Early-time observations of Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are essential to constrain the properties of their progenitors. In this paper, we present high-quality light curves of 127 SNe Ia discovered by ...the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) in 2018. We describe our method to perform forced point-spread function photometry, which can be applied to other types of extragalactic transients. With a planned cadence of six observations per night (three g + three r), all of the 127 SNe Ia are detected in both g and r bands more than 10 days (in the rest frame) prior to the epoch of g-band maximum light. The redshifts of these objects range from z = 0.0181 to 0.165; the median redshift is 0.074. Among the 127 SNe, 50 are detected at least 14 days prior to maximum light (in the rest frame), with a subset of nine objects being detected more than 17 days before g-band peak. This is the largest sample of young SNe Ia collected to date; it can be used to study the shape and color evolution of the rising light curves in unprecedented detail. We discuss six peculiar events in this sample: one 02cx-like event ZTF18abclfee (SN 2018crl), one Ia-CSM SN ZTF18aaykjei (SN 2018cxk), and four objects with possible super-Chandrasekhar mass progenitors: ZTF18abhpgje (SN 2018eul), ZTF18abdpvnd (SN 2018dvf), ZTF18aawpcel (SN 2018cir), and ZTF18abddmrf (SN 2018dsx).
Dendrocalamus asper, an edible bamboo is valued for its tender edible shoots in the food industry. However, overexploitation of natural stands of D. asper coupled with minimal conservation and ...reforestation efforts has led to its rapid depletion in nature. Therefore protocol for rapid multiplication of D. asper via direct regeneration using nodal segments from mature clumps was standardized and more than 25,000 plants were transferred to the field (Singh et al. 2012a). However, genetic fidelity of these in vitro raised plants needs to be authenticated for commercial scale application of the developed micropropagation protocol. PCR-based molecular markers have emerged as simple, fast, reliable and labor-effective tools for testing the genetic fidelity of in vitro raised plants. This study report the genetic fidelity analysis of in vitro raised plants of D. asper for the first time using arbitrary (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA, RAPD), semi-arbitrary (Inter-Simple Sequence Repeat, ISSR; Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism, AFLP), and sequence-based (Simple Sequence Repeat, SSR) markers. Bulked DNA samples of 20 in vitro raised shoots (collected after every three subculture cycles starting from 3rd to 30th passage) and field transferred plantlets were compared with the mother plant DNA using 90 primer combinations (25 each of RAPD, ISSR, SSR, and 15 AFLP) and scorable bands were produced by 78 (22 RAPD, 24 ISSR, 21 SSR, and 11 AFLP) primers. A total of 146 distinct and scorable bands were produced by 22 RAPD primers with an average of 6.6 bands per primer while the number of bands for ISSR primers varied from 3 (ISSR-4 and 9) to 13 (ISSR-17), with an average of 7.1 bands per primer. Similarly, SSR markers also showed wide variation in number of bands, ranging from 2 (RM 261) to 12 (RM 44, 140, and 224) with an average of 7.8 bands. AFLP primer combinations could generate 35–72 bands with an average of 48.7 bands per primer pair. Amplification of monomorphic bands with all primer combinations authenticated the true to type nature of the in vitro raised plants of D. asper which underwent up to 30 subculture passages over a period of approximately 2 years thereby supporting the commercial utilization of the developed micropropagation protocol.
