Solvable Systems of Linear Differential Equations

The asymptotic iteration method (AIM) is an iterative technique used to find exact and approximate solutions to second-order linear differential equations. In this work, we employed AIM to solve systems of two first-order linear differential equations. The termination criteria of AIM will be re-examined and the whole theory is re-worked in order to fit this new application. As a result of our investigation, an interesting connection between the solution of linear systems and the solution of Riccati equations is established. Further, new classes of exactly solvable systems of linear differential equations with variable coefficients are obtained. The method discussed allow to construct many solvable classes through a simple procedure.Comment: 13 page

An Exact Solution for Static Scalar Fields Coupled to Gravity in (2+1)(2+1)-Dimensions

We obtain an exact solution for the Einstein's equations with cosmological constant coupled to a scalar, static particle in static, "spherically" symmetric background in 2+1 dimensions.Comment: 9 pages. Replaced by a revised versio

Portable Microfluidic Integrated Plasmonic Platform for Pathogen Detection

Timely detection of infectious agents is critical in early diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. Conventional pathogen detection methods, such as enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), culturing or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) require long assay times, and complex and expensive instruments, which are not adaptable to point-of-care (POC) needs at resource-constrained as well as primary care settings. Therefore, there is an unmet need to develop simple, rapid, and accurate methods for detection of pathogens at the POC. Here, we present a portable, multiplex, inexpensive microfluidic-integrated surface plasmon resonance (SPR) platform that detects and quantifies bacteria, i.e., Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) rapidly. The platform presented reliable capture and detection of E. coli at concentrations ranging from ∼105 to 3.2 × 107 CFUs/mL in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) fluid. The multiplexing and specificity capability of the platform was also tested with S. aureus samples. The presented platform technology could potentially be applicable to capture and detect other pathogens at the POC and primary care settings. © 2015, Nature Publishing Group. All rights reserved

Early growth and childhood adiposity. The Generation R Study

The World Health Organization defines overweight and obesity as abnormal or excessive accumulation of adipose tissue, which is an established risk factor for harmful health. Common health consequences of overweight and obesity include cardiometabolic diseases – mainly diabetes, stroke and heart diseases – orthopedical disorders and some cancers such as breast- and colon cancer. Currently, overweight and obesity are the fifth leading cause of global deaths.The burden of diabetes and ischemic heart disease are for 44% and 23% attributable to overweight and obesity, respectively. Overall, in 2008 more than 1.4 billion adults in the world were overweight.1 The dramatic increase in the worldwide prevalence of overweight and obesity might be designated as a ‘global epidemic’. Also, children with overweight or obesity experience more often inhalation difficulties, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, adverse lipid profile, hypertension, insulin resistance, and depression and other psychological effects. In 2010, more than 40 million children worldwide under the age of 5 years were estimated as overweight. In the Netherlands, the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity is fluctuating, but has an overall increasing trend. In 2010, 13.7% and 13.0% of the boys and girls in the Netherlands, respectively, were overweight. On average, the percentage of overweight in young persons has been increased with 40% in the last 30 years. Also, the prevalence of cardiometabolic risk factors associated with overweight and obesity is increasing in children. Childhood overweight and obesity are important risk factors for overweight and obesity in adulthood. The concept of persistence or relative stability of overweight over time is often referred to as ‘tracking’. Tracking is the phenomenon that children keep their body mass index (BMI) position in the population distribution from childhood

Constraining Bosonic Supersymmetry from Higgs results and 8 TeV ATLAS multi-jets plus missing energy data

