ratio [OR] = 1.21, confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–1.35) and 15% greater in among children who breathed orally than those who did not (OR = 1.15 CI: 1.02–1.31). Conclusion: AR and oral breathing may have an effect on oral health and dental condition, leading to an increased rate of tooth loss, oral fillings, and development of dental caries.

In this work, the effect of nanostructured grains on austenite to martensite phase transformation in AISI 321 austenitic stainless steel during plasma nitriding was investigated. Repeated cold rolling and subsequent annealing were conducted to achieve nanostructured grains in AISI 321 stainless steel. Plasma nitriding was performed for various temperature ranges from 400 to 500 °C for 5 h. Microstructural evaluations were conducted by OM and TEM. The microstructure and composition of the nitrided layer were characterized by SEM and GDOES. The phase transformation evaluations during cold rolling and plasma nitriding were performed by ferritoscopy and XRD respectively. The surface texture and morphology of the nitrided layer was studied by roughnessmeter and AFM means. Results indicated that the surface nitrogen concentration decreased with decreasing substrate grain size. Decreasing austenite grain size also led to decreases of the S phase thickness and surface roughness. Results revealed that, shear bands were formed in the nitrided layer of micro grain substrate unlike nano-grain substrate because of instability of the austenitic micro grains. Furthermore, studies revealed that, the austenite phase was indicated on the nanostructured surface layer while the martensite phase was indicated on the micro grain one after plasma nitriding at 500 °C.

Objective: To assess the relation between acute gastrointestinal disease and Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections. Methods: Over the 18-month period, a total of 323 patients referred to three hospitals in Babol (north of Iran) were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. H. pylori status (rapid urease test), endoscopic findings in the patients, personal habits (smoking or alcohol intake) and administration of drugs, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were analyzed using standard Chi-square test and multinomial logistic regression analysis. Results: Results showed that acute gastric ulcer patients had a significant association with alcohol (P=0.001, OR=6.183), opium (P=0.022, OR=2.823), smoking (P=0.016, OR=2.579) and NSAIDs (P=0.046, OR=2.071). However, patients with in acute duodenal ulcer have a significant association with opium (P=0.023, OR=2.326) and alcohol (P=0.003, OR=3.888). As well as, gastric cancer had significant association with alcohol (P

