Selective recognition of fluoride salts by vasarenes: a key role of a self-assembled in situ dimeric entity via an exceptionally short [O-H-O](-) H-bond

A self-assembled supramolecular dimeric entity via an exceptionally short (2.404 Å) and strong (22.9 kcal mol(-1)) [O-H-O](-) hydrogen bond is the key to the special reactivity of vasarenes with fluoride salts. Vasarene is a self-assembled, vase-shaped compound, obtained by the reaction between ninhydrin and phloroglucinol. Analogous compounds are prepared by replacing the phloroglucinol with other polyhydroxy aromatics. Vasarenes show special affinity towards compounds of the type M(+)F(-), where M being a large monovalent cation, producing ion-pair-vasarene adducts. The first step in the proposed mechanism is the dissociation of the M(+)F(-) salt releasing F(-) to the solution, which may provide an explanation as to why only MF salts, which include large monovalent cations, undergo this reaction. From a practical point of view, the ease of their preparation and their special affinity towards fluoride salts make vasarenes potential means for salt separation. The readily formed dimeric structure with the very short [O-H-O](-) negative charge-assisted H-bond (-CAHB) can also be further used as a model in theoretical studies of such systems and understanding their role in biological processes.

Cross Sections for the Exclusive Photon Electroproduction on the Proton and Generalized Parton Distributions

Unpolarized and beam-polarized fourfold cross sections (d^{4}σ/dQ^{2}dx_{B}dtdϕ) for the ep→e^{'}p^{'}γ reaction were measured using the CLAS detector and the 5.75-GeV polarized electron beam of the Jefferson Lab accelerator, for 110 (Q^{2},x_{B},t) bins over the widest phase space ever explored in the valence-quark region. Several models of generalized parton distributions (GPDs) describe the data well at most of our kinematics. This increases our confidence that we understand the GPD H, expected to be the dominant contributor to these observables. Through a leading-twist extraction of Compton form factors, these results support the model predictions of a larger nucleon size at lower quark-momentum fraction x_{B}.

Incidence and risk factors of deep vein thrombosis after liver transplantation

BACKGROUND

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) occurs in 0.1% of persons per year, affecting 15%-40% of general surgical procedures without prophylaxis. Thromboembolic prophylaxis is not commonly used after orthotopic liver transplantation (LT) owing to the risks of bleeding and coagulopathy. Cirrhosis and the association with the coagulation cascade, before and after transplantation, are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of DVT and its risk factors after LT.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed LTs performed at our center from 2005 to 2012. We identified patients with Doppler examinations showing DVT after LT, platelet count, and international normalized ratio (INR) at time of DVT, associated symptoms, DVT prophylaxis, and perioperative risk factors. We determined the incidence of DVT, the odds ratio of each preoperative risk factor, the difference in platelet count and INR between those with and without a DVT, and the weighted risk of each factor in the development of DVT with the use of logistic regression modeling.

RESULTS

Of 314 patients, the incidence of DVT was 8.6% (27/314). Between those with and without DVT there was no significant difference in age, sex, platelet count, INR, infection, hepatocellular cancer, use of venous bypass, and prior surgery. There was a significant difference in mobility, 67% vs 20% (P < .0001), and the use of factor VII, 11% vs 2% (P < .05). The estimated risk for of developing DVT for patients with neither of these factors was 4%; with factor VII the risk rose to 17%; with mobility difficulty the risk rose to 23%; and with both the risk was 62%. In our entire population, there were no cases of pulmonary embolism.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of developing a DVT after LT is ≥9% even with mechanical DVT prophylaxis. Consideration should be given to using both mechanical and chemical prophylaxis after LT.

Perception and discrimination of movement and biological motion patterns in fish

Vision is of primary importance for many fish species, as is the recognition of movement. With the exception of one study, assessing the influence of conspecific movement on shoaling behaviour, the perception of biological motion in fish had not been studied in a cognitive context. The aim of the present study was therefore to assess the discrimination abilities of two teleost species in regard to simple and complex movement patterns of dots and objects, including biological motion patterns using point and point-light displays (PDs and PLDs). In two-alternative forced-choice experiments, in which choosing the designated positive stimulus was food-reinforced, fish were first tested in their ability to distinguish the video of a stationary black dot on a light background from the video of a moving black dot presented at different frequencies and amplitudes. While all fish succeeded in learning the task, performance declined with decreases in either or both parameters. In subsequent tests, cichlids and damselfish distinguished successfully between the videos of two dots moving at different speeds and amplitudes, between two moving dot patterns (sinus vs. expiring sinus) and between animated videos of two moving organisms (trout vs. eel). Transfer tests following the training of the latter showed that fish were unable to identify the positive stimulus (trout) by means of its PD alone, thereby indicating that the ability of humans to spontaneously recognize an organism based on its biological motion may not be present in fish. All participating individuals successfully discriminated between two PDs and two PLDs after a short period of training, indicating that biological motions presented in form of PLDs are perceived and can be distinguished. Results were the same for the presentation of dark dots on a light background and light dots on a dark background.

Spectral and modulation indices for annoyance-relevant features of urban road single-vehicle pass-by noises

The models that relate noise annoyance assessments to noise signal parameters are mainly based on energy-related indices (e.g., LDEN). However, various studies have shown that sound characteristics of environmental noises linked to temporal and spectral signal features also influence noise annoyance responses. In order to enhance noise annoyance models, an adequate perception-related characterization of these influential acoustical features is essential. On the basis of urban road single-vehicle pass-by noises, this study will show the identification of noise characteristics that rely on spectral and temporal signal properties and that are related to noise annoyance. Based on a semantic differential test with a verbalization task, it will be shown that the sensation dull/shrill, related to the spectral content of the noises and the modulation-related sensations sputtering and nasal are linked to annoyance. The sensation dull/shrill could be characterized using the index TETC (Total Energy of Tonal Components within critical bands from 16 to 24 barks). The correlation of sputtering and nasal sensations with psychoacoustic indices was unsatisfactory. Two alternative indices are proposed to improve the characterization of these specific sensations. It is shown that noise annoyance assessment benefits from taking the TETC index and the sputtering and nasal indices into account.