The collider phenomenology of models with Universal Extra Dimensions (UED) is surprisingly similar to that of supersymmetric (SUSY) scenarios. For each level-1 bosonic (fermionic) Kaluza-Klein (KK) state, there is a fermionic (bosonic) analog in SUSY and thus UED scenarios are often known as bosonic supersymmetry. The minimal version of UED (mUED) gives rise to a quasi-degenerate particle spectrum at each KK-level and thus, can not explain the enhanced Higgs to diphoton decay rate hinted by the ATLAS collaboration of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment. However, in the non-minimal version of the UED (nmUED) model, the enhanced Higgs to diphoton decay rate can be easily explained via the suitable choice of boundary localized kinetic (BLK) terms for higher dimensional fermions and gauge bosons. BLK terms remove the degeneracy in the KK mass spectrum and thus, pair production of level-1 quarks and gluons at the LHC gives rise to hard jets, leptons and large missing energy in the final state. These final states are studied in details by the ATLAS and CMS collaborations in the context of SUSY scenarios. We find that the absence of any significant deviation of the data from the Standard Model (SM) prediction puts a lower bound of about 2.1 TeV on equal mass excited quarks and gluons.Comment: 19 page

Effect of Er:YAG laser enamel conditioning and moisture on the microleakage of a hydrophilic sealant

For a given sealant, successful pit and fissure sealing is principally governed by the enamel conditioning technique and the presence of moisture contamination. A new generation of hydrophilic resin sealants is reported to tolerate moisture. This study investigates the impact of Er:YAG laser pre-conditioning and moisture contamination on the microleakage of a recent hydrophilic sealant. Occlusal surfaces of extracted human molars were either acid etched (n = 30), or successively lased and acid etched (n = 30). Ten teeth from each group were either air-dried, water-contaminated, or saliva-contaminated prior to sealing with UltraSeal XT® hydro™. Samples were inspected for penetration of fuchsin dye following 3000 thermocycles between 5 and 50 °C, and the enamel–sealant interfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Significant differences in microleakage were evaluated using the Mann–Whitney U test with Bonferroni adjustment (p = 0.05). Laser pre-conditioning significantly reduced dye penetration irrespective of whether the enamel surface was moist or dry. Microleakageof water-contaminated acid etched teeth was significantly greater than that of their air-dried or saliva-contaminated counterparts. SEM analysis demonstrated good adaptation in all groups with the exception of water-contaminated acid etched teeth which exhibited relatively wide gaps. In conclusion, this hydrophilic sealant tolerates the presence of saliva, although water was found to impair its sealing ability. Laser pre-conditioning significantly decreases microleakage in all cases

Possible Medical Aetiological Factors and Characteristics of Molar Incisor Hypomineralisation in a Group of Turkish Children

Svrha: Željele su se odrediti kliničke značajke i mogući medicinski uzroci molarno incizivne hipominerelizacije (MIH-a) u skupini turske djece. Materijali i metode: U ispitivanju je sudjelovalo 228 djece u dobi od 7 do 14 godina. Svi su pregledani na Odjelu za dječju dentalnu medicinu Stomatološkog fakulteta Sveučilišta Marmara u Istambulu. Prenatalni i postnatalni podatci prikupljeni su popunjavanjem upitnika. Rezultati: MIH je pronađen kod 54 (24 %) djeteta, a 41 (76 %) imalo je samo ograničena područja opaciteta (1. stupanj). Kod osam (15%) djevojčica i dječaka bile su obavljene atipične restauracije (2. stupanj), a barem jedno posteruptivno ljuštenje (3. stupanj) uočeno je kod njih pet (9 %). MIH je svima uglavnom zahvaćao kutnjake (55 %), a ne sjekutiće (45 %; p<0,001). U skupini s MIH-om bili su česti prenatalni bronhitis i hipertenzija. Nije bilo veće razlike u medicinskoj anamnezi do dobi od tri godine između skupine s MIH-om i skupine bez njega, osim duljeg uzimanja lijekova i astme u skupini s molarno incizalnom hipomineralizacijom (p<0,05). Zaključak: Premda etiologija MIH-a ostaje nejasna, čest je kod djece koja neprekidno uzimaju lijekove i oboljela su od astme u prve tri godine života.Objective: To determine the clinical characteristics and possible medical causes of molar incisor hypomineralisation (MIH) in a group of Turkish children. Materials and Methods: A total of 228 children aged 7–14 years were examined in the Department of Paediatric Dentistry Dental School of Marmara University. Prenatal and postnatal medical data were recorded using a questionnaire. Results: MIH was observed in 54 (24%) children, 41 (76%) of whom had only demarcated opacities (grade 1). Eight (15%) children had atypical restoration (grade 2), and at least one post-eruptive breakdown (grade 3) was observed in five (9%) children. MIH affected molars (55%) more frequently than incisors (45%; P < 0.001). Prenatal bronchitis and hypertension were frequent in the MIH group. No significant difference in medical history during the first 3 years of life was observed between the MIH and non-MIH groups, except prolonged medicament consumption and asthma in the MIH group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Although the aetiology of MIH remains unclear, constant medicament consumption and asthma during the first 3 years of life were reported frequently in children with MIH

