Current status of arsenic exposure and social implication in the Mekong River basin of Cambodia

Phan, K.,Kim, K. W.,Huoy, L.,Phan, S.,Se, S.,Capon, A. G.,Hashim, J. H. Springer Science + Business Media 2016 Environmental geochemistry and health Vol.38 No.3

<P>To evaluate the current status of arsenic exposure in the Mekong River basin of Cambodia, field interview along with urine sample collection was conducted in the arsenic-affected area of Kandal Province, Cambodia. Urine samples were analyzed for total arsenic concentrations by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. As a result, arsenicosis patients (n = 127) had As in urine (UAs) ranging from 3.76 to 373 A mu g L-1 (mean = 78.7 +/- A 69.8 A mu g L-1; median = 60.2 A mu g L-1). Asymptomatic villagers (n = 108) had UAs ranging from 5.93 to 312 A mu g L-1 (mean = 73.0 +/- A 52.2 A mu g L-1; median = 60.5 A mu g L-1). About 24.7 % of all participants had UAs greater than 100 A mu g L-1 which indicated a recent arsenic exposure. A survey found that females and adults were more likely to be diagnosed with skin sign of arsenicosis than males and children, respectively. Education level, age, gender, groundwater drinking period, residence time in the village and amount of water drunk per day may influence the incidence of skin signs of arsenicosis. This study suggests that residents in Kandal study area are currently at risk of arsenic although some mitigation has been implemented. More commitment should be made to address this public health concern in rural Cambodia.</P>

A SUB-SATURN MASS PLANET, MOA-2009-BLG-319Lb

Miyake, N.,Sumi, T.,Dong, Subo,Street, R.,Mancini, L.,Gould, A.,Bennett, D. P.,Tsapras, Y.,Yee, J. C.,Albrow, M. D.,Bond, I. A.,Fouqué,, P.,Browne, P.,Han, C.,Snodgrass, C.,Finet, F.,Furusawa, K IOP Publishing 2011 The Astrophysical journal Vol.728 No.2

<P>We report the gravitational microlensing discovery of a sub-Saturn mass planet, MOA-2009-BLG-319Lb, orbiting a K-or M-dwarf star in the inner Galactic disk or Galactic bulge. The high-cadence observations of the MOA-II survey discovered this microlensing event and enabled its identification as a high-magnification event approximately 24 hr prior to peak magnification. As a result, the planetary signal at the peak of this light curve was observed by 20 different telescopes, which is the largest number of telescopes to contribute to a planetary discovery to date. The microlensing model for this event indicates a planet-star mass ratio of q = (3.95 +/- 0.02) x 10(-4) and a separation of d = 0.97537 +/- 0.00007 in units of the Einstein radius. A Bayesian analysis based on the measured Einstein radius crossing time, t(E), and angular Einstein radius,theta(E), along with a standard Galactic model indicates a host star mass of M-L = 0.38(-0.18)(+0.34) M-circle dot and a planet mass of M-p = 50(-24)(+44)M(circle plus), which is half the mass of Saturn. This analysis also yields a planet-star three-dimensional separation of a = 2.4(-0.6)(+1.2) AU and a distance to the planetary system of D-L = 6.1(-1.2)(+1.1) kpc. This separation is similar to 2 times the distance of the snow line, a separation similar to most of the other planets discovered by microlensing.</P>

Multistage symmetry breaking in the breathing pyrochlore latticeLi(Ga,In)Cr4O8

Lee, S.,Do, S.-H.,Lee, W.-J.,Choi, Y. S.,Lee, M.,Choi, E. S.,Reyes, A. P.,Kuhns, P. L.,Ozarowski, A.,Choi, K.-Y. American Physical Society 2016 Physical Review B Vol.93 No.17

<P>We present magnetic susceptibility, dielectric constant, high-frequency electron spin resonance, Li-7 nuclear magnetic resonance, and zero-field muon spin relaxation measurements of LiACr(4)O(8) (A = Ga, In), towards realizing a breathing pyrochlore lattice. Unlike the uniform pyrochlore ZnCr2O4 lattice, both the In and the Ga compounds feature two-stage symmetry breaking: a magnetostructural phase transition with subsequent antiferromagnetic ordering. We find a disparate symmetry breaking process between the In and the Ga compounds, having different degrees of bond alternation. Our data reveal that the Ga compound with moderate bond alternation shows the concomitant structural and magnetic transition at T-S = 15.2 K, followed by the magnetic ordering at T-m = 12.9 K. In contrast, the In compound with strong bond alternation undergoes a thermal crossover at T* approximate to 20.1 K from a tetramer singlet to a dimer singlet or a correlated paramagnet with a separate weak magnetostructural transition at T-S = 17.6 K and the second antiferromagnetic ordering at T-m = 13.7 K. This suggests that the magnetic phases and correlations of the breathing pyrochlore lattice can be determined from the competition between bond alternation and spin-lattice coupling, thus stabilizing long-range magnetic ordering against a nonmagnetic singlet.</P>