Towards a resolution of the proton form factor problem: new electron and positron scattering data

There is a significant discrepancy between the values of the proton electric form factor, G(E)(p), extracted using unpolarized and polarized electron scattering. Calculations predict that small two-photon exchange (TPE) contributions can significantly affect the extraction of G(E)(p) from the unpolarized electron-proton cross sections. We determined the TPE contribution by measuring the ratio of positron-proton to electron-proton elastic scattering cross sections using a simultaneous, tertiary electron-positron beam incident on a liquid hydrogen target and detecting the scattered particles in the Jefferson Lab CLAS detector. This novel technique allowed us to cover a wide range in virtual photon polarization (ϵ) and momentum transfer (Q(2)) simultaneously, as well as to cancel luminosity-related systematic errors. The cross section ratio increases with decreasing ϵ at Q(2)=1.45  GeV(2). This measurement is consistent with the size of the form factor discrepancy at Q(2)≈1.75  GeV(2) and with hadronic calculations including nucleon and Δ intermediate states, which have been shown to resolve the discrepancy up to 2-3  GeV(2).

Longitudinal target-spin asymmetries for deeply virtual compton scattering

A measurement of the electroproduction of photons off protons in the deeply inelastic regime was performed at Jefferson Lab using a nearly 6 GeV electron beam, a longitudinally polarized proton target, and the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer. Target-spin asymmetries for ep→e^{'}p^{'}γ events, which arise from the interference of the deeply virtual Compton scattering and the Bethe-Heitler processes, were extracted over the widest kinematics in Q^{2}, x_{B}, t, and ϕ, for 166 four-dimensional bins. In the framework of generalized parton distributions, at leading twist the t dependence of these asymmetries provides insight into the spatial distribution of the axial charge of the proton, which appears to be concentrated in its center. These results also bring important and necessary constraints for the existing parametrizations of chiral-even generalized parton distributions.

[Potential and limitations of dye laser therapy for capillary malformations]

Capillary malformations (port-wine stains) are observed in less than 1 % of neonates and may occur coincidentally with other vascular and nonvascular malformations. Two thirds of lesions occur in the head and neck area and may have important cosmetic and psychological implications for the patients. Treatment with flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye lasers is still the therapy of choice for capillary malformations and can be applied to infants. If the laser device is used appropriately, the rate of persistent side effects is low. Although laser treatment achieves good clearance in the majority of patients with capillary malformations, complete clearance is rare. New therapeutic options are thus urgently required.

Risk factors for colonization with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing enterobacteriaceae on admission to rehabilitation centres

Patients newly admitted to rehabilitation centres are at high risk of colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria because many of them have experienced prolonged stays in other healthcare settings and have had high exposure to antibiotics. We conducted a prospective study to determine the prevalence of and risk factors for colonization with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) in this population. Subjects were screened by rectal swab for ESBL-PE within 2 days of admission. Swabs were plated on chromagar ESBL plates and the presence of ESBL was verified by a central laboratory. A multilevel mixed effects model was used to identify risk factors for ESBL-PE colonization. Of 2873 patients screened, 748 (26.0%) were positive for ESBL-PE. The variables identified as independently associated with ESBL-PE colonization were: recent stay in an acute-care hospital for over 2 weeks (OR=1.34; 95% CI, 1.12, 1.6), history of colonization with ESBL-PE (OR=2.97; 95% CI, 1.99, 4.43), unconsciousness on admission (OR=2.59; 95% CI, 1.55, 4.34), surgery or invasive procedure in the past year (OR=1.49; 95% CI, 1.2, 1.86) and antibiotic treatment in the past month (OR=1.80; 95% CI, 1.45, 2.22). The predictive accuracy of the model was low (area under the ROC curve 0.656). These results indicate that ESBL-PE colonization is common upon admission to rehabilitation centres. Some risk factors for ESBL-PE colonization are similar to those described previously; however, newly identified factors may be specific to rehabilitation populations. The high prevalence and low ability to stratify by risk factors may guide infection control and empirical treatment strategies in rehabilitation settings.

Separated response function ratios in exclusive, forward π(±) electroproduction

The study of exclusive π(±) electroproduction on the nucleon, including separation of the various structure functions, is of interest for a number of reasons. The ratio RL=σL(π-)/σL(π+) is sensitive to isoscalar contamination to the dominant isovector pion exchange amplitude, which is the basis for the determination of the charged pion form factor from electroproduction data. A change in the value of RT=σT(π-)/σT(π+) from unity at small -t, to 1/4 at large -t, would suggest a transition from coupling to a (virtual) pion to coupling to individual quarks. Furthermore, the mentioned ratios may show an earlier approach to perturbative QCD than the individual cross sections. We have performed the first complete separation of the four unpolarized electromagnetic structure functions above the dominant resonances in forward, exclusive π(±) electroproduction on the deuteron at central Q(2) values of 0.6, 1.0, 1.6  GeV(2) at W=1.95  GeV, and Q(2)=2.45  GeV(2) at W=2.22  GeV. Here, we present the L and T cross sections, with emphasis on RL and RT, and compare them with theoretical calculations. Results for the separated ratio RL indicate dominance of the pion-pole diagram at low -t, while results for RT are consistent with a transition between pion knockout and quark knockout mechanisms.