Shoulder and Neck Balance in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Which Radiographic Indices are Reliable and Practical?

Introduction

Deformities of the spine and thorax in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis affect appearance. They are a cause of inferiority, affecting psychological well-being and the social life of the patients. To contribute to curve evaluation, planning in curve correction, and improving the post-operative aesthetics, many studies on the correlation between appearance and radiography in the assessment of shoulder and neck balance have been reported recently. In general, these studies did not clarify which indices are required to evaluate shoulder and neck balance. This study aimed to learn about indices to assess shoulder and neck balance in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in correlation between clinical appearance and radiography.

Materials and methods

This observational study recruited 50 patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis who were 12 to 18 years of age with Cobb angle >10°. Based on Pearson correlation coefficient, radiographic parameters such as coracoid height difference (CHD), clavicle rib intersection distance (CRID), clavicle angle (CA), clavicle chest cage angle difference (CCAD), and T1 tilt angle were evaluated in correlation with clinical shoulder and neck balance by difference of inner shoulder height (SHi), difference of outer shoulder height (SHo), and neck tilt angle.

Results

SHi was moderately correlated with T1 tilt angle (r [hereafter] = 0.45), CA (0.47), and CHD (0.57), high-moderately correlated with CRID (0.64), very-highly correlated with CCAD (0.84). SHo was moderately correlated with T1 tilt angle (0.43), highly correlated with CHD (0.60), CA (0.63), and CRID (0.72), and very-highly correlated with CCAD (0.89). T1 tilt angle was high-moderately correlated with neck tilt angle (0.76). The correlation coefficients between clinical and radiographic shoulder and neck balance according to sex, BMI, type of main curve, severity of main curve did not change significantly.

Conclusion

There was a very high correlation between SHo (shoulder tilt) and CCAD (0.89); the correlation between SHo and CRID was high-moderate (0.72), but CRID is easier than CCAD to evaluate on radiographs. On the other hand, T1 tilt angle, which is the easiest radiographic parameter to evaluate, had a high-moderate correlation with neck tilt angle (0.76) but a moderate correlation with SHo (0.43).

Mitigating microplastic pollution: A critical review on the effects, remediation, and utilization strategies of microplastics

Microplastics are found ubiquitous in the natural environment and are an increasing source of worry for global health. Rapid industrialization and inappropriate plastic waste management in our daily lives have resulted in an increase in the amount of microplastics in the ecosystem. Microplastics that are <150 μm in size could be easily ingested by living beings and cause considerable toxicity. Microplastics can aggregate in living organisms and cause acute, chronic, carcinogenic, developmental, and genotoxic damage. As a result, a sustainable approach to reducing, reusing, and recycling plastic waste is required to manage microplastic pollution in the environment. However, there is still a significant lack of effective methods for managing these pollutants. As a result, the purpose of this review is to convey information on microplastic toxicity and management practices that may aid in the reduction of microplastic pollution. This review further insights on how plastic trash could be converted as value-added products, reducing the load of accumulating plastic wastes in the environment, and leading to a beneficial endeavor for humanity.

Endocrine disruptors: Unravelling the link between chemical exposure and Women's reproductive health

An Endocrine Disrupting Chemical (EDC) is any compound that disrupts the function of the endocrine system in humans and is ubiquitous in the environment either as a result of natural events or through anthropogenic activities. Bisphenol A, phthalates, parabens, pesticides, triclosan, polychlorinated biphenyls, and heavy metals, which are frequently found in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and packaging sectors, are some of the major sources of EDC pollutants. EDCs have been identified to have a deteriorating effect on the female reproductive system, as evidenced by the increasing number of reproductive disorders such as endometriosis, uterine fibroids, polycystic ovary syndrome, premature ovarian failure, menstrual irregularity, menarche, and infertility. Studying EDCs in relation to women's health is essential for understanding the complex interactions between environmental factors and health outcomes. It enables the development of strategies to mitigate risks, protect reproductive and overall health, and inform public policy decisions to safeguard women's well-being. Healthcare professionals must know the possible dangers of EDC exposure and ask about environmental exposures while evaluating patients. This may result in more precise diagnosis and personalized treatment regimens. This review summarises the existing understanding of prevalent EDCs that impact women's health and involvement in female reproductive dysfunction and underscores the need for more research. Further insights on potential mechanisms of action of EDCs on female has been emphasized in the article. We also discuss the role of nutritional intervention in reducing the effect of EDCs on women's reproductive health. EDC pollution can be further reduced by adhering to strict regulations prohibiting the release of estrogenic substances into the environment.

