Purpose: To explore the differences among erectile aids (i.e., phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors [PDE5i] and intracavernousal drugs) of the relative risk of priapism and identify age groups at risk. Methods: We queried the World Health Organization global database of individual case safety reports (VigiBase) for records of the ADR with sildenafil, tadalafil, avanafil, vardenafil, papaverine, and alprostadil. Disproportionality analyses (case/non-case approach) were performed to assess the relative risk of priapism reporting in PDE5i consumers compared to intracavernousal drug recipients. Results: From a total of 133,819 ADR events for erectogenic medications, 632 were priapism (PDE5is: n=550, 0.41%; intracavernousal drugs: n=82, 9.92%). We observed a strong signal for priapism induction for intracavernousal drugs than PDE5is (reporting odds ratio [ROR]=34.7; confidence interval [CI] 95%: 27.12 - 43.94 vs. ROR= 1.38; CI 95%: 1.24 - 1.54). For all PDE5i agents, the 12-17 years age group had the highest highest ROR (ROR=9.49, CI 95%: 3.76 - 19.93) followed by 2-11 years (ROR=4.31, CI 95%: 1.57 - 9.4). Disproportionality signals for consumers under eighteen for both all PDE5is as a whole (ROR=4.57, CI 95%: 2.48 - 7.73) and sildenafil (ROR=4.89, CI 95%: 2.51 - 8.62) were significantly stronger than individuals eighteen or older (ROR=1.06, CI 95%: 0.93 - 1.21 and ROR=1.08, CI 95%: 0.91 - 1.26, respectively). Conclusions: While the overall risk of priapism following the oral administration of PDE5is is extremely low compared with intracavernousal remedies, adolescents are at a higher risk of priapism than older men.

The intensification of warming-induced mass-mortalities in invertebrate populations is a critical phenomenon that affects many regions worldwide, including temperate ones. Mesophotic zones (from 30 to 150 meters depth) have been hypothesized to provide refuge from climate change to gorgonian populations, a promise for re-seeding damaged or destroyed shallow populations. Using a proteomic approach, we investigated the responses and acclimatization ability of the yellow gorgonian Eunicella cavolini along an environmental gradient following reciprocal transplantations between shallow (20m) and mesophotic (70m) zones. Our results suggested that yellow gorgonians from mesophotic waters exhibit a more plastic response when transplanted into shallow waters, compared to shallow gorgonians when placed at 70m. Colonies transplanted from mesophotic to shallow waters presented a down-regulation of immune response compared to colonies that stayed at 70m. Despite immunodepression, transplanted colonies displayed no signs of necrosis or apoptosis, underscoring the potential acclimation capacity of mesophotic populations. Under future climate change scenarios, Eunicella cavolini populations could thus exhibit physiological plasticity in the face of environmental stress, suggesting that no physiological barrier may limit natural colonization from mesophotic populations. This analysis provides new insights into the cellular and molecular responses of gorgonians to environmental changes.

Dissolved organic matter and inorganic nutrients released from forest leaf litter through leaching are the important energy and nutrient sources that support the production of aquatic food webs. Litter leachate-derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a critical energy source for aquatic heterotrophic microbes, and inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus can enhance primary production. In this study, we experimentally measured the release efficiencies and amounts of dissolved organic DOC, total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) of the leaf litter from 11 temperate tree species by soaking the leaf litter in water for 28 days. We found that the maximal release efficiency (% of element released per estimated mass of the element) was the highest for P and lowest for N. These efficiencies were species-specific. Additionally, the DOC:TDP and TDN:TDP ratios varied among the leachates of different leaf litter species and were considerably lower than the C:P and N:P ratios in leaf litter biomass; the DOC:TDN ratio was higher than the C:N ratio in leaf litter biomass. These results suggested that the ratios of organic carbon to nutrients dissolved into water cannot be fully elucidated using the elemental ratios of leaf litter mass. Based on these findings, we concluded that changes in the vegetations with different leaf litter stoichiometry can alter the relative importance of detrital and grazing food chains in aquatic ecosystems.

