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Background: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) improves glycemic control and quality of life. Data on glycemic indices and fear of hypoglycemia (FoH) in newly diagnosed T1DM patients are limited. Aim: To assess the impact of initiating intermittently scanned CGM (isCGM) within 1–6 months of diagnosis on glycemic control and FoH in adults with T1DM. Subjects and methods: After wearing a blinded sensor for 14 days, participants were randomized (1:1) to either isCGM (intervention) or self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) with glucometers and blinded CGM (control). Primary outcomes were changes in time below 70 mg/dl (TB70) and FoH, assessed in the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey (HFS). Main secondary outcomes included changes in mean glucose and time in range (TIR) from baseline to 4 weeks after randomization. Results: The full analysis set included 23 patients (12 from the intervention group and 11 from the control group), aged 25.6 ± 5.1 years (14 men, 9 women). All participants were on multiple daily insulin injections. TB70 changed from 2.42% to 2.25% in the intervention, and from 2.81% to 1.82% in the control group, and the between-therapy difference of 0.83% was insignificant. No difference between intervention and control groups in change in HFS-worry and HFS-behavior subscales between baseline and after 4 weeks was found (−1.6 ± 3.2 and 1.0 ± 2.2, respectively). The mean glucose levels changed from 7.03 mmol/l to 6.73 mmol/l and from 7.07 mmol/l to 7.43 mmol/l, in the intervention and control groups, respectively, which resulted in a between-therapy significant glucose difference of −0.66 mmol/l. The mean TIR changed from 88.0% to 90.0% in the intervention group and from 85.2 to 84.1% in the control group—the between-therapy difference was insignificant (3,1%). The study ended early due to CGM reimbursement policy changes, after which most patients eligible for the study could have isCGM reimbursed. Conclusions: In newly diagnosed T1DM adults, TIR is high and hypoglycemia risk is low. The study group was small; however, the data suggest that the use of isCGM soon after T1DM diagnosis could result in mean glucose decrease, but not in change in TB70 and FoH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The actin cytoskeleton is a key cellular structure subverted by pathogens to infect and survive in or on host cells. Several pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli, such as enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), developed a unique mechanism to remodel the actin cytoskeleton that involves the assembly of actin filament‐rich pedestals beneath the bacterial attachment sites. Actin pedestal assembly is driven by bacterial effectors injected into the host cells, and this structure is important for EPEC and EHEC colonization. While the interplay between bacterial effectors and the actin polymerization machinery of host cells is well‐understood, how other mechanisms of actin filament remodelling regulate pedestal assembly and bacterial attachment are poorly investigated. This review discusses the gaps in our understanding of the complexity of the actin cytoskeletal remodelling during EPEC and EHEC infection. We describe possible roles of actin depolymerizing, crosslinking and motor proteins in pedestal dynamics, and bacterial interactions with the host cells. We also discuss the biological significance of pedestal assembly for bacterial infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: To evaluate the relationship between the GRI -component of hypoglycemia (CHypo) and hyperglycemia (CHyper)- with diabetes quality of life (DQoL), diabetes-related stress (DDS), perception of hypoglycemia (Clarke Test), visual analogic scale (VAS) and diabetes-knowledge (DKQ2) in T1D. Methods: Cross-sectional study in 92 patients with T1D under intensive insulin treatment (21.7% CSII) and flash glucose monitoring (isCGM). Clinical, metabolic and glycometric parameters and quality of life/satisfaction questionnaires were analyzed. Results: 92 patients (54.3% male, BMI 25.4 ± 4.5 kg/m2, HbA1c 7.5 ± 1.0%, TIR 53.9 ± 15.9%) with mean age 36.1 ± 12.6years and 17.8 ± 11.3 T1D duration. The mean GRI was 60.6 ± 22.2 with a CHypo and CHyper of 5.9 ± 4.8 and 27.3 ± 14.4, respectively. 19.1% presented a pathological Clarke's test. Patients with TIR > 70% and GRI < 40 showed better VAS (8.8 ± 1.3 vs 9.3 ± 0.9, p < 0.05) and DDS (46.4 ± 22.1 vs 36.7 ± 16.6, p < 0.05) scores, showing no differences between groups. CHyper > 15 and Chypo > 3.4 were related to worse levels of DQoL (91.1 ± 23.9 vs 76.6 ± 18.6 and 94.6 ± 24.8 vs 79.8 ± 20.1, p < 0.01), DDS(49.8 ± 22.4 vs 35.7 ± 16.5 and 49.8 ± 22.4 vs 35.7 ± 16.5, p < 0.01),and DKQ2 (24.4 ± 4.3 vs 26.8 ± 5.2 and 24.1 ± 4.8 vs 26.0 ± 4.6, p < 0.05), respectively. Worse metabolic control defined by GRI correlated with worse scores in VAS (r = −0.209, p < 0.05), DQoL (r = 0.205, p < 0.05), and DDS (r = 0.205, p < 0.05). No difference was observed in knowledge´s scale. CHyper correlated with worse scores in VAS (r = −0.231, p < 0.05), DQoL (r = 0.422, p < 0.01), and DDS (r = 0.341, p < 0.01) and lower degree of knowledge DKQ2 (r = −0.231, p < 0.05). When analyzing DQoL as a dependent variable in a multiple lineal regression, only age (β = 0.747; p < 0.001) and CHyper (β = 0.717; p < 0.001) maintained statistical significance. Conclusions: Higher GRI was related to worse quality of life, diabetes-related stress and satisfaction with treatment, analogous to the TIR results.CHyper an Chypo were related to a greater decline in quality of life, diabetes-related stress, and lower satisfaction with treatment.However, in a multiple linear regression, only CHyper maintained statistical significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geometric correction of thermal infrared (TIR) orthophotos generated by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) presents significant challenges due to low resolution and the difficulty of identifying ground control points (GCPs). This study addresses the limitations of real-time kinematic (RTK) UAV data acquisition, such as network instability and the inability to detect GCPs in TIR images, by proposing a method that utilizes RGB orthophotos as a reference for geometric correction. The accelerated-KAZE (AKAZE) method was applied to extract feature points between RGB and TIR orthophotos, integrating binary descriptors and absolute coordinate-based matching techniques. Geometric correction results demonstrated a significant improvement in regions with stable and changing environmental conditions. Invariant regions exhibited an accuracy of 0.7~2 px (0.01~0.04), while areas with temporal and spatial changes saw corrections within 5~7 px (0.10~0.14 m). This method reduces reliance on GCP measurements and provides an effective supplementary technique for cases where GCP detection is limited or unavailable. Additionally, this approach enhances time and economic efficiency, offering a reliable alternative for precise orthophoto generation across various sensor data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundContinuous glucose monitoring (CGM) improves glycemic control and quality of life. Data on glycemic indices and fear of hypoglycemia (FoH) in newly diagnosed T1DM patients are limited.AimTo assess the impact of initiating intermittently scanned CGM (isCGM) within 1–6 months of diagnosis on glycemic control and FoH in adults with T1DM.Subjects and methodsAfter wearing a blinded sensor for 14 days, participants were randomized (1:1) to either isCGM (intervention) or self-monitoring blood glucose (SMBG) with glucometers and blinded CGM (control). Primary outcomes were changes in time below 70 mg/dl (TB70) and FoH, assessed in the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey (HFS). Main secondary outcomes included changes in mean glucose and time in range (TIR) from baseline to 4 weeks after randomization.ResultsThe full analysis set included 23 patients (12 from the intervention group and 11 from the control group), aged 25.6 ± 5.1 years (14 men, 9 women). All participants were on multiple daily insulin injections. TB70 changed from 2.42% to 2.25% in the intervention, and from 2.81% to 1.82% in the control group, and the between-therapy difference of 0.83% was insignificant. No difference between intervention and control groups in change in HFS-worry and HFS-behavior subscales between baseline and after 4 weeks was found (−1.6 ± 3.2 and 1.0 ± 2.2, respectively). The mean glucose levels changed from 7.03 mmol/l to 6.73 mmol/l and from 7.07 mmol/l to 7.43 mmol/l, in the intervention and control groups, respectively, which resulted in a between-therapy significant glucose difference of −0.66 mmol/l. The mean TIR changed from 88.0% to 90.0% in the intervention group and from 85.2 to 84.1% in the control group—the between-therapy difference was insignificant (3,1%). The study ended early due to CGM reimbursement policy changes, after which most patients eligible for the study could have isCGM reimbursed.ConclusionsIn newly diagnosed T1DM adults, TIR is high and hypoglycemia risk is low. The study group was small; however, the data suggest that the use of isCGM soon after T1DM diagnosis could result in mean glucose decrease, but not in change in TB70 and FoH.