Dendrocalamus hamiltonii is a giant, evergreen, clumping, multipurpose bamboo with strong culms which are mainly used for construction, handicrafts and fuel. The tender shoots are also used as food. ...Overexploitation of existing natural stocks coupled with harvesting of culms before seed formation, a long flowering cycle, irregular and poor seed production, short seed viability, seed sterility, limited availability of offsets and rhizomes and seasonal dependence are some of the major bottlenecks in conventional propagation of this species. Therefore, alternative methods like micropropagation can fill the gap in demand and supply of true-to-type planting material. Recently, our micropropagation protocol for rapid multiplication of D. hamiltonii through axillary bud proliferation using nodal explants from mature culms was standardized, and more than 3,000 plants were transferred to the field. However, somaclonal variations are known to appear in the in vitro-derived clones due to culture-induced stresses. Therefore, the present investigation was conducted to ascertain the effect of the length of in vitro culture age on clonal fidelity of regenerated plants using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The genomic DNA samples (i.e. mother plant, in vitro-raised shoots from the 3rd to 30th passage, and in vitro-raised plants transferred to the field) were subjected to PCR amplification using 90 primer combinations (25 each of RAPD, ISSR and SSR, and 15 AFLP primer combinations) of which 76 (23 RAPD, 24 ISSR, 21 SSR and 8 AFLP) markers showed amplified DNA fragments. The 23 RAPD primers produced 162 distinct amplified DNA fragments from 2 (OPE-5) to 16 (OPE-16) fragments per primer, while 24 ISSR primers produced 181 distinct amplified DNA fragments with an average of 7.5 fragments per primer. The number of bands generated by SSR primers varied from 3 (RM-7 and RM-240) to 14 (RM-44), and the eight combinations of AFLP primers produced 369 distinct and scorable amplified DNA fragments with an average of 46.1 fragments per primer. Appearance of monomorphic bands with all the tested primer combinations confirmed the true-to-type nature of the in vitro clones of D. hamiltonii and hence the suitability of the developed micropropagation protocol for commercial-scale plant production.
Abstract Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been well characterized by the presence of reactive microglia, often associated with β-amyloid (Aβ) plaque deposition. The oligomeric form of Aβ peptide (Aβo ) ...has neurotoxic effects in the presence of microglia and is suggested to potentiate proinflammatory changes in microglia in AD. Primary murine microglia cultures stimulated with Aβo displayed increased protein phosphotyrosine and secreted tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels which were attenuated by the Src/Abl inhibitor, dasatinib. Intracerebroventricular infusions of Aβo into C57BL6/J mice stimulated increased microgliosis and protein phosphotyrosine levels that were also attenuated by dasatinib administration. The rodent findings were validated in human AD brains versus age-matched controls demonstrating reactive microglial association with Aβo deposits and increased microglial protein phosphotyrosine and phospho-Src levels. These data suggest a role for Aβo in microglial activation through a tyrosine kinase-dependant pathway both in rodent models and human disease. Use of a selective nonreceptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor such as dasatinib to attenuate microglial-dependent proinflammatory changes may prove to be an important step toward developing anti-inflammatory treatments for AD.
The concept of f-statistical convergence which is, in fact, a generalization of statistical convergence, has been introduced recently by Aizpuru et al. (Quaest. Math. 37: 525-530, 2014). The main ...object of this paper is to prove an f-statistical analog of the classical Korovkin type approximation theorem of Boyanov and Veselinov. It is shown that the f-statistical analog is intermediate between the classical theorem and its statistical analog. As an application, we estimate the rate of f-statistical convergence of the sequence of positive linear operators defined from C*0,infinite) into itself. KCI Citation Count: 0
The use of custom microplex integrated circuits to read out directly 10800 of a multiwire proportional chamber based on a ring imaging Cherenkov (RICH) photon detector is described. Analog pedestal ...substraction for every pad, digitization, sparsification, and hit list are done on the fly while serial analog data is being read from the microplex chips. The overall system uses less than 100 cables. Cost per channel for electronics and pads are 4.00 and 1.07, respectively.< >
Hyperoxaluria is a stress that leads to calcium oxalate crystal deposition which further causes inflammation and renal cell necroptosis. Many studies have linked osteopontin expression with apoptosis ...and inflammation but so far its association with apoptosis with regard to hyperoxaluria is undiscovered. Moreover, a recent report has suggested that osteopontin induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and subsequently apoptosis in myocytes. In this study, the impact of hyperoxaluria on the modulation of osteopontin expression and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress mediated apoptosis in rats is explored. Hyperoxaluria was induced in rats by three different doses viz. ethylene glycol alone, ethylene glycol and ammonium chloride together and third group were fed with hydroxyl-l-proline. After hyperoxaluria induction rats were sacrificed and renal tissue was analysed for crystal depositions, osteopontin expression, inflammation, ER stress and subsequent unfolded protein response intermediates (UPR). Altered histoarchitecture of renal tissue and elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) along with the presence of calcium oxalate crystals were observed in the hyperoxaluric groups. As expected, inflammation and apoptosis was significantly high in all hyperoxaluria groups. Osteopontin expression showed significant up-regulation following hyperoxaluria. Further, a similar trend between expression of osteopontin and elevated ER stress level was observed. Moreover, UPR intermediates expression was also concurrent with osteopontin levels. It is observed that the extent of calcium oxalate crystal deposition is directly associated with the expression of osteopontin, inflammation and ER stress. The results advocate possible association of osteopontin with ER stress, thus suggesting that the ER could be a new target for developing therapeutic regimes for kidney stones.
