The non-differentiable solution of the linear and non-linear partial differential equations on Cantor sets is implemented in this article. The reduced differential transform method is considered in ...the local fractional operator sense. The four illustrative examples are given to show the efficiency and accuracy features of the presented technique to solve local fractional partial differential equations.
Many stone tools were found on a hill south of the Hor Al-Dalmaj which is located in the central part of the alluvial plain of Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. The types of rocks ...from which the studied stone tools were made are not found in the alluvial plain, because it consists of friable sand, silt, and clay. All existing sediments were precipitated in riverine environments such as point bar, over bank, and floodplain sediments. The collected stone tools were described with a magnifying glass (10 x) and a polarized microscope after they were thin sectioned. Microscopic analysis showed that these stone tools are made of sedimentary, volcanic igneous and metamorphic rocks, such as: sandstones, limestones, chert, conglomerate, rhyolite, basalt, mica schist, and quartzite. The current studied stone tools were used by ancient humans as pestles, querns, scrapers, and knives. The present study showed that these tools were transported from outside the alluvial plain of Mesopotamia. A stone tool at the archaeological site of Al-Dalmaj indicates that there were some trade routes that connected this site with its surrounding; in addition to the economic, and that might occurred cultural exchanges during the Neolithic Period.
Two wells (EB10 and EB92) within the East Baghdad Oilfields in central Iraq were chosen to study the Zubair Formation sandstones. The Zubair sandstones mostly consist of quartz (84–97.5%), feldspar ...(0–2.9%), and heavy minerals (0.1–1%) with a few rock fragments. The most common binding materials are silica, carbonate, and ferruginous cements. As a result, matrix makes up less than 10% of the rock. The sandstones are mineralogically and texturally mature quartz arenites. Heavy minerals were classified into four major groups. The opaque, ultrastable (zircon, tourmaline, rutile), metastable (pyroxene, amphibole, garnet, epidote), and mica (muscovite, biotite, chlorite) groups are among these as well. These minerals' features revealed that they are mostly of mature passive continental margin, acidic igneous, and regional metamorphic origin. The Arabian Shield is thought to be the origin of the Zubair sediments, which were deposited under humid or tropical conditions. Zubair Formation sandstones are medium to very fine and well to moderately well sorted sediments. Sedimentary structures and grain-size parameters propose that the Zubair sandstones formed in a mixed fluvial, beach, and shallow marine environment. Sandstone geochemistry has been investigated in order to infer provenance and tectonic settings by subjecting them to whole rock geochemistry (major oxides, trace). The results show that the major oxides of the Zubair sandstones vary only slightly with depth. In comparison to PAAS and UCC values, SiO2 is enriched, while Al2O3, CaO, MgO, Na2O, and K2O are depleted. The geochemical indices of the sediments clearly imply that they were deposited in a humid, non-marine environment.
•Zubair sandstones were deposited in inactive and cratonic environments of passive margins.•Geochemical ratios imply anoxic to dysoxic shelf marine, coastal and river environments.•The sandstones' reservoir potential show that they have a relatively good reservoir potential.
ABSTRACT Objectives: A prospective study was carried out to study the outcome of patients with visceral leishmaniasis and to determine factors associated with poor outcome. Methods: The study ...included 132 in-patient children who were admitted to Basrah Maternity and Children Hospital and Basrah General Hospital during one year(from the first of November 2004 till the end of October 2005), with visceral leishmaniasis confirmed by bone marrow examination and direct agglutination test. Nutritional assessment was done for each patient. All patients with confirmed visceral leishmaniasis were sent for complete blood count. The final diagnosis and the outcome of the patients with visceral leishmaniasis were recorded also. Results: Among 132 sero-positive cases, 78 (59.0%) cases were males, and 54(40.9%) were females. The age of patients ranged between 2 months to 12 years. Sixty five (49.2%) of the cases were improved, 31.8% were discharged on the family responsibility, and 15 cases died. The commonest cause of death was bleeding in 6 cases (40%), followed by hepatic failure in 4 (26.6%), other causes of death were bronchopneumonia, renal and heart failure. Nutritional status and duration of illness were significant determinants of the outcome of visceral leishmaniasis patients. A significantly higher number of malnourished patients didn’t improve compared to well nourished patients, and a significantly higher percent of patients who presented late have died compared to those who presented earlier especially in the first 2 weeks of illness, P<0.05. By using multivariate regression analysis, six variables; low hemoglobin value, low platelet count, male sex, young age, high Direct Agglutination Test titer and malnutrition were found to be significant predictors of death and relapse. Conclusion: Male sex, anemia, thrombocytopenia, high DAT titer and malnutrition are poor prognostic factors in addition late presentation.
