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Identification of novel therapeutics and risk assessment in early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a crucial aspect of addressing this complex disease. We characterized gene-expression patterns at the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage to identify critical mRNA measures and gene clusters associated with AD pathogenesis.We used a transcriptomics approach, integrating magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and peripheral blood-based gene expression data using persistent homology (PH) followed by kernel-based clustering.We identified three clusters of genes significantly associated with diagnosis of amnestic MCI. The biological processes associated with each cluster were mitochondrial function, NF-kB signaling, and apoptosis. Cluster-level associations with cortical thickness displayed canonical AD-like patterns. Driver genes from clusters were also validated in an external dataset for prediction of amyloidosis and clinical diagnosis.We found a disease-relevant transcriptomic signature sensitive to prodromal AD and identified a subset of potential therapeutic targets associated with AD pathogenesis.

Background Nonhuman primates are essentially used for research purposes such as studying diseases, different biological processes and in drug discovery and development programs. Various clinical pathology parameters are used as biomarkers of disease conditions in biomedical research. Detailed reports of these parameters are not available for Indian-origin rhesus macaques. In order to meet the increasing need of information, we conducted this study on 121 adult Indian rhesus macaques (57 wild-sourced and 64 inhouse animals, aged 3-7 years). A total of 18 hematology and 18 biochemistry parameters were evaluated and reported in this study. Data from these parameters were statistically evaluated for significance amongst inhouse and wild-born animals and for difference amongst sexes. Reference range was calculated according to C28-A3 guidelines for reporting reference intervals of clinical laboratory parameters. Results: Source of the animals and sex appeared to have statistically significant effects on reference values and range. Wild-born animals reported higher WBC, platelets, neutrophils, RBC, hemoglobin, HCT, MCV and total protein values in comparison to inhouse monkeys. Sex-based differences were observed for parameters such as RBCs, hemoglobin, HCT, creatinine, calcium, phosphorus, albumin and total protein amongst others. Conclusions: Through this study, we have established a comprehensive data set of reference values and intervals for certain hematological and biochemical parameters which will help researchers in planning, conducting and interpreting various aspects of biomedical research employing Indian-origin rhesus monkeys.

Transposable elements (TEs) constitute a large proportion of genomes of multicellular eukaryotes including flowering plants. TEs are normally maintained in a silenced state and their transpositions rarely occur. Hybridization between distant species has been regarded as a "shock" that stimulates genome re-organization, including TE mobilization. However, whether crosses between genetically close parents that result in viable and fertile offspring can induce TE transpositions has remained obscure. Here, we investigated the activation of long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons in three Lotus japonicus recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations. We found that at least six LTR retrotransposon families were activated and transposed in 78% of the investigated RILs. LORE1a, one of the transposed LTR retrotransposons, showed transgenerational epigenetic activation, indicating the long-term effects of epigenetic instability induced by hybridization. Our study highlights TE activation as unexpectedly common events in plant reproduction.

A sustainable supply of plant protein is critical for future generations. We also need to reduce carbon emissions from agriculture, while increasing resilience in the face of elevated temperatures and climate volatility. Agricultural diversification with more crop options is hampered by limited available genomic resources, lack of understanding of the genetic structure of breeding germplasm and important trait inheritance- needed to breed desired ideotypes. Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus), a high protein seed tropical legume, has been termed ‘the soybean for the tropics’ with potential to help reduce soybean imports in many tropical and semi-tropical countries. Here we present the first chromosome level winged bean genome assembly (98.9% of 536.1MB scaffolds are assigned), an investigation of genetic diversity of 136 worldwide accessions for breeding, together with the first two genetic maps and a trait QTL analysis for genomic regions with desirable ideotype traits for breeding; namely architecture, protein content and phytonutrients.

Portal hypertension is a serious complication of advanced liver disease. Portal pressure gradient measurement accurately determines severity of portal hypertension, prognosis, and guides medical therapy. Conventionally, interventional radiology-guided hepatic venous portal gradient measures portal pressure gradient indirectly using specialized balloon catheter. Recent advances in endoscopy have paved the novel method of endoscopic ultrasound-guided direct portal pressure gradient measurement to evaluate portal hypertension with equivalent safety in both animal models and humans studies. With the expansion of Endo-Hepatology practice, a concept of “one stop shop” is becoming more popular which is a comprehensive endoscopic approach in the evaluation of chronic liver disease. During the same endoscopic procedure, patients could be evaluated for esophageal or gastric varices, portal hypertensive gastropathy, EUS-guided elastography, EUS-guided portal pressure measurement and EUS-guided liver biopsy when suspecting advanced liver disease or diagnosis remains uncertain. This article focuses on the overview of portal hypertension and EUS-guided interventions such as EUS-guided portal pressure measurement, EUS-guided elastography and EUS-guided liver biopsy in the evaluation of individuals with advanced liver disease.