Background: There is a 2-3-fold excess of both monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and multiple myeloma (MM) among African Americans (AAs) compared to non-Hispanic whites (NHWs) for unknown reasons. It is unclear if risk of progression from MGUS to MM is similar across racial/ethnic groups. We identified MGUS patients and controls from the Multiethnic Cohort (MEC), a population-based cohort study in Los Angeles and Hawaii, described characteristics of and examined risk factors for MGUS among different racial/ethnic groups. Methods: A total of 637 MEC participants with a diagnosis of MGUS by CMS billing codes and 1,065 race/ethnicity-matched MM-free and presumed MGUS-free controls were identified. Screening for monoclonal proteinemia was performed at the USC Clinical Laboratories using serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) with reflex to immunofixation (IFX) when SPEP was abnormal. For this study, MGUS was defined as IFX positive with M-protein concentration< 3g/dL. Controls were SPEP- and IFX-negative with no history of MGUS or MM. MGUS cases who progressed to MM during a mean 8.11-year follow-up were identified by linkage with the SEER databases of the Hawaii Tumor Registry and the California Cancer Registry. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the effect of body mass index kg/m2 (BMI), diabetes or aspirin use prior to diagnosis on the risk of MGUS and progression to MM. Results: A total of 452 participants had laboratory validated MGUS. The racial/ethnic distribution was 109 AAs, 107 NHWs, 95 Latinos, 105 Japanese and 36 Hawaiian's. 58.6% were males. From the pool of laboratory-validated controls, an equal number of controls were frequency matched to cases by race/ethnicity, age and sex. Mean age at blood draw was 65 years for Hawaiians, 69 years for NHWs and Latinos, and 70 years for AAs and Japanese. The distribution of immunoglobulin (Ig) isotypes differed significantly by race/ethnicity(p=0.001) (Figure 1), with AAs having the highest proportion of IgG Kappa (48.1%) and the lowest proportion of IgM (2.8%) compared to other racial/ethnic groups (range IgG Kappa 31.8%-40%, range IgM 11.1%-28.0%). There was no difference in isotype distribution by sex (p=0.28). AAs and NHWs had the highest (mean=0.75 mg/dL ±0.6) and lowest (mean=0.53 mg/dL ±0.6) levels of M-protein, respectively, but there was no significant difference when all racial/ethnic groups were compared. Each unit of BMI (kg/m2) was associated with a 16% increase in risk of MGUS among Hawaiians (95% CI= 1.04,1.30); and a borderline increased risk ranging from 2%-7% among the other racial/ethnic groups. Neither history of aspirin use nor diabetes mellitus were significantly associated with MGUS risk. A total of 109/452 MGUS patients progressed to MM between 1 to 10 years after blood draw. Compared to NHWs, AAs (OR=2.09; 95%CI= 1.08-4.05) and Latinos (OR= 2.55, 95% CI=1.29-5.08) were more likely to progress. Progression was not significantly associated with sex (p=0.34) or BMI (p=0.12). Progressors were slightly younger than non-progressors (-1.6 years, p=0.057). A higher risk of progression was associated with IgA compared to IgG Kappa (OR=2.45; 95% CI=1.34-4.48) and an M-spike >1.5 g/dL compared to Conclusion: The distribution of MGUS isotypes and risk of progression to MM differed by race/ethnicity, with AA and Latinos more likely to progress, not explained by age at blood draw. Because we detected prevalent MGUS, lead time bias could explain racial/ethnic differences in risk. More studies with diverse populations and large sample sizes are needed to better understand the disparities in MGUS risk and progression, along with the underlying biological explanations. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Objectives: Of all work stressors, occupational stress is the leading cause of many disorders among workers. Drivers are classified as a high risk group for work related stress. This study set out to determine the relationship between risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and occupational stress among drivers. Material and Methods: Two hundred and twenty two Ilam’s intercity drivers were selected for the study. For measuring work stress, the Osipow work stress questionnaire was used. After a 10-h fasting period, systolic and diastolic blood pressure was recorded. Intravenous blood samples were taken to determine cholesterol, triglyceride and blood glucose levels. The independent samples t-test and Pearson’s correlation test were used to assess the relationship between variables and occupational stress. Results: Seventy-one percent of the intercity drivers suffered from average to acute stress, and 3.1% of them suffered from acute stress. There was no significant relationship between occupational stress and diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.254) among the drivers. Nevertheless, the Pearson’s correlation test demonstrated a strong relationship between work stress and blood glucose (p < 0.01), while no strong correlation was found for blood triglycerides and cholesterol levels. Conclusions: Based on the results, high rates of occupational stress were observed in the Ilam’s intercity drivers. Occupational stress may have effect on blood glucose levels but the results did not suggest a considerable relationship between risk factors of cardiovascular diseases and occupational stress among intercity drivers. Int J Occup Med Environ Health 2016;29(6):895–901