¾-power scaling between metabolic rate and body mass is regarded as near-universal across organisms. However, there are compelling reasons to question ¾-power scaling in woody plants, where metabolic rate≈leaf area. This leaf area must provide carbon to the metabolically active sapwood volume (V MASW). V MASW is necessarily a much smaller volume than total wood volume, meaning that scaling of total leaf area LA tot with V MASW should be >¾. Within populations of a species, variants in which V MASW increases per unit leaf area with height growth (e.g. ¾ scaling) would have proportionally less carbon for growth and reproduction as they grow taller. Therefore, selection should favor individuals in which, as they grow taller, leaf area scales isometrically with V MASW. Using tetrazolium staining, we measured total V MASW and total leaf area across 22 individuals of Ricinus communis and confirmed that leaf area scales isometrically with V MASW, and that V MASW is much smaller than total sapwood volume. . With the potential of the LA tot-V MASW relationship to shape factors as diverse as the crown area-stem diameter relationship, conduit diameter scaling, reproductive output, and drought-induced mortality, our work suggests that the notion that sapwood increases per unit leaf area with height growth requires revision.

Structure from Motion (SfM) is a proficient technique for 3D reconstruction from multiple views. However, its potentials could only be seen after the development of computer and digital photograph especially in the developing countries. Nowadays, SfM is applied in many applicative scenarios ranging from earth observation to heritage documentation. An important task in SfM that has been solved just recently in practice is bundle adjustment, which is accomplished through nonlinear least-squares optimization based on Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm. The aim of this paper is to present an experimental validation of the most popular open-source optimization frameworks, which implanted LM algorithm for solving bundle adjustment in SfM. For this purpose, the comparison among their performance is conducted by using bundle adjustment in the large benchmark.

University teachers grow professionally from conversations about learning and teaching with colleagues. Significant informal conversations can be facilitated through formal activities initiated from the institutional side. This case-study shows how a formal institutional initiative to enhance educational quality has facilitated more significant informal conversations. Such conversations power constructive feedback to the organisation, improve the formal quality development work at the institutional level, and increase the use of collegial experiences across the institution. We identify the formal initiative “Collegial sharing sessions” as particularly efficient for fuelling significant informal conversations within and across departments 

A document by Pernille Eidesen. Click on the document to view its contents.

The adverse effect of transient torque reversals (TTRs) on wind turbine gearboxes can be severe due to their magnitude and rapid occurrence compared to other equipment. The primary damage is caused to the bearings as the bearing loaded zone rapidly changes its direction. Other components are also affected by TTRs (such as gear tooth); however, its impact on bearings is the largest. While the occurrence and severity of TTRs are acknowledged in the industry, there is a lack of academic literature on their initiation, propagation and the associated risk of damage. Furthermore, in the wide range of operation modes of a wind turbine, it is not known which modes can lead to TTRs. Further, the interdependence of TTRs on environmental loading like the wind is also not reported. This paper aims to address these unknowns by expanding on the understanding of TTRs using a high fidelity numerical model of an indirect drive wind turbine with a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG). To this end, a multibody model of the drivetrain is developed in SIMPACK. The model of the drivetrain is explicitly coupled to state-of-the-art wind turbine simulator Open-FAST, and a grid-connected DFIG developed in MATLAB ® 's Simulink ® allowing a coupled analysis of the electromechanical system. A metric termed slip risk duration is proposed in this paper to quantify the risk associated with the TTRs. The paper first investigates a wide range of IEC design load cases to uncover which load cases can lead to TTRs. It was found that emergency stop and symmetric grid voltage drops can lead to TTRs. Next, the dependence of the TTRs on inflow wind parameters is investigated using a sensitivity analysis. It was found that the instantaneous wind speed at the onset of the grid fault or emergency shutdown was the most influential factor in the slip risk duration. The investigation enables the designer to predict the occurrence of TTRs and quantify the associated risk of damage. The paper concludes with recommendations for utility-scale wind turbines and directions for future research.