Vaccines remain the key protective measure to achieve herd immunity to control the disease burden and stop COVID-19 pandemic. We have developed and assessed the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of two formulations (1mg and 2mg) of ZyCoV-D (a plasmid DNA based vaccine candidates) administered through Needle Free Injection System (NFIS) and syringe-needle (intradermal) in rhesus macaques with three dose vaccine regimens. The vaccine candidate 2mg dose administered using Needle Free Injection System (NFIS) elicited a significant immune response with development of SARS-CoV-2 S1 spike region specific IgG and neutralizing antibody (NAb) titers during the immunization phase and significant enhancement in the levels after the virus challenge. In 2 mg NFIS group the IgG and NAb titers were maintained and showed gradual rise during the immunization period (15 weeks) and till 2 weeks after the virus challenge. It also conferred better protection to macaques evident by the viral clearance from nasal swab, throat swab and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid specimens in comparison with macaques from other immunized groups. In contrast, the animals from placebo group developed high levels of viremia and lung disease following the virus challenge. Besides this, the vaccine candidate also induced increase lymphocyte proliferation and cytokines response (IL-6, IL-5).The administration of the vaccine candidate with NFIS generated a better immunogenicity response in comparison to syringe-needle (intradermal route). The study demonstrated immunogenicity and protective efficacy of the vaccine candidate, ZyCoV-D in rhesus macaques.

The proposed work aims to enhance performance of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation code using various high-performance computing (HPC) approaches. The two-dimensional (2D) legacy code is parallelized using message-passing interface (MPI). Parallelization strategies when deployed with HPC platform, the performance and scalability improve with reduction in required computational time. Simulation experiments included two different numbers of atoms deployment keeping step size, time step, initial and boundary condition constant. Various profiling tools have been applied for identifying the hot spots that consume most of the execution time in the code. MD code is optimized employing following four approaches namely (1) force decomposition, (2) force decomposition with data organization, (3) intra- and inter-force decomposition with data organization and (4) intra- and inter-force decomposition with data organization and grid management. The output of these approaches is tested for the required accuracy by comparing its results with original standard MPI parallelized code. Simulation results for these approaches are found satisfactory from performance aspect. A comparative study is carried based on various performance metrics like execution time, speedup ratio and efficiency with multiprocessors. These approaches, when deployed on various platforms, are found better than standard MPI parallelized code except for the data organization approach. When the code is reformed implementing all approaches, the maximum speedup is found in the range of 2.5–4.5 times based on use of number of processors. Enhancement of code performance by saving computation time helps to solve the large-scale problems more efficiently.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) is a multi-factorial pathological event that occurs in the human body. In the present work, the hemodynamics pertaining to AAA are numerically analyzed. To comprehend the blood flow phenomenon in a double-fusiform aneurysm, axisymmetric simulations of pulsatile non-Newtonian blood flow are performed using OpenFOAM. The Carreau–Yasuda model is used to evaluate the non-Newtonian behavior of blood. The Reynolds number and Womersley number are altered as per the physiologically applicable range to characterize the hemodynamics. The Dilatation Index is also varied to quantify the consequence of different enlargements of the abdominal aorta on the blood flow. Four hemodynamic indicators—time-averaged wall shear stress, Oscillatory Shear Index (OSI), Relative Residence Time (RRT), and vascular impedance—are used to identify several complications such as atherosclerosis, vascular inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, and hyperplasia. As the pulse rate increases, the chances of particle stagnation inside the aneurysm decrease due to lower RRT. Our results suggest that patients with hypoxia or bradycardia (low Womersley number) are more susceptible to atherosclerosis due to the high value of RRT. Thus, we recommend mild exercise for patients with AAA. After analyzing the hemodynamic indicators, % of area with RRT > 0.5 is identified as the critical parameter to propose a regime map. Low pulse rates are found to be critical at low flow rates, whereas high pulse rates are found to be critical with high flow rates. Furthermore, it is found that the severity increases as the size of the aneurysm increases.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most aggressive cancer types in nervous system. Due to the limited effectiveness of current treatments, prognosis remains poor for GBM patients. Altered lipid metabolism is a hallmark of GBM. Previous studies show that increased lipid droplets (LDs) could protect cancer cells from chemotherapy and other extracellular stresses. In this study, we apply stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy to image LDs to monitor uptake of palmitic acid (PA) by U-87 glioma cells. We observe that uptake of free PA rapidly upregulates adipogenesis in glioma cells. We find that glioma cells exhibit distinctive time-dependent and dose-dependent patterns in PA uptake and adipogenesis. Uptake of extra PA significantly decreases the unsaturation degree of LDs. The decreased unsaturation degree and other lipotoxicity effects lead to clear cell death upon PA treatment at a high concentration. The results indicate that inhibition of adipogenesis may have therapeutic effects for GBM utilizing the lipotoxicity effects induced by free fatty acids. This work demonstrates that SRS microscopy for label-free imaging of LDs distribution and their composition is a promising tool for lipid metabolism studies in cancer.

