Pericardial tamponade as the first manifestation of dermatopolymyositis

Pericardial involvement in polymyositis and dermatomyositis (PM/DM) is rare, usually asymptomatic and exceptionally part of the initial presentation. We describe a 37-year-old patient hospitalized for overt acute pericarditis, revealing dermatomyositis, which to our knowledge has not been previously reported. Pericardial puncture relieved the patient. The pericardial fluid was citrine yellow, exsudative, and mainly contained lymphocytes. Search for LE cells and anti-DNA antibodies was negative, whereas the antinuclear antibodies and the rheumatoid factor were present in the pericardial fluid. A biopsy of the pericardium showed a non-specific chronic inflammatory state and the search for an etiology was negative. There was no sign of tuberculosis, systemic lupus, nor neoplasia. Moreover bacteriological cultures and HIV serology were negative. After pericardiostomy associated with corticosteroid therapy at the dose of 1 mg/kg/day, outcome was good with a resolution of the pericarditis confirmed at one-year follow-up. Since pericardial tamponade, even though rare, may be fatal in a patient with dermatomyositis, we emphasize that a two dimensional echocardiographic study should be performed in all patient presenting with dermatopolymyositis.     

2D and 3D image localization,compression and reconstruction using new hybrid moments

In this article, we will present a new set of hybrid polynomials and their corresponding moments, with a view to using them for the localization, compression and reconstruction of 2D and 3D images. These polynomials are formed from the Hahn and Krawtchouk polynomials. The process of calculating these is successfully stabilized using the modified recurrence relations with respect to the n order, the variable x and the symmetry property. The hybrid polynomial generation process is carried out in two forms: the first form contains the separable discrete orthogonal polynomials of Krawtchouk–Hahn (DKHP) and Hahn–Krawtchouk (DHKP). The latter are generated as the product of the discrete orthogonal Hahn and Krawtchouk polynomials, while the second form is the square equivalent of the first form, it consists of discrete squared Krawtchouk–Hahn polynomials (SKHP) and discrete polynomials of Hahn–Krawtchouk squared (SHKP). The experimental results clearly show the efficiency of hybrid moments based on hybrid polynomials in terms of localization property and computation time of 2D and 3D images compared to other types of moments; on the other hand, encouraging results have also been shown in terms of reconstruction quality and compression despite the superiority of classical polynomials.

     

Effect of thermal insulation using leather and carpentry wastes on thermal comfort and energy consumption in a residential building

In this work, we investigate the effect of the thermal insulation by leather wastes (wet-blue chrome shavings and buffing dust) and carpentry wastes (wood shavings and sawdust) on the energy consumption of a model building using the average climatic data of the city of Casablanca (Morocco). For this study, we used the dynamic thermal simulation tool “TRNSYS 16” which predicts the thermal behavior of building and systems associated with it. Using this software, we evaluated the effect of the above material wastes on thermal comfort and building energy consumption. The type and the thickness of the materials were considered as variants to choose the better solution. The average temperatures of building supposed thermally insulated compared to those obtained without insulation clearly show the thermal insulation ability of tested materials during the cold and warm periods of the year. Increasing the thickness of the insulator makes locals increasingly comfortable. Because of their performance, leather and carpentry wastes can compete with conventional insulating materials such as polystyrene and cork.     

Purification, characterization and amino acid sequencing of divergicin M35: a novel class IIa bacteriocin produced by Carnobacterium divergens M35

Carnobacterium divergens M35, isolated from a commercial sample of frozen smoked mussels, produces a new bacteriocin, divergicin M35, a class IIa bacteriocin. Divergicin M35 is sensitive to pronase-E, alpha-chymotrypsin and proteinase K, but not to trypsin and withstands thermal treatments up to 121 degrees C for 30 min. Divergicin M35 was extracted from the culture supernatant of C. divergens M35 using an SP-Sepharose cation-exchange column, desalted and purified on a C18 Sep-Pack column and further purified by reverse phase-high pressure liquid chromatography. This procedure allowed the recovery of 10% of the bacteriocin present in the culture supernatant with purity higher than 99%. Divergicin M35 had a molecular mass of 4518.75 Da as determined by mass spectrometry, a pI value of 8.3 and positive net charge (+3). The amino acid sequence of divergicin M35 was found to consist of 43 amino acid with four cysteine residues (Cys10, 15, 25, 43) and showed 80.5% homology with divercin V41 (80.5%) and 80.0% with bavaricin MN. Divergicin M35 showed powerful antilisterial activity, especially against Listeria monocytogenes and was also active against carnobacteria but not against strains of Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, Bifidobacteria and Escherichia. Divergicin M35 production began in late exponential phase and reached a maximum activity of 65,000 AU/ml in early stationary phase. Initial broth pH, Tween 80 and acetate did not affect C. divergens M35 growth or divergicin production. This bacteriocin may be a potential tool for inhibiting L. monocytogenes in seafood products that do not usually undergo an adequate heat treatment.     

