A remarkable permeability enhancement of Ni1-xZnxFe2O4 (x = 0.65 and 0.70), using a multi-compound calcined additive.

In this study, entanglement of composition, additive and/or sintering conditions and their effects on magnetic properties of soft ferrites, nickel zinc spinel ferrites (Ni1-xZnxFe2O4, x = 0.65 and 0.70) which were prepared via conventional solid-state reaction method investigated. Also an equiponderant calcined mixture of Bi2O3, CaO, CeO2, SiO2, Al2O3, Y2O3 and nanotitania was mixed thoroughly and used as a multi-compound calcined additive (MCCA). Calcined ferrite powders were crushed, dry and wet milled, dried, mixed with different amounts of MCCA (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 wt%), formed in toroidal shapes and finally sintered at different temperatures, from 1150 up to 1360 °C for 3 h. X-ray diffraction assessment confirmed formation of the single phase cubic spinel structures. Initial permeability and Q-factor spectra of the toroids were obtained from 0.1 to 1000 kHz, using an LCR meter. The results show that initial permeability of each sample has a maximum and addition of MCCA to the ferrites leads to a marvelous increase in permeabilities. Additionally, MCCA decreases the optimum sintering temperature too. The optimum amounts of additive were 1.0 and 0.5 wt% for the x = 0.65 (µ' = 492, Ts = 1280 °C) and x = 0.70 (µ' = 478, Ts = 1320 °C), respectively. Permeability spectra illustrate that utility zone of the Ni0.35Zn0.65Fe2O4 and Ni0.3Zn0.7Fe2O4 are both less than 100 and 10 kHz, respectively. The results represent that there is a strong entanglement between composition, additive and/or sintering conditions. It can be concluded the MCCA added Ni0.35Zn0.65Fe2O4, is suitable for application in the switching power supplies.

Overfitting One-Dimensional convolutional neural networks for Raman spectra identification.

Dedicated handheld spectrometers have been adopted by first responders and law enforcement agencies for in situ identification of unknown substances. Real-time spectral matching process is a pixel-by-pixel comparing of the unknown spectra with reference data. In fact, the success rate of this process using a miniaturized portable Raman spectrometer relies mainly on the variety of reference data carried on the memory. This is a hurdle in miniaturizing and affordability of the current handheld spectrometers due to limited memory and computational power. In this study, we aim to mitigate this issue by utilizing the power of one-dimensional Convolutional Neural Networks (1DCNN) trained on millions of Raman spectra augmented from standard available reference databases. Specifically, an intentionally overfitted 1DCNN model can be substituted with the reference database of handheld spectrometers to alleviate the memory size and increase the identification process speed and accuracy. Our experimental results revealed that 1DCNN could identify one pure unknown Raman instance from thousands of classes with a high accuracy.

Heat dissipation in Sm3+ and Zn2+ co-substituted magnetite (Zn0.1SmxFe2.9-xO4) nanoparticles coated with citric acid and pluronic F127 for hyperthermia application.

In this work, Sm3+ and Zn2+ co-substituted magnetite Zn0.1SmxFe2.9-xO4 (x = 0.0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04 and 0.05) nanoparticles, have been prepared via co-precipitation method and were electrostatically and sterically stabilized by citric acid and pluronic F127 coatings. The coated nanoparticles were well dispersed in an aqueous solution (pH 5.5). Magnetic and structural properties of the nanoparticles and their ferrofluids were studied by different methods. XRD studies illustrated that all as-prepared nanoparticles have a single phase spinel structure, with lattice constants affected by samarium cations substitution. The temperature dependence of the magnetization showed that Curie temperatures of the uncoated samples monotonically increased from 430 to 480 °C as Sm3+ content increased, due to increase in A-B super-exchange interactions. Room temperature magnetic measurements exhibited a decrease in saturation magnetization of the uncoated samples from 98.8 to 71.9 emu/g as the Sm3+ content increased, which is attributed to substitution of Sm3+ (1.5 µB) ions for Fe3+ (5 µB) ones in B sublattices. FTIR spectra confirmed that Sm3+ substituted Zn0.1SmxFe2.9-xO4 nanoparticles were coated with both citric acid and pluronic F127 properly. The mean particle size of the coated nanoparticles was 40 nm. Calorimetric measurements showed that the maximum SLP and ILP values obtained for Sm3+ substituted nanoparticles were 259 W/g and 3.49 nHm2/kg (1.08 mg/ml, measured at f = 290 kHz and H = 16kA/m), respectively, that are related to the sample with x = 0.01. Magnetic measurements revealed coercivity, which indicated that hysteresis loss may represent a substantial portion in heat generation. Our results show that these ferrofluids are potential candidates for magnetic hyperthermia applications.

