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Performance of two disposable devices for identifying subjects with low anti-SARS-CoV-2 protection was compared with that of automated enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) and chemiluminescent (CLIA) assay.In July 2021, 123 healthcare workers (HCW), twice vaccinated by BNT162b2/Comirnaty mRNA (BioNTech-Pfizer), underwent Ab iRapid COVID-19 Quant "Neutralizing" Self-test (iRapid Self-test) and "Neutralizing" Professional-use (iRapid pro) (DIESSE, Diagnostica Senese, Siena, Italy). Simultaneously, serum Ab were determined by Maglumi 2000 plus (anti S-RBD CLIA assay, Snibe Diagnostics, Shenzhen, China) and SARS-CoV-2 "Neutralizing" Ab Chorus ELISA (DIESSE, Siena, Italy). Results were evaluated against two "protective-thresholds", 90 kBAU/L and 506 kBAU/L.HCW mean age, 46.2 (±12.6) years; 26 (20.5%), males, 101 (79.5%), females. The mean time interval (and standard deviation) between the first vaccine dose and Ab determination was 129.5 (±36.4) days and was neither gender (p = 0.879) nor age (p = 0.341) related. With Maglumi, 114 (89.7%) and 43 (33.8%) HCW presented Ab ≥ 90 kBAU/L and Ab ≥ 506 kBAU/L, respectively; with Chorus, 96 (75.6%) presented Ab values ≥506 kBAU/L. CLIA and ELISA agreement was 56.7%. At 90 kBAU/L, iRapid self-test and Pro sensitivities were 98.2% (95% CI: 92.7-99.8), specificity 69.2% (95% CI: 38.6-90.9%) and 76.9% (46.2-95%), respectively. At 506 kBAU/L, iRapid sensitivities were 58.1-91.6%, and specificities, 89-96.6%. On evaluating Ab at4 and ≥4 months, protective titers had decreased.iRapid semi-quantitative devices had very good overall agreements of 95.1% and 95.9% for detecting individuals with low anti-SARS-CoV-2 protection.

The Australian National University (ANU) and industry partners EOS Space Systems and Lockheed Martin are part of the Space Environment Research Centre (SERC), an Australian-Government funded cooperative research centre headquartered in Canberra, Australia. SERC aims to mitigate the threat of collisions with space debris using a ground-based high power (10-20kW) infrared (IR) laser to modify the debris orbit should a collision be predicted. To that end, the ANU has equipped the EOS 1.8m laser tracking station telescope on the ANU Mount Stromlo campus with a state-of-the-art Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics (LGS AO) system to pre-compensate the IR laser prior to propagation through earth's atmosphere. The ANU LGS AO system is currently being integrated with the EOS telescope and the high-power IR laser. This paper provides a brief overview of the LGS AO system and focus more specifically on the design, integration and commissioning of the first LGS facility ever constructed in Australia. The LGS Facility includes two sodium guide star laser sources which can be either propagated separately or combined so as to produce a brighter reference star to maximise adaptive optics correction. The two lasers, their beam combining optics, their common beam transfer optics, and the laser launch telescope are hereby described.

Background and aim Physical activity is defined as any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles which causes energy consumption; moderate and constant physical activity is known to be beneficial and to slow the muscle loss process associated with aging. The aim of the present study was to test, in an in vitro exercise model, the biological effects of a new formulation composed of magnesium and potassium combined with vitamin D and curcumin created to support muscle activity and to prevent hypercontraction damage. Experimental procedure C2C12 cells were treated with vitamin D, buffered magnesium bisglycinate, curcumin, and potassium citrate. Cell viability, morpho-functional changes, calcium and magnesium movements, and the main kinases involved in glucose uptake were analyzed. The glycogen level and lactate were also evaluated. Results and conclusion Important results about a positive effect on mitochondrial activity, ATP production, oxygen consumption and in the physiological differentiation of C2C12 cells were obtained. Further experiments were performed under conditions that mimic the biological aspects of strenuous exercise. The combination of magnesium, vitamin D3, curcumin, and potassium citrate revealed beneficial effects on skeletal muscle cells under physiological conditions as well as while mimicking intense activity. In particular, in an in vitro model, they were able to control the hypercontraction, restoring ion fluxes, reducing inflammation signaling and supporting the main mechanism involved on aerobic activity. Our results have indicated for the first time that this new combination could be considered as a new nutraceutical formulation to improve physical performance and muscle recovery., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights of the findings and novelties • MKVC is able to counteract the negative effect of strenuous muscle activity. • MKVC is able to restore muscle functions also in post-trauma condition. • MKVC may have numerous roles during muscle activity and recovery. • MKVC prevents a negative condition of strong state contraction.

Mindfulness has been studied as a momentary state and as an enduring trait, yet little research has reconciled these accounts. We draw from Whole Trait Theory (WTT) to conceptualize (the descriptive side of) trait mindfulness as a person-specific density distribution of mindful states. In preregistered secondary analyses of three samples – daily diaries with adolescents (1,505 observations) and experience sampling with undergraduates (1,889 and 3,962 observations) – we examined density distributions of mindful awareness and mindful non-judgment states. Consistent with WTT, mindful states (a) fluctuated considerably within persons and across contexts, and (b) density distributions of these states were stable over time. WTT offers precision to the construct of trait mindfulness while emphasizing its sensitivity to contexts and its connection with mindful states.