Introduction
There has been a resurgence of interest in brachytherapy as a treatment for glioblastoma, with several currently ongoing clinical trials. To provide a foundation for the analysis of ...these trials, we analyze the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to determine whether receipt of brachytherapy conveys a survival benefit independent of traditional prognostic factors.
Materials and methods
We identified 60,456 glioblastoma patients, of whom 362 underwent brachytherapy. We grouped patients based on receipt of brachytherapy and compared clinical and demographic variables between groups using Student’s t-test and Pearson’s chi-squared test. We assessed survival using Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models.
Results
Median overall survival was 16 months in patients who received brachytherapy compared to 9 months in those who did not (log-rank p < 0.001). Patients who underwent brachytherapy tended to be younger (p < 0.001), suffered from smaller tumors (< 4 cm, p < 0.001), and were more likely to have undergone gross total resection (GTR, p < 0.001). In univariable Cox models, these variables were independently associated with improved overall survival. Additionally, improved survival was associated with known receipt of chemotherapy (HR 0.459, p < 0.001), external beam radiation (HR 0.447, p < 0.001), and brachytherapy (HR 0.637, p < 0.001). The association between brachytherapy and improved survival remained robust (HR 0.859, p = 0.031) in a multivariable model that adjusted for patient age, tumor size, tumor location, GTR, receipt of chemotherapy, and receipt of external beam radiation.
Conclusion
Our SEER analysis indicates that brachytherapy is associated with improved survival in glioblastoma after controlling for age, tumor size/location, extent of resection, chemotherapy, and external beam radiation.
Opioid use is a cause of concern in many parts of the world. About 2.1% Indians use opioids. Opioids are also the most common drugs used by injection drug users in India. Despite various treatment ...strategies used to manage opioid use disorders (OUDs), relapse is common. A good treatment program would make efforts to address lapses and prevent relapse. Hence, there is a need to understand the factors associated with relapse in OUD.
One hundred and twenty patients completed a baseline assessment that included socio-demographic details and the Maudsley Addiction Profile (MAP). They were followed up for three months and assessed using telephonic interview for opioid use. All those who relapsed were assessed using the Reasons for Relapse Questionnaire (RRQ). The patients who relapsed were compared with the patients who were abstinent. Relapse was defined as any use of opioid during follow-up.
Forty participants relapsed during the 90 days of the study period. Relapsed patients had a greater number of conflict days with family members, used a higher amount of heroin and cannabis at baseline, were less likely to be discharged on buprenorphine, and were more likely to drop out. Participants cited mood and social reasons more often than cue/craving and unwell domains of RRQ.
Baseline treatment and prospective factors are associated with relapse in OUD. Addressing these factors can help in reducing relapse in OUD patients.
Novel composites were prepared by oxidative polymerization of aniline over hybrid carbon nanostructured assemblage consisting of graphene and amine functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The ...chemical structure of the obtained composites has been confirmed by UV–visible Spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. To know about the crystalline properties of the composites, X-ray diffraction studies have been done. The structural and morphological properties of the composites were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The composite having thinnest polymer film exhibited highest conductivity of 0.11 S/cm and maximum electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness value of 21 dB obtained in the frequency range 12–18 GHz (KU-band).
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