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of temperature curing and ambient curing on mechanical properties of Self Compacting Geopolymer Concrete (SCGC) blended using Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS) and Rice Husk Ash (RHA). The research also studied the effect of percentage (0, 5, 15 and 25%) replacement of RHA on the properties of SCGC. The compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexure strength were tested at 3, 7 and 28 days. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) imaging was performed to understand the microstructure of SCGC specimens. The optimum percentage replacement of RHA with GGBFS is 5% at ambient curing and 15% at 70 °C temperature curing. The higher strength is obtained at 70 °C temperature curing than at ambient curing. The SEM imaging reveals that 5% RHA at ambient temperature and 15% RHA at 70 °C temperature have a dense microstructure and hence higher strength. Keywords: Fresh concrete, Calcium-silicate-hydrate, Microstructure, Compressive strength, Granulated blast-furnace slag

Rice Husk Ash (RHA) is an agricultural waste and plentifully accessible in rice-producing countries such as India. Use of RHA is achieving broader awareness because of its considerable impact on the mechanical and microstructural properties of concrete based on OPC as well as geopolymer binders. This paper presents the effect of RHA on the Fresh and Mechanical properties of Self Compacting Geopolymer Concrete (SCGC) blended by Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS). The SCGC was developed using GGBFS as the primary binder and GGBFS was replaced with 5%, 15% and 25% of RHA. The workability of fresh SCGC was assessed by slump flow, V-funnel, L-Box and J-Ring test methods as per EFNARC guidelines. Mechanical properties such as compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength at 3, 7, and 28 days was tested. The results show that replacement of GGBFS with RHA results in loss of workability. The optimum replacement level of the RHA is 5% which results in 2.81% decrease in slump flow value but increases 3.02% compressive strength compare to results of 100% GGBFS SCGC mix. From SEM images, 5% RHA mix shows dense microstructure.

Objective: To nullify the use of temperature curing in Self Compacted Geopolymer Concrete (SCGC). Methods/Analysis: SCGC is developed by activating Ground Granulated Blast Furnace Slag (GGBFS). The workability and compressive strength was studied by varying Sodium Hydroxide molarity from 8M to 12 M. Sodium Silicate and Sodium Hydroxide were used for alkaline solution. The water to geopolymer solid ratio was kept 0.25 for all mixes and the total powder content was 500 kg/m3 . The test specimens were cured at 600 C, 700 C, and at ambient temperature to study the effect of temperature on hardened properties. Findings: SCGC satisfied all workability criteria as per the EFNARC guideline. Results show that SCGC with 12M NaOH molarity produced maximum compressive strength. The SCGC specimen cured at 700 C produced the highest hardened properties as compare to 600 C and ambient temperature. As per results, SCGC can be developed at ambient temperature by using GGBFS as a sole binder. Novelty/Improvement: GGBFS enhances early age strength properties and the strength is comparable to heat cured SCGC as well as SCC based on OPC. Keywords: Alkaline Solution, Ambient Curing Temperature, Silicon Dioxide, Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Silicate

Childhood sexual abuse is associated with significant subsequent pathology and neurodevelopmental disruption. In particular, childhood sexual abuse has been associated with heightened threat sensitivity. However, little work has directly investigated this issue. In this study, we examine the association of childhood sexual abuse to neural and behavioral responses to looming, threatening face stimuli. The study involved 23 adolescents with significant past sexual abuse and 24 comparison individuals matched on IQ, age, and sex. Participants were scanned during a looming threat task that involved negative and neutral, human faces and animals that appeared to either loom toward or recede from the participant. We found that adolescents who had been previously subjected to sexual abuse, relative to comparison adolescents, showed increased neural responses to threatening looming stimuli in regions including rostral and superior frontal gyrus as well as posterior cingulate gyrus. In addition, they were significantly more slowed by looming stimuli, particularly if these were human faces, than adolescents who had not been exposed. These data demonstrate that prior sexual abuse was associated with heightened neural responsiveness to looming threats in a series of regions beyond the amygdala. These data are interpreted within models of rostromedial frontal and posterior cingulate cortices that stress their role in self-referential emotional processing and emotional maintenance.