Standards for clinical trials for treating TB

BACKGROUND: The value, speed of completion and robustness of the evidence generated by TB treatment trials could be improved by implementing standards for best practice.METHODS: A global panel of experts participated in a Delphi process, using a 7-point Likert scale to score and revise draft standards until consensus was reached.RESULTS: Eleven standards were defined: Standard 1, high quality data on TB regimens are essential to inform clinical and programmatic management; Standard 2, the research questions addressed by TB trials should be relevant to affected communities, who should be included in all trial stages; Standard 3, trials should make every effort to be as inclusive as possible; Standard 4, the most efficient trial designs should be considered to improve the evidence base as quickly and cost effectively as possible, without compromising quality; Standard 5, trial governance should be in line with accepted good clinical practice; Standard 6, trials should investigate and report strategies that promote optimal engagement in care; Standard 7, where possible, TB trials should include pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic components; Standard 8, outcomes should include frequency of disease recurrence and post-treatment sequelae; Standard 9, TB trials should aim to harmonise key outcomes and data structures across studies; Standard 10, TB trials should include biobanking; Standard 11, treatment trials should invest in capacity strengthening of local trial and TB programme staff.CONCLUSION: These standards should improve the efficiency and effectiveness of evidence generation, as well as the translation of research into policy and practice.

A Novel Colorimetric and Fluorometric Dual-Channel Chemosensor based on A Conjugated Perylene-Benzothiazole System for Highly Selective Detection of Cyanide in Aqueous Media

A novel cyanine compound based on the conjugated perylene-benzothiazole system (PBI) as a colorimetric and fluorometric dual-channel sensor for cyanide (CN- ) detection was synthesized and characterized via UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. PBI exhibited a high sensitivity and rapid optical response for CN- due to the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) mechanism. The detection limit of PBI for CN- was 1.15×10-7  M in the mixture of DMSO/H2 O (1 : 1, v/v). Moreover, probe PBI demonstrated high selectivity and sensitivity for CN- over other common anions, including Cl- , Br- , F- , I- , AcO- , ClO4 - , HSO4 - , SO4 2- , NO2 - , NO3 - and SCN- . This work provided a simple and effective approach to trace the toxic CN- ion with rapid response, high selectivity, and sensitivity that is possibly applied in environmental control and agricultural management.

Emerging waste-to-wealth applications of fly ash for environmental remediation: A review

The considerable increase in world energy consumption owing to rising global population, intercontinental transportation and industrialization has posed numerous environmental concerns. Particularly, in order to meet the required electricity supply, thermal power plants for electricity generation are widely used in many countries. However, an annually excessive quantity of waste fly ash up to 1 billion tones was globally discarded from the combustion of various carbon-containing feedstocks in thermoelectricity plants. About half of the industrially generated fly ash is dumped into landfills and hence causing soil and water contamination. Nonetheless, fly ash still contains many valuable components and possesses outstanding physicochemical properties. Utilizing waste fly ash for producing value-added products has gained significant interests. Therefore, in this work, we reviewed the current implementation of fly ash-derived materials, namely, zeolite and geopolymer as efficient adsorbents for the environmental treatment of flue gas and polluted water. Additionally, the usage of fly ash as a catalyst support for the photodegradation of organic pollutants and reforming processes for the corresponding wastewater remediation and H₂ energy generation is thoroughly covered. In comparison with conventional carbon-based adsorbents, fly ash-derived geopolymer and zeolite materials reportedly exhibited greater heavy metal ions removal and reached the maximum adsorption capacity of about 150 mg g^-1. As a support for biogas reforming process, fly ash could enhance the activity of Ni catalyst with 96% and 97% of CO₂ and CH₄ conversions, respectively.

Save the Mekong Delta from drowning

Policy must address drivers, not just symptoms, of subsidence.

Dietary soluble non-starch polysaccharide level and xylanase influence the gastrointestinal environment and nutrient utilisation in laying hens

1. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of dietary soluble non-starch polysaccharide (sNSP) level and xylanase supplementation on productive performance, viscosity and pH along the gastrointestinal tract in laying hens. Excreta moisture content, ileal and caecal microbiota and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) composition and apparent total tract nutrient utilisation was measured.2. Hyline Brown laying hens (n=144) were housed individually at 25 weeks of age and allocated to one of four wheat-based dietary treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, consisting of two levels of sNSP (High 13.40 g/kg or Low 11.22 g/kg), with or without xylanase (0 or 12,000 BXU/kg). Birds were fed the dietary treatments for 56 days.3. Increasing dietary sNSP increased jejunum viscosity, degradability of total NSP, total tract flow of insoluble arabinose, and succinic acid concentration in the caeca (P<0.05). Feeding high sNSP decreased excreta moisture content, total tract energy retention and free oligosaccharide, total tract flow of soluble and insoluble galactose and insoluble rhamnose and fucose, and ileal acetic and lactic acid concentrations (P<0.05), and tended to reduce egg production (P=0.058).4. Supplementation with xylanase resulted in reduced jejunum and ileum viscosity, caecal pH, excreta moisture, flow of soluble arabinose and glucose and insoluble arabinose and xylose, caecal concentration of Lactobacillus sp. and isobutyric and succinic acid, and ileal concentration of Bacillus sp. and total anaerobic bacteria (P<0.05). Xylanase application also increased energy retention and insoluble and total NSP degradation, and caecal abundance of Bifidobacteria sp. and valeric acid (P<0.05).6. These results reiterated the ability of xylanase to improve nutrient digestibility and reduce excreta moisture content in laying hens, and highlighted the importance of considering dietary sNSP level in laying hen diets.

Association of body mass index with non-achievement of target low-density lipoprotein level in older patients at very high cardiovascular risk: a multicentre study

Introduction

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) is a well-established risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Nonetheless, the association of body mass index (BMI) with non-achievement of target LDL-c level in older patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at very high cardiovascular risk is unknown.

