Search

Abstract Tumor-related trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a deeply debilitating condition that severely impacts patient quality of life. Two principal treatment methods in use are open surgical resection of the causative tumor or the use of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). In this letter, we aim to evaluate the use of both treatment methods and highlight that in patients with commensurate anatomy, open surgical resection continues to provide greater rates of symptomatic relief, lower rates of recurrence, and complication compared to stereotactic radiosurgery.

Background: Metal sensitivity is a possible cause for revision in elective lower-limb arthroplasty. This scoping review aims to identify and evaluate all existing and novel assessment methods for metal sensitivity in elective lower-limb arthroplasty. Methods: The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Ovid Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), PubMed, and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies published between January 1, 2000, and September 1, 2023. Studies evaluating one or more metal sensitivity assessment method preoperatively, perioperatively, or postoperatively were included. Studies were grouped based on the assessment methods reported and summarized based on the study design, outcome measure, results, and comments on the method’s validity. Results: A total of 1220 results were screened, with 39 results (15 retrospective cohort studies, 11 prospective cohort studies, 6 case reports, 5 randomized controlled trials, and 2 case control studies) included, identifying 12 assessment methods. The most used one was patch testing, featuring in 17 studies (43.6%). Lymphocyte transformation assay/testing featured in 12 studies (30.8%). Plasma/serum concentration of metal ions featured in 6 studies (15.4%). Patient history and serum cytokine testing featured in 7 (17.9%) and 4 (10.3%) studies each. Generalized serum inflammatory markers featured in 3 studies (7.7%). The remaining 6 methods each featured in one or 2 studies. Evidence of the reliability of most metrics was limited. Conclusions: Several assessment methods were identified. However, evidence of any methods reliably predicting and diagnosing the occurrence of metal sensitivity was limited. There is a need for improved metrics of metal hypersensitivity.

Far fewer undergraduate students pursue and complete STEM degrees compared to humanities degrees, despite high demand for STEM professionals. Among undergraduate STEM majors, individuals from underrepresented racial minority (URM) groups are far less likely to complete their degree than their White or Asian peers, presenting a serious obstacle to diversity within the STEM workforce. Drawing from Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, researchers have identified factors that affect the retention of URM students in STEM, though there is substantial evidence that such factors are moderated by environmental influences not traditionally included in the theory. In this paper, we argue that many environmental influences can be conceptually unified under the State Authenticity as Fit to Environment (SAFE) model. Further, we review literature suggesting that the constructs of both Social Cognitive Theory and the SAFE model interact extensively when considering retention of URM undergraduates, arguing that understanding the interactions between the two models will provide a more complete picture of how retention of URM students can be improved.

The limitations of modern CMOS technology have created a call to action for novel devices with great scalability potential. Graphene has been recognized as a suitable material for an enhanced transistor channel based on its incredibly large conductivity while also being easily scaled. Previous research has noted the importance of a top gate device structure, which is difficult to accomplish for graphene transistors due to graphene's incompatibility with oxide growth processes. A novel process flow for graphene field effect transistors with scalability is presented. The emphasis is on the growth of multilayer graphene using chemical vapor deposition and the implementation of polydimethylsiloxane as a gate dielectric. Polydimethylsiloxane gate insulator thickness of 815 nm and 570 nm were successfully developed on 4in large-scale wafers. Two devices of similar channel dimensions and different dielectric were compared and mobilities of 14.57cm2V−1s−1 and 0.44 cm2V−1s−1 were measured. Gate voltage sweeps from -20 V to 20 V also demonstrated channel current modulation with a charge neutrality point between 5 V and 8 V, indicating achievement of expected device operation.