Despite extensive behavioral evidence of impairments in face processing and expression recognition in adults with alcohol or cannabis use disorders (AUD/CUD), neuroimaging findings have been inconsistent. Moreover, relatively little work has examined the relationship of AUD or CUD symptoms with face or expression processing within adolescents. Given the high prevalence of alcohol and cannabis use during adolescence, understanding how these usage behaviors interact with neural mechanisms supporting face and expression processing could have important implications for youth social and emotional functioning. In this study, adolescents (N = 104) responded to morphed fearful and happy expressions during fMRI and their level of AUD and/or CUD symptoms were related to the BOLD response data. We found that AUD and CUD symptom severity were both negatively related to responses to faces generally. However, whereas this relationship was shown for AUD within ventromedial prefrontal cortex and lingual gyrus, it was shown for CUD within rostromedial prefrontal cortex including anterior cingulate cortex. Additionally, AUD symptom levels were associated with differential responses within medial temporal pole and inferior parietal lobule as a function of expression. These results have potential implications for understanding the social and emotional functioning of adolescents with AUD and CUD symptoms.

Air pollution generated from automobile source is playing a vital role in green house effect so it is a problem of general interest. The pollutants like carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbons (HC), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), oxides of sulfur (SOx), and particulate matters are generated at the end of the combustion in the engine. These pollutants have negative impacts on the environment, air quality, and health. To control these pollutants, various stringent norms of pollutants emission are applicable in various countries. Most promising method of converting these gases into less harmful form is after treatment of it in the catalytic converter. To improve the performance of the catalytic converter, hydraulic phenomenon occurring in it needs to be studied. In present work, a numerical study using finite volume approach is carried out for catalytic converter with conventional diffuser for four diffuser angle. Three-dimensional steady-state analysis of catalytic converter is carried out using Ansys Fluent software. Based on the CFD results, it is found that 20° conventional geometry gives the minimum pressure drop, minimum peak pressure, and better uniformity index.

Colonization of new habitats is expected to require genetic adaptations to overcome environmental challenges. Here we use full genome re-sequencing and extensive common garden experiments to investigate demographic and selective processes associated with the recent colonization of Japan byLotus japonicus. We carefully track the colonization process whereL. japonicusgradually spread from subtropical conditions to much colder climates in northern Japan. We characterize the loss of diversity during this process and identify genomic regions with extreme genetic differentiation. Next, we perform population structure-corrected association mapping of phenotypic traits measured in a common garden and discover a number of genome-wide significant associations. Contrasting these analyses, we find that there is a strong concordance between phenotypic variation and extreme differentiation for overwintering and flowering time traits. Our results provide evidence that these traits were direct targets of selection by local adaptation during the colonization process and point to associated candidate genes.

Recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from bi-parental populations are stable genetic resources, which are widely used for constructing genetic linkage maps. These genetic maps are essential for QTL mapping and can aid contig and scaffold anchoring in the final stages of genome assembly. In this study, two Lotus sp. RIL populations, Lotus japonicus MG-20 × Gifu and Gifu × L. burttii, were characterized by Illumina re-sequencing. Genotyping of 187 MG-20 × Gifu RILs at 87,140 marker positions and 96 Gifu × L. burttii RILs at 357,973 marker positions allowed us to accurately identify 1,929 recombination breakpoints in the MG-20 × Gifu RILs and 1,044 breakpoints in the Gifu × L. burttii population. The resulting high-density genetic maps now facilitate high-accuracy QTL mapping, identification of reference genome mis-assemblies, and characterization of structural variants.

Colonization of new habitats is expected to require genetic adaptations to overcome environmental challenges. Here, we use full genome re-sequencing and extensive common garden experiments to investigate demographic and selective processes associated with colonization of Japan by Lotus japonicus over the past ~20,000 years. Based on patterns of genomic variation, we infer the details of the colonization process where L. japonicus gradually spread from subtropical conditions to much colder climates in northern Japan. We identify genomic regions with extreme genetic differentiation between northern and southern subpopulations and perform population structure-corrected association mapping of phenotypic traits measured in a common garden. Comparing the results of these analyses, we find that signatures of extreme subpopulation differentiation overlap strongly with phenotype association signals for overwintering and flowering time traits. Our results provide evidence that these traits were direct targets of selection during colonization and point to associated candidate genes., Local adaptation contributes to plant colonization across extreme environmental gradients. Here, the authors reconstruct the colonization history of Lotus japonicus in Japan and identify extreme genetic signatures of local adaptation to a cold climate using genome resequencing and common garden experiments.