Purpose

To investigate whether BMI is associated with non-achievement of target LDL-c level in older patients with T2D at very high cardiovascular risk.

Methods

From December 2019 to June 2020, in this multicentre prospective cross-sectional study, we enrolled 733 consecutive outpatients aged ≥60 years with T2D at very high cardiovascular risk in whom LDL-c levels could be measured after any stable lipid-lowering therapy for ≥6 months. Achievement of target lipid level was assessed based on the 2019 guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology for dyslipidaemia. Factors associated with non-achievement of target LDL-c level were determined using logistic regression analysis.

Results

Of the total cases (age, 68.6±7.2 years; men, 51.3%), 654 patients (89.2%) did not achieve an aggressive target LDL-c level of &lt;1.4 mmol/L. Target non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level of &lt;2.2 mmol/L and triglyceride level of &lt;1.7 mmol/L were not achieved in 87.9% and 56.2% of the patients, respectively. In the multivariate model, BMI was the only factor associated with failure to achieve target LDL-c level, but not other factors such as age, sex, education level, smoking, and comorbidities. The adjusted odds ratio were 0.88 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.24–3.21; P=0.84) for underweight, 1.57 (95% CI, 0.87–2.81; P=0.13) for overweight, and 2.63 (95% CI, 1.43–4.83; P=0.002) for obesity (normal weight was set as reference) status.

Conclusions

Non-achievement of target LDL-c level is highly prevalent in older patients with T2D at very high cardiovascular risk. Obesity, defined by BMI, can be a factor associated with non-achievement of the target. The findings highlight the importance of management of lipid levels in older patients with T2D.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1

Improved Constraints on Primordial Gravitational Waves using Planck, WMAP, and BICEP/Keck Observations through the 2018 Observing Season

We present results from an analysis of all data taken by the BICEP2, Keck Array, and BICEP3 CMB polarization experiments up to and including the 2018 observing season. We add additional Keck Array observations at 220 GHz and BICEP3 observations at 95 GHz to the previous 95/150/220  GHz dataset. The Q/U maps now reach depths of 2.8, 2.8, and 8.8  μK_{CMB} arcmin at 95, 150, and 220 GHz, respectively, over an effective area of ≈600 square degrees at 95 GHz and ≈400 square degrees at 150 and 220 GHz. The 220 GHz maps now achieve a signal-to-noise ratio on polarized dust emission exceeding that of Planck at 353 GHz. We take auto- and cross-spectra between these maps and publicly available WMAP and Planck maps at frequencies from 23 to 353 GHz and evaluate the joint likelihood of the spectra versus a multicomponent model of lensed ΛCDM+r+dust+synchrotron+noise. The foreground model has seven parameters, and no longer requires a prior on the frequency spectral index of the dust emission taken from measurements on other regions of the sky. This model is an adequate description of the data at the current noise levels. The likelihood analysis yields the constraint r_{0.05}<0.036 at 95% confidence. Running maximum likelihood search on simulations we obtain unbiased results and find that σ(r)=0.009. These are the strongest constraints to date on primordial gravitational waves.

Identification of genomic loci conferring broad-spectrum resistance to multiple nematode species in exotic soybean accession PI 567305

KEY MESSAGE

Genetic analysis identified a unique combination of major QTL for resistance to important soybean nematodes concurrently present in a single soybean accession, which has not been reported earlier. An exotic soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] accession, PI 567305, was reported to be highly resistant to three important nematode species, soybean cyst (SCN), root-knot (RKN), and reniform (RN) nematodes. However, genetic basis controlling broad-spectrum resistance in this germplasm has not been investigated. We report results of genetic analysis to identify genomic loci conferring resistance to these nematode species. A bi-parental population consisting of 242 F8-derived recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was developed from a cross of a nematode susceptible cultivar, Magellan, and resistant accession, PI 567305. The RILs were phenotyped for nematode resistance to three SCN HG types. They were genotyped using the Infinium SoySNP6K BeadChips and genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) methods in an attempt to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and efficiency of these two genotyping platforms. Genetic analysis confirmed the major QTL on chromosomes (Chrs) 10 and 18 with broad-spectrum resistance to the three nematodes present in this germplasm. Haplotype and copy number variation analyses of SCN resistance QTL indicated that PI 567305 has a different haplotype, which is associated with likely a unique SCN resistance mechanism different from Peking- or PI 88788-type resistance. The evaluations of both Infinium Beadchip- and GBS-based genotyping technologies provided comprehensive insights for researchers to choose a cost-effective and efficient platform for QTL mapping and for other genomic studies in soybeans.

Odderon Exchange from Elastic Scattering Differences between pp and pp[over ¯] Data at 1.96 TeV and from pp Forward Scattering Measurements

We describe an analysis comparing the pp[over ¯] elastic cross section as measured by the D0 Collaboration at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV to that in pp collisions as measured by the TOTEM Collaboration at 2.76, 7, 8, and 13 TeV using a model-independent approach. The TOTEM cross sections, extrapolated to a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV, are compared with the D0 measurement in the region of the diffractive minimum and the second maximum of the pp cross section. The two data sets disagree at the 3.4σ level and thus provide evidence for the t-channel exchange of a colorless, C-odd gluonic compound, also known as the odderon. We combine these results with a TOTEM analysis of the same C-odd exchange based on the total cross section and the ratio of the real to imaginary parts of the forward elastic strong interaction scattering amplitude in pp scattering for which the significance is between 3.4σ and 4.6σ. The combined significance is larger than 5σ and is interpreted as the first observation of the exchange of a colorless, C-odd gluonic compound.