Early diagnosis and treatment of surgical wound infection can be challenging. This is especially relevant in the management of periprosthetic joint infection: early detection is key to success and reducing morbidity, mortality and resource use. ‘Smart’ dressings have been developed to detect parameters suggestive of infection. This scoping review investigates the current status of the field, limited to devices tested in animal models and/or humans, with a focus on their application to arthroplasty. The literature was searched using MEDLINE/PubMed and Embase databases from 2000 to 2023. Original articles assessing external sensing methods for the detection of wound infection in animal models or human participants were included. Sixteen articles were eligible. The results were broadly divided by sensing method: colorimetric, electrochemical and fluorescence/photothermal responses. Six of the devices detected more than one parameter (multimodal), while the rest were unimodal. The most common parameters examined were temperature and pH. Most ‘smart’ dressings focused on diagnosing infection in chronic wounds, and none were tested in humans with wound infections. There is limited late-stage research into using dressing sensors to diagnose wound infection in post-surgical patients. Future research should explore this to enable inpatient and remote outpatient monitoring of post-operative wounds to detect wound infection.

Recently, much attention has been given to the development of various energy harvesting technologies to power remote electronic sensors, data loggers, and communicators that can be installed on smart grid systems. Magnetic energy harvesting is, perhaps, the most straightforward way to capture a significant amount of power from a current-carrying overhead line. Since the harvester is expected to have a small size, the high currents of the distribution system easily saturate its magnetic core. As a result, the operation of the magnetic harvester is highly nonlinear and makes precise analytical modeling difficult. The operation of an overhead line magnetic energy harvester (OLMEH) generating significant DC power output into a constant voltage load was investigated in this paper. The analysis method was based on the Froelich equation to analytically model the nonlinearity of the core’s BH characteristic. The main findings of this piecewise nonlinear analysis include a closed-form solution that accounts for both the core and rectifiers’ nonlinearities and provides an accurate prediction of OLMEH transfer window length, output current, and harvested power. Continuous and discontinuous operational modes are identified and the mode transition boundary is obtained quantitatively. The theoretical investigation was concluded by comparison with a computer simulation and also verified by the experimental results of a laboratory prototype harvester. A good agreement was found.

(1) Background: Mental health issues in older adults, particularly cognitive impairment and depression, can affect nutritional status. This study investigates the prevalence of malnutrition among community-dwelling older adults at risk of social exclusion and dependency in Lebanon and its association with cognitive impairment and depression. (2) Methods: This cross-sectional study used secondary data from the TEC-MED project, involving 1410 older adults aged 60 and above in Beirut. Nutritional status was assessed with the Mini Nutritional Assessment _Short Form (MNA_SF), cognitive impairment with the AD8 Dementia Screening Interview, and depression with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). (3) Results: 87.2% of participants were at risk of malnutrition, and 2.5% were malnourished. Cognitive impairment was present in 82.2% of the sample and 45% experienced moderate to severe depression. Malnourished individuals had significantly higher rates of cognitive impairment (96.7% vs. 57.8%) and depression (85.7% vs. 23.2%). Significant associations were found between the risk of malnutrition, decreased food intake, cognitive impairment, and depression; however, no significant association was found with BMI. Logistic regression analysis indicated that older age, cognitive impairment, and depression were significant predictors of malnutrition, while having a caregiver was protective. (4) Conclusions: The high prevalence of risk of malnutrition among vulnerable older adults with cognitive impairment and depression underscores the need for policies integrating nutritional screening into routine health check-ups for older adults.