Despite many years of efforts, attempts to reach the quantum regime of topological surface states (TSS) on an electrically tunable topological insulator (TI) platform have so far failed on binary TI compounds such as $\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{i}}_{2}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{e}}_{3}$ due to high density of interfacial defects. Here, utilizing an optimal buffer layer on a gatable substrate, we demonstrate the first electrically tunable quantum Hall effects (QHE) on TSS of $\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{i}}_{2}\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{e}}_{3}$. On the $n$ side, well-defined QHE shows up, but it diminishes near the charge neutrality point (CNP) and completely disappears on the $p$ side. Furthermore, around the CNP the system transitions from a metallic to a highly resistive state as the magnetic field is increased, whose temperature dependence indicates presence of an insulating ground state at high magnetic fields.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Side effects of current treatments and the need for a safe treatment with higher efficiency necessitate seeking new treatment options for vitiligo. Few studies have investigated the combination of psoralen with narrowband ultraviolet B (NBUVB). In this study, we compared the efficacy and safety of psoralen and NBUVB combination (P-NBUVB) with NBUVB alone in treatment of vitiligo. METHODS This randomised clinical trial was carried out during 2015-2017 in dermatology clinics of Ghaem and Imam Reza hospitals, Mashhad, Iran on 40 vitiligo patients with 5-60% body involvement. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of NBUVB alone and P-NBUVB. Both groups underwent 60 phototherapy sessions (three sessions per week), and the repigmentation rate was measured using vitiligo area severity index (VASI) score. SPSS v. 16 software and appropriate statistical tests were used to analyse the data. P

The anomalous Hall effect (AHE) is a nonlinear Hall effect appearing in magnetic conductors, boosted by internal magnetism beyond what is expected from the ordinary Hall effect. With the recent discovery of the quantized version of the AHE, the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE), in Cr- or V-doped topological insulator (TI) (Sb,Bi)

Objectives This experiment assessed the effectiveness of three interventions; neurofeedback, motor imagery and physical training, on their ability to improve visuomotor accuracy, measured by scores achieved on a dart throwing task. Methods Thirty-two female participants, all with no experience in dart throwing, took part and were assigned to either one of the three experimental conditions, or a control group (eight per condition). Training sessions for neurofeedback (NFB) involved participants encouraging both Theta rhythms and Sensorimotor rhythms (SMR). For Motor Imagery (MI), internal (1st person) imagery was used, where participants had to imagine throwing a dart and for physical training (PT) participants physically practised dart throwing. Measurements were recorded pre-intervention, after two weeks (6 sessions) of training (mid-intervention), after 5 weeks (15 sessions) of training (in total; Outcome Measure 1) and again two weeks after training had finished (Outcome Measure 2). Results from Mid-intervention, Outcome Measure 1 and Outcome Measure 2 were compared to baseline scores achieved pre-intervention and showed all three interventions to significantly increase performance on dart throwing compared to the Control group. Conclusion Our findings show that, as well as traditional physical practise, both motor imagery and neurofeedback can effectively improve performance on a fine visuomotor task.

Background: Human T-lymphocyte virus type-1 (HTLV-1) infection and HTLV-1-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) are endemic in the northeastern population of Iran. Urologic manifestations of the syndrome are different in various stages of HAM and should be evaluated via urodynamic study. The northeastern region of Iran is among the endemic areas; therefore, a comprehensive study is needed to investigate the clinical symptoms and urodynamic findings of these patients. Methods: In this study, we examined the clinical features and urodynamic findings of 50 HAM/TSP patients who referred to the urology clinic of Imam Reza Hospital in Mashhad. Data were collected using checklists and analyzed by SPSS software. The significance level of 0.05 was used in all statistical tests. Results: Among 50 patients, 27 (54%) were female. The mean age was 57.56 ± 11 years. The most common clinical findings in patients were urinary frequency (88%), followed by urgency (86%). In addition, the most common urodynamic finding was detrusor overactivity (DO; 78%). Among the studied patients, 62% had pain in the low back or lower extremities, 10% had detrusor sphincter dyssynergia (DSD), 66% had a kind of sensory abnormality, 46% had urinary incontinence, 4% had retention, and 34% had no clinical signs. Regarding neurological symptoms, 36% had rigidity and 28% had an abnormal gait. There was a significant relationship between abnormal gait and DO, DSD, urodynamic incontinence, and decreased urinary compliance (P = 0.01, 0.02, 0.009, and 0.002, respectively). Conclusions: We found that neurologic symptoms and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) do not always synchronize and LUTS may be related to neurologic symptoms. Therefore, urinary and urodynamic evaluations must be performed in the first step for HAM/TSP patients. Among LUTS, only was urinary urgency related to urodynamic findings. Neurologic symptoms were significantly associated with DSD and thus, they can alarm for upper urinary tract damage.