Trauma screening is an important element for providing trauma-informed services to youth in residential care. Unfortunately, lack of time and resources may deter clinicians from conducting trauma screening at intake. This study tested the psychometric properties of the Brief Trauma Symptom Screen for Youth (BTSSY), which could be used during intake into residential care. Participants included 572 youth, ages 10-18 years (M = 14.28 years, SD = 2.31), of whom 58.9% were boys, 78.7% were Caucasian, 51.7% were youth receiving services in residential care, 15.6% were youth with clinical needs, and 32.7% were typically developing youth from the local community. Participants completed the BTSSY; other questionnaires of psychopathology, childhood maltreatment, and symptomology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and diagnostic interviews, which were conducted by licensed psychiatrists. The total BTSSY score had a good composite reliability (CR) of .80 and was valid based on a significant positive correlation, r = .64, with the UCLA PTSD-Reaction Index. The BTSSY score was also fair, area under the curve = .75, at detecting a diagnosis of PTSD from a psychiatrist. Significant group differences in the BTSSY scores were found between youth with a diagnosis of PTSD and the other two groups, with moderate-to-large effect sizes, ds = 0.73-1.22. Preliminary results indicated the BTSSY may be a useful screening tool for identifying youth at residential care intake who may need additional assessment for PTSD. Limitations and implications for future research and practice are discussed.Spanish Abstracts by Asociación Chilena de Estrés Traumático (ACET) Psicometría de la escala breve de síntomas de trauma para jóvenes en atención residencial TAMIZAJE BREVE DE SÍNTOMAS DE TRAUMA PARA JOVENES La detección de los traumas es un elemento importante para proporcionar servicios informados en el trauma a los jóvenes en atención residencial. Desafortunadamente, la falta de tiempo y recursos puede impedir a los médicos realizar detección de traumas en el ingreso. Este estudio probó las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala Breve de Síntomas de Trauma para Jóvenes (BTSSY en su sigla en inglés), que podría usarse durante el ingreso a la atención residencial. Los participantes incluyeron 572 jóvenes, de 10 a 18 años (M = 14.28 años, DE = 2.31), de los cuales 58.9% eran niños, 78.7% eran caucásicos, 51.7% eran jóvenes que recibían servicios de atención residencial, 15.6% eran jóvenes con necesidades clínicas, y 32.7% eran jóvenes con desarrollo normativo de la comunidad local. Los participantes completaron el BTSSY; otros cuestionarios de psicopatología, maltrato infantil, y sintomatología del trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT); y entrevistas de diagnóstico, realizadas por psiquiatras calificados. El puntaje BTSSY total tuvo una buena confiabilidad compuesta (CR en su sigla en inglés) de .80 y fue válido en base a una correlación positiva significativa, r = .64, con el Índice de Reacción del TEPT de UCLA. El puntaje BTSSY también fue favorable, área bajo la curva = .75, al detectar un diagnóstico del TEPT de un psiquiatra. Se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los grupos en los puntajes BTSSY entre los jóvenes con diagnóstico del TEPT y los otros dos grupos, con tamaños del efecto moderados a grandes, ds = 0.73-1.22. Los resultados preliminares indicaron que el BTSSY puede ser una herramienta útil de detección para identificar a los jóvenes que reciben atención residencial y que pueden necesitar una evaluación adicional para el TEPT. Se discuten las limitaciones e implicaciones para futuras investigaciones y la práctica.Traditional and Simplified Chinese Abstracts by the Asian Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (AsianSTSS) 簡體及繁體中文撮要由亞洲創傷心理研究學會翻譯 Psychometrics of a Brief Trauma Symptom Screen for Youth in Residential Care Traditional Chinese 標題: 用於收容所的青少年簡短創傷症狀篩查表的心理測量特性 撮要: 創傷的篩查，乃為收容所的青少年提供的創傷支援服務中重要的一部分。可惜，時間與資源不足，可能會防礙臨床治療師在人士入住時提供創傷的篩查。青少年簡短創傷症狀篩查表(BTSSY)可供人士在入住收容所前進行。本研究將測試BTSSY的心理測量特性。樣本包含572名青少年，年齡介乎10至18歲 (M = 14.28 歲, SD = 2.31)，當中58.9%為男性，78.7% 為白人，51.7%為使用收容所服務的青少年，15.6%為有臨床治療需要的青少年，32.7%為本地社區內典型成長中的青少年。樣本完成了BTSSY，及有關以下方面的問卷:心理疾病、兒時受虐經歷、創傷後壓力症(PTSD)症狀學;亦接受由合格的精神科醫生執行的診斷式面談。BTSSY總分有.80的良好組成信度(CR)，並且基於跟UCLA的PTSD反應指數有顯著的正向關連(r = .64)，所以屬有效。BTSSY分數在檢測精神科醫生的PTSD診斷方面，亦表現合理，曲線下面積 = .75。被診斷患PTSD的青少年，跟其它兩組樣本在BTSSY分數上有顯著的組別差異，效應量為中至大(ds = 0.73-1.22)。初步的結果反映，BTSSY可能是在青少年入住收容所前，用以找出有可能需要額外的PTSD評估的青少年有用的篩查功具。我們亦討論到是次研究的限制，及對未來研究和治療的暗示。 Simplified Chinese 标题: 用于收容所的青少年简短创伤症状筛查表的心理测量特性 撮要: 创伤的筛查，乃为收容所的青少年提供的创伤支持服务中重要的一部分。可惜，时间与资源不足，可能会防碍临床治疗师在人士入住时提供创伤的筛查。青少年简短创伤症状筛查表(BTSSY)可供人士在入住收容所前进行。本研究将测试BTSSY的心理测量特性。样本包含572名青少年，年龄介乎10至18岁 (M = 14.28 岁, SD = 2.31)，当中58.9%为男性，78.7% 为白人，51.7%为使用收容所服务的青少年，15.6%为有临床治疗需要的青少年，32.7%为本地小区内典型成长中的青少年。样本完成了BTSSY，及有关以下方面的问卷:心理疾病、儿时受虐经历、创伤后压力症(PTSD)症状学;亦接受由合格的精神科医生执行的诊断式面谈。BTSSY总分有.80的良好组成信度(CR)，并且基于跟UCLA的PTSD反应指数有显著的正向关连(r = .64)，所以属有效。BTSSY分数在检测精神科医生的PTSD诊断方面，亦表现合理，曲线下面积 = .75。被诊断患PTSD的青少年，跟其它两组样本在BTSSY分数上有显著的组别差异，效应量为中至大(ds = 0.73-1.22)。初步的结果反映，BTSSY可能是在青少年入住收容所前，用以找出有可能需要额外的PTSD评估的青少年有用的筛查功具。我们亦讨论到是次研究的限制，及对未来研究和治疗的暗示。.