Dragendorff's reagent: Historical perspectives and current status of a versatile reagent introduced over 150 years ago at the University of Dorpat, Tartu, Estonia

The well-known Dragendorff's reagent (DR) was introduced by an Estonian-German Professor Johann Georg Noel Dragendorff (1836-1898) in the middle of the 19th century (1866). Dragendorff, who was a full-time professor in pharmacy at the university of Dorpat (Tartu) used his reagent originally for the rapid screening of herbal products to find traces of alkaloids. DR is a solution of potassium bismuth iodide composing of basic bismuth nitrate (Bi(NO₃)₃), tartaric acid, and potassium iodide (KI), and when contact with alkaloids DR produces an orange or orange red precipitate. In this review article, we make a short historical overview on the biography and scientific research work of Professor Dragendorff at the University of Dorpat. The chemistry, method of preparation, mechanism of action, and practical uses of DR in various disciplines in various European countries including the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), Finland, Ukraine, Moldova, and in Asia (Vietnam), are also discussed. Over several decades, DR and its modifications have found uses in many new applications and disciplines, and a number of commercial DRs are also currently available on the market. Today, DR is used for example in the production of surfactants, where non-ionic surfactant is precipitated in water solution with modified DR (KBiI₄+BaCl₂+glacial acetic acid). Total six different potassium iodobismuthate (DR) solutions are also presented in the European Pharmacopoeia. In conclusion, DR (after more than 150 years of its invention in Estonia) has still an important role in pharmaceutical and related sciences all over the world.

Assessing the clinical utility of genetic profiling in fracture risk prediction: a decision curve analysis

Using decision curve analysis on 2188 women and 1324 men, we found that an osteogenomic profile constructed from 62 genetic variants improved the clinical net benefit of fracture risk prediction over and above that of clinical risk factors and BMD.

INTRODUCTION

Genetic profiling is a promising tool for assessing fracture risk. This study sought to use the decision curve analysis (DCA), a novel approach to determine the impact of genetic profiling on fracture risk prediction.

METHODS

The study involved 2188 women and 1324 men, aged 60 years and above, who were followed for up to 23 years. Bone mineral density (BMD) and clinical risk factors were obtained at baseline. The incidence of fracture and mortality were recorded. A weighted individual genetic risk score (GRS) was constructed from 62 BMD-associated genetic variants. Four models were considered: CRF (clinical risk factors); CRF + GRS; Garvan model (GFRC) including CRF and femoral neck BMD; and GFRC + GRS. The DCA was used to evaluate the clinical net benefit of predictive models at a range of clinically reasonable risk thresholds.

RESULTS

In both women and men, the full model GFRC + GRS achieved the highest net benefits. For 10-year risk threshold > 18% for women and > 15% for men, the GRS provided net benefit above those of the CRF models. At 20% risk threshold, adding the GRS could help to avoid 1 additional treatment per 81 women or 1 per 24 men compared with the Garvan model. At lower risk thresholds, there was no significant difference between the four models.

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of genetic profiling into the clinical risk factors can improve the net clinical benefit at higher risk thresholds of fracture. Although the contribution of genetic profiling was modest in the presence of BMD + CRF, it appeared to be able to replace BMD for fracture prediction.

Molecular identification and characterisation of a novel chicken leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor A5

1. Leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor A5 (LILRA5) is a key molecule that regulates the immune system. However, the LILRA5 gene has not been characterised in avian species, including chickens. The present study aimed to identify and functionally characterise LILRA5 identified from two genetically disparate chicken lines, viz., Marek's disease (MD)-resistant (R) line 6.3 and MD-susceptible (S) line 7.2. 2. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses confirmed that the identity and similarity homologies of amino acids of LILRA5 in chicken lines 6.3 and 7.2 ranged between 93% and 93.7%, whereas those between chicken and mammals ranged between 20.9% and 43.7% and 21.1% to 43.9%, respectively. The newly cloned LILRA5 from chicken lines 6.3 and 7.2 revealed high conservation and a close relationship with other known mammalian LILRA5 proteins. 3. The results indicated that LILRA5 from chicken lines 6.3 and 7.2 was associated with phosphorylation of Src kinases and protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 11 (SHP2), which play a regulatory role in immune functions. Moreover, the results demonstrated that LILRA5 in these lines was associated with the activation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and β2-microglobulin and induced the expression of the transporter associated with antigen processing. In addition, LILRA5 in both chicken lines activated and induced Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and the activator of transcription (STAT), nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) and the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 signalling pathways; toll-like receptors; and Th1-, Th2-, and Th17- cytokines. 4. The data suggested that LILRA5 has innate immune receptors essential for macrophage immune response and provide novel insights into the regulation of immunity and immunopathology.