This article discusses a study conducted in Japan that examines the relationship between glucose management and time in range (TIR) and time in tight range (TITR) in individuals with drug-naive type 2 diabetes. The study found that individuals with higher glucose management indicator (GMI) values had lower TIR and TITR values. The study suggests that a TITR of 80% or 60% may be a target for achieving a HbA1c value of less than 6.5% or 7% in individuals with type 2 diabetes. However, the study acknowledges limitations such as a small sample size and the use of an older dataset. [Extracted from the article]

This study utilizes Thermal Infrared (TIR) imaging technology to detect hotspots in photovoltaic (PV) modules of solar power plants. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based TIR imagery is crucial for efficiently analyzing fault detection in solar power plants. This research explores optimal operational parameters for generating high-quality TIR images using UAV technology. In addition to existing variables such as humidity, emissivity, height, wind speed, irradiance, and ambient temperature, newly considered variables including the angle of incidence between the target object and the thermal infrared camera are analyzed for their impact on TIR images. Based on the solar power plant's tilt (20°) and the location coordinate data of the hotspot modules, the inner and outer products of the vectors were used to obtain the normal vector and angle of incidence of the solar power plant. It was discovered that the difference between measured TIR temperature data and Land Surface Temperature (LST) data varies with changes in the angle of incidence. The analysis presented in this study was conducted using multiple regression analysis to explore the relationships between dependent and independent variables. The Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression model employed was able to explain 63.6% of the variability in the dependent variable. Further, the use of the Condition Number (Cond. No.) and the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) revealed that the multicollinearity among all variables was below 10, ensuring that the independence among variables was well-preserved while maintaining statistically significant correlations. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed with the actual measured temperature values, while a negative correlation was observed between the TIR image data values and the angle of incidence. Moreover, it was found that an angle of incidence between 15° and 20° yields the closest similarity to LST temperature data. In conclusion, our research emphasizes the importance of adjusting the angle of incidence to 15–20° to enhance the accuracy of TIR imaging by mitigating overestimated TIR temperature values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the propagation of the optical signal was explored when it passes through several types of Jerlov water based on light-emitting diode. With the bit error rate (BER) test, various modulation techniques are investigated. The line-of-sight (LoS), non-line-of-sight (NLoS), and total internal reflection (TIR) methods of the optical beam are used to analyze and investigate the attenuation that occurs in the water while passing through categorized Jerlov water. The bit error rate (BER), the Q factor, and the data rate have been used as essential metrics to assess both the system performance and the quality of the link. Finding results show that the 8-PPM modulation scheme is an appropriate choice for producing a good connection in both the LoS and NLoS scenarios; however, the 256-PPM scheme is considered the optimal modulation for executing the optical link using the TIR method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: More than two-thirds of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are overweight (OW) and/or obese (OB) in the USA and Western Europe, resulting in insulin resistance as in type 2 diabetes. None of the currently available glucagon like polypeptide 1 (GLP-1) analogs are approved for patients with T1D. A higher dose of semaglutide has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for subjects with body mass index (BMI) >27 kg/m2. We evaluated the real-world use of semaglutide in patients with T1D. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review study of 50 OW or OB patients with T1D who were initiated on semaglutide and followed for 1 year. The control group comprised of 50 computer-matched patients (for sex, race, weight, BMI, and diabetes duration) during a similar time period and were not on any weight loss medications. Results: Most patients (92%) were non-Hispanic white in both arms. Mean ± standard deviation (SD) age and duration of diabetes were 42 ± 11 and 27 ± 12 years, respectively. The continuous glucose monitors (CGM), insulin pump use, baseline BMI and body weight were also similar in the two groups. Baseline glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was insignificantly lower in the semaglutide group (7.6% vs. 8.2%, respectively; P = non-significant [NS]). Total daily insulin dose (TDD) and insulin dose per kg body weight were higher in the semaglutide group at baseline with no difference in basal or prandial insulin dose. There were significantly greater declines in mean (±SD), BMI (7.9% ± 2.6%), body weight (15.9 lbs ± 5.4 lbs), HbA1c, CGM glucose SD and coefficient of variation (CV), and increase in CGM time in range (TIR) in the semaglutide group compared to the control group with no difference in insulin dose changes, time above range (TAR), or time below range (TBR). Conclusions: We conclude that use of semaglutide in patients who are OW and/or OB with T1D was effective in lowering body weight and BMI, and improving glycemic metrics in this pilot real-world study. We strongly recommend performing prospective, large-randomized clinical trials with newer GLP-1 analogs like semaglutide and tirzepatide (twin-cretin) for subjects with T1D associated with OW and/or OB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems & Applications is the property of Journal of Intelligent Transportation Systems & Applications and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In 2017, the editio princeps of a newly discovered Middle Persian text, the "Mādayān ī Wīrāzagān" or simply "Wīrāzagān", was published by Raham Asha. This text, which is important not only from a literary and religious perspective, but also from a mythological point of view, was previously unknown to the scholarly community. The Middle Persian original of the text is found in the Codex TD 26 (49r-62v), preserved in the library of the K.R. Cama Oriental Institute, Mumbai. The manuscript was first discovered and studied by R. Asha in March 2011. The preliminary remarks on the Mādayān ī Wīrāzagān and other texts contained in the Codex TD 26 (Ms. R 494) were published in 2012 in the journal of the same institution. Here I present a translation (accompanied by the transliteration and transcription) of the original text published on pages 3–16 of Asha's book. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geometric correction of thermal infrared (TIR) orthophotos generated by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) presents significant challenges due to low resolution and the difficulty of identifying ground control points (GCPs). This study addresses the limitations of real-time kinematic (RTK) UAV data acquisition, such as network instability and the inability to detect GCPs in TIR images, by proposing a method that utilizes RGB orthophotos as a reference for geometric correction. The accelerated-KAZE (AKAZE) method was applied to extract feature points between RGB and TIR orthophotos, integrating binary descriptors and absolute coordinate-based matching techniques. Geometric correction results demonstrated a significant improvement in regions with stable and changing environmental conditions. Invariant regions exhibited an accuracy of 0.7~2 px (0.01~0.04), while areas with temporal and spatial changes saw corrections within 5~7 px (0.10~0.14 m). This method reduces reliance on GCP measurements and provides an effective supplementary technique for cases where GCP detection is limited or unavailable. Additionally, this approach enhances time and economic efficiency, offering a reliable alternative for precise orthophoto generation across various sensor data.

