Human major infections: Tuberculosis, treponematoses, leprosy—A paleopathological perspective of their evolution

The key to evolution is reproduction. Pathogens can either kill the human host or can invade the host without causing death, thus ensuring their own survival, reproduction and spread. Tuberculosis, treponematoses and leprosy are widespread chronic infectious diseases whereby the host is not immediately killed. These diseases are examples of the co-evolution of host and pathogen. They can be well studied as the paleopathological record is extensive, spanning over 200 human generations. The paleopathology of each disease has been well documented in the form of published synthetic analyses recording each known case and case frequencies in the samples they were derived from. Here the data from these synthetic analyses were re-analysed to show changes in the prevalence of each disease over time. A total of 69,379 skeletons are included in this study. There was ultimately a decline in the prevalence of each disease over time, this decline was statistically significant (Chi-squared, p<0.001). A trend may start with the increase in the disease’s prevalence before the prevalence declines, in tuberculosis the decline is monotonic. Increase in skeletal changes resulting from the respective diseases appears in the initial period of host-disease contact, followed by a decline resulting from co-adaptation that is mutually beneficial for the disease (spread and maintenance of pathogen) and host (less pathological reactions to the infection). Eventually either the host may become immune or tolerant, or the pathogen tends to be commensalic rather than parasitic.

Anomalous Behavior of Highly Active Helical Swimmers

Artificially designed self-propelled objects can allow studying active matter phenomena with great detail that is not possible in natural, e.g. biological systems. Here, we show experimental results on helical shaped, magnetically actuated, reciprocal swimmers, where the degree of randomness in the reciprocal sequence plays an important role in determining their effective motility. Here, for the first time we show the results at high activity levels where the degree of randomness is further affected by the presence of the surface, which in turn results in a non-monotonic increase of motility as a function of magnetic drive. It will be interesting to extend these studies to denser systems where the swimmers can interact with each other through hydrodynamic forces.

How Human H1 Histone Recognizes DNA

Linker H1 histone is one of the five main histone proteins (H1, H2A, H2B, H3, and H4), which are components of chromatin in eukaryotic cells. Here we have analyzed the patterns of DNA recognition by free H1 histone using a stepwise increase of the ligand complexity method; the affinity of H1 histone for various single- and double-stranded oligonucleotides (d(pN)n; n = 1–20) was evaluated using their competition with 12-mer [32P]labeled oligonucleotide and protein–oligonucleotide complex delaying on nitrocellulose membrane filters. It was shown that minimal ligands of H1 histone (like other DNA-dependent proteins and enzymes) are different mononucleotides (dNMPs; Kd = (1.30 ± 0.2) × 10−2 M). An increase in the length of single-stranded (ss) homo- and hetero-oligonucleotides (d(pA)n, d(pT)n, d(pC)n, and d(pN)n with different bases) by one nucleotide link regardless of their bases, leads to a monotonic increase in their affinity by a factor of f = 3.0 ± 0.2. This factor f corresponds to the Kd value = 1/f characterizing the affinity of one nucleotide of different ss d(pN)n for H1 at n = 2–6 (which are covered by this protein globule) is approximately 0.33 ± 0.02 M. The affinity of five out of six DNA nucleotide units is approximately 25 times lower than for one of the links. The affinity of duplexes of complementary homo- and hetero-d(pN)20 is only 1.3–3.3-fold higher in comparison with corresponding ss oligonucleotides. H1 histone forms mainly weak additive contacts with internucleoside phosphate groups of ssDNAs and one chain of double-stranded DNAs, but not with the bases.