Synthesis and characterization of donor–acceptor semiconducting polymers containing 4-(4-((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)phenyl)-4H-dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrrole for organic solar cells

D–A polymers containing 4-(4-((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)phenyl)-4H-dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrrole and 2,5-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-3,6-di(thiophen-2-yl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4(2H,5H)-dione were successfully synthesized and applied for organic solar cells.

Progress towards rabies control and elimination in Vietnam

Rabies is a fatal viral disease that causes an estimated 59,000 human deaths each year. The majority of these deaths occur in developing countries in Asia. Canine rabies is endemic to Vietnam, which is, however, moving towards the disease's elimination. Many countries, such as Vietnam, have invested tremendous resources in controlling rabies, highlighting the goal of regional and global elimination of this neglected disease. In Vietnam, rabies is recognised as one of five high-priority, zoonotic diseases by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Investment by the government and by international partners for rabies prevention and control has played a substantial role in reducing human rabies deaths from 404 cases in 1992 to 74 cases in 2017. The catalyst for this effort was the Prime Minister's creation of the National Rabies Program in 1996, which led to increased support and resources for rabies prevention and control. Interventions carried out since then include the expansion of post-exposure prophylaxis centres throughout the country, the introduction or revision of key legislation and guidelines, and improved multisectoral One Health collaboration. In addition, support from international partners, such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the World Health Organization (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has helped to increase awareness, manage dog populations more effectively, and improve Vietnam's surveillance and diagnostic capabilities. To pursue the goal of eliminating dog-mediated rabies in Vietnam, political commitment is crucial. Resources must be made available to enforce the regulations and guidelines that will enable Vietnam to achieve greater canine rabies vaccination coverage. In this paper, the authors provide an overview of the animal and human health systems in Vietnam, as well as past, current and future directions of rabies prevention and control.

Gain of 20q11.21 in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Impairs TGF-β-Dependent Neuroectodermal Commitment

Gain of 20q11.21 is one of the most common recurrent genomic aberrations in human pluripotent stem cells. Although it is known that overexpression of the antiapoptotic gene Bcl-xL confers a survival advantage to the abnormal cells, their differentiation capacity has not been fully investigated. RNA sequencing of mutant and control hESC lines, and a line transgenically overexpressing Bcl-xL, shows that overexpression of Bcl-xL is sufficient to cause most transcriptional changes induced by the gain of 20q11.21. Moreover, the differentially expressed genes in mutant and Bcl-xL overexpressing lines are enriched for genes involved in TGF-β- and SMAD-mediated signaling, and neuron differentiation. Finally, we show that this altered signaling has a dramatic negative effect on neuroectodermal differentiation, while the cells maintain their ability to differentiate to mesendoderm derivatives. These findings stress the importance of thorough genetic testing of the lines before their use in research or the clinic.

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Bcl-xL overexpression drives the transcriptomic profile of 20q11.21 mutant lines

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20q11.21 mutant lines downregulate CHCHD2, a known TGF-β pathway modulator

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Mutant lines differentially express genes involved in TGF-β and SMAD signaling

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Mutant lines show impaired ectoderm commitment due to TGF-β signaling deregulation

Achromatic nanostructured gradient index microlenses

We present a development of microlenses achromatically corrected in near-infrared spectral windows. We show that the standard fiber drawing technology can be successfully applied to the development achromatic gradient index microlenses by means of internal nanostructurization. These gradient index microlenses can achieve similar performance to standard aspheric doublets, while utilizing a simpler, singlet element geometry with flat surfaces. A nanostructured lens with a parabolic profile was designed using a combination of the simulated annealing method and the effective medium approximation theory. Measurements on the fabricated lenses show that the microlenses have a nearly wavelength-independent focal plane at a distance of about 35 μm from the lens facet over the wavelength range of 600-1550 nm. The successful design and fabrication of achromatic flat-parallel rod microlenses opens new perspectives for micro-imaging systems and wavelength-independent coupling into optical fibers.

Antimicrobial activities of an oxygenated cyclohexanone derivative isolated from Amphirosellinia nigrospora JS-1675 against various plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi

AIMS

To evaluate the antimicrobial activities of an active compound isolated from the culture broth of Amphirosellinia nigrospora JS-1675 against various plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi.

METHODS AND RESULTS

While screening for bioactive secondary metabolites from endophytic fungi, we found that A. nigrospora JS-1675 showed strong in vitro antibacterial activity against Ralstonia solanacearum. One compound (1) was isolated and identified as (4S, 5S, 6S)-5,6-epoxy-4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-5-methyl-cyclohex-2-en-1-one. Growth of most of the tested phytopathogenic bacteria was inhibited by compound 1 and the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) layer except Pseudomonas syringae pv. lachrymans. Compound 1 also inhibited the mycelial growth of several plant pathogenic fungi. Both compound 1 and the EtOAc layer reduced bacterial leaf spot disease in detached peach leaves. They also suppressed the development of bacterial wilt on tomato seedlings quite effectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Amphirosellinia nigrospora JS-1675 showed antimicrobial activity against plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi by producing compound 1.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This is the first report on the occurrence of compound 1 in A. nigrospora JS-1675 and its efficacy against plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Their strong disease control efficacy against tomato bacterial wilt suggests that this fungus can be used as a microbial bactericide.