Abstract Background Glycaemic control of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) remains a challenge due to hypoglycaemic episodes and the burden of insulin self-management. Advancements have been made with the development of automated insulin delivery (AID) devices, yet, previous reviews have only assessed the use of AID over days or weeks, and potential benefits with longer time of AID use in this population remain unclear. Methods We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials comparing AID (hybrid and fully closed-loop systems) to usual care (sensor augmented pumps, multiple daily insulin injections, continuous glucose monitoring and predictive low-glucose suspend) for adults and children with T1DM with a minimum duration of 3 months. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, and Clinicaltrials.gov for studies published up until April 4, 2023. Main outcomes included time in range 70–180 mg/dL as the primary outcome, and change in HbA1c (%, mmol/mol), glucose variability, and psychosocial impact (diabetes distress, treatment satisfaction and fear of hypoglycaemia) as secondary outcomes. Adverse events included diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and severe hypoglycaemia. Statistical analyses were conducted using mean differences and odds ratios. Sensitivity analyses were performed according to age, study duration and type of AID device. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO, CRD42022366710. Results We identified 25 comparisons from 22 studies (six crossover and 16 parallel designs) including a total of 2376 participants (721 in adult studies, 621 in paediatric studies, and 1034 in combined studies) which were eligible for analysis. Use of AID devices ranged from 12 to 96 weeks. Patients using AID had 10.87% higher time in range [95% CI 9.38 to 12.37; p