3D Numerical study of temperature variation for subsonic rarefied gas flow in a microchannel is carried out using an in-house MPI-based parallelized DSMC code. The temperature drop in the microchannel decreases with an increase in the aspect ratio whereas it increases with an increase in the pressure ratio, the cross-aspect ratio (CAR), and the Knudsen number. 3D and 2D simulations results are compared and effect of the CAR and Knudsen number are brought out. Finally, a correlation that predicts the temperature drop is formulated along with a list of conditions that ensures a near isothermal flow.

Three-dimensional (3D) direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) has been used to simulate flow in a straight microchannel using an in-house parallelized code. In the present work, a comparative study of seven boundary conditions is carried out with respect to time required for achieving steady-state, accuracy in predicting the specified pressure at the boundaries, and the total simulation time required for attaining a statistical error within one percent. The effect of changing the Knudsen number, pressure ratio (PR), and cross aspect ratio (CAR) on these parameters is also studied. The presence of a boundary is seen to affect the simulated pressure in a cell when compared to the specified pressure, the difference being highest for corner cells and least for cells away from walls. All boundary conditions tested work well at the inlet boundary; however, similar results are not obtained at the outlet boundary. For the same cell size, the schemes that employ first- and second-order corrections lead to a smaller pressure difference compared to schemes applying no corrections. The best predictions can be obtained by using first-order corrections with finer cell size close to the boundary. For most of the simulated cases, the boundary condition employing the characteristic scheme with nonequilibrium effect leads to the minimum simulation time. Considering the nonequilibrium effect, prediction of inlet and outlet pressures and the speed of simulation, the characteristic scheme with nonequilibrium effect performs better than all the other schemes, at least over the range of parameters investigated herein.

High-performance concrete appears to be a good choice for strong and durable reinforced concrete structures. Suitable addition of mineral admixture can improve the strength and durability owing to improvement in the microstructure at the transition zone. This paper presents an experimental study on the mechanical properties and durability of high-performance concrete containing porcelain waste powder. Concrete mixes possessing a target mean compressive strength of 70 MPa were prepared with 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% cement replacement by porcelain waste powder (water-to-binder ratio, W/B = 0·33). The mechanical and durability performance of porcelain waste based concrete is assessed by means of mechanical, rapid chloride penetration, accelerated corrosion and sorptivity tests. Results show that concrete mixtures with 15% porcelain waste perform better than the control mixtures in relation to compressive strength, flexural strength, chloride penetration, corrosion and sorptivity. Replacement by porcelain waste powder also has major environmental benefits.