Prediction of line shape parameters and their temperature dependences for CO2-N2 using molecular dynamics simulations

We show in this paper that requantized classical molecular dynamics simulations (rCMDSs) are capable of predicting various refined spectral-shape parameters of absorption lines of CO₂ broadened by N₂ with high precision. Combining CMDSs and a requantization procedure, we computed the auto-correlation function of the CO₂ dipole moment responsible for the absorption transition. Its Fourier-Laplace transform directly yields the spectrum. Calculations were made for two temperatures, 200 and 296 K, at 1 atm and for a large range of Doppler widths, from the near-Doppler to the collision-dominant regimes. For each temperature and each line, the spectra calculated for various Doppler widths were simultaneously fit with the Hartmann-Tran (HT) profile. This refined profile, which takes into account the effects of the speed dependent collisional line broadening, the Dicke narrowing, and the collisional line mixing, was recommended as a reference model to be used in high-resolution spectroscopy (instead of the simplified Voigt model). The HT parameters retrieved from the rCMDS-calculated spectra were then directly compared with those deduced from high-precision measurements [J. S. Wilzewski et al., J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Transfer 206, 296-305 (2018)]. The results show a very good agreement, even for those parameters whose influence on the spectra is very small. Good agreement is also obtained between measured and predicted temperature dependences of these parameters. This demonstrates that rCMDS is an excellent tool, highly competitive with respect to high quality measurements for precise line-shape studies.

Constraints on Primordial Gravitational Waves Using Planck, WMAP, and New BICEP2/Keck Observations through the 2015 Season

We present results from an analysis of all data taken by the bicep2/Keck CMB polarization experiments up to and including the 2015 observing season. This includes the first Keck Array observations at 220 GHz and additional observations at 95 and 150 GHz. The Q and U maps reach depths of 5.2, 2.9, and 26  μK_{CMB} arcmin at 95, 150, and 220 GHz, respectively, over an effective area of ≈400 square degrees. The 220 GHz maps achieve a signal to noise on polarized dust emission approximately equal to that of Planck at 353 GHz. We take auto and cross spectra between these maps and publicly available WMAP and Planck maps at frequencies from 23 to 353 GHz. We evaluate the joint likelihood of the spectra versus a multicomponent model of lensed-ΛCDM+r+dust+synchrotron+noise. The foreground model has seven parameters, and we impose priors on some of these using external information from Planck and WMAP derived from larger regions of sky. The model is shown to be an adequate description of the data at the current noise levels. The likelihood analysis yields the constraint r_{0.05}<0.07 at 95% confidence, which tightens to r_{0.05}<0.06 in conjunction with Planck temperature measurements and other data. The lensing signal is detected at 8.8σ significance. Running a maximum likelihood search on simulations we obtain unbiased results and find that σ(r)=0.020. These are the strongest constraints to date on primordial gravitational waves.

Measurement of the Effective Weak Mixing Angle in pp[over ¯]→Z/γ^{*}→ℓ^{+}ℓ^{-} Events

We present a measurement of the effective weak mixing angle parameter sin^{2}θ_{eff}^{ℓ} in pp[over ¯]→Z/γ^{*}→μ^{+}μ^{-} events at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV, collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider and corresponding to 8.6  fb^{-1} of integrated luminosity. The measured value of sin^{2}θ_{eff}^{ℓ}[μμ]=0.23016±0.00064 is further combined with the result from the D0 measurement in pp[over ¯]→Z/γ^{*}→e^{+}e^{-} events, resulting in sin^{2}θ_{eff}^{ℓ}[comb]=0.23095±0.00040. This combined result is the most precise measurement from a single experiment at a hadron collider and is the most precise determination using the coupling of the Z/γ^{*} to light quarks.

Combined Forward-Backward Asymmetry Measurements in Top-Antitop Quark Production at the Tevatron

The CDF and D0 experiments at the Fermilab Tevatron have measured the asymmetry between yields of forward- and backward-produced top and antitop quarks based on their rapidity difference and the asymmetry between their decay leptons. These measurements use the full data sets collected in proton-antiproton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV. We report the results of combinations of the inclusive asymmetries and their differential dependencies on relevant kinematic quantities. The combined inclusive asymmetry is A_{FB}^{tt[over ¯]}=0.128±0.025. The combined inclusive and differential asymmetries are consistent with recent standard model predictions.

Synthesis of poly(3-hexylthiophene) based rod–coil conjugated block copolymers via photoinduced metal-free atom transfer radical polymerization

Photo-mediated metal-free ATRP for the synthesis of P3HT-based rod–coil copolymers.

N-Benzoyl dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole-based hyperbranched polymers by direct arylation polymerization

BACKGROUND

Although poly(N-acyl dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole)s have attracted great attention as a new class of conducting polymers with highly stabilized energy levels, hyperbranched polymers based on this monomer type have not yet been studied. Thus, this work aims at the synthesis of novel hyperbranched polymers containing N-benzoyl dithieno[3,23,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole acceptor unit and 3-hexylthiophene donor moiety via the direct arylation polymerization method. Their structures, molecular weights and thermal properties were characterized via 1H NMR and FTIR spectroscopies, GPC, TGA, DSC and XRD measurements, and the optical properties were investigated by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopies.