Bacteria encode a complex repertoire of innate immune systems to fend off viruses. Over 150 defense systems disseminated throughout bacterial genomes have now been shown to block viral infection via diverse molecular mechanisms. Multiple components of eukaryotic innate immunity were shown to have bacterial homologs that function in antiviral defense, such as gasdermins, cGAS-STING, and argonautes. These immune pathways likely emerged in bacteria, transmitted to eukaryotes over the course of evolution. New findings on innate immune pathways in one domain of life can provide novel hypotheses in other domains of life. Bacteria might be the source of novel immune proteins across the tree of life. ATP nucleosidases have been reported in diverse prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, and homologs of the Eleos and Lamassu bacterial defense systems might be encoded in the human genome. Living cells encode diverse innate immune mechanisms to block pathogens. Bacteria encode a large repertoire of immune strategies, some of which may have been transmitted all the way to humans over the course of evolution. Dissecting the immune mechanisms of bacteria can expand our understanding of innate immunity in all domains of life. Pathogens have fueled the diversification of intracellular defense strategies that collectively define cell-autonomous innate immunity. In bacteria, innate immunity is manifested by a broad arsenal of defense systems that provide protection against bacterial viruses, called phages. The complexity of the bacterial immune repertoire has only been realized recently and is now suggesting that innate immunity has commonalities across the tree of life: many components of eukaryotic innate immunity are found in bacteria where they protect against phages, including the cGAS-STING pathway, gasdermins, and viperins. Here, I summarize recent findings on the conservation of innate immune pathways between prokaryotes and eukaryotes and hypothesize that bacterial defense mechanisms can catalyze the discovery of novel molecular players of eukaryotic innate immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate the impact of glucose variability on the relationship between the GRI and other glycemic metrics in a cohort of pediatric and adult patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) using intermittent scanning continuous glucose monitoring (isCGM). Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 202 patients with T1D under intensive insulin treatment (25.2% CSII) using isCGM. Clinical, metabolic, and glycemic metrics were collected, and the GRI was calculated with its hypoglycemia (CHypo) and hyperglycemia (CHyper) components. The correlation between the GRI and other classical glycometrics in relation to the coefficient of variation (CV) was evaluated. Results: A total of 202 patients were included (53% male; 67.8% adults) with a mean age of 28.6 ± 15.7 years and 12.5 ± 10.9 years of T1D evolution (TIR 59.0 ± 17.0%; CV 39.8 ± 8.0%; GMI 7.3 ± 1.1%). The mean GRI was 54.0 ± 23.3 with a CHypo and CHyper component of 5.7 ± 4.8 and 23.4 ± 14.3, respectively. A strong negative correlation was observed between the GRI and TIR (R = −0.917; R2 = 0.840; p < 0.001), showing differences when dividing patients with low glycemic variability (CV < 36%) (R = −0.974; R2 = 0.948; p < 0.001) compared to those with greater CV instability (≥36%) (R = −0.885; R2 = 0.784; p < 0.001). The relationship of GRI with its two components was strongly positive with CHyper (R = 0.801; R2 = 0.641; p < 0.001) and moderately positive with CHypo (R = 0.398; R2 = 0.158; p < 0.001). When the GRI was evaluated with the rest of the classic glycemic metrics, a strong positive correlation was observed with HbA1c (R = 0.617; R2 = 0.380; p < 0.001), mean glucose (R = 0.677; R2 = 0.458; p < 0.001), glucose standard deviation (R = 0.778; R2 = 0.605; p < 0.001), TAR > 250 (R = 0.801; R2 = 0.641; p < 0.001), and TBR < 54 (R = 0.481; R2 = 0.231; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The GRI correlated significantly with all the glycemic metrics analyzed, especially with the TIR. Glycemic variability (GV) significantly affected the correlation of the GRI with other parameters and should be taken into consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of GeSec: Revista de Gestao e Secretariado is the property of Sindicato das Secretarias e Secretarios do Estado de Sao Paulo (SINSESP) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Sterile alpha and Toll/interleukin receptor motif-containing protein 1 (SARM1) is a NAD+ hydrolase that plays a key role in axonal degeneration and neuronal cell death. We reported that c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activates SARM1 through phosphorylation at Ser-548. The importance of SARM1 phosphorylation in the pathological process of Parkinson's disease (PD) has not been determined. We thus conducted the present study by using rotenone (an inducer of PD-like pathology) and neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from healthy donors and a patient with familial PD PARK2 (FPD2). The results showed that compared to the healthy neurons, FPD2 neurons were more vulnerable to rotenone-induced stress and had higher levels of SARM1 phosphorylation. Similar cellular events were obtained when we used PARK2-knockdown neurons derived from healthy donor iPSCs. These events in both types of PD-model neurons were suppressed in neurons treated with JNK inhibitors, Ca2+-signal inhibitors, or by a SARM1-knockdown procedure. The degenerative events were enhanced in neurons overexpressing wild-type SARM1 and conversely suppressed in neurons overexpressing the SARM1-S548A mutant. We also detected elevated SARM1 phosphorylation in the midbrain of PD-model mice. The results indicate that phosphorylated SARM1 plays an important role in the pathological process of rotenone-induced neurodegeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Glycaemic control of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) remains a challenge due to hypoglycaemic episodes and the burden of insulin self-management. Advancements have been made with the development of automated insulin delivery (AID) devices, yet, previous reviews have only assessed the use of AID over days or weeks, and potential benefits with longer time of AID use in this population remain unclear. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials comparing AID (hybrid and fully closed-loop systems) to usual care (sensor augmented pumps, multiple daily insulin injections, continuous glucose monitoring and predictive low-glucose suspend) for adults and children with T1DM with a minimum duration of 3 months. We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central, and Clinicaltrials.gov for studies published up until April 4, 2023. Main outcomes included time in range 70–180 mg/dL as the primary outcome, and change in HbA1c (%, mmol/mol), glucose variability, and psychosocial impact (diabetes distress, treatment satisfaction and fear of hypoglycaemia) as secondary outcomes. Adverse events included diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) and severe hypoglycaemia. Statistical analyses were conducted using mean differences and odds ratios. Sensitivity analyses were performed according to age, study duration and type of AID device. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO, CRD42022366710. Results: We identified 25 comparisons from 22 studies (six crossover and 16 parallel designs) including a total of 2376 participants (721 in adult studies, 621 in paediatric studies, and 1034 in combined studies) which were eligible for analysis. Use of AID devices ranged from 12 to 96 weeks. Patients using AID had 10.87% higher time in range [95% CI 9.38 to 12.37; p < 0.0001, I2 = 87%) and 0.37% (4.77 mmol/mol) lower HbA1c (95% CI − 0.49% (− 6.39 mmol/mol) to – 0.26 (− 3.14 mmol/mol); p < 0·0001, I2 = 77%]. AID systems decreased night hypoglycaemia, time in hypoglycaemia and hyperglycaemia and improved patient distress, with no increase in the risk of DKA or severe hypoglycaemia. No difference was found regarding treatment satisfaction or fear of hypoglycaemia. Among children, there was no difference in glucose variability or time spent in hypoglycaemia between the use of AID systems or usual care. In sensitivity analyses, results remained consistent with the overall analysis favouring AID. Conclusion: The use of AID systems over 12 weeks, regardless of technical or clinical differences, improved glycaemic outcomes and diabetes distress without increasing the risk of adverse events in adults and children with T1DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nearly all eukaryotes carry DNA transposons of the Robertson's Mutator (Mu) superfamily, a widespread source of genome instability and genetic variation. Despite their pervasive impact on host genomes, much remains unknown about the evolution of these transposons. Transposase recognition of terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) is thought to drive and constrain coevolution of MuDR transposase genes and TIRs. To address the extent of this relationship and its impact, we compared separate phylogenies of TIRs and MuDR gene sequences from Mu elements in the maize genome. Five major clades were identified. As expected, most Mu elements were bound by highly similar TIRs from the same clade (homomorphic type). However, a subset of elements contained dissimilar TIRs derived from divergent clades. These "heteromorphs" typically occurred in multiple copies indicating active transposition in the genome. In addition, analysis of internal sequences showed that exchanges between elements having divergent TIRs produced new mudra and mudrb gene combinations. In several instances, TIR homomorphs had been regenerated within a heteromorph clade with retention of distinctive internal MuDR sequence combinations. Results reveal that recombination between divergent clades facilitates independent evolution of transposase (mudra), transposase-binding targets (TIRs), and capacity for insertion (mudrb) of active Mu elements. This mechanism would be enhanced by the preference of Mu insertions for recombination-rich regions near the 5' ends of genes. We suggest that cycles of recombination give rise to alternating homo-and heteromorph forms that enhance the diversity on which selection for Mu fitness can operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical intelligent reflecting surfaces (OIRS) have the potential to enhance the capacity of the next generation optical wireless communication systems by re-configuring the propagation environment of optical waves. In this work, a submerged OIRS and a planar mirror surface (PMS) are used to build up a non-line of sight (NLOS) underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) system. An NLOS UWOC setup, which makes use of the total internal reflection (TIR) phenomenon, serves as a benchmark against which the OIRS/PMS-assisted UWOC systems are compared. With the help of the Mellin inverse transform, Meijer’s G function, and Fox’s H-function, the closed-form expressions for the probability density function (PDF), cumulative distribution function (CDF), average spectral efficiency (SE), average energy efficiency (EE), outage probability, and average bit error rate (BER) of the proposed systems are derived. Further, an asymptotic analysis of average SE is performed to illustrate a better understanding of these proposed system’s performance at high SNR. The simulation results indicate that the OIRS-assisted UWOC system shows improved performance in comparison to benchmark scenario. Additionally, the efficient zones of OIRS deployment are analyzed.