Distinguishing craniomorphometric characteristics and severity in metopic synostosis patients.

The decision about which metopic synostosis patients should undergo surgery remains controversial. Multiple measures for radiographic severity have been developed in order to determine the optimal criteria for treatment. The aim of this study was to perform an extensive craniomorphometric analysis of patients who underwent surgery for metopic synostosis to validate and compare the various severity scales developed for this non-syndromic craniosynostosis. A comparative morphometric analysis was performed using computed tomography scans of preoperative metopic synostosis patients (n=167) and normal controls (n=44). Measurements included previous and newly developed metopic severity indices. Volumetric and area analyses were used to determine the degree of anterior cranial area and potential volume restrictions. Of the severity indices measured, the frontal angle, endocranial bifrontal angle (EBF), adjusted EBF (aEBF), anterior cranial fossa angle, horizontal cone angle, and bitemporal/biparietal distance ratio were significantly different in the metopic subjects relative to controls overall. However, metopic index, orbital rim angle, foramen ovale distance, and cranial volume exhibited no significant difference from controls. Only the frontal angle and aEBF correlated with the changes in anterior cranial dimensions observed in metopic synostosis. In conclusion, the frontal angle and aEBF provide the most accurate measures of severity in metopic synostosis.

Comparison of Giardia lamblia Infection Status in Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Pediatric Heart Transplant Patients: A Parasitic Infection Assay.

Background: Giardiasis is one of the opportunistic infections in immunocompromised patients, especially among organ transplant recipients. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Giardia lamblia infection in children with heart transplantation. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 53 heart transplant recipients (aged 1-17 years). Transplant patients were on oral Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) from the first day of transplantation as a prophylaxis regimen. The prevalence of Giardia lamblia was evaluated on stool samples by phenotypic assay and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Results: Out of 53 patients studied, 11 (20.75%) had gastrointestinal symptoms, and 42 (79.25%) were asymptomatic cases. No significant difference was observed between patients with and without gastrointestinal symptoms regarding type of heart disorders (p=0.13). The overall prevalence of Giardia lamblia infection among heart transplant patients was 5.7% (n=3). Moreover, the frequency was different between gastrointestinal symptomatic and asymptomatic recipients (27.27% and 0%, respectively). All three patients whose stool exams were phenotypically positive for Giardia lamblia were confirmed with PCR. Out of three, two Giardia lamblia isolates were found to have genotype B, while one isolate had genotype A. All of the Giardia positive patients suffered from chronic diarrhea and anorexia. Cryptosporidium spp., Isospora belli and Blastocysts spp. were not found in these cases. Conclusion: The incidence of Giardia lamblia infection in pediatric heart transplant patients is considerable and should be noted. A comprehensive guideline for the assessment of Giardia lamblia before and after transplantation is suggested.

On the detection of surface spin freezing in iron oxide nanoparticles and its long-term evolution under ambient oxidation.

Exchange bias (EB) effects linked to surface spin freezing (SSF) are commonly found in iron oxide nanoparticles, while signatures of SSF in low-field temperature-dependent magnetization curves have been much less frequently reported. Here, we present magnetic properties of dense assemblies of similar-sized (∼8 nm diameter) particles synthesized by a magnetite (sample S1) and a maghemite (sample S2) method, and the influence of long-term (4 year) sample aging under ambient conditions on these properties. The size of the EB field of the different sample (fresh or aged) states is found to correlate with (a) whether a low-temperature hump feature signaling the SSF transition is detected in out-of-phase ac susceptibility or zero-field-cooled (ZFC) dc magnetization recorded at low field and with (b) the prominence of irreversibility between FC and ZFC curves recorded at high field. Sample S1 displays a lower magnetization than S2, and it is in S1 where the largest SSF effects are found. These effects are significantly weakened by aging but remain larger than the SSF effects in S2, where the influence of aging is considerably smaller. A non-saturating component due to spin disorder in S1 also weakens with aging, accompanied by, we infer, an increase in the superspin and the radius of the ordered nanoparticle cores. X-ray diffraction and Mössbauer spectroscopy provide indication of maghemite-like stoichiometry in both aged samples as well as thicker disordered particle shells in aged-S1 relative to aged-S2 (crystallographically-disordered and spin-disordered according to diffraction and Mössbauer, respectively). The pronounced diminution in SSF effects with aging in S1 is attributed to a (long-term) transition, caused by ambient oxidation, from magnetite-like to maghemite-like stoichiometry, and a concomitant softening of the spin-disordered shell anisotropy. We assess the impact of this anisotropy on the nature of the blocking of the nanoparticle superspins.