The study goal was to identify factors that influence copper (Cu), iron (Fe), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn) loading on new and aged low-density polyethylene (LDPE) under various drinking water conditions. The applied aging procedure increased LDPE surface area, hydrophilicity and the number of oxygen containing functional groups. Aged LDPE adsorbed up to a 5 fold greater metals than the new LDPE: Cu > Pb, Zn > Mn. Water pH (5.5 to 10.5) significantly altered LDPE surface metal loading. The organic carbon leached from plastic pipes inhibited Cu adsorption (−43.8%), but other metals were less impacted (−5.7% to −9.1%). The addition of free chlorine and corrosion inhibitor retarded metal adsorption to suspended LDPE materials. Overall, by changing water conditions total metal loadings (i.e., Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn) were altered 20.1 to 35.4%. When Fe was present, Cu (−4.0%) and Pb (−4.5%) loadings were reduced, while lesser impacts were found for Mn and Zn. Cu2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+ hydroxides and oxides were identified as the major metal deposit forms on the LDPE surface by XPS. To better predict metal fate in plastic piping systems, plastic surface characteristics, dissolved organics, water pH, hydraulic conditions and microbial growth should be considered.

Immunotherapy is the standard of treatment for long-life relief of symptoms of allergic rhinitis. Vitamin D may affect the outcomes of treatment. This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy in adult patients with allergic rhinitis based on the serum level of vitamin D. Patients with persistent allergic rhinitis and positivity for skin prick test were evaluated by Sino-nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and Mini Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (MiniRQLQ) before subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy and during the maintenance phase to assess the relation of the serum level of vitamin D and the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy. After immunotherapy, the greatest reduction in SNOT-22 scores were reported in patients with vitamin D sufficiency (39.0 ± 9.2), followed by vitamin D suboptimal provision (35.1 ± 12.1), insufficiency (25.0 ± 7.5), and deficiency (18.3 ± 6.0) (P < 0.001). The MiniRQLQ reduction in patients with vitamin D sufficiency, suboptimal provision, insufficiency, or deficiency was 30.7 ± 8.7, 27.1 ± 8.7, 20.0 ± 8.6, or 17.4 ± 7.1, respectively (P < 0.001). Both of SNOT-22 and MiniRQLQ scores decreased significantly following immunotherapy in patients with different levels of vitamin D. However, these effects were more pronounced when the level of vitamin D was sufficient.

Background: Neuropsychiatric dysfunction is one of the most common complications after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). The aim of this study was to evaluate cognitive function, depression, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with aSAH. Methods: In this study, we prospectively enrolled patients with SAH due to rupture of anterior circulation aneurysms who referred to Ghaem hospital, Mashhad, Iran, and who had good function outcome [modified Rankin scale (mRS) > 2]. They underwent microsurgery or endovascular treatment. Cognitive function, depression, and QOL were evaluated 6 months after surgery with standard psychiatric examinations, including Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) for cognitive function, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for depression, and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) for QOL. Risk factors for cognitive dysfunction were assessed. Results: Fifty-three patients were entered the study. The mean of age was 50.9 ± 13.6 years. QOL and its components were affected in most patients. Fifty-five percent of patients suffered from depression. Cognitive impairment was found in 57% of patients. Older patients experienced more cognitive impairment (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Neuropsychological sequels are common in patients with aSAH, even if they classified as good functional outcome (mRS > 2). These complications could be found with appropriate neuropsychological evaluation of these patients to be managed as soon as possible.

Azido-derivatized amino acids are potentially useful, positionally resolved spectroscopic probes for studying the structural dynamics of proteins and macromolecules in solution. To this end, a computational model for the vibrational modes of N