Objective: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) has revealed that glycemic variability and low time in range are associated with albuminuria and retinopathy. We have investigated the relationship between glucose metrics derived from CGM and a highly sensitive measure of neuropathy using corneal confocal microscopy in participants with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Methods: A total of 40 participants with diabetes and 28 healthy controls underwent quantification of corneal nerve fiber density (CNFD), corneal nerve branch density (CNBD), corneal nerve fiber length (CNFL) and inferior whorl length (IWL) and those with diabetes underwent CGM for four consecutive days. Results: CNBD was significantly lower in patients with high glycemic variability (GV) compared to low GV (median (range) (25.0 (19.0–37.5) vs 38.6 (29.2–46.9); P = 0.007); in patients who spent >4% compared to 1% compared to 250 mg/dL) hyperglycemia did not correlate with CNFD (P > 0.05), CNBD (P > 0.05), CNFL (P > 0.05) or IWL (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Greater GV and duration in hypoglycemia, rather than hyperglycemia, are associated with nerve fiber loss in diabetes.

Copyright of Boletín Económico de ICE is the property of S.G.E.E.I.P.C., Secretaria de Estado de Comercio, Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Turismo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

ABSTRACT EspZ and Tir are essential virulence effectors of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). EspZ, the second translocated effector, has been suggested to antagonize host cell death induced by the first translocated effector, Tir (translocated intimin receptor). Another characteristic of EspZ is its localization to host mitochondria. However, studies that explored the mitochondrial localization of EspZ have examined the ectopically expressed effector and not the more physiologically relevant translocated effector. Here, we confirmed the membrane topology of translocated EspZ at infection sites and the involvement of Tir in confining its localization to these sites. Unlike the ectopically expressed EspZ, the translocated EspZ did not colocalize with mitochondrial markers. Moreover, no correlation has been found between the capacity of ectopically expressed EspZ to target mitochondria and the ability of translocated EspZ to protect against cell death. Translocated EspZ may have to some extent diminished F-actin pedestal formation induced by Tir but has a marked effect on protecting against host cell death and on promoting host colonization by the bacteria. Taken together, our results suggest that EspZ plays an essential role in facilitating bacterial colonization, likely by antagonizing cell death mediated by Tir at the onset of bacterial infection. This activity of EspZ, which occurs by targeting host membrane components at infection sites, and not mitochondria, may contribute to successful bacterial colonization of the infected intestine. IMPORTANCE EPEC is an important human pathogen that causes acute infantile diarrhea. EspZ is an essential virulence effector protein translocated from the bacterium into the host cells. Detailed knowledge of its mechanisms of action is, therefore, critical for better understanding the EPEC disease. We show that Tir, the first translocated effector, confines the localization of EspZ, the second translocated effector, to infection sites. This activity is important for antagonizing the pro-cell death activity conferred by Tir. Moreover, we show that translocated EspZ leads to effective bacterial colonization of the host. Hence, our data suggest that translocated EspZ is essential because it confers host cell survival to allow bacterial colonization at an early stage of bacterial infection. It performs these activities by targeting host membrane components at infection sites. Identifying these targets is critical for elucidating the molecular mechanism underlying the EspZ activity and the EPEC disease.

Proximity labeling (PL) techniques using engineered ascorbate peroxidase (APEX) or Escherichia coli biotin ligase BirA (known as BioID) have been successfully used for identification of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in mammalian cells. However, requirements of toxic hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in APEX-based PL, longer incubation time with biotin (16-24 h), and higher incubation temperature (37 °C) in BioID-based PL severely limit their applications in plants. The recently described TurboID-based PL addresses many limitations of BioID and APEX. TurboID allows rapid proximity labeling of proteins in just 10 min under room temperature (RT) conditions. Although the utility of TurboID has been demonstrated in animal models, we recently showed that TurboID-based PL performs better in plants compared to BioID for labeling of proteins that are proximal to a protein of interest. Provided here is a step-by-step protocol for the identification of protein interaction partners using the N-terminal Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) domain of the nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) protein family as a model. The method describes vector construction, agroinfiltration of protein expression constructs, biotin treatment, protein extraction and desalting, quantification, and enrichment of the biotinylated proteins by affinity purification. The protocol described here can be easily adapted to study other proteins of interest in Nicotiana and other plant species.