Encoder-decoder CNN models for automatic tracking of tongue contours in real-time ultrasound data.

One application of medical ultrasound imaging is to visualize and characterize human tongue shape and motion in real-time to study healthy or impaired speech production. Due to the low-contrast characteristic and noisy nature of ultrasound images, it requires knowledge about the tongue structure and ultrasound data interpretation for users to recognize tongue locations and gestures easily. Moreover, quantitative analysis of tongue motion needs the tongue contour to be extracted, tracked and visualized instead of the whole tongue region. Manual tongue contour extraction is a cumbersome, subjective, and error-prone task. Furthermore, it is not a feasible solution for real-time applications where the tongue contour moves rapidly with nuance gestures. This paper presents two new deep neural networks (named BowNet models) that benefit from the ability of global prediction of encoding-decoding fully convolutional neural networks and the capability of full-resolution extraction of dilated convolutions. Both qualitatively and quantitatively studies over datasets from two ultrasound machines disclosed the outstanding performances of the proposed deep learning models in terms of performance speed and robustness. Experimental results also revealed a significant improvement in the accuracy of prediction maps due to the better exploration and exploitation ability of the proposed network models.

Domain adaptation for ultrasound tongue contour extraction using transfer learning: A deep learning approach.

Automatic and precise delineating of the tongue surface in real-time frames is a challenging task because of the noisy nature of ultrasound images and rapid changes of the tongue. Deep convolutional neural networks have been shown to be successful in medical image analysis tasks such as tongue contour extraction. However, they are typically weak for the same task on different domains. Domain adaptation is an alternative solution for this difficulty by transferring and fine-tuning models on different datasets. In this study, the problem of transfer learning for tongue contour extraction was investigated on different ultrasound datasets.

BCL-2 levels do not predict azathioprine treatment response in inflammatory bowel disease, but inhibition induces lymphocyte apoptosis and ameliorates colitis in mice.

In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), inflammation is sustained by an exaggerated response of lymphocytes. This results from enhanced expression of anti-apoptotic B cell lymphoma (BCL-2) and BCL-XL associated with a diminished turnover. Azathioprine (AZA) directly targets BCL-2 family-mediated apoptosis. We investigated whether the BCL-2 family expression pattern could be used to predict treatment response to AZA and determined whether BCL-2 inhibitor A-1211212 effectively diminishes lymphocytes and ameliorates inflammation in a model of colitis. BCL-2 family expression pattern was determined by next-generation sequencing (NGS). BCL-2 inhibitor was administered orally to Il10-/- mice. Haematological analyses were performed with an ADVIA 2120 and changes in immune cells were investigated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). We determined similar expression levels of BCL-2 family members in patients with remission and patients refractory to treatment, showing that BCL-2 family expression can not predict AZA treatment response. Expression was not correlated with the modified Truelove and Witts activity index (MTWAI). BCL-2 inhibitor initiated cell death in T cells from patients refractory to AZA and reduced lymphocyte count in Il10-/- mice. FACS revealed diminished CD8+ T cells upon BCL-2 inhibitor in Il10-/- mice without influencing platelets. Tnf, Il1ß, IfnƔ and Mcp-1 were decreased upon BCL-2 inhibitor. A-1211212 positively altered the colonic mucosa and ameliorated inflammation in mice. Pro-apoptotic BCL-2 inhibitor A-1211212 diminishes lymphocytes and ameliorates colitis in Il10-/- mice without inducing thrombocytopenia. BCL-2 inhibition could be a new therapy option for patients refractory to AZA.

Investigation of cation vacancies in Zinc substituted maghemite by positron annihilation lifetime and Doppler broadening spectroscopy.