Reservoir Management Using a Network Flow Optimization Model Considering Quadratic Convex Cost Functions on Arcs

The allocation of water resources between different users is a hard task for water managers because they must deal with conflicting objectives. The main objective is to obtain the most accurate distribution of the resource and the associated circulating flows through the system. This induces the need for a river basin optimization model that provides optimized results. This article presents a network flow optimization model to solve the water allocation problem in water resource systems. Managing a water system consists in providing water in the right proportion, at the right place and at the right time. Time expanded network allows to take into consideration the temporal dimension in the decision making. Since linear cost functions on arcs present many limitations and are not realistic, quadratic convex cost functions on arcs are considered here. The optimization algorithm developed herein extend the cycle canceling algorithm developed for linear cost functions. The methodology is applied to manage the three reservoirs of La Haute-Vilaine’s watershed located in the north west of France to protect a three vulnerable areas from flooding. The results obtained with the algorithm are compared to a reference scenario which consists in considering reservoirs transparent. The results show that the algorithm succeeds in managing the reservoir releases efficiently and keeps the flow rates below the vigilance flow in the vulnerable areas.     

Correction to: 2D and 3D image localization,compression and reconstruction using new hybrid moments

Multidimensional Systems and Signal Processing -     

The Evolutionary Significance of RNAi in the Fungal Kingdom

RNA interference (RNAi) was discovered at the end of last millennium, changing the way scientists understood regulation of gene expression. Within the following two decades, a variety of different RNAi mechanisms were found in eukaryotes, reflecting the evolutive diversity that RNAi entails. The essential silencing mechanism consists of an RNase III enzyme called Dicer that cleaves double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) generating small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), a hallmark of RNAi. These siRNAs are loaded into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) triggering the cleavage of complementary messenger RNAs by the Argonaute protein, the main component of the complex. Consequently, the expression of target genes is silenced. This mechanism has been thoroughly studied in fungi due to their proximity to the animal phylum and the conservation of the RNAi mechanism from lower to higher eukaryotes. However, the role and even the presence of RNAi differ across the fungal kingdom, as it has evolved adapting to the particularities and needs of each species. Fungi have exploited RNAi to regulate a variety of cell activities as different as defense against exogenous and potentially harmful DNA, genome integrity, development, drug tolerance, or virulence. This pathway has offered versatility to fungi through evolution, favoring the enormous diversity this kingdom comprises.     

The Effect of Quantum Transverse Anisotropy on Multilayer Transitions in a Spin-3/2 Blume–Capel Model with RKKY Interaction

We have studied the effect of quantum transverse anisotropies on the multilayer transition and magnetic properties of a spin-3/2 Blume–Capel model of a system formed by two magnetic multilayer materials, of different thicknesses, separated by a nonmagnetic spacer of thickness and RKKY interaction. Using mean-field theory, it is found that the multilayer magnetic order–disorder transition temperature depends strongly on the value of the transverse anisotropy. The multilayer transition temperature decreases when increasing the transverse anisotropy. Furthermore, there exists a critical quantum transverse anisotropy Δ _xL beyond which the separate transitions occur in the two magnetic layers. The critical transverse anisotropy Δ _xL increases on increasing the magnetic crystal field and/or the thickness of the magnetic multilayers N. On other hand, the Δ _xL decreases on increasing the Fermi level and/or the nonmagnetic thickness M.     

Effect of vegetal tannin on anodic copper dissolution in chloride solutions

The corrosion inhibition of copper in a 0.1 M NaCl solution in the presence of vegetal tannin using potentiodynamic techniques was studied. The tannin was extracted from Takaout galls (Tamarix articulata). The gallic acid has been used as a representative of the tannin species. The tannin are anodic inhibitors. The inhibition efficiency of the tannin evaluated from anodic polarization curves and impedance measurements is about 93.2% for a tannin concentration of 2 g/l. We noted that the presence of tannin changes the mechanism of copper dissolution in a 0.1 M NaCl solution. Microscopic scanning studies of the surface state revealed the formation of corrosion layer products. The impedance investigation allows the explanation of the inhibition process.     

Genetic Manipulation in Mucorales and New Developments to Study Mucormycosis

The study of the Mucoralean fungi physiology is a neglected field that the lack of effective genetic tools has hampered in the past. However, the emerging fungal infection caused by these fungi, known as mucormycosis, has prompted many researchers to study the pathogenic potential of Mucorales. The main reasons for this current attraction to study mucormycosis are its high lethality, the lack of effective antifungal drugs, and its recent increased incidence. The most contemporary example of the emergence character of mucormycosis is the epidemics declared in several Asian countries as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, this pressure to understand mucormycosis and develop new treatment strategies has encouraged the blossoming of new genetic techniques and methodologies. This review describes the history of genetic manipulation in Mucorales, highlighting the development of methods and how they allowed the main genetic studies in these fungi. Moreover, we have emphasized the recent development of new genetic models to study mucormycosis, a landmark in the field that will configure future research related to this disease.