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted international economics and trade, including cargo transportation. As a result, enhancing the resilience of transport and logistics in the post–COVID-19 era has become a general trend. Multimodal transport, with its advantages of speed, large volume and multiple modes, has increasingly gained attention from countries worldwide. However, multimodal transport logistics is a complex and systematic process. Its smooth flow depends not only on the transport itself, but also on the efficient supervision of customs and other government departments at ports. This study employs the theory and method of a super-network to establish a model of multimodal transport logistics, which includes TIR-based sea–road multimodal transport and customs supervision relationships. Structural and resilience-related characteristics of the super-network are analyzed, and performance parameters of the super-network are proposed. A simulation analysis is conducted, and based on the results, countermeasures to improve the resilience and promote risk management of multimodal transport logistics in the post–COVID-19 era are suggested. The findings of this study provide an exploration of more effective ways to ensure the smoothness of multimodal transport logistics and improve system resilience. The study concludes with theoretical and managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Laboratory experiment: varied soil samples mixed with light/heavy oils. • Soils contaminated with oils can be detected by their emissivity spectra. • Feature depth: versatile identifier, correlates with API° and oil concentration. • Spectra show features related to time exposure. • Results relevant for monitoring refineries, pipelines, and natural contaminations. The high risk of environmental contamination posed by the use of petroleum hydrocarbons (HCs) necessitates technologies for detecting leaks. The effectiveness of sensors operating in near infrared (NIR) and short wave (SWIR) have already been demonstrated for this purpose. However, the applicability of thermal data (TIR) remains largely unexplored. This study aims to evaluate the applicability of TIR data for the detection and monitoring of soils contaminated with HCs, by tracking changes in the emissivity of samples in the post-contamination period. A controlled laboratory experiment was conducted in which samples of different mineral substrates were mixed with oils of different APIs° and at different concentrations. The samples were measured using a FTIR spectroradiometer over six months. Emissivity features characteristic of each substrate and HCs were selected and parameterized to analyze their geometric variations. PCA and GLMM were the statistical models used to quantify the variations of these features as a function of i) contamination time; ii) temperature; iii) API°; and iv) oil concentration. Based on the findings, it was demonstrated that TIR is useful for detecting contamination by HCs. However, the patterns are different for each type of substrate. It was identified that the depth of the oil feature is directly proportional to the increase in HC concentration in mixtures with clayey substrates and inversely proportional to sandy substrates. As for API°, in sandy and dolomite soils, the oil feature depth is greater in mixtures with lighter oils and, in the case of clay soils, is greater in mixtures with heavier oils. As for temporal analysis, the oil feature depth in mixtures with dolomitic substrate increases over time. On the other hand, variations in sandy and dolomite soil features showed that the soil feature depth increases as the weeks pass. In relation to temperature, the characteristic of oil and soil feature depth decreases with increasing temperature in all mixtures. Despite the optimistic results, the influence of all these variables and the presence of water, along with the variation of soil and HC features, make the quantification of oil contamination a challenge in the TIR range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

IntroductionEnteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) is a diarrheagenic pathogen and one of the major causes of gastrointestinal illness in developing countries. EPEC, similar to many other Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, possesses essential virulence machinery called the type III secretion system (T3SS) that enables the injection of effector proteins from the bacteria into the host cytoplasm. Of these, the translocated intimin receptor (Tir) is the first effector to be injected, and its activity is essential for the formation of attaching and effacing lesions, the hallmark of EPEC colonization. Tir belongs to a unique group of transmembrane domain (TMD)-containing secreted proteins, which have two conflicting destination indications, one for bacterial membrane integration and another for protein secretion. In this study, we examined whether TMDs participate in the secretion, translocation, and function of Tir in host cells.MethodsWe created Tir TMD variants with the original or alternative TMD sequence.ResultsWe found that the C-terminal TMD of Tir (TMD2) is critical for the ability of Tir to escape integration into the bacterial membrane. However, the TMD sequence was not by itself sufficient and its effect was context-dependent. Moreover, the N-terminal TMD of Tir (TMD1) was important for the postsecretion function of Tir at the host cell.DiscussionTaken together, our study further supports the hypothesis that the TMD sequences of translocated proteins encode information crucial for protein secretion and their postsecretion function.

Les tireurs démontrent leur talent en brisant des plateaux qui volent à 100 km/h. Une telle compétence nécessite de nombreuses années de pratique (Ericsson et al., 1993). Ericsson et Charness (1994) s'accordent à dire qu'il faut environ plus de 10 ans pour devenir un expert dans tous les domaines. En outre, devenir un expert dans certains domaines est essentiellement cognitif (Thomas et Thomas, 1994). L'un des processus les plus complexes de l'expertise sportive est le temps de réaction. Selon La Rue et Ripoll (2004), il est important de répéter les liens entre le stimulus et la réponse pendant l'entraînement afin de réduire le temps de réaction. Le temps moteur est le temps mesuré depuis le premier mouvement du corps, c'est-à-dire le temps écoulé depuis l'initiation d'un mouvement jusqu'à son achèvement (Schmidt & Lee, 1999). L'objectif de cette recherche était d'examiner les scores de temps de réaction des joueurs de tir experts par rapport à ceux des novices en utilisant le test de RT du Vienna Test System. Nous suggérons qu'il existe une corrélation entre le temps de réaction, le temps moteur, l'expérience et l'âge pour les joueurs experts.

Copyright of GeSec: Revista de Gestao e Secretariado is the property of Sindicato das Secretarias e Secretarios do Estado de Sao Paulo (SINSESP) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this research, the LST-Ta relationship was tested and evaluated to estimate Ta for 15 years (2004–2018) for summer and winter months through various predictive models (linear, quadratic, cubic and exponential) in Peshawar basin. Peshawar Basin in the foothills of Himalayas (northwest Pakistan) with semi-arid to arid type of climate having very limited and uneven distribution of weathers stations. Air temperature is usually measured at ground-based meteorological stations covering close vicinity of the measurement site, hence exhibits limited applicability for vast areas with heterogeneous surfaces. Remotely sensed TIR (thermal infra-red) imagery are top choice for geoscientists to estimate air temperature data at high spatio-temporal sclaes. However, such approaches need to be thoroughly evaluated globally. Results from the current study revealed that linear and quadratic models performed well to estimate air temperature during winter and summer with more plausible results. The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) with values 0.78 & 0.62 (summer), and 0.59 & 0.78 (winter) were observed at two weather stations. This study will provide technical details for developing remotely sensed techniques for estimating spatio-temporal air temperature data using same or other sensors. The spatio-temporal outcome could be easily incorporated in various models in the domain of climate research, global warming and agriculture. The model adopted in this study should be further investigated across different ecosystems having different meteorological and climatic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The thermal infrared imager (TIR) onboard the Hayabusa2 spacecraft performed thermographic observations of the asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU $$_3$$ 3 ) from June 2018 to November 2019. Our previous reports revealed that the surface of Ryugu was globally filled with porous materials and had high surface roughness. These results were derived from making the observed temperature maps of TIR using a projection method onto the shape model of Ryugu as geometric corrections. The pointing directions of TIR were calculated using an interpolation of data from the SPICE kernels (NASA/NAIF) during the periods when the optical navigation camera (ONC) and the light detection and ranging (LIDAR) observations were performed. However, the mapping accuracy of the observed TIR images was degraded when the ONC and LIDAR were not performed with TIR. Also, the orbital and attitudinal fluctuations of Hayabusa2 increased the error of the temperature maps. In this paper, to solve the temperature image mapping problems, we improved the correction method by fitting all of the observed TIR images with the surface coordinate addressed on the high-definition shape model of Ryugu (SFM 800k v20180804). This correction adjusted the pointing direction of TIR by rotating the TIR frame relative to the Hayabusa2 frame using a least squares fit. As a result, the temperature maps spatially spreading areas were converged within high-resolved $$0.5^\circ$$ 0 . 5 ∘ by $$0.5^\circ$$ 0 . 5 ∘ maps. The estimated thermal inertia, for instance, was approximately 300 $$\sim$$ ∼ 350 Jm $$^{-2}$$ - 2 s $$^{-0.5}$$ - 0.5 K $$^{-1}$$ - 1 at the hot area of the Ejima Saxum. This estimation was succeeded in case that the surface topographic features were larger than the pixel scale of TIR. However, the thermal inertia estimation of smooth terrains, such as the Urashima crater, was difficult because of surface roughness effects, where roughness was probably much smaller than the pixel scale of TIR.