Salmonella is a major pathogen worldwide causing acute foodborne outbreaks. Traditional identification methods, however, are time-consuming and faced complexity to detect contamination of bacteria in the food supply chain timely. We herein aimed to develop a method for rapid and robust detection of Salmonella Typhimurium in milk and chicken meat based on recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) integrated with agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE). Three primers pairs were designed which function both in RPA as well as in polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A total number of 254 S. Typhimurium field isolates from various sources of North Eastern Region (NER) of India were evaluated using both RPA and PCR for validating the assay. The results were consistent in RPA and PCR-based detection using crude DNA obtained by a simple boiling method without any purification step. The RPA-AGE showed versatility functioning at 350C to 410C, and at the temperature of 370C, it only took 5 min of amplification to reach the test threshold of amplicon. The established method had both a good specificity and a sensitivity of 10fg DNA per reaction of 15µL volume. It showed high sensitivity when artificially inoculated in fresh chicken samples even at 10-9 fold dilutions containing 1.95 X 101 to 1.95 X 104 cfu/mL. There was no cross-reactivity with the other four Salmonella serovars and seven bacterial pathogens tested. To our knowledge, this is the first report of reliable serovar specific detection of Salmonella Typhimurium by RPA using crude DNA extracted by a simple boiling method.

Objective: To explore the effects of antenatal anxiety on fetal growth, and to investigate the effect of anxiety timing and the potentially different effect of trait anxiety and state anxiety on fetal growth. Design: Observational cohort study. Setting: Barcelona, Spain. Population: A cohort of 204 women with singleton pregnancies attending the antenatal clinic of a tertiary care setting during the strict lockdown of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Methods: Psychosocial factors, maternal demographics, and obstetric outcomes were studied as potential predictors of low birth weight. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAIs, STAIt), the Edinburgh postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS) were used to assess symptoms of anxiety, symptoms of depression, and social support, respectively. Main Outcome Measures: Neonatal birth weight, head circumference and length. Results: There was a negative correlation between STAIt score (trait anxiety) and birth weight percentile (r=-0.228, p=0.047). In the univariate linear regression analysis, a lower maternal weight and BMI before pregnancy, parity, increased STAIt score and preterm birth below 37 weeks of gestation (p=0.008, p=0.015, p=0.028, p=0.047 and p=0.022, respectively) were identified as predictive risk factors for low birth weight. In the multivariate lineal regression analysis only a lower maternal weight before pregnancy and an increased STAIt score were independent predictors for low birth weight (p=0.020, p=0.049, respectively). Conclusions: Anxiety during pregnancy impacts birth weight, and specifically the trait anxiety, the one associated with the personality attributes, is a predictor for low birth weight.