Aims: Prophylactic antibiotic regimens for elective primary total hip and knee arthroplasty vary widely across hospitals and trusts in the UK. This study aimed to identify antibiotic prophylaxis regimens currently in use for elective primary arthroplasty across the UK, establish variations in antibiotic prophylaxis regimens and their impact on the risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in the first-year post-index procedure, and evaluate adherence to current international consensus guidance. Methods: The guidelines for the primary and alternative recommended prophylactic antibiotic regimens in clean orthopaedic surgery (primary arthroplasty) for 109 hospitals and trusts across the UK were sought by searching each trust and hospital’s website (intranet webpages), and by using the MicroGuide app. The mean cost of each antibiotic regimen was calculated using price data from the British National Formulary (BNF). Regimens were then compared to the 2018 Philadelphia Consensus Guidance, to evaluate adherence to international guidance. Results: The primary choice and dosing of the prophylactic antimicrobial regimens varied widely. The two most used regimens were combined teicoplanin and gentamicin, and cefuroxime followed by two or three doses of cefuroxime eight-hourly, recommended by 24 centres (22.02%) each. The alternative choice and dosing of the prophylactic antimicrobial regimen also varied widely across the 83 centres with data available. Prophylaxis regimens across some centres fail to cover the likeliest causes of surgical site infection (SSI). Five centres (4.59%) recommend co-amoxiclav, which confers no Staphylococcus coverage, while 33 centres (30.28%) recommend cefuroxime, which confers no Enterococcus coverage. Limited adherence to 2018 Philadelphia Consensus Guidance was observed, with 67 centres (61.50%) not including a cephalosporin in their guidance. Conclusion: This analysis of guidance on antimicrobial prophylaxis in primary arthroplasty across 109 hospitals and trusts in the UK has identified widespread variation in primary and alternative antimicrobial regimens currently recommended. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2023;4(10):742–749.

Leucaena is a versatile legume shrub/tree used as tropical livestock forage and in timber industries, but it is considered a high environmental weed risk due to its prolific seed production and broad environmental adaptation. Interspecific crossings between Leucaena species have been used to create non-flowering or sterile triploids that can display reduced weediness and other desirable traits for broad use in forest and agricultural settings. However, assessing the success of the hybridisation process before evaluating the sterility of putative hybrids in the target environment is advisable. Here, RNA sequencing was used to develop breeding markers for hybrid parental identification in Leucaena. RNA-seq was carried out on 20 diploid and one tetraploid Leucaena taxa, and transcriptome-wide unique genetic variants were identified relative to a L. trichandra draft genome. Over 16 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 0.8 million insertions and deletions (indels) were mapped. These sequence variations can differentiate all species of Leucaena from one another, and a core set of about 75,000 variants can be genetically mapped and transformed into genotyping arrays/chips for the conduction of population genetics, diversity assessment, and genome-wide association studies in Leucaena. For genetic fingerprinting, more than 1500 variants with even allele frequencies (0.4–0.6) among all species were filtered out for marker development and testing in planta. Notably, SNPs were preferable for future testing as they were more accurate and displayed higher transferability within the genus than indels. Hybridity testing of ca. 3300 putative progenies using SNP markers was also more reliable and highly consistent with the field observations. The developed markers pave the way for rapid, accurate, and cost-effective diversity assessments, variety identification and breeding selection in Leucaena.

This study investigates the effects of trade facilitation policies on intra-manufacturing exports among ECOWAS member states. Utilizing the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) linear model, this research analyzes data from 2015–2020 for the ECOWAS member states. The findings reveal that trade facilitation policies in the ECOWAS region fall below the global average. This discrepancy is primarily due to the extensive bureaucratic processes in the region, leading to increased costs for exporting and importing goods. Consequently, there is a significant need for trade facilitation to enhance intra-manufacturing exports within ECOWAS. Based on these insights, the study recommends several policy interventions to improve trade flow and bolster intra-manufacturing exports in the ECOWAS region. These include a stronger commitment to trade agreements among ECOWAS member states, the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) to streamline trade processes and reduce bureaucratic delays associated with document processing for exports and imports, the strengthening of institutional frameworks within the member states, and the formulation of policies aimed at increasing industrialization levels to enhance manufacturing exports throughout the ECOWAS region.

Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of X-ray image devices require splitting the simulation into two parts (i.e. the generation of x-rays and the actual imaging). The X-ray production remains unchanged for repeated imaging and can thus be stored in phase space (PhS) files and used for subsequent MC simulations. Especially for medical images these dedicated PhS files require a large amount of data storage, which is partly why Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) were recently introduced. We enhanced the approach by a conditional GAN to model multiple energies using one network. This study compares the use of PhSs, GANs, and conditional GANs as photon source with measurements.An X-ray -based imaging system (i.e. ImagingRing) was modelled in this study. half-value layers (HVLs), focal spot, and Heel effect were measured for subsequent comparison. MC simulations were performed with GATE-RTion v1.0 considering the geometry and materials of the imaging system with vendor specific schematics. A traditional GAN model as well as the favourable conditional GAN was implemented for PhS generation.Results of the MC simulation were in agreement with the measurements regarding HVL, focal spot, and Heel effect. The conditional GAN performed best with a non-saturated loss function with R1 regularisation and gave similarly results as the traditional GAN approach.GANs proved to be superior to the PhS approach in terms of data storage and calculation overhead. Moreover, a conditional GAN enabled an energy interpolation to separate the network training process from the final required X-ray energies.