In this work we investigated vacancies in maghemite and Zn substituted maghemite (γ-Fe2-yZn3y/2O3, y=0.0, 0.11, 0.24, 0.36, 0.50 and 0.66) nanoparticles using coincidence Doppler broadening and positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. Coincidence Doppler broadening spectroscopy (CDBS) measurements showed that the positrons annihilated in cation vacancies that surrounded by oxygen anions. Also, the CDBS showed that in pure maghemite and in the y=0.11 samples the vacancies are in octahedral and tetrahedral sites, respectively. For other samples they are distributed in both octahedral and tetrahedral sites. The positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) measurements confirmed the results of the CDBS measurements and also exhibited that the number of vacancies in y=0.36 sample is less than the other samples. This is attributed to Zn substituted magnetite phase in this sample as well as Zn substituted maghemite phase.

Fractal nematic colloids.

Fractals are remarkable examples of self-similarity where a structure or dynamic pattern is repeated over multiple spatial or time scales. However, little is known about how fractal stimuli such as fractal surfaces interact with their local environment if it exhibits order. Here we show geometry-induced formation of fractal defect states in Koch nematic colloids, exhibiting fractal self-similarity better than 90% over three orders of magnitude in the length scales, from micrometers to nanometres. We produce polymer Koch-shaped hollow colloidal prisms of three successive fractal iterations by direct laser writing, and characterize their coupling with the nematic by polarization microscopy and numerical modelling. Explicit generation of topological defect pairs is found, with the number of defects following exponential-law dependence and reaching few 100 already at fractal iteration four. This work demonstrates a route for generation of fractal topological defect states in responsive soft matter.

Role of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in an inflammatory model of murine gingiva.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is one of the major pathways for metabolism of tryptophan in a variety of cells, including immune cells. Increasing evidence indicates that IDO is a critical player in establishing the balance between immunity and tolerance and ultimately in the maintenance of homeostasis. By inducing inflammation in gingival tissue, we tested the hypothesis that IDO is a pivotal player in regulating the immune and inflammatory responses of gingiva. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We utilized the IDO knockout mouse model in conjunction with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation. Accordingly, wild-type and IDO knockout mice were injected with LPS or vehicle in the anterior mandibular gingiva, twice over a 2-wk period, which was followed by procurement of gingival tissue for histopathology and preparation of tissue for flow cytometry-based studies. RESULTS: Clinical and histological examinations revealed a marked adverse impact of IDO deficiency on gingival inflammation. These observations were consistent with a more marked increase in the number of cells positive for the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-17, but no significant change in the number of cells positive for the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, in LPS-treated IDO knockout mice. Consistent with the more marked proinflammatory impact of IDO deficiency, the percentage of regulatory T cells was much reduced in gingival tissue of LPS-treated IDO knockout mice than in gingival tissue of wild-type mice. These proinflammatory changes were accompanied with a prominent increase in apoptotic and necrotic cell death in gingival tissue of IDO knockout mice compared with wild-type mice. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our findings support a major role for IDO in the development of gingival inflammation, as an example of an inflammatory condition, and lay the foundation for subsequent studies to explore it as a novel immunotherapy target.

How advances in light technology have shaped ENT.

The development of light technologies, allowing anatomical visualisation of otherwise hidden structures, led to significant advances in ENT in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Natural light from the sun, and from candles, was initially harnessed using mirrors. Later, the invention of limelight and electricity preceded the emergence of the modern-day endoscope, which, in tandem with the discovery of coherent fibre-optics in the 1950s, significantly expanded the surgical repertoire available to otolaryngologists. This study aimed to trace the rich history of ENT through the specialty's use of light.

Increased lymphocyte apoptosis in mouse models of colitis upon ABT-737 treatment is dependent upon BIM expression.

Exaggerated activation of lymphocytes contributes to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Medical therapies are linked to the BCL-2 family-mediated apoptosis. Imbalance in BCL-2 family proteins may cause failure in therapeutic responses. We investigated the role of BCL-2 inhibitor ABT-737 for lymphocyte apoptosis in mice under inflammatory conditions. B.6129P2-interleukin (IL)-10(tm1Cgn) /J (IL-10(-/-) ) weighing 25-30 g with ongoing colitis were used. Fifty mg/kg/day ABT-737 was injected intraperitoneally (i.p.). Haematological analyses were performed with an ADVIA 2120 flow cytometer and mass cytometry with a CyTOF 2. Following i.p. administration, ABT-737 was detected in both spontaneous and acute colitis in peripheral blood (PBL) and colon tissue. Treatment led to lymphopenia. CD4(+) CD44(+) CD62L(+) central memory and CD8(+) , CD44(+) CD62L(-) central memory T cells were decreased in PBL upon ABT-737 compared to vehicle-receiving controls. Increased apoptosis upon ABT-737 was determined in blood lymphocytes, splenocytes and Peyer's patches and was accompanied by a decrease in TNF and IL-1B. ABT-737 positively altered the colonic mucosa and ameliorated inflammation, as shown by colonoscopy, histology and colon length. A decreased BIM/BCL-2 ratio or absence of BIM in both Bim(-) (/) (-) and Il10(-) (/) (-) × Bim(-) (/) (-) impeded the protective effect of ABT-737. The BIM/BCL-2 ratio decreased with age and during the course of treatment. Thus, long-term treatment resulted in adapted TNF levels and macroscopic mucosal damage. ABT-737 was efficacious in diminishing lymphocytes and ameliorating colitis in a BIM-dependent manner. Regulation of inappropriate survival of lymphocytes by ABT-737 may provide a therapeutic strategy in IBD.