<i>ABCB1</i> (MDR1) induction defines a common resistance mechanism in paclitaxel- and olaparib-resistant ovarian cancer cells

BACKGROUND: Clinical response to chemotherapy for ovarian cancer is frequently compromised by the development of drug-resistant disease. The underlying molecular mechanisms and implications for prescription of routinely prescribed chemotherapy drugs are poorly understood. METHODS: We created novel A2780-derived ovarian cancer cell lines resistant to paclitaxel and olaparib following continuous incremental drug selection. MTT assays were used to assess chemosensitivity to paclitaxel and olaparib in drug-sensitive and drug-resistant cells±the ABCB1 inhibitors verapamil and elacridar and cross-resistance to cisplatin, carboplatin, doxorubicin, rucaparib, veliparib and AZD2461. ABCB1 expression was assessed by qRT-PCR, copy number, western blotting and immunohistochemical analysis and ABCB1 activity assessed by the Vybrant and P-glycoprotein-Glo assays. RESULTS: Paclitaxel-resistant cells were cross-resistant to olaparib, doxorubicin and rucaparib but not to veliparib or AZD2461. Resistance correlated with increased ABCB1 expression and was reversible following treatment with the ABCB1 inhibitors verapamil and elacridar. Active efflux of paclitaxel, olaparib, doxorubicin and rucaparib was confirmed in drug-resistant cells and in ABCB1-expressing bacterial membranes. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a common ABCB1-mediated mechanism of paclitaxel and olaparib resistance in ovarian cancer cells. Optimal choice of PARP inhibitor may therefore limit the progression of drug-resistant disease, while routine prescription of first-line paclitaxel may significantly limit subsequent chemotherapy options in ovarian cancer patients

Calendar 2001

The annual University publication which provides general and historical information about the University of Sydney, the statutes and regulations under which it operates and the Senate resolutions relating to constitutions and courses in each faculty

Phytoplankton composition related to the environmental conditions in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Erdek

1545-1559Seasonal changes of phytoplankton communities in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Erdek from November 2006 to August 2008 were examined in relation to some environmental variables and 95 species from 6 different algae groups were identified. In addition, two species were recorded for the first time in the Turkish coastal waters and one species for the Sea of Marmara. The maximum total phytoplankton abundance (1.99 × 105 cells L-1) were observed in May 2008, with Pseudo-nitzschia sp. being the most dominant species of that month (1.52 × 105 cells L-1). Both the Bray-Curtis diversity index and the Euclidean distance indicated that the upper and lower water layers were separated from each other at the stations, and the Spearman’s rank-correlation and CCA analyses also showed that environmental variables affected the abundance of species. Furthermore, according to the CCA diagram, especially the temperature and dissolved oxygen had a bigger impact on the distribution of species. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index (Hʹ) values were low when Pseudo-nitzschia sp., Prorocentrum micans, Gymnodinium sp. and Prorocentrum scutellum were dominant over other species in the sampling period