This study characterizes the bioactive molecules from the bulb of Calotropisprocera and investigates the antimicrobial activities of the crude extracts. Theoretical studies on the two isolated compounds in the crude extract were also accomplished.The bulbs were air dried, pulverized, and subjected to extraction procedures by maceration using 500 mL each of normal-hexane, ethyl acetate and methanol. The crude extracts were further tested onmicroorganisms and phytochemical screening using standard procedures. In addition, the bioactive compounds in the extract were screened against DNA gyrase of two Gram negative bacterial species; Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhiusing Molecular Docking simulation techniques and further subjected to ADMET profiling,using the Swiss ADME online server. The Crude ethyl acetate extract has the highest effective activity against Escherichia coli (MIC 2.5mg / mL and MBC/MFC 5mg / mL), Staphylococcus aureus (MIC 2.5mg/mL), Candida albicans, Salmonella typhiand Candida stellafoidea (MIC 5mg/mL). beta-Amyrin acetate and Taraxasterol are the two phytochemicals in the purified white crystalline fractions and were found to fasten to the active sites of DNA gyrase of the Gram negative bacterial species via hydrophobic and hydrogen bond interactions, with binding activity value of -9.6 kcal/mol and -9.5 kcal/mol, respectively. Also, ADMET investigations of the compounds revealed their sound oral bioavailability and excellent pharmacokinetic and toxicity profiles. The findings of this study could provide a platform for discovering safe and potent antibiotics against pathogenic microbes ravaging our society.

The seasonal dynamics of the NE Black Sea phytoplankton follow the following pattern: small diatoms (spring) → coccolithophorid Emiliania huxleyi (late spring–early summer) → large diatoms (summer). Our hypothesis states that nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations regulate the seasonal phytoplankton dynamics. A minimum number of parameters is enough to understand the mechanisms of dominant species change. Based on the concept of intracellular regulation, the following parameters were evaluated: the minimum nitrogen and phosphorus quotas; half-saturation constants for nitrogen and phosphorus uptake; the maximum specific growth rate of the dominant phytoplankton species. Computational experiments on the model show the following: (1) in spring, a species with a high maximum specific growth rate becomes dominant; (2) in late spring and early summer, a species with a low minimum nitrogen quota and a low half-saturation constant for nitrogen uptake is observed; (3) in summer, a low minimum phosphorus quota and a low half-saturation constant for phosphorus uptake allow the species to become dominant.

Stability studies are an integral part of the drug development process for any drug product. In addition to monitoring chemical degradation, the physical stability of a drug product must also be evaluated to ensure that the drug release and performance is not affected by storage. In this study, directly compressed tablets of 16 different formulations were exposed to an accelerated stability program to quantify changes in tablet breaking force, porosity, contact angle and disintegration time. Tablets were exposed to five different storage conditions from 37∘C/30% relative humidity (RH) to 70∘C/75%RH with testing after 2 and 4 weeks of storage. Each formulation contained two different fillers (47% w/w each), a disintegrant (5% w/w) and magnesium stearate (1% w/w). The results show that tablets stored at high humidity show increases in porosity and decreases in tensile strength, particularly if they contain a highly hygroscopic filler such as microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). For tablets stored at high temperature, the most commonly affected property was the tablet wettability, measured by sessile drop contact angle measurements. These results are considered in combination with the performance-controlling disintegration mechanism (Maclean et al., 2021) to identify the critical properties which influence the performance after storage.