Introduction: High-flow humidified (HFH) oxygen is used for the management of acute respiratory failure. HFH could be used in patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure. The aim of this study was to assess the physiological effect of HFH air on patients with chronic hypercapnic failure secondary to obesity-hypoventilation syndrome (OHS). Methods: This was a physiological study enrolling patient with OHS established on long-term non-invasive ventilation. Trans-diaphragmatic pressure, diaphragmatic EMG and respiratory inductance plethysmography were recorded during self-ventilation, with HFH at a flow from 10 to 60L/min (10L/min steps). HFH was delivered using an Airvo2. Results: Nine patients with an age of 59±10years and a BMI of 49±10kg/m 2 were included. HFH significantly decreased diaphragmatic pressure time product (PTP), respiratory rate, minute ventilation and diaphragmatic EMG activity; it increased inspiratory and expiratory time (Figure 1). There was no significant change in comfort of breathing or breathlessness (Borg and visual analogue scale). TcCO 2 decreased from 6.6±1.0kPa whilst self-venting to 6.1±0.9kPa on HFH 60L/min (p:0.01). Conclusion: HFH improves respiratory mechanics and reduces neural respiratory drive of stable patients with OHS. Further studies are required to assess the clinical relevance of this physiological improvement.

Thermal Insulations play a great role in keeping the flow of energy from hot to cold bodies to a minimum. Quality and effectiveness of thermal insulation is of prime importance and unless the properties of insulation are evaluated there is little chance of improvement of their performance. It is essential that properties of insulations be evaluated for acceptability according to national and international standards. In the present study, various tests were performed on Rigid cellular insulation (Thermocol) as per IS 11239 to determine the temperature at which the insulation get distorted as well as to study its characteristics when the insulation get ignited in vertical as well as horizontal positions. The statistical analysis of experimental results was carried out at 95 % confidence level for all the tests and the % error in various parameters was found to be within ± 1 to 3%. The findings of the present study may be helpful to the researchers, manufacturers and industries dealing with the similar insulating materials.

Transcriptomic data of C. roseus offering ample sequence resources for providing better insights into gene diversity: large resource of genic SSR markers to accelerate genomic studies and breeding in Catharanthus . Next-generation sequencing is an efficient system for generating high-throughput complete transcripts/genes and developing molecular markers. We present here the transcriptome sequencing of a 26-day-old Catharanthus roseus seedling tissue using Illumina GAIIX platform that resulted in a total of 3.37 Gb of nucleotide sequence data comprising 29,964,104 reads which were de novo assembled into 26,581 unigenes. Based on similarity searches 58 % of the unigenes were annotated of which 13,580 unique transcripts were assigned 5016 gene ontology terms. Further, 7,687 of the unigenes were found to have Cluster of Orthologous Group classifications, and 4,006 were assigned to 289 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome pathways. Also, 5,221 (19.64 %) of transcripts were distributed to 81 known transcription factor (TF) families. In-silico analysis of the transcriptome resulted in identification of 11,004 SSRs in 26.62 % transcripts from which 2,520 SSR markers were designed which exhibited a non-random pattern of distribution. The most abundant was the trinucleotide repeats (AAG/CTT) followed by the dinucleotide repeats (AG/CT). Location specific analysis of SSRs revealed that SSRs were preferentially associated with the 5′-UTRs with a predicted role in regulation of gene expression. A PCR validation of a set of 48 primers revealed 97.9 % successful amplification, and 76.6 % of them showed polymorphism across different Catharanthus species as well as accessions of C. roseus. In summary, this study will provide an insight into understanding the seedling development and resources for novel gene discovery and SSR development for utilization in marker-assisted selective breeding in C. roseus.