Commentary

IntroductionMature cystic teratoma (MCT) of the ovary, as a synonym for the ovarian dermoid cyst, is a benign germ cell tumor. The words “teratoma” and “dermoid” were first described by Leblanc in 1831[1]. The incidence of MCT is 10–20 % of all ovarian tumors. It shows the highest incidence in reproductive age women (range 20 to 40 years) [2,3]. It is a slow growing tumor, and the estimated increasing rate is 1.8 cm per year [4]. Long term recurrence rate is less than 5 % after fertility sparing surgery making it a good option for reproductive age group [5].CaseA 17-year-old girl presented with a history of palpable lump in lower abdomen since two years, gradually increasing in size. Initially she consulted a local practitioner and was told to have an ovarian cyst and advised surgery. However, the patient did not take any treatment for two years. Two months ago, she had an episode of acute abdomen. Diagnostic work-up was done at a tertiary center: ascitic tapping was negative for tuberculosis and malignancy; PET scan was suggestive of ovarian malignancy. She underwent laparotomy but the pelvic mass could not be excised due to dense adhesions with bowel and the abdomen was closed and patient referred to our institute.On examination, she had a 15x15 cm abdomino-pelvic mass, firm to hard in consistency, non-tender, with irregular margins and restricted mobility. Serum tumour markers were as follows: alpha feto-protein-2.6 ng/mL (10-20 ng/mL), beta-hCG-1.2 mIU/ml (<5.0 mIU/ml), lactate dehydrogenase- 182 U/L (140-280 U/L), CA125-16.5 U/mL (<35.0 U/mL), carcinoembryonic antigen-12.2 ng/mL (<2.5 ng/mL), CA19.9- 35 U/mL (<37.0 U/mL). Ultrasonography showed a 10x10 cm hypoechoic lesion arising from the left ovary with internal hyperechoic septae and calcifications. On CECT, a 10x7x10 cm solid-cystic lesion which was FDG-avid on PET scan was seen arising from left ovary with multiple septae and calcifications.With a clinical diagnosis of immature teratoma, she was taken for a staging laparotomy. There was a 15x15 cm irregular cystic mass arising from the left ovary which was densely adherent to anterior abdominal wall, omentum and small bowel. There was no ascites, nor were there any peritoneal deposits. On cut section, the multilocular cyst was found to contain sebaceous material, hair and well-formed bowel-like structures (Fig. 1). Left salpingo-oophorectomy and omental biopsy were done and she made an uneventful recovery.Histopathology confirmed a left ovarian mature teratoma with derivatives from all three germinal layers including skin, bone, respiratory epithelium, intestinal epithelium, nerve bundles, skeletal muscle and glial tissue. Immature elements were absent (Fig. 2, A-F).DiscussionMCT contains components originating from three germ cell layers (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm) with varying ratios of skin, neural, teeth, cartilage, respiratory and intestinal epithelium [3]. They include elements of ectodermal origin in 99–100%, mesodermal origin in 73–93%, and endodermal origin in 32–72% [6-8]. About 7–13 % of MCT cases include intestinal epithelium [7], however, there are only a few cases of ovarian MCT containing complete intestinal structures [9,10].Woodfield et al first reported almost complete development of the gastrointestinal tract in a benign cystic teratoma first containing esophagus to colon [11]. Subsequently only four cases of MCT containing well oriented complete intestinal structure have been reported in the literature and these are described in table 1. In most of them the tumor size was less than 10 cm which in our case was also 10 cm. CEA can be an important marker for predicting presence of intestinal epithelium and to be vigilant for malignant intestinal cancers which was also raised in our case [12,13]. Well differentiated mature neuronal component showed FDG activity misleading the diagnosis as also found in our case [14]. In view of low rate of long term recurrence, fertility sparing surgery was done in the current case as well.ConclusionOccurrence of formed bowel inside a mature cystic teratoma is very rare. Significance of this finding is that the colonic epithelium may be the origin of adenocarcinoma. In cases where the mature cystic teratoma is densely adherent to bowel and has been dissected out after adhesiolysis; the cut section of specimen showing bowel can be alarming to the surgeons.Author’s contributions: All authors contributed to the study conception and design.The first draft of the manuscript was written by SK and all authors reviewed and edited the previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscriptConsent for publication: Obtained from the patient’s fatherFunding: Not applicableAvailability of data and material: Not applicableConflicts of interest: There is no conflict of interests among the authorsKey Clinical MessageAbout 7–13 % cases of mature cystic teratoma contain intestinal epithelium but there are only a few reported cases containing complete intestinal structure. We discuss here the case of a 17 year old girl with the above finding and its management.Keywords: bowel, dermoid cyst, intestinal epithelium, mature teratoma, ovaryReferences1. Kim MJ, Kim NY, Lee DY, Yoon BK, Choi D. Clinical characteristics of ovarian teratoma: age-focused retrospective analysis of 580 cases. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2011;205(1):322. Alotaibi MO, Navarro OM. Imaging of ovarian teratomas in children: a 9-year review. Can Assoc Radiol J. 2010;61(1):23–8.3. Caspi B, Appelman Z, Rabinerson D, Zalel Y, Tulandi T, Shoham Z. The growth pattern of ovarian dermoid cysts: a prospective study in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Fertil Steril. 1997;68(3):501–5.4. Chang CF, Lin CK. A case of recurrent, bilateral ovarian mature teratoma in a young woman. BMC Womens Health. 2014;14:57–60.5. Templeman CL, Fallat ME, Lam AM, Perlman SE Hertweck SP, O’Connor DM. Managing mature cystic teratomas of the ovary. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 2000;55(12):738–45.6. Marcial-Rojas RA, Medina R. Cystic teratomas of the ovary. A clinical and pathological analysis of two hundred sixty-eight tumors. Arch Pathol.  1958;66:577–5897. Caruso PA, Marsh MR, Minkowitz S, et al. An intense clinicopathologic study of 305 teratomas of the ovary. Cancer.  1971;27:343–348.8. Blackwell WJ, Dockerty MB, Masson JC, et al. Dermoid cysts of the ovary. Their clinical and pathologic significance. Am J Obstet Gynecol.  1946;51:151–172.9. Fujiwara K, Ginzan S, Silverberg SG. Mature cystic teratomas of the ovary with intestinal wall structures harboring intestinal type epithelial neoplasms. Gynecol Oncol. 1995;56:97–101.10. Tang P, Soukkary S, Kahn E. Mature cystic teratoma of the ovary associated with complete colonic wall and mucinous cystadenoma. Ann Clini Lab Sci. 2003;33(4):465–70.11. Woodfield B, Kate DA, Cantrell CJ, et al: A benign cystic teratoma with gastrointestinal tract development. Am J Clin Pathol  1985;83 :236–240.12. Takao M, Yoshino Y, Taguchi A, Uno M, Okada S, Kino N, et al. A case of mature cystic teratoma with intestinal structures harboring intestinal-type low-grade mucinous neoplasm. Int Canc Conf J. 2018; 7(2):59-6413. Makihara N, Ebina Y, Yamasaki Y, et al. Preoperative prediction of malignant transformation arising in a mature cystic teratoma of the ovary. J Minm Invasive Gynecol.  2014;30:112–116.14. Yokoyama T, Takehara K, Yamamoto Y, Okame S, Shiroyama Y, Yokoyama T, Nogawa T, Sugawara Y. The usefulness of 18F-FDG-PET/CT in discriminating benign from malignant ovarian teratomas. Int J Clin Oncol. 2015 Oct;20(5):960-6. doi: 10.1007/s10147-015-0800-0. Epub 2015 Feb 15. PMID: 25681878.15. Nelson, D.B., Hoffman, B.L., Lemeshev, Y. et al. Avoiding the bowel: a report of a mature cystic teratoma displaying fully developed intestinal tissue protruding from an ovarian tumor. Gynecol Surg 8, 223–225 (2011).Table 1: Case reports with intact intestinal segment associated with Mature cystic teratoma