OGLE-2015-BLG-1482L: The First Isolated Low-mass Microlens in the Galactic Bulge

Chung, S.-J.,Zhu, W.,Udalski, A.,Lee, C.-U.,Ryu, Y.-H.,Jung, Y. K.,Shin, I.-G.,Yee, J. C.,Hwang, K.-H.,Gould, A.,Albrow, M.,Cha, S.-M.,Han, C.,Kim, D.-J.,Kim, H.-W.,Kim, S.-L.,Kim, Y.-H.,Lee, Y.,Park, American Astronomical Society 2017 The Astrophysical Journal Vol.838 No.2

<P>We analyze the single microlensing event OGLE-2015-BLG-1482 simultaneously observed from two ground-based surveys and from Spitzer. The Spitzer data exhibit finite-source effects that are. due to the passage of the lens close to or directly over. the surface of the source star as seen from Spitzer. Such finite-source effects generally yield measurements of the angular Einstein radius, which when combined with the microlens parallax derived from a comparison between the ground-based and the Spitzer light curves. yields the lens mass and lens-source relative parallax. From this analysis, we find that the lens of OGLE-2015-BLG-1482 is a very low-mass star with a. mass 0.10 +/- 0.02 M-circle dot or a brown dwarf with a. mass 55 +/- 9MJ, which are. located at D-LS = 0.80 +/- 0.19 kpc and D-LS = 0.54 +/- 0.08 kpc, respectively,. where DLS is the distance between the lens and the source, and thus it is the first isolated low-mass microlens that has been decisively located in the Galactic bulge. The degeneracy between the two solutions is severe ( Delta chi(2) = 0.3). The fundamental reason for the degeneracy is that the finite-source effect is seen only in a single data point from Spitzer, and this single data point gives rise to two solutions for rho, the angular size of the source in units of the angular Einstein ring radius. Because the rho degeneracy can be resolved only by relatively high-cadence observations around the peak, while the Spitzer cadence is typically similar to 1 day(-1), we expect that events for which the finite-source effect is seen only in the Spitzer data may frequently exhibit this rho degeneracy. For OGLE-2015-BLG-1482, the relative proper motion of the lens and source for the low-mass star is mu(rel) = 9.0 +/- 1.9 mas yr(-1), while for the brown dwarf it is 5.5 +/- 0.5 mas yr(-1). Hence, the degeneracy can be resolved within similar to 10 years from direct-lens imaging by using next-generation instruments with high spatial resolution.</P>

Numerical modelling for evaluating the TMD performance in an industrial chimney

A.L. Ibán,A.V. Belver,J.M.W. Brownjohn,P.M. López-Reyes,K. Koo 한국풍공학회 2013 한국풍공학회지 Vol.17 No.3

A numerical technique for fluid-structure interaction, which is based on the finite element method (FEM) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD), was developed for application to an industrial chimney equipped with a pendulum tuned mass damper (TMD). In order to solve the structural problem, a one-dimensional beam model (Navier-Bernoulli) was considered and, for the dynamical problem, the standard second-order Newmark method was used. Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible flow are solved in several horizontal planes to determine the pressure in the boundary of the corresponding cross-section of the chimney. Forces per unit length were obtained by integrating the pressure and are introduced in the structure using standard FEM interpolation techniques. For the fluid problem, a fractional step scheme based on a second order pressure splitting has been used. In each fluid plane, the displacements have been taken into account considering an Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian approach. The stabilization of convection and diffusion terms is achieved by means of quasi-static orthogonal subscales. For each period of time, the fluid problem was solved and the geometry of the mesh of each fluid plane is updated according to the structure displacements. Using this technique, along-wind and across-wind effects have been properly explained. The method was applied to an industrial chimney in three scenarios (with or without TMD and for different damping values) and for two wind speeds, showing different responses.