RESULTS

Hyperbranched conjugated polymers containing N-benzoyl dithieno[3,23,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole acceptor unit and 3-hexylthiophene donor moiety, linked with either triphenylamine or triphenylbenzene as branching unit, were obtained via direct arylation polymerization of the N-benzoyl dithieno[3,23,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole, 2,5-dibromo 3-hexylthiophene and tris(4-bromophenyl)amine (or 1,3,5-tris(4-bromophenyl)benzene) monomers. Organic solvent-soluble polymers with number-average molecular weights of around 18,000 g mol-1 were obtained in 80-92% yields. The DSC and XRD results suggested that the branching structure hindered the stacking of polymer chains, leading to crystalline domains with less ordered packing in comparison with the linear analogous polymers. The results revealed that the hyperbranched polymer with triphenylbenzene as the branching unit exhibited a strong red-shift of the maximum absorption wavelength, attributed to a higher polymer stacking order as a result of the planar structure of triphenylbenzene.

CONCLUSION

Both hyperbranched polymers with triphenylamine/triphenylbenzene as branching moieties exhibited high structural order in thin films, which can be promising for organic solar cell applications. The UV-vis absorption of the hyperbranched polymer containing triphenylbenzene as branching unit was red-shifted as compared with the triphenylamine-containing polymer, as a result of a higher chain packing degree.

Postoperative urinary retention after inguinal hernia repair: a single institution experience

PURPOSE

Inguinal hernia repair is a common general surgery procedure with low morbidity. However, postoperative urinary retention (PUR) occurs in up to 22% of patients, resulting in further extraneous treatments.This single institution series investigates whether patient comorbidities, surgical approaches, and anesthesia methods are associated with developing PUR after inguinal hernia repairs.

METHODS

This is a single institution retrospective review of inguinal hernia from 2012 to 2015. PUR was defined as patients without a postoperative urinary catheter who subsequently required bladder decompression due to an inability to void. Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to quantify the associations between patient, surgical, and anesthetic factors with PUR. Stratification analysis was conducted at age of 50 years.

RESULTS

445 patients were included (42.9% laparoscopic and 57.1% open). Overall rate of PUR was 11.2% (12% laparoscopic, 10.6% open, and p = 0.64). In univariate analysis, PUR was significantly associated with patient age >50 and history of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Risk stratification for age >50 revealed in this cohort a 2.49 times increased PUR risk with lack of intraoperative bladder decompression (p = 0.013).

CONCLUSIONS

At our institution, we found that patient age, history of BPH, and bilateral repair were associated with PUR after inguinal hernia repair. No association was found with PUR and laparoscopic vs open approach. Older males may be at higher risk without intraoperative bladder decompression, and therefore, catheter placement should be considered in this population, regardless of surgical approach.

Antibacterial activities of penicillic acid isolated from Aspergillus persii against various plant pathogenic bacteria

The emergence of pathogenic bacterial strains resistant to agrochemicals and the increasing demand for organic foods have led to the discovery of new antibacterial metabolites that can be used either directly or as a lead molecule for development of synthetic bactericides. During the screening of antibacterial fungal cultures, we found that one fungal strain, Aspergillus persii EML-HPB1-11, showed strong in vitro antibacterial activity against Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap) with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 10% of fermentation broth filtrate. The active compound was identified as penicillic acid (PA: 3-methoxy-5-methyl-4-oxo-2,5-hexadienoic acid) by mass and NMR spectroscopy. The in vitro antibacterial activity of PA was tested against 12 phytopathogenic bacteria. All of the bacterial pathogens tested were highly inhibited by PA with MIC values of 12·3-111·1 μg ml(-1) . It also effectively suppressed the development of bacterial spot disease in detached peach leaves, showing control values of 82·4 and 94·1% at concentrations of 111·1 and 333·3 μg ml(-1) respectively. This is the first report on the production of PA by A. persii. This study suggests that PA can be used as a lead molecule for development of synthetic bactericides for control of various plant diseases.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Penicillic acid (PA) produced by the seed-borne fungus Aspergillus persii EML-HPB1-11 showed antibacterial activity against various plant pathogenic bacteria. The compound effectively inhibited the growth of 12 plant pathogenic bacteria and successfully controlled bacterial spot disease on peach leaf. These results suggest that PA can be used as a lead molecule for development of synthetic agrochemicals to control plant bacterial diseases.

Clogging and jamming transitions in periodic obstacle arrays

We numerically examine clogging transitions for bidisperse disks flowing through a two-dimensional periodic obstacle array. We show that clogging is a probabilistic event that occurs through a transition from a homogeneous flowing state to a heterogeneous or phase-separated jammed state where the disks form dense connected clusters. The probability for clogging to occur during a fixed time increases with increasing particle packing and obstacle number. For driving at different angles with respect to the symmetry direction of the obstacle array, we show that certain directions have a higher clogging susceptibility. It is also possible to have a size-specific clogging transition in which one disk size becomes completely immobile while the other disk size continues to flow.