The present paper is a summary of the authors’ theoretical and experimental research dealing with the patterns of stable equilibrium coexistence of microbial populations in flow systems interacting through specific density-dependent growth regulators (RFs). The discovered “paradoxical” lack of dependence of the background steady-state levels (concentrations) of RFs on their input values is confirmed experimentally and theoretically through the introduced sensitivity coefficients. This effect has been termed “autostabilization” of RFs. An important theorem (formula) of “quantization” suggesting the integer value of the sum of all sensitivity coefficients, which is equal to the difference between the number of RFs and the number of populations of one trophic level, has been proven. A modification of the “quantization” formula for an arbitrary trophic web is shown. A new criterion for intra- and inter-population microbial interactions for RFs is proposed—the response of growth acceleration to a perturbation in population size. This criterion makes it possible to quantify interspecific complex relationships, which has been previously impossible. The relationship between the new coefficients of inter-population interactions and the accuracy of model verification has been shown theoretically. Based on this criterion and the autostabilization effect, a method for experimental search for unknown RFs is proposed.

The dynamics of the main photosynthetic structures are studied by mathematical modeling methods in this work. Chlorophyll portion variability in phytoplankton and formation of energy-intensive substances in the process of photosynthesis underlie the models. These cellular components are considered in terms of their participation in the growth of specific biomass. Computational experiments are conducted to simulate various degrees of environmental friendliness. The corresponding functions are built in accordance with seasonal fluctuations throughout the year in the Far East region of Russia. The stability of model solutions in long-term dynamics is also investigated. The models are tested for biological adequacy, and their effectiveness is compared. For the model selected as a result of the comparison, the optimal control problem was formulated and solved. This way reduces the space of the initial components of the model system. The main conclusion is that a step-by-step description of photosynthetic transformations gives a result close to the experimental description of phytoplankton production dynamics.

BackgroundA severe prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM) is associated with adverse outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for de novo aortic stenosis or a failed surgical bioprosthesis. The impact of severe PPM in patients undergoing TAV-in-TAVR is unknown.AimWe sought to investigate the incidence and 1-year outcomes of different grades of PPM in patients undergoing TAV-in-TAVR.Materials and methodsThe TRANSIT-PPM is an international registry, including cases of degenerated TAVR treated with a second TAVR. PPM severity, as well as in-hospital, 30-day, and 1-year outcomes were defined according to the Valve Academic Research Consortium-3 (VARC-3) criteria.ResultsAmong 28 centers, 155 patients were included. Severe PPM was found in 6.5% of patients, whereas moderate PPM was found in 14.2% of patients. The rate of severe PPM was higher in patients who underwent TAV-in-TAVR with a second supra-annular self-expanding (S-SE) TAVR (10%, p = 0.04). Specifically, the rate of severe PPM was significantly higher among cases of a SE TAVR implanted into a balloon-expandable (BE) device (19%, p = 0.003). At 1-year follow-up, the rate of all-cause mortality, and the rate of patients in the New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III/IV were significantly higher in the cohort of patients with severe PPM (p = 0.016 and p = 0.0001, respectively). Almost all the patients with a severe PPM after the first TAVR had a failed < 23 mm BE transcatheter heart valve (THV): the treatment with an S-SE resolved the severe PPM in the majority of the cases.ConclusionAfter TAV-in-TAVR, in a fifth of the cases, a moderate or severe PPM occurred. A severe PPM is associated with an increased 1-year all-cause mortality.Clinical trial registration[https://clinicaltrials.gov], identifier [NCT04500964].

Abstract A generalized modelling technique suited to integrated and high order Pulse‐Width‐Modulation (PWM) topologies is studied and proposed here. Most integrated converters have their switches shared by more than one inductive element. The proposed generalised tapped inductor switcher model takes full account of the properties of the shared switcher assembly and so extends the capabilities of the earlier tapped inductor switcher model. The proposed generalised tapped inductor switcher can accommodate both voltage and current switched inputs and thus can model a wide range of high‐order PWM topologies. The topology of the GTIS block is proposed and its static and small‐signal models are derived. The proposed approach is illustrated by analysing a tapped inductor Single Eneded Primary Inductor converter. The validity of the proposed approach is verified by comparison of the theoretical, simulated and experimental results.