Mode Change of a Gamma-Ray Pulsar, PSR J2021+4026

Zhao, J.,Ng, C. W.,Lin, L. C. C.,Takata, J.,Cai, Y.,Hu, C.-P.,Yen, D. C. C.,Tam, P. H. T.,Hui, C. Y.,Kong, A. K. H.,Cheng, K. S. American Astronomical Society 2017 The Astrophysical journal Vol.842 No.1

<P>A glitch of a pulsar is known as a sudden increase in the spin frequency and spin-down rate (frequency time derivative), and it can be caused by a sudden release of the stress built up in the solid crust of the star or pinned vortices in the superfluid interior. PSR J2021+4026 is the first pulsar that shows a significant change in the gamma-ray flux and pulse profile at the glitch that occurred around 2011 October 16. We report the results of timing and spectral analysis of PSR J2021+4026 using similar to 8 yr Fermi. Large Area Telescope data. We find that the pulsar stayed at a high spin-down rate (similar to 4% higher than the pre-glitch value) and a low gamma-ray state (similar to 18% lower) for about 3 yr. after the glitch. Around 2014 December, the spin-down rate and gamma-ray flux gradually returned to pre-glitch values within a timescale of a. few months. The phase-resolved spectra and pulse profiles after the relaxation are also consistent with those before the glitch. The observed long-term evolution of the spin-down rate and the gamma-ray flux indicates that the glitch triggered a mode change in the global magnetosphere. We speculate that the glitch changed. the local magnetic field structure around the polar cap and/or the inclination angle of the. dipole axis, leading to. a change in the electric current circulating in the. magnetosphere.</P>

Effect of Different Spray Dried Plasmas on Growth, Ileal Digestibility, Nutrient Deposition, Immunity and Health of Early-Weaned Pigs Challenged with E. coli K88

Bosi, P.,Han, In K.,Jung, H.J.,Heo, K.N.,Perini, S.,Castellazzi, A.M.,Casini, L.,Creston, D.,Gremokolini, C. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2001 Animal Bioscience Vol.14 No.8

A total of 96 piglets were weaned at 19 and 13 days in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively, and allotted to one of four diets: three with different spray dried plasmas (SPs) and one with hydrolysed casein (HC). SPs were from pigs (SPP), mixed origin (SMP), and mixed origin with standardized level of immunoglobulins (SMPIG). All the diets contained 1.7% total lysine, 25% of the test protein source, 45% corn starch, 15% lactose, 2% sucrose, 7% soybean oil. At d 4 and d 2 in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively, piglets were perorally challenged with $10^{10}$ CFU E. coli K88. Growth performance, immunity, and health condition were measured for 15 days and 14 days in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. To investigate apparent ileal digestibility and nutrient deposition, all piglets were sacrificed at d 14 in Exp. 2. In 1. 3 piglets died in HC diet and 1 in SPP diet. HC diet showed higher mortality (p<0.01) than other diets. In Exp. 2, no clinical sign of infection was detected, no difference for the content of E. coli K88 was found in feces at 4 and 6 days after the infection, and no E. coli K88 was found in the jejunum at the end of experiment. In both experiments, feed intake was lower for HC diet and ADG was 96, 106, 122 and 155 for HC, SPP, SMP and SMPIG diet, respectively (HC vs others, p<0.05; SMPIG vs other SP, p<0.01). Heal apparent digestibility of nitrogen in sacrificed piglets was higher for HC diet (p<0.05). After the challenge, K88-specific titers in saliva (Exp. 1) and in plasma (Exp. 2) were reduced in SMP and SMPIG. The piglets positive to the adhesion of the used E. coli strain to the intestinal brush borders had a significantly reduced growth (p<0.01) and a higher K88-specific IgA titer in plasma, in comparison with negative ones. This effect was independent of the diet. The data show the relevance of spray dried plasma sources and particularly of SP with standardized level of immunoglobulins for the feeding of early-weaned at the risk of infection by enterotoxigenic bacteria.

Genome-wide association study of recalcitrant atopic dermatitis in Korean children

Kim, K.W.,Myers, R.A.,Lee, J.H.,Igartua, C.,Lee, K.E.,Kim, Y.H.,Kim, E.J.,Yoon, D.,Lee, J.S.,Hirota, T.,Tamari, M.,Takahashi, A.,Kubo, M.,Choi, J.M.,Kim, K.E.,Nicolae, D.L.,Ober, C.,Sohn, M.H. Mosby 2015 The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Vol.136 No.3