Schistosoma mansoni-infected subjects from the Gezira Irrigated Area of Sudan were studied for serum immunoglobulin levels, and specific antibody titres to larval, adult and egg stage antigens, by ...class and IgG subclass. The 276 subjects were adult chronic cases (frequently exposed male canal cleaners), primary school children, and hospital-referred cases with acute symptoms including hepatosplenomegaly. Chronic untreated cases were compared with a similar group of canal cleaners 3 months after successful chemotherapy with Praziquantel administered at the start of the non-transmission season. All cases, except those previously treated, were egg positive at the time of blood sampling. Data from infected and treated cases were compared with measurements of serum immunoglobulin in a panel of European blood donors. The major findings are as follows: There is a consistently elevated total serum IgG concentration in infected groups which is accounted for mainly by an increased IgG1 subclass (greatest in chronic cases) and by a remarkable 10- to 11-fold increase in IgG4 in the untreated chronically infected group and in the schoolchildren. All infected groups showed high IgG antibody responses to all life cycle stage antigens, and IgM titres were high to adult and egg antigens in untreated canal cleaners. Major differences were evident in the distribution of IgG subclass antibodies between the infected groups: the response to larval and adult antigens is poor or absent in IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3 in untreated chronic infections but is high in IgG4, whereas in acute cases with hepatosplenomegaly and in school-children IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3 antibodies to larval antigens are in high titre but IgG4 and IgM responses to larvae are low or absent, the response in these isotypes being restricted in these cases to adult and egg antigens. Comparing the treated and untreated canal cleaners, although these are separate groups, the data suggest that Praziquantel reduces total serum IgA and IgM levels but has little effect on the raised IgG component except for the IgG4 subclass. The treated chronic cases show a reversal in the ratio of IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3 to IgG4 antibodies to larval and adult antigens compared with the untreated chronic group-the IgG4 response being low by 3 months after treatment and the IgG1, IgG2 and IgG3 being high. These data are discussed in relation to the possible importance of antibody isotype selection in determining host susceptibility to infection, with reference to age, exposure and treatment of the host.
Glaucoma is a neurodegenerative disease in which the retinal ganglion cell axons of the optic nerve degenerate concomitant with synaptic changes in the retina, leading finally to death of the retinal ...ganglion cells (RGCs). Electrical stimulation has been used to improve neural regeneration in a variety of systems, including in diseases of the retina. Therefore, the focus of this study was to investigate whether transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES) in the DBA2/J mouse model of glaucoma could improve retinal or optic nerve pathology and serve as a minimally invasive treatment option. Mice (10 months-old) received 21 sessions of TES over 8 weeks, after which we evaluated RGC number, axon number, and anterograde axonal transport using histology and immunohistochemistry. To gain insight into the mechanism of proposed protection, we also evaluated inflammation by quantifying CD3
+
T-cells and Iba1
+
microglia; perturbations in metabolism were shown
via
the ratio pAMPK to AMPK, and changes in trophic support were tested using protein capillary electrophoresis. We found that TES resulted in RGC axon protection, a reduction in inflammatory cells and their activation, improved energy homeostasis, and a reduction of the cell death-associated p75NTR. Collectively, the data indicated that TES maintained axons, decreased inflammation, and increased trophic factor support, in the form of receptor presence and energy homeostasis, suggesting that electrical stimulation impacts several facets of the neurodegenerative process in glaucoma.
Abstract
In this work, the bending loss was numerically studied within the COMSOL environment, where the general formula for profile index including graded and step-index types was adopted. The study ...showed an increase in bending loss with decreases bending radius, decreases core radius and increases wavelength. The graded order is effective up to after which the loss is constant. There is an oscillating change in loss caused by interference between the outgoing and reflected waves from the boundaries, which becomes clearer as the loss itself increases.
From a panel of monoclonal antibodies to Schistosoma mansoni, one that is specific to a shared cercarial and schistosomular antigen, and does not react with other major parasite species including ...Fasciola hepatica, was selected for use as an antigen-capture layer in a sandwich ELISA for detection of specific circulating immune complexes in the blood of S. mansoni-infected subjects from Sudan. The test, which identifies immune complexes of only a single antibody-bound antigen, is developed using human Ig class- and IgG subclass-specific enzyme (HRP)-antibody conjugates. European blood donor sera and those with rheumatoid factor and/or anti-nuclear antibody are negative in this test. The prevalence and distribution of the different antibody isotypes in antigen-specific complexes was determined in 276 subjects of four infection groups; primary school children, adult irrigation canal cleaners with chronic infections, an equivalent group of Praziquantel cured canal cleaners, and hospital-referred cases with severe hepatosplenic symptoms. The isotype profiles of antibodies in the specific complexes were compared with those in the total serum complexes prepared by polyethylene glycol precipitation. In chronic infections and in children there is a high prevalence of IgG and IgM specific complexes, the IgG being predominantly IgG1, with little or no IgG3 and IgG4. Treated chronic infections show reduced specific complexes in all classes of antibody. Compared with chronic and children's infections, a large proportion of the patients with severe infections have in addition to high IgM, high levels of IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4 specific complexes, a fact which suggests a causal relationship between antibody production in one or more of these subclasses to the circulating antigen and symptoms of hepatosplenic disease. Although all subjects have significant amounts of total serum complexes with IgG, untreated chronic infections have much higher concentrations than other infected groups. This group also has the highest levels and prevalence of IgM and IgE complexes. In treated chronic cases IgG and IgM total complexes are greatly reduced. The significant finding in patients with severe symptoms is the relatively high IgA immune complex level compared with other groups. Taken overall the results suggest that screening of populations in endemic regions for serum immune complexes by specific and non-specific means could offer valuable data on the significance of antibody responses to circulating antigens in different isotypes in relation to pathogenesis.
This paper shows how to use the fractional Sumudu homotopy perturbation technique (SHP) with the Caputo fractional operator (CF) to solve time fractional linear and nonlinear partial differential ...equations. The Sumudu transform (ST) and the homotopy perturbation technique (HP) are combined in this approach. In the Caputo definition, the fractional derivative is defined. In general, the method is straightforward to execute and yields good results. There are some examples offered to demonstrate the technique's validity and use.
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