Objectives: To examine the variation in patient’s health outcomes across different type, route, and strength of menopausal hormone therapy (HT). Design: Retrospective case-control study Setting: United States 2007-2020 Population: 10 million women aged 65 or more in US Medicare. Methods: Cox regression models with time-varying type, route, and strength of HT as well as patient characteristics. Main Outcome(s): all-cause mortality; 5 cancers- breast, lung, endometrial, colorectal, ovarian cancers; 6 CV conditions- ischemic heart diseases, heart failure, venous thromboembolism, stroke, atrial fibrillation, acute myocardial infarction; and dementia. Results Estrogen monotherapy (ET) exhibited a significant, 19% (HR=0.81; 95% CI 0.79-0.82), relative risk reduction on mortality. The reduction was greater with estradiol and vaginal/transdermal than conjugated estrogen and oral preparations. ET also exhibited significant risk reductions for all study cancers; breast (15%), lung (13%), endometrial (29%), colorectal (13%) and ovarian (14%). All ET preparations except low-dose slightly increased risk of ischemic heart diseases (1-4%). Both combination therapy and progestogen monotherapy exhibited significantly increased risk of breast cancer (7-14%). Oral ET exhibited moderately increased risk of stroke (6%) and dementia (2%). Conclusions: Among senior Medicare women, the effect of menopausal HT varies by type, route, and strength. The use of estradiol, vaginal/transdermal, and low/medium for menopausal care is safer than its counterparts.

Body condition is a frequently used physiological indicator of avian health and is affected by an array of environmental variables. Although a number of studies have investigated the specific effects of individual weather variables on body condition in birds, few have analyzed the effects of both temperature and precipitation within the context of an extreme weather event such as hurricanes. In this study we examined the relationship between breeding season body condition and daily maximum temperature, daily minimum temperature, and monthly total precipitation for three passerine bird species at the Welder Wildlife Refuge near Rockport, Texas. We also evaluated yearly changes in body condition over a twelve-year period for northern cardinals (Cardinalis cardinalis), painted buntings (Passerina ciris), and white-eyed vireos (Vireo griseus), focusing on the extreme precipitation event of Hurricane Harvey which caused heavy localized flooding. We found that body condition declined with average daily minimum and maximum temperatures, while precipitation had varied, species-specific effects in the three species analyzed. Our results also suggest that northern cardinals experienced a notable reduction in average body condition in the two years following Hurricane Harvey. Taken together, we conclude that short-term precipitation and temperature drivers can be important correlates of body condition in songbirds and that severe weather events may reduce body condition in some bird species.

