Microencapsulated Chitosan-Based Nanocapsules: A New Platform for Pulmonary Gene Delivery

In this work, we propose chitosan (CS)-based nanocapsules (NCs) for pulmonary gene delivery. Hyaluronic acid (HA) was incorporated in the NCs composition (HA/CS NCs) aiming to promote gene transfection in the lung epithelium. NCs were loaded with a model plasmid (pCMV-βGal) to easily evaluate their transfection capacity. The plasmid encapsulation efficiencies were of approx. 90%. To facilitate their administration to the lungs, the plasmid-loaded NCs were microencapsulated in mannitol (Ma) microspheres (MS) using a simple spray-drying technique, obtaining dry powders of adequate properties. In vivo, the MS reached the deep lung, where the plasmid-loaded CS-based NCs were released and transfected the alveolar cells more homogeneously than the control formulation of plasmid directly microencapsulated in Ma MS. The HA-containing formulation achieved the highest transfection efficiency, in a more extended area and more homogeneously distributed than the rest of tested formulations. The new micro-nanostructured platform proposed in this work represents an efficient strategy for the delivery of genetic material to the lung, with great potential for the treatment of genetic lung diseases.

Distinguishing volcanic from impact glasses—The case of the Cali glass (Colombia)

Natural glass occurs on Earth in different geological contexts, mainly as volcanic glass, fulgurites, and impact glass. All these different types of glasses are predominantly composed of silica with variable amounts of impurities, especially the alkalis, and differ in their water content due to their mode of formation. Distinguishing between different types of glasses, on Earth and also on the Moon and on other planetary bodies, can be challenging. This is particularly true for glasses of impact and volcanic origin. Because glass is often used for the determination of the age of geological events, even if out of geological context, as well as to derive pressure and temperature constraints, or to evaluate the volatile contents of magmas and their source regions, we rely on methods that can unambiguously distinguish between the different types of glasses. We used the case of the Cali glass, found in an extended area close to the city of Cali in western Colombia, which was previously suggested to be of impact or volcanic origin, to show that, using a multimethod approach (i.e., combining macroscopic observations, chemical and isotopic data, and H2O content), it is possible to distinguish between different formation modes. A suite of Cali glass samples was analyzed using electron microprobe, instrumental neutron activation analysis, thermal ionization mass spectrometry, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, allowing us to definitively exclude an impact origin and instead classify these glasses as a rhyolitic volcanic glass (obsidian). Our results suggest that other “unusual glass occurrences” that are claimed, but not convincingly proven, to be of impact origin should be reexamined using the same methodology as that applied here.

EARP: Extended Area Multihop Node Localization Algorithm for Anisotropic Wireless Sensor Networks

Localization is one of the essential problems in the Internet of Things (IoT) and other wireless sensor applications. Most traditional range-free localization algorithms ignore the anisotropy factors, which are frequently observed in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) and result in low positioning precision. To mitigate the impact of anisotropy on localization, this paper proposes an extended area multihop node localization method. The proposed method classifies and discusses the boundaries of the concave area within the communication range of the node and then uses the maximum split communication distance of the node to identify and mark the boundary of the concave area. When the shortest communication path between the nodes is affected by the concave area, the boundary of the concave area is expanded to obtain the new shortest communication path, and the node distance is obtained by comparing the changes in the communication path. After a large number of simulation tests, it is shown that the calculation accuracy of this scheme is better than that of similar modern mainstream localization algorithms.

The Language of Jewellery: Dress-accessories and Negotiations of Identity in Scandinavia, c. AD 400–650/70

In the 5th–7th centuries AD, members of the female population in Scandinavia frequently wore a costume adorned with conspicuous items of jewellery. Many of the items, such as brooches and clasps, were dress-accessories used to fasten these garments. Some of them, moreover, were popular over an extended area of Europe, and have been found in Scandinavia, Anglo-Saxon England and on the Continent alike. This book provides an analysis of more than 1,800 such items of jewellery from Scandinavia. It explores the contextual and geographical distribution through time of four major types of dress-accessory: cruciform brooches, relief brooches, wrist-clasps and conical brooches. Detailed analysis reveals distribution patterns and variations that provide new insights into the multifaceted reality of the Scandinavian pre-Viking period. The author argues that in a time characterized by social stress and upheaval, women played an important role in the negotiation of identities through the use of costume adorned with dress-accessories. These negotiations were part of a continuous, complex and ever-changing discourse of identity, in which different dimensions of multiple identities were generated, articulated and transformed. In some instances, a common identity is manifest even at a date which precedes by several centuries the unification of much the same areas into single medieval kingdoms, while social and political conditions could equally trigger either the material expression or the disappearance of shared identities at local, regional, and even pan-European levels. This book also offers a more nuanced view of ethnic groupings during the 5th–7th centuries by examining the inter-connectedness of the flexible and mobile ‘warrior nations’ of the Migration Period, and the territorially rooted, often historically documented ‘peoples’, who are reflected in the practices of female dress.