We present a numerical method for simulating a disk-resolved thermal image of an asteroid with small-scale roughness. In our method, we carry out numerical thermal evolution model of a small but rough area taking into account its latitude, shadowing effect, and re-absorption of the thermal radiation by neighbor. By visualization of the resulting temperature distribution for an observation direction, we obtain the thermal flux from the area as a function of the observation direction. Then thermal image of an asteroid with random topography is constructed. The resulting daytime temperature evolution profile is different from the well-known parabolic shape due to the surface roughness, implying that the daytime temperature evolution profile is a diagnostic to evaluate the surface roughness. Although this model is inapplicable to a morphologically complex asteroid such as Itokawa, the target body of Hayabusa2, Ryugu is generally convex and suitable for application of our model. Furthermore, the study presents predictions of the location shift of Ryugu trajectory after one orbital rotation due to the thermal moment caused by the rebound force from thermally emitted photons known as the Yarkovsky effect. This model is thus verifiable by precise calculation of the ephemeris of Ryugu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Plant cell surface and intracellular immune receptors recognizing pathogen attack utilize the same defense machineries to mobilize resistance. New genetic, protein structural and biochemical information on receptor activation and signaling is transforming understanding of how their shared defense network operates. We discuss the biochemical activities of two classes of intracellular nucleotide‐binding/leucine‐rich repeat (NLR) receptor – one forming a Ca2+ channel, the other an NADase enzyme – which define engagement of enhanced disease susceptibility 1 (EDS1)‐family heterodimers and cofunctioning helper NLRs (RNLs) to connect receptor systems and amplify defenses. Toll‐interleukin‐1 receptor (TIR) domain NLR receptors and TIR‐domain proteins, with a capacity to produce NAD+‐derived small molecules, require EDS1 dimers and RNLs for defense induction. The TIR‐driven EDS1/RNL modules emerge as central elements in Ca2+‐based immunity signaling initiated by receptors outside and inside host cells. See also the Commentary on this article by Lee & Romeis, 234: 769–772. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Iodine deficiency is the most important established nutritional risk factor for the development of thyroid nodular disease. Nevertheless, to the best of our knowledge, to date no study focused on the association between the adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD) and thyroid nodular disease. Adherence to the MD was evaluated using the PREvención con DIetaMEDiterránea (PREDIMED) questionnaire. Physical activity, smoking habits, and anthropometric parameters were studied. PREDIMED was used to evaluate the degree of adherence to the MD. Evaluation of fine needle aspiration cytology of thyroid lesions based on 2013 Italian thyroid cytology classification system. Cytology of thyroid nodules was carried out through sonography-guided fine-needle aspiration and patients were divided into 5 categories: TIR2, TIR3a, TIR3b, TIR4, and TIR5. The study population consisted of 794 subjects (554 females, 69.8%), aged 18–65 years, with BMIs ranging from 19.4 to 55.3 kg/m2. Thyroid nodular disease was present in 391 participants (49.2%), and the most frequent cytological categories was TIR2 (18.3 %), followed by a TIR4 (8.9 %). The presence of thyroid nodules was also significantly associated with the lowest adherence to the MD (OR 6.16, p < 0.001). Patients with TIR5 had the lower adherence to the MD (2.15 ± 1.12 score) compared to other TIRs (p < 0.001). The cytological category with high-risk of malignancy (TIR4/TIR5) was significantly associated with the lowest adherence to the MD (OR 137.55, p < 0.001) and PREDIMED score (OR = 0.33, p < 0.001, 95% IC = 0.26–0.41, R2 = 0.462). At multiple regression analysis, PREDIMED score was the main predictor of both the presence of nodules (p < 0.001) and the cytological category with high-risk of malignancy (p < 0.001). At ROC analysis PREDIMED score ≤ 5 and ≤ 4 (p = 0.001) were the values that predicted the presence of thyroid nodular disease and cytological category with high-risk of malignancy, respectively. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that the low adherence to the MD is associated with the presence of thyroid nodular disease and in particular with those at high-risk of malignancy.