The differences in the functional diversity and species diversity of macroinvertebrates can be based to evaluate the changes in local environment. However, there are little available analysis on the effect mechanism of seasons on the functional characteristics of macroinvertebrate communities in the subtropical region. This work compared the functional feeding groups (FFG) of macroinvertebrates in wet season, normal season, and dry season of 2021 in Jingui River in Shenzhen. This work mainly was aimed to comprehend the connection between the environmental driving elements in the Jingui River and the seasonal distribution of the FFG of macroinvertebrates. The highest species diversity and abundance were found among the collector-gatherers (GC), while the largest biomass was observed among the predators. Overall, the functional diversity of the Jingui River exhibited a significantly seasonal change. In particular, the functional diversity decreased in wet season, implying a stronger disturbance. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the species diversity and stream environmental parameters might account for 12.8% - 72.9% of the functional diversity of macroinvertebrates.

Raptors are apex predators threatened globally by electrocution, collisions, and habitat fragmentation. Most species of raptors are understudied and largely unexplored. Top predators like raptors depend on the sustainability of the ecosystems in which they live and migrate. Knowing how endangered raptors are geographically dispersed, as well as the factors that may influence how they use their habitat, is critical for their protection. This research focuses on Kenya, where there are gaps in knowledge on appropriate habitats and raptor dispersal patterns. With several species of raptors endangered, it is crucial to determine their distribution patterns for management and conservation. To evaluate the size of the realized niches for five Kenyan raptor species at the risk of extinction, we applied species distribution models (SDMs) through an ensembling approach using occurrence data from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and environmental covariates. These species were: Martial eagle, Secretarybird, Bateleur, Steppe Eagle, and Southern ground hornbill. The five raptors’ distribution within and outside protected areas and the role of key environmental predictors in predicting their distribution was estimated. Our findings indicate raptor distribution in several areas in Kenya that is predominantly in the south-western region, extending into the country’s central region. Martial eagle had the largest niche range amounting to ca.49,169 km2 while the Southern ground hornbill had the smallest niche range amounting to ca.4,145 km2. Secretarybird had the highest distribution outside protected areas at 77.57% followed by the Martial eagle at 76.89%. Significant predictors of raptor species distribution in Kenya were; precipitation during the warmest quarter, precipitation during the driest month, and precipitation during the coldest quarter. Key areas for raptor conservation listed here could serve as foundation for a number of additional Important Bird Areas (IBAs) in Kenya, according to the A1 Global IBA Criterion for species that are globally threatened.

The development of DNA-based methods in recent decades has opened the door to numerous new lines of research in the biological sciences. While their speed and accuracy are clearly beneficial, the sensitivity of these methods has the adverse effect of increased susceptibility to false positives resulting from contamination in field or lab. Here, we present findings from a metabarcoding study on the diet of and food availability for several insectivorous birds, in which multiple lepidopteran species not known to occur locally were discovered. After describing the pattern of occurrences of these non-local species in the samples, we discuss various potential origins of these sequences. First, we assess that the taxonomic assignments appear reliable, and local occurrences of many of the species can be plausibly ruled out. Then, we look into the possibilities of natural environmental contamination, judging it to be unlikely, albeit impossible to fully falsify. Finally, while the pattern of occurrences did not suggest lab contamination, we find overlap with material handled in the same lab, which was undoubtedly not coincidental. Even so, not all exact sequences were accounted for in these locally conducted studies, nor was it clear if these and other sequences could remain detectable years later. Although the full explanation for the observations of non-local species remains inconclusive, these findings highlight the importance of critical examination of metabarcoding results, and showcase how species-level taxonomic assignments utilizing comprehensive reference libraries may be a tool in detecting potential contamination events, and false positives in general.