Mathematical modelling of evapotranspiration by using remote sensing and data mining

Precise evaluation of evapotranspiration in an extended area is crucial for water requirement. By using remote sensing evapotranspiration algorithms, many climatological variables are needed. In case of using climatological variable measurements, many climatic stations must be established in that specific area. By using data mining method integrated with remote sensing, evapotranspiration can be calculated with high accuracy. A physical-based SEBAL evapotranspiration algorithm was modeled by GIS model builder for ET calculations. Albedo, emissivity, and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) were considered as M5 decision tree model inputs. Evapotranspiration was evaluated for 3 April 2020 to 17 September 2020 and the equations were extracted in the M5 decision tree model and these equations were modeled in GIS by using python scripts for 3 April 2020 to 17 September 2020. The results make clear that the mathematical decision tree model can estimate the evapotranspiration gained by physical-based SEBAL algorithm in high accurately.

A REVIEW STUDY ON INDIA’S MULTILATERAL DEFENSE TIES

After the Cold War, India's foreign relations have become increasingly divisive. New geo strategic facts need to improve relationships and major powers, such as the US, the EU, Russia, Japan and China as well following the applicable 'Look East' policy in an extended area, especially ASEAN countries. Towards the use of the nation's 'soft power' as part of defense diplomacy, the role of international cooperation in achieving increasing communication efforts are increasingly being accepted worldwide. From a geo-economics perspective, finding a better place than geo- politics even the deployment of security forces around the world is changing. An important role played by the Indian military in creating stable conditions for the country's economic development is also now known. India’s recent use of vaccine diplomacy as a soft power on the world forum is a perfect example. Also India's neighbors first policy targets peace and cooperation between neighboring countries.

Calibration of Mg ∕ Ca and Sr ∕ Ca in coastal marine ostracods as a proxy for temperature

The Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca ratios of marine shells have been widely used in environmental paleoreconstructions to understand past marine conditions. Temperature calibrations to ostracod Mg/Ca ratios are known to be species-specific but only available for a few species, despite the large number of known ostracod species. Here, we develop temperature calibrations for two shallow marine ostracods, Sinocytheridea impressa and Neomonoceratina delicata, using modern sediment samples. Our results show that adult specimens of these two species might be useful as a paleothermometer. We observed significant correlations using the Mg/Ca ratios of both species to the annual (Mg/CaS. impressa=3.7 ⋅ T−62.7; Mg/CaN. delicata=1.6 ⋅ T−16.8) and April (Mg/CaS. impressa=2.8 ⋅ T−39.2; Mg/CaN. delicata=1.6 ⋅ T−15.7) temperatures. The correlation of temperature to the Mg/Ca ratio of S. impressa is more significant and therefore should be preferred for paleoreconstructions. Re-analysis from satellite data allows us to validate our temperature calibration to an extended area around the Pearl River estuary. Our results show that Mg/Ca of S. impressa and N. delicata ostracods can be used to reconstruct water temperature at a regional scale, which provides information on the oceanic circulation in coastal areas of the South China Sea. Sr/Ca ratios of both species do not correlate with any of the 24 water parameters recorded by the Environmental Protection Department of Hong Kong, including temperature (21.7–24.1 ∘C), salinity (23.8–33.7 PSU), dissolved oxygen (4.3–7.1 mg L−1), suspended solids (1.9–35.4 mg L−1) and pH (7.7–8.2).

Proposal of System for Calculating Sky View Factor Using Google Street View

In recent years, big data entered use in various fields. Google Street View (hereinafter called “GSV”) can be regarded as open big data, and its images can be obtained using API. The streets can be viewed 360° horizontally and 290° vertically from each point on the web. In addition to those, zooming up is available, and the viewpoint can be moved approximately 10 m forward or backward to/from the current point. The original image to provide the view is the panoramic image associated with the latitude and longitude information on the street consecutively at intervals of 10 m, and they exist as massive data on the web. We determine the area of the sky using these images from GSV. In this research, we calculate the sky view factor (hereinafter called “SVF”) in an extended area by defining the area of the sky with the SVF and utilizing the computer.