Phylogenetic networks are a generalization of phylogenetic trees allowing for the representation of non-treelike evolutionary events such as hybridization. Typically, such networks have been analyzed based on their ‘level’, i.e. based on the complexity of their 2-edge-connected components. However, recently the question of how ‘treelike’ a phylogenetic network is has become the center of attention in various studies. This led to the introduction of tree-based networks, i.e. networks that can be constructed from a phylogenetic tree, called the base tree, by adding additional edges. While the concept of tree-basedness was originally introduced for rooted phylogenetic networks, it has recently also been considered for unrooted networks. In the present study, we compare and contrast findings obtained for unrooted binary tree-based networks to unrooted non-binary networks. In particular, while it is known that up to level 4 all unrooted binary networks are tree-based, we show that in the case of non-binary networks, this result only holds up to level 3.

While facultative sex is common in sexually reproducing species, for reasons of tractability most mathematical models assume that such sex is asynchronous in the population. In this paper, we develop a model of switching environments to instead capture the effect of an entire population transitioning synchronously between sexual and asexual modes of reproduction. We use this model to investigate the evolution of the number of self-incompatible mating types in finite populations, which empirically can range from two to thousands. When environmental switching is fast, we recover the results of earlier studies that implicitly assumed populations were engaged in asynchronous sexual reproduction. However when the environment switches slowly, we see deviations from previous asynchronous theory, including a lower number of mating types at equilibrium and bimodality in the stationary distribution of mating types. We provide analytic approximations for both the fast and slow switching regimes, as well as a numerical scheme based on the Kolmogorov equations for the system to quickly evaluate the model dynamics at intermediate parameters. Our approach exploits properties of integer partitions in number theory. We also demonstrate how additional biological processes such as selective sweeps can be accounted for in this switching environment framework, showing that beneficial mutations can further erode mating type diversity in synchronous facultatively sexual populations., EBC acknowledges a President’s Doctoral Scholarship (The University of Manchester). TG is grateful for partial financial support by the Maria de Maeztu Program for Units of Excellence in R&D, Spain (MDM-2017-0711). GWAC thanks the Leverhulme Trust for funding through a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship.

Three canines were identified with aberrant drainage of the caudal vena cava to the left atrium, consistent with imperforate cor triatriatum dexter, and concurrent patent foramen ovale. All three had concurrent significant pulmonic stenosis with varying degrees of hypoplasia of the right ventricular outflow tract. Echocardiography, positive contrast studies, and angiography confirmed the diagnosis. Surgical redirection of the caudal vena cava bloodflow to the right atrium was attempted unsuccessfully in two symptomatic patients. The third patient was asymptomatic, and correction was not attempted. Possible embryologic causes and possible approaches in future cases are discussed.

An alternative and economically viable process for the synthesis of β-aryl enals, enones and the aryl amines has been developed by partial oxidation of ethanol, isopropanol and N, N-dimethyl formamide (DMF). The formation of β-aryl enals, enones and the aryl amines was catalyzed by a mixed metal oxides layer of cobalt and chromium supported on halloysite nanotubes, designated as CoCr2O4-HNT. The C C and C N bond formation reactions were found to be influenced by temperature and the nature of base. The condensation of aldehyde with in situ generated acetaldehyde by ethanol oxidation forming β-aryl enals occurred selectively at 120 °C. The partial oxidation of isopropanol to acetone and its condensation with aldehydes forming β-aryl enones occurred at room temperature. Increase in temperature caused the liberation of hydrogen gas from isopropanol and allowed the reversible reduction of aldehydes to alcohols. Increase in temperature in isopropanol and increase in base concentration in ethanol causes the selective reduction of aldehydes to alcohols. Besides being active for the Claisen-Schmidt type of reactions and the aryl halides amination process, the synthesized catalyst was also found to be highly active for the photocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohols in absence of any external oxidizing agent. The positive holes (h+) generated at the Co(II) site as evident from EPR analysis was considered to be responsible for high photocatalytic activity of the material reducing the recombination rate of holes and electrons (e−). Density Functional Theory calculations were performed to understand the mechanism of ethanol oxidation to acetaldehyde.

Supercapacitors, also known by different names such as electrostatic double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) or ultra-capacitors, are electrical storage devices still in development. These devices require fast and reliable methods of assessing their state-of-health. Thermographic imaging is a method which can be applied with this aim due to its popularity, and the high negative impact of overheating on a supercapacitor’s parameters. Moreover, thermographic imaging can be easily used to identify any hot spots, present during charging and discharging while in use. These devices are comprised of porous carbon electrodes and an electrolyte, and during the charging/discharging process, extensive heat may be generated and dissipated there. We have observed temperature fluctuations and were able to identify the inhomogeneity of the tested structures. The electrical parameters (capacitance C and equivalent serial resistance ESR) were measured to determine deterioration of the specimen as requested by the industrial standard. X-ray examination of the samples was performed to identify the shape of the applied metal charge collectors. Both techniques indicated areas where eventual overheating took place due to their electrodes’ shape, suggesting their further optimisation. The proposed method is much less accurate than the calorimetric methods, determining energy flows, but is still sufficient to identify problems with heat dissipation in the developed specimens. Finally, some conclusions about the ability to apply this method in practice to monitor supercapacitors during use were presented.