Intrathoracic migration of an unbent Steinmann pin.

Steinmann pins are known to be used as a shoulder stabilisation device in recurrent dislocation. Although rare, their potential to migrate within the thorax has been reported. We present the case of an 87-year-old man who was treated for recurrent left shoulder dislocation with pinning using a Steinmann pin. He presented eight days postoperatively with the pin impaling the aortic adventitia. To our knowledge, this is only the fifth case report of such an event. Awareness of this complication and attempts to prevent its occurrence are critical as the outcome can be fatal.

Diabetes mellitus and sensorineural hearing loss among non-elderly people.

One ofthe known complications of diabetes is hearing impairment. This comparative study in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, aimed to evaluate the association of diabetes mellitus and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) among a non-elderly population. Among 160 subjects aged < 60 years with no history of occupational noise exposure (80 diabetics and 80 age- and sex-matched non-diabetic controls), 45% of diabetic patients and 20% of controls had SNHL (OR 3.5, 95% CI: 1.6-6.6). Age at onset and duration of diabetes were associated with SNHL. Diabetes mellitus may be a risk factor for hearing loss regardless of age and smoking. Determining the cause of SNHL in diabetic patients may lead to development of better treatment options.

Diabetes mellitus and sensorineural hearing loss among non-elderly people

One of the known complications of diabetes is hearing impairment. This comparative study in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran, aimed to evaluate the association of diabetes mellitus and sensorineural hearing loss [SNHL] among a non-elderly population. Among 160 subjects aged < 60 years with no history of occupational noise exposure [80 diabetics and 80 age- and sex-matched non-diabetic controls], 45% of diabetic patients and 20% of controls had SNHL [OR 3.5, 95% CI: 1.6-6.6]. Age at onset and duration of diabetes were associated with SNHL. Diabetes mellitus may be a risk factor for hearing loss regardless of age and smoking. Determining the cause of SNHL in diabetic patients may lead to development of better treatment options

Accelerated NaCl-induced hypertension in taurine-deficient rat: role of renal function.

Taurine modulates blood pressure and renal function. As the kidney plays a pivotal role in long-term control of arterial pressure, we tested the hypothesis that taurine-deficient rats display maladaptive renal and blood pressure responses to uninephrectomy. Control and taurine-deficient (i.e., beta-alanine-treated) rats with either one or two remaining kidneys were fed diets containing basal or high (8%) NaCl diet. Urine osmolality was greater in the taurine-deficient than controls fed a normal NaCl diet; proteinuria and blood pressure were unaffected by uninephrectomy. Following 6 weeks on an 8% NaCl diet, the uninephrectomized (UNX) animals developed significant hypertension, which was more severe in the taurine-deficient group; baroreflex function was unaffected. However, the UNX taurine-deficient rats displayed impaired ability to dispose of an acute isotonic saline volume load before a switchover to a high NaCl diet. Nonetheless, a more protracted exposure (i.e., 14 weeks) to dietary NaCl excess eliminated the blood pressure differential between the two groups; at this stage, renal excretory responses to an acute saline volume load or to atrial natriuretic peptide were similar in the two groups. Nonetheless, hypertensive taurine-deficient rats displayed greater proteinuria, although both groups excreted proteins of similar molecular weights ( approximately 15-66 kDa). Further, taurine-deficient kidney specimens displayed periarterial mononuclear cell infiltrates with strong immunoreactivity to the histiocyte marker CD68, suggestive of increased phagocytic activity. In conclusion, taurine deficiency modulates renal adaptation to combined uninephrectomy and dietary NaCl excess, resulting in an accelerated development of hypertension.