Land surface temperature (LST) is one of the crucial factors that is important in various fields, including the study of climate change and the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon. The existing LST was acquired using satellite imagery, but with the development of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and thermal infrared (TIR) cameras, it has become possible to acquire LST with a spatial resolution of cm. The accuracy evaluation of the existing TIR camera for UAV was conducted by shooting vertically. However, in the case of a TIR camera, the temperature value may change because the emissivity varies depending on the viewing angle. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the accuracy of the TIR camera according to each angle. In this study, images were simultaneously acquired at 2–min intervals for each of the three research sites by TIR camera angles (70°, 80°, 90°). Then, the temperature difference by land cover was evaluated with respect to the LST obtained by laser thermometer and the LST obtained using UAV and TIR. As a result, the image taken at 80° showed the smallest difference compared with the value obtained with a laser thermometer, and the 70° image showed a large difference of 1–6 °C. In addition, in the case of the impervious surface, there was a large temperature difference by angle, and in the case of the water-permeable surface, there was no temperature difference by angle. Through this, 80° is best when acquiring TIR data, and if it is impossible to take images at 80°, it is considered good to acquire TIR images between 80° and 90°. To obtain more accurate LST, correction studies considering the external environment, camera attitude, and shooting height are needed in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a numeric-analytical work for highly efficient difference-frequency generation (DFG) by the integrated effect of total-internal-reflection-based optical rotation quasi-phase-matching (ORQPM) and nonresonant quasi-phase-matching techniques in a thin yttrium oxide-coated rectangular slab of magnesium oxide-doped lithium niobate crystal. The conversion efficiency of 37.2% has been obtained by ray-optics analysis, corresponding to an idler wavelength of 1570 nm. Moreover, the guided-wave approach has also been analyzed for more accurate and realistic outcomes, yielding a peak conversion efficiency of 1.64%. The impact of the influencing factors like surface roughness, absorption, and nonlinear law of reflection has also been incorporated in the computer-aided simulation for providing a pragmatic understanding of the whole study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

En el presente artículo se estudian los beneficios económicos de la aplicación del programa de certificación de construcciones sostenibles LEED, en el Edificio Centro Ático situado en Bogotá - Colombia. Inicialmente, se determinan los consumos de agua y energía eléctrica, y los costos de construcción y operación del edificio bajo su diseño original (construido sin tener en cuenta los parámetros establecidos por LEED). Seguido a esto se plantean estrategias para lograr que el edificio Centro Ático alcance la certificación LEED GOLD New Construction V3 2009 y se calculan los incrementos económicos asociados a éstas. Así mismo, se calculan los nuevos consumos de agua y energía eléctrica bajo la aplicación de dichas estrategias (diseño modificado) y sus correspondientes costos de operación. Finalmente, se determinan los indicadores de bondad económica de la inversión mediante un análisis de flujo de caja.

The study aims at finding out the nature of the relationship between the postural balance and precision shooting among soccer players over 20 years old, and to achieve this objective. The tests were used as a measurement tool, as the flamingho test was applied to measure the level of postural balance, and test the «worner nelson» to measure the precision shooting at soccer. In light of the hypotheses and the methodology followed, able to validate the hypothesis of research and reach the following conclusion: There is a strong correlation between the postural balance and the precision shooting at soccer players over 20 years old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sogdian artists constantly adopted external religious iconographies from Mesopotamia, Greece, and India to represent local deities without major problems. Apparently, they did the same in their colonies abroad and especially in Buddhist Dunhuang where the main cultural milieu was Chinese. Two deities represented on a paper fragment from Dunhuang have been puzzling scholars since the 1990s. They present very strong Sogdian religious elements that, however, should be studied within the framework of Sino-Uighur art and culture of the Western Regions and Dunhuang. Many scholars considered the two deities both to be women. This article discusses the possibility that they actually represent a couple despite their aspect. Only one of them is a woman who can be identified with Nana. The other deity is probably Tish who was Nana's husband and corresponded to the Avestan rain god Tishtrya and, in the Mesopotamian cultural sphere, to Nabu. Nana and Nabu formed a divine couple in Mesopotamian religion. Nabu was in origin the patron of scribes and corresponded to Greek Hermes and Egyptian Thoth. He was also connected to the planet Mercury that Chinese artists represented as a woman. Nana and Tish formed a powerful icon that Sogdians reproduced on inexpensive material that could be easily transported and possibly invoked as protectors of the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The thermal infrared imager (TIR) onboard the Hayabusa2 spacecraft performed thermographic observations of the asteroid 162173 Ryugu (1999 JU 3 ) from June 2018 to November 2019. Our previous reports revealed that the surface of Ryugu was globally filled with porous materials and had high surface roughness. These results were derived from making the observed temperature maps of TIR using a projection method onto the shape model of Ryugu as geometric corrections. The pointing directions of TIR were calculated using an interpolation of data from the SPICE kernels (NASA/NAIF) during the periods when the optical navigation camera (ONC) and the light detection and ranging (LIDAR) observations were performed. However, the mapping accuracy of the observed TIR images was degraded when the ONC and LIDAR were not performed with TIR. Also, the orbital and attitudinal fluctuations of Hayabusa2 increased the error of the temperature maps. In this paper, to solve the temperature image mapping problems, we improved the correction method by fitting all of the observed TIR images with the surface coordinate addressed on the high-definition shape model of Ryugu (SFM 800k v20180804). This correction adjusted the pointing direction of TIR by rotating the TIR frame relative to the Hayabusa2 frame using a least squares fit. As a result, the temperature maps spatially spreading areas were converged within high-resolved 0. 5 ∘ by 0. 5 ∘ maps. The estimated thermal inertia, for instance, was approximately 300 ∼ 350 Jm - 2 s - 0.5 K - 1 at the hot area of the Ejima Saxum. This estimation was succeeded in case that the surface topographic features were larger than the pixel scale of TIR. However, the thermal inertia estimation of smooth terrains, such as the Urashima crater, was difficult because of surface roughness effects, where roughness was probably much smaller than the pixel scale of TIR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodontitis is induced by periodontal dysbiosis characterized by the predominance of anaerobic species. TLRs constitute the classical pathway for cell activation by infection. Interestingly, the Toll/IL-1 receptor homology domain adapters initiate signaling events, leading to the activation of the expression of the genes involved in the host immune response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Porphyromonas gingivalis on the expression and protein-protein interactions among five TIR adapters (MAL, MyD88, TRIF, TRAM and SARM) in gingival epithelial cells and endothelial cells. It was observed that P. gingivalis is able to modulate the signaling cascades activated through its recognition by TLR4/2 in gingival epithelial cells and endothelial cells. Indeed, MAL-MyD88 protein-protein interactions associated with TLR4 was the main pathway activated by P. gingivalis infection. When transient siRNA inhibition was performed, cell viability, inflammation, and cell death induced by infection decreased and such deleterious effects were almost absent when MAL or TRAM were targeted. This study emphasizes the role of such TIR adapter proteins in P. gingivalis elicited inflammation and the precise evaluation of TIR adapter protein interactions may pave the way for future therapeutics in both periodontitis and systemic disease with a P. gingivalis involvement, such as atherothrombosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]