IASPEI National Correspondent, INSA IUGG-IGU National Committee (e-mail: ajay@ngri.res.in)Summary 

Solar Photo Voltaic system (SPVS)-based water pumping has been gaining wonder attention because it serves as an effective alternative to traditional energy sources in remote areas. In this paper, an SPV panel is connected to pumping applications through back-to-back converter arrangements. This proposed work three different DC/DC boost converter comprises a conventional boost converter (BC), Z-source boost converter (ZSC) and Quasi Z-Source Boost Converter (QZSC) at the front-end for dc integration of SPVS and a three-phase voltage source inverter (VSI) at the back-end, and it fed a Brushless DC Motor (BLDC) motor is connected. The dc link capacitor is connected in between the converter and inverter system. The front-end converter is employed to regulate the dc voltage obtained from the SPVS and the maximum power is extracted by adopting two different algorithms of Incremental Conductance Maximum Power Point Tracking (INC-MPPT) technique and INC trained artificial neural network (INC-ANN-MPPT). The back end two controller proposed to operation of VSI such as conventional MPP DC link voltage (V dc) reference and closed loop speed dual tuned PID (VSDT-PID). The conventional control trained ANN controller (VSDT -ANN) with hall effect feedback to optimal operation of motor speed. The back-end converter is employed to regulate the speed of the water flow by controlling the speed of the BLDC motor, irrespective of the irradiance level of SPV. By altering the dc link voltage, the BLDC motor’s different configuration PV insolation and motor load torque. To analysis different configuration conversion system power extraction, transient, settling time, voltage, current and speed deviation of the proposed conversion system, and then compared with the implemented conversion system in MATLAB/ Simulink platform.

Purpose: This study evaluated the outcome of prognostic features and survival results of the major and minor malignant salivary gland carcinoma (MSGC) histopathologies. Materials and Methods: One hundred-forty patients with major/minor MSGC were registered in databases from 2004 to 2019. The median age of the patients was 57 (18-89). Major MSGC was diagnosed in 81 patients and mostly in the parotid gland (49%). Minor MSGC was diagnosed in 59 patients and often on the hard palate (19%). The most common histopathology is mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC)(47%) in major MSGC and adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) in minör MSGC (31%). Major MSGC was most diagnosed in the early stages, while the minor MSGC was diagnosed in the advanced stages. Results: Median follow-up is 73 months (5-197). The ten year local control (LC) and the distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) rates were 85% and 76%, respectively. The overall survival rate was 79% (10 years). The local control rates were statistically different in the patients with R1-R2 diseases (p=0.039) and advanced T and N stages (p=0.05, p=0.022, respectively). The presence of microscopic perineural invasion (PNI) was not significant in local recurrence in patients with ACC. Distant metastasis rates were statistically increased in patients with advanced tumor and nodal stages (p=0.031, p=0.003, respectively), R1-R2 disease (p=0.027), high grade (p=0.048), PNI (p=0.006). Conclusions: Advanced tumor and nodal stage, high tumor grade, and surgical margin status are strongly correlated with the worse oncological outcomes. The prognostic significance of microscopic PNI has not yet been clarified.

Ecosystem management aims at providing many ecosystem services simultaneously. Such ecosystem multifunctionality can be limited by trade-offs and increased by synergies among the underlying ecosystem functions (EF), which need to be understood to develop targeted management. Previous studies found differences in the correlation between EFs. We hypothesised that correlations between EFs are variable even under the controlled conditions of a field experiment and that seasonal and annual variation, plant species richness, and plot identity (identity effects of plant communities such as the presence and absence of functional groups and species) are drivers of these correlations. We used data on 31 EFs related to plants, consumers, and physical soil properties that were measured over 5 to 19 years, up to three times per year, in a temperate grassland experiment with 80 different plots, constituting six sown plant species richness levels (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 60 species). We found that correlations between pairs of EFs were variable, and correlations between two particular EFs could range from weak to strong correlations or from negative to positive correlations among the repeated measurements. To determine the drivers of pairwise EF correlations, the covariance between EFs was partitioned into contributions from plant species richness, plot identity, and time (including years and seasons). We found that most of the covariance for synergies was explained by species richness (26.5%), whereas for trade-offs, most covariance was explained by plot identity (29.5%). Additionally, some EF pairs were more affected by differences among years and seasons and therefore showed a higher temporal variation. Therefore, correlations between two EFs from single measurements are insufficient to draw conclusions on trade-offs and synergies. Consequently, pairs of EFs need to be measured repeatedly under different conditions to describe their relationships with more certainty and be able to derive recommendations for the management of grasslands.