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a heterogeneous chronic inflammatory skin disease. Most AD during infancy resolves during childhood, but moderate-to-severe AD with allergic sensitization is more likely to persist into adulthood and more often occurs with other allergic diseases. Objective: We sought to find susceptibility loci by performing the first genome-wide association study (GWAS) of AD in Korean children with recalcitrant AD, which was defined as moderate-to-severe AD with allergic sensitization. Methods: Our study included 246 children with recalcitrant AD and 551 adult control subjects with a negative history of both allergic disease and allergic sensitization. DNA from these subjects was genotyped; sets of common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were imputed and used in the GWAS after quality control checks. Results: SNPs at a region on 13q21.31 were associated with recalcitrant AD at a genome-wide threshold of significance (P < 2.0 x 10<SUP>-8</SUP>). These associated SNPs are more than 1 Mb from the closest gene, protocadherin (PCDH)9. SNPs at 4 additional loci had P values of less than 1 x 10<SUP>-6</SUP>, including SNPs at or near the neuroblastoma amplified sequence (NBAS; 2p24.3), thymus-expressed molecule involved in selection (THEMIS; 6q22.33), GATA3 (10p14), and S-phase cyclin A-associated protein in the ER (SCAPER; 15q24.3) genes. Further analysis of total serum IgE levels suggested 13q21.31 might be primarily an IgE locus, and analyses of published data demonstrated that SNPs at the 15q24.3 region are expression quantitative trait loci for 2 nearby genes, ISL2 and proline-serine-threonine phosphatase interacting protein 1 (PSTPIP1), in immune cells. Conclusion: Our GWAS of recalcitrant AD identified new susceptibility regions containing genes involved in epithelial cell function and immune dysregulation, 2 key features of AD, and potentially extend our understanding of their role in pathogenesis.

Deep VLA Observations of the Cluster 1RXS J0603.3+4214 in the Frequency Range of 1-2 GHz

Rajpurohit, K.,Hoeft, M.,van Weeren, R. J.,Rudnick, L.,Rö,ttgering, H. J. A.,Forman, W. R.,Brü,ggen, M.,Croston, J. H.,Andrade-Santos, F.,Dawson, W. A.,Intema, H. T.,Kraft, R. P.,Jones, C.,Jee American Astronomical Society 2018 The Astrophysical Journal Vol.852 No.2

<P>We report L-band VLA observations of 1RXS J0603.3+4214, a cluster that hosts a bright radio relic, known as the Toothbrush, and an elongated giant radio halo. These new observations allow us to study the surface brightness distribution down to 1 arcsec resolution with very high sensitivity. Our images provide an unprecedented detailed view of the Toothbrush, revealing enigmatic filamentary structures. To study the spectral index distribution, we complement our analysis with published LOFAR and GMRT observations. The bright 'brush' of the Toothbrush shows a prominent narrow ridge to its north with a sharp outer edge. The spectral index at the ridge is in the range -0.70 <= alpha <= -0.80. We suggest that the ridge is caused by projection along the line of sight. With a simple toy model for the smallest region of the ridge, we conclude that the magnetic field is below 5 mu G and varies significantly across the shock front. Our model indicates that the actual Mach number is higher than that obtained from the injection index and agrees well with the one derived from the overall spectrum, namely M = 3.78(-0.2)(+0.3). The radio halo shows an average spectral index of alpha = -1.16 +/- 0.05 and a slight gradient from north to south. The southernmost part of the halo is steeper and possibly related to a shock front. Excluding the southernmost part, the halo morphology agrees very well with the X-ray morphology. A power-law correlation is found between the radio and X-ray surface brightness.</P>

Synthesis and self-assembly of amphiphilic and biocompatible poly(vinyl alcohol)-block-poly(l-lactide) copolymer

Mishra, A.K.,Park, J.,Joseph, K.L.V.,Maiti, S.,Kwak, J.,Choi, C.,Hyun, S.,Kim, J.K. IPC Science and Technology Press 2016 Polymer Vol.100 No.-

Well-defined amphiphilic and biocompatible poly(vinyl alcohol)-block-poly(l-lactide) copolymers (PVA-b-PLLA) were synthesized by the combination of reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT), ring opening polymerization (ROP), and click chemistry. First, an innovative azide-functionalized xanthate mediated chain transfer agent (CTA) [S-(3-azidopropyl propanamide)-(O-butyl xanthate)] was synthesized and used for vinyl acetate (VAc) polymerization through RAFT. Then, azide-terminated poly(vinyl acetate) (azide-PVAc) was converted to the corresponding azide-terminated poly(vinyl alcohol) (azide-PVA) through hydrolysis. Alkyne-terminated poly (l-lactide) (alkyne-PLLA) was synthesized via ROP using a bifunctional initiator, having an alkyne and a hydroxyl group. Finally, azide-PVA and alkyne-PLLA were coupled by 1,3 cycloaddition click reaction to get PVA-b-PLLA. Synthesized azide-PVAc, azide-PVA, alkyne-PLLA and PVA-b-PLLA were characterized by size exclusion chromatography and <SUP>1</SUP>H NMR spectroscopy. The self-assembly of PVA-b-PLLA in water was investigated by transmission electron microscope, atomic force microscopy, dynamic light scattering and <SUP>1</SUP>H NMR spectroscopy. Spherical micelles in water were clearly observed. The critical micelle concentration of PVA-b-PLLA in water was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy, and it was decreased with increasing the molecular weight of PLLA block. PVA-b-PLLA exhibited low cytotoxicity which could be used in biomedical application.