SO087RISK OF INTRADIALYTIC HYPOTENSION BY DAY OF THE WEEK IN MAINTENANCE HEMODIALYSIS

Background and Aims Intradialytic hypotension (IDH) affects up to 50% of maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients and is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular (CV) events and mortality. CV events are more common on the days of dialysis and are most pronounced following the longer interdialytic interval. We wished to investigate if the rates of IDH differed according to dialysis day. Method We examined data from adult patients undergoing in-center thrice-weekly maintenance HD (N= 975 patients/n=59,004 sessions from a large dialysis organization [LDO] and N=1,838 patients/n=64,407 sessions from the Hemodialysis [HEMO] Study). We fit random effects logistic regression models to determine the association of day of HD (Mon/Tue [HD1]; Wed/Thu [HD2]; Fri/Sat [HD3]) with various definitions of IDH. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race, Kt/V, membrane flux, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, access type (catheter vs. fistula vs. graft), pre-dialysis blood urea nitrogen, ultrafiltration rate, pre-HD systolic blood pressure (SBP). IDH definitions included Nadir90 (nadir intra-HD SBP &lt;90mmHg), Nadir90/100 (nadir intra-HD SBP &lt;90mmHg if pre-HD SBP &lt;160mmHg or &lt;100mmHg if pre-HD SBP ≥160mmHg), Fall20 (pre-SBP minus nadir SBP ≥20mmHg) and Fall30 (pre-SBP minus nadir SBP ≥30mmHg). Results Mean age was 60 years, 44% were female and 38% were black in the LDO cohort, while mean age was 58 years, 56% were female and 63% were black in HEMO. Nadir90 occurred in 15% of LDO and 11% of HEMO sessions; Nadir90/100 occurred in 18% of LDO and 14% of HEMO sessions; Fall20 occurred in 76% of LDO and 68% of HEMO sessions; Fall30 occurred in 60% of LDO and 50% of HEMO sessions. Overall, a monotonic increase in the risk of IDH was observed for HD2 and HD3 compared with HD1 for all IDH definitions in both cohorts (see Table and Figure). Conclusion We observed a consistent monotonic increase in the risk of IDH for HD2 and HD3, compared with HD1 in two separate cohorts of maintenance HD patients. Potential explanations may relate to progressive reduction in post-HD weight during the dialytic week, or perhaps more aggressive ultrafiltration in advance of the longer interval. Further research to determine the underling mechanisms is necessary to guide practicing nephrologists when individualizing the HD prescription.

Распыление поверхности кремния при низкоэнергетической высокодозовой имплантации ионами серебра

The results of the first practical observations of sputtering of a Si surface after implantation with Ag+ ions with an energy of 30 keV depending on the implantation dose D in the range from 2.5 • 10^16 to 1.5 • 10^17 ion/cm^2 at a fixed current density in the ion beam J = 8 μA/cm^2 are presented. And also with a variation of J = 2, 5, 8, 15, and 20 µA/cm^2 for a constant value D = 1.5 • 10^17 ion/cm^2. In the first case, a monotonic increase in the thickness of the sputtered layer to 50 nm is observed at maximum D, and the effective sputtering coefficient of the implanted Ag:PSi layer is 1.6. It was also established that the thickness of the sputtering layer increases with increasing J.

The improved buckling theory for the column beyond the elastic limit

The article considers a new effect, namely, spontaneous bending (due to the vanishingly small disturbance) of an inelastic column when it is centrally compressed by a force that is less than critical. Earlier, no attention was paid to this effect. The problem is discussed on the example of a simply supported column of rectangular cross section. At a certain level of the force applied to the column curved due to spontaneous bending, the force increment causes the moment increment of an indefinite value. This force level is considered to be the critical one. Its calculation, which does not take into account the non-monotonic increase in stresses during the column deformation, gives the critical force exactly equal to the tangent modulus one.

Multivalent ion-induced re-entrant transition of carboxylated cellulose nanofibrils and its influence on nanomaterials’ properties

In this work, we demonstrate a re-entrant transition of carboxylated cellulose nanofibrils hydrogel where the gel-strength abruptly increases and then decreases back upon monotonic increase in multivalent salt concentration.

An Evaluation of the Trends in Land Values around Institutions of Higher Learning in North Central Nigeria

The need to study trends in land values around institutions of higher learning cannot be overemphasized. Numerous studies in Nigeria have investigated the economic and social influence of the siting of institutions of higher learning at the micro, meso and macro levels. However, very few studies have evaluated the extent at which such institution influences local land values. Institutions, to a large extent, exert an element of control on the physical and environmental aspects of their immediate vicinity. Therefore, attention must be in place to evaluate the influence of such control on land values. This study examined the trend in land values using the Mann-Kendall analysis in order to determine monotonic increase, decrease or stability in the land values across six institutions of higher learning for the period between 2004 and 2014. Specifically, the results of this study revealed that land values have either been increasing or remained stable in all institutions. The study finally recommends measures that can be put in place as counter measures for land values across institutions of higher learning.

Flip of the jet head position of 3C 84 in 2015

By performing the multi-epoch monitoring observation with KaVA at 43 GHz, we investigate the kinematics of the notable newborn bright component C3 located at the tip of the recurrent jet of 3C 84. During 2015 August-September,we discover the positional flip of the C3 component about 0.4 milli-arcsecond in angular scale. The flux density of the C3 component coherently showed the monotonic increase after the flip during our monitoring period. These phenomena are in good agreement with characteristic behaviors of a jet propagation in clumpy ambient medium predicted in hydrodynamical simulations.