The 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) melanin is one of important virulence factors for Cryptococcus neoformans, which may trigger immune responses in the host. It is worth exploring the genetic function of C. neoformans, by which we may derive more antifungal strategies. Therefore, we established two systems that were constructed quickly and easily for the knock-down/knock-out of LAC1 gene: RNA interference (RNAi) and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas9. The RNAi system used pSilencer 4.1-CMV neo plasmid and short hairpin RNA to realize the effective transcriptional suppression. The CRISPR-Cas9 system used the PNK003 vectors to obtain a stable albino mutant strain. The results of phenotype, qRT-PCR, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and spectrophotometry were used to assess the ability of melanin production. As a result, the RNAi system displayed attenuation of transcriptional suppression when the transformants continuously passed on new plates. However, the transcriptional suppression of long loop in short hairpin RNA were more powerful and lasted longer. The CRISPR-Cas9 system constructed an albino strain completely without the ability to produce melanin. Considering the weakening of transcriptional suppression, we recommend using a long loop for the RNAi system and 1st or 2nd passage of knockdown strains for the subsequent studies. Besides, the different capacities of melanin production might be useful for exploring the linear relation between melanin and immunoreaction of the host. In addition, we recommend applying the PNK003 vectors to other serotypes of C. neoformans for quick screening of possible trait-regulating genes because of its easy construction and valid knockout effect.

This article presents a high-efficiency circularly polarized slotted waveguide leaky wave antenna at the W band. A linearly polarized beam-steering antenna is designed by creating an array of longitudinal slots on the WR-10 waveguide and to achieve circular polarization, a single-layer polarization converter has been used. A new technique has been proposed to enhance the overall efficiency of the antenna. The wall thickness of the waveguide containing the radiating slots is reduced to increase the overall radiation efficiency of the provided antenna. The gain of the prototype antenna is above 20 dBi in the intended operating band from 92 GHz to 98 GHz. Furthermore, the antenna provides an average half-power beamwidth (HPBW) of 3.2° in the elevation plane and a cross-polarization below -18 dB in the main beam direction. Attributed to robust structure, reliable fabrication, and simple antenna configuration as well as its superior performance, the proposed structure is a strong candidate for various W band applications.

Purpose Successful utilization of anatomical templates in the evaluation of diffusion-weighted neuroimaging-studies requires accurate registration of intra-individual datasets. We investigated the feasibility of structural MRI image registration onto single-shot and read-out segmented echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging variants for use in tractographic samplings of the visual system, in particular the optic nerve. Methods Slab volumes of the optic nerve pathway from thirteen volunteers were acquired and preprocessed. Three neuroradiologists marked landmarks (ROIs, regions of interest) on two diffusion-weighted and one structural dataset. Structural ROIs were respectively registered (6/12 degrees of freedom, DOF) onto single-shot (ss-EPI) and readout-segmented (rs-EPI) volumes. All six ROI/FOD (fibre orientation distribution) combinations underwent a targeted tractography task (MRtrix3: iFOD2). Results Inter-rater reliability for ROI-placement was highest in VIBE images (0.66 to 0.95, mean 0.85) and lower in both ss-EPI (mean 0.77) and rs-EPI (0.46 to 0.84, mean 0.64). Sufficient FOD generation in the optic nerve was successful in 12/26 of all cases for ss-EPI volumes (46.2% of cases) and in 18/26 for rs-EPI volumes (69.2%). Spatial shift of VIBE-drawn ROI-coordinates after 6-DOF registration was highest for ss-EPI-targets (medians: 1.15 to 1.4 mm; rs-EPI 0.82 to 0.93 mm), whereas 12-DOF registration caused less spatial shifts (ss-EPI: 0.64 to 1.03 mm; rs-EPI: 0.58 mm to 0.79 mm). Tractography results revealed no significant differences between ss-EPI and rs-EPI sequences on cases with mutual generation of sufficient FODs (n=10). Conclusion Structurally-placed ROIs (highest inter-rater reliability) with 6-DOF registration onto rs-EPI targets (highest FOD-generation rate) seems most suitable for white matter template generation.