This cross-sectional study examines the association of amount and different type of childhood maltreatment with responsiveness in regions of the brain implicated in emotional responding and response control in youths., Key Points Question Are the amount and type (abuse vs neglect) of childhood maltreatment differentially associated with the responsiveness of regions of the brain implicated in emotional responding and response control? Findings In this cross-sectional study including 116 youths aged 10 to 18 years, the amount of childhood maltreatment was inversely associated with the responsiveness of regions of the brain involved in response control and positively associated with emotional responding. This association was also found specifically for abuse but not for neglect. Meaning Different types of childhood maltreatment may have different associations with atypical neural responses; therefore, they may have different associations with different forms of psychiatric neurobiology., Importance Childhood maltreatment is associated with serious developmental consequences that may be different depending on the form of maltreatment. However, relatively little research has investigated this issue despite implications for understanding the development of psychiatric disorders after maltreatment. Objective To determine the association of childhood maltreatment and potential differential associations of childhood abuse or neglect with neural responsiveness within regions of the brain implicated in emotional responding and response control. Design, Setting, and Participants In this cross-sectional study, participants aged 10 to 18 years with varying levels of prior maltreatment as indexed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were recruited from a residential care facility and the surrounding community. Blood oxygen level–dependent response data were analyzed via 2 analyses of covariance that examined 2 (sex) × 3 (task condition [view, congruent, incongruent]) × 3 (valence [negative, neutral, positive]) with Blom-transformed covariates: (1) total CTQ score; and (2) abuse and neglect subscores. Data were collected from April 1, 2016, to June 30, 2018. Data analyses occurred from June 10, 2018, to October 31, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Blood oxygenation level–dependent signals in response to an Affective Stroop task were measured via functional magnetic resonance imaging. Results The sample included 116 youths (mean [SD] age, 15.0 [2.2] years; 70 [60.3%] male). Fifteen participants reported no prior maltreatment. The remaining 101 participants (87.1%) reported at least some prior maltreatment, and 55 (54.5%) reported significant maltreatment, ie, total CTQ scores were greater than the validated CTQ score threshold of 40. There were significant total CTQ score × task condition associations within the bilateral postcentral gyrus, left precentral gyrus, midcingulate cortex, middle temporal gyrus, and superior temporal gyrus (left postcentral gyrus: F = 11.73; partial η2 = 0.14; right postcentral and precentral gyrus: F = 9.81; partial η2 = 0.10; midcingulate cortex: F = 12.76; partial η2 = 0.12; middle temporal gyrus: F = 13.24; partial η2 = 0.10; superior temporal gyrus: F = 10.33; partial η2 = 0.11). In all examined regions of the brain, increased maltreatment was associated with decreased differential responsiveness to incongruent task trials compared with view trials (left postcentral gyrus: r = −0.34; 95% CI, −0.17 to −0.51; right postcentral and precentral gyrus: r = −0.31; 95% CI, −0.14 to −0.49; midcingulate cortex: r = −0.36; 95% CI, −0.18 to −0.53; middle temporal gyrus: r = −0.35; 95% CI, −0.17 to −0.52; superior temporal gyrus: r = −0.37; 95% CI, −0.20 to −0.55). These interactions were particularly associated with level of abuse rather than neglect. A second analysis of covariance revealed significant abuse × task condition (but not neglect × task) interactions within the midcingulate cortex (F = 13.96; partial η2 = 0.11), right postcentral gyrus and inferior parietal lobule (F = 15.21; partial η2 = 0.12), left postcentral and precentral gyri (F = 11.16; partial η2 = 0.12), and rostromedial frontal cortex (F = 10.36; partial η2 = 0.08)). In all examined regions of the brain, increased abuse was associated with decreased differential responsiveness to incongruent task trials compared with view trials (midcingulate cortex: partial r = −0.33; P

Cicer arietinum L. (chickpea) is the third most important food legume crop. We have generated the draft sequence of a desi-type chickpea genome using next-generation sequencing platforms, bacterial artificial chromosome end sequences and a genetic map. The 520-Mb assembly covers 70% of the predicted 740-Mb genome length, and more than 80% of the gene space. Genome analysis predicts the presence of 27,571 genes and 210 Mb as repeat elements. The gene expression analysis performed using 274 million RNA-Seq reads identified several tissue-specific and stress-responsive genes. Although segmental duplicated blocks are observed, the chickpea genome does not exhibit any indication of recent whole-genome duplication. Nucleotide diversity analysis provides an assessment of a narrow genetic base within the chickpea cultivars. We have developed a resource for genetic markers by comparing the genome sequences of one wild and three cultivated chickpea genotypes. The draft genome sequence is expected to facilitate genetic enhancement and breeding to develop improved chickpea varieties.

High Performance concrete (HPC) has received increased attention in the development of infrastructure Viz., Buildings, Industrial Structures, Hydraulic Structures, Bridges and Highways etc. leading to utilization of large quantity of concrete. This paper presents a comprehensive coverage of High Performance concrete developments in civil engineering field. It highlights the High Performance concrete features and requirements over conventional concrete. Furthermore, recent trends with regard to High Performance Concrete development in this area are explored. This paper also includes effect of Mineral and Chemical Admixtures used to improve performance of concrete.

LTR retrotransposons are closely related to retroviruses and their activities shape eukaryotic genomes. Here, we present a complete Lotus japonicus insertion mutant collection generated by identification of 640,653 new insertion events following de novo activation of the LTR element Lotus retrotransposon 1 (LORE1) ( http : // lotus .au . dk). Insertion preferences are critical for effective gene targeting, and we exploit our large data set to analyse LTR element characteristics in this context. We infer the mechanism that generates the consensus palindromes typical of retroviral and LTR retrotransposon insertion sites, identify a short relaxed insertion site motif, and demonstrate selective integration into CHG-hypomethylated genes. These characteristics result in a steep increase in deleterious mutation rate following activation, and allow LORE1 active gene targeting to approach saturation within a population of 134,682 Lotus japonicus lines. We suggest that saturation mutagenesis using endogenous LTR retrotransposons with germinal activity can be used as a general and cost-efficient strategy for generation of non-transgenic mutant collections for unrestricted use in plant research. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.