[A woman with acute bilateral vision loss]

A 46-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with progressive bilateral loss of vision followed by headache. She had been taking topiramate 25 mg daily for eight days before presentation. In the end, she was diagnosed with topiramate-induced acute glaucoma for which she received appropriate treatment.

Evidence for a B_{s}^{0}π^{±} State

We report evidence for a narrow structure, X(5568), in the decay sequence X(5568)→B_{s}^{0}π^{±}, B_{s}^{0}→J/ψϕ, J/ψ→μ^{+}μ^{-}, ϕ→K^{+}K^{-}. This is evidence for the first instance of a hadronic state with valence quarks of four different flavors. The mass and natural width of this state are measured to be m=5567.8±2.9(stat)_{-1.9}^{+0.9}(syst)  MeV/c^{2} and Γ=21.9±6.4(stat)_{-2.5}^{+5.0}(syst)  MeV/c^{2}. If the decay is X(5568)→B_{s}^{*}π^{±}→B_{s}^{0}γπ^{±} with an unseen γ, m(X(5568)) will be shifted up by m(B_{s}^{*})-m(B_{s}^{0})∼49  MeV/c^{2}. This measurement is based on 10.4  fb^{-1} of pp[over ¯] collision data at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV collected by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron collider.

High correlation of double Debye model parameters in skin cancer detection

The double Debye model can be used to capture the dielectric response of human skin in terahertz regime due to high water content in the tissue. The increased water proportion is widely considered as a biomarker of carcinogenesis, which gives rise of using this model in skin cancer detection. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to provide a specific analysis of the double Debye parameters in terms of non-melanoma skin cancer classification. Pearson correlation is applied to investigate the sensitivity of these parameters and their combinations to the variation in tumor percentage of skin samples. The most sensitive parameters are then assessed by using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) plot to confirm their potential of classifying tumor from normal skin. Our positive outcomes support further steps to clinical application of terahertz imaging in skin cancer delineation.

Second order anisotropy contribution in perpendicular magnetic tunnel junctions

Hard-axis magnetoresistance loops were measured on perpendicular magnetic tunnel junction pillars of diameter ranging from 50 to 150 nm. By fitting these loops to an analytical model, the effective anisotropy fields in both free and reference layers were derived and their variations in temperature range between 340 K and 5 K were determined. It is found that a second-order anisotropy term of the form −K₂cos⁴θ must be added to the conventional uniaxial –K₁cos²θ term to explain the experimental data. This higher order contribution exists both in the free and reference layers. At T = 300 K, the estimated −K₂/K₁ ratios are 0.1 and 0.24 for the free and reference layers, respectively. The ratio is more than doubled at low temperatures changing the ground state of the reference layer from “easy-axis” to “easy-cone” regime. The easy-cone regime has clear signatures in the shape of the hard-axis magnetoresistance loops. The existence of this higher order anisotropy was also confirmed by ferromagnetic resonance experiments on FeCoB/MgO sheet films. It is of interfacial nature and is believed to be due to spatial fluctuations at the nanoscale of the first order anisotropy parameter at the FeCoB/MgO interface.

Evidence for Simultaneous Production of J/ψ and ϒ Mesons

We report evidence for the simultaneous production of J/ψ and ϒ mesons in 8.1  fb^{-1} of data collected at sqrt[s]=1.96  TeV by the D0 experiment at the Fermilab pp[over ¯] Tevatron Collider. Events with these characteristics are expected to be produced predominantly by gluon-gluon interactions. In this analysis, we extract the effective cross section characterizing the initial parton spatial distribution, σ_{eff}=2.2±0.7(stat)±0.9(syst)  mb.

Improved Constraints on Cosmology and Foregrounds from BICEP2 and Keck Array Cosmic Microwave Background Data with Inclusion of 95 GHz Band

We present results from an analysis of all data taken by the BICEP2 and Keck Array cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments up to and including the 2014 observing season. This includes the first Keck Array observations at 95 GHz. The maps reach a depth of 50 nK deg in Stokes Q and U in the 150 GHz band and 127 nK deg in the 95 GHz band. We take auto- and cross-spectra between these maps and publicly available maps from WMAP and Planck at frequencies from 23 to 353 GHz. An excess over lensed ΛCDM is detected at modest significance in the 95×150 BB spectrum, and is consistent with the dust contribution expected from our previous work. No significant evidence for synchrotron emission is found in spectra such as 23×95, or for correlation between the dust and synchrotron sky patterns in spectra such as 23×353. We take the likelihood of all the spectra for a multicomponent model including lensed ΛCDM, dust, synchrotron, and a possible contribution from inflationary gravitational waves (as parametrized by the tensor-to-scalar ratio r) using priors on the frequency spectral behaviors of dust and synchrotron emission from previous analyses of WMAP and Planck data in other regions of the sky. This analysis yields an upper limit r_{0.05}<0.09 at 95% confidence, which is robust to variations explored in analysis and priors. Combining these B-mode results with the (more model-dependent) constraints from Planck analysis of CMB temperature plus baryon acoustic oscillations and other data yields a combined limit r_{0.05}<0.07 at 95% confidence. These are the strongest constraints to date on inflationary gravitational waves.