Abstract This paper presents a re‐examination of the active power direction method for locating the distortion sources in the power distribution network. The inaccuracies in the earlier analysis challenging the active power direction method are identified, and the claim of the inconsistency of the method is re‐examined. The article shows the derivation of the expression for the complex power, from which the equation for the active power flow through the point of measurement was derived in an explicit and in a normalised form. The derivations allow establishing the consumer dominance range at any harmonic frequency easily. Simulation results decisively support the theoretical findings. It is suggested that the main cause of uncertainty associated with the active power direction method is the stochastic nature of the amplitude and, especially, the phase between the harmonic current components.

Recently, biomedical research has increasingly investigated physical plasma as an innovative therapeutic approach with a number of therapeutic biomedical effects. It is known from radiation and chemotherapy that these applications can lead to the induction and activation of primarily cytoprotective heat shock proteins (HSP). HSP protect cells and tissues from physical, (bio)chemical, and physiological stress and, ultimately, along with other mechanisms, govern resistance and treatment failure. These mechanisms are well known and comparatively well studied in drug therapy. For therapies in the field of physical plasma medicine, however, extremely little data are available to date. In this review article, we provide an overview of the current studies on the interaction of physical plasma with the cellular HSP system.

In this paper is given the definition of e reliability of a transport information system, with features of transport information systems listed. Equations for calculating reliability indicators are given, as well. The developed hierarchical graph model for assessing the reliability of transport information systems and an algorithm for analyzing the graph model, which allows taking into account the specifics of the reliability of the operation of system elements at different levels of the hierarchy, are presented. Using the graph model and the graph model analysis algorithm, it is possible to reasonably predict the strategy for the creation and development of transport information systems.

This paper reports on the development, manufacturing and testing of proportional γ-ray detectors filled with gas mixtures based on high-purity xenon. To let the gas mixtures into the detector, a special installation was developed and manufactured, consisting of components designed to work with high-purity gases. The influence of the gas pressure, its composition (pure Xe or its mixture with H2, CH4), and the voltage at the anode on the spectrometric resolution and gas gain of the detectors was studied. The addition of H2 or CH4 to xenon is used to increase the charge carrier drift velocity. These additives also stabilize the gas mixture, i. e. decrease the probability of gas breakdown at high voltage between the detector electrodes. Gas xenon, as well as its mixtures, of research purity grade (99.9999%) have been used. Proportional γ-ray detectors based on xenon gas can operate in both counting and spectrometric modes. To study the characteristics of the detectors, we used standard sources of γ-radiation 241Am, 137Cs, 152Eu, 133Ba. The best energy resolution values to date were obtained for a detector filled with a gas mixture of Xe + 2.1% CH4 at a pressure of 2.5 bar and an anode voltage of 2500 V; they were ~ 9.5% for an energy of 40 keV and ~ 5% for 120 keV. In the manufacturing of detectors intended for radiation monitoring and identification of radioactive materials, in particular in nuclear power, complex materials science problems have been solved. To increase the thermal and radiation resistance, all elements of the detector construction are made of materials that are weakly activated by ionizing radiation. In addition, the design of the detectors is completely free of glass elements and organic components. The detectors are designed to monitor technological processes and to work as part of radiation monitoring systems, including those at nuclear power plants.

Ferroelectric materials attract much attention for applications in resistive memory devices due to the large current difference between insulating and conductive states and the ability of carefully controlling electronic transport via the polarization set-up. Bismuth ferrite films are of special interest due to the combination of high spontaneous polarization and antiferromagnetism, implying the possibility to provide multiple physical mechanisms for data storage and operations. Macroscopic conductivity measurements are often hampered to unambiguously characterize the electric transport, because of the strong influence of the diverse material microstructure. Here, we studied the electronic transport and resistive switching phenomena in polycrystalline bismuth ferrite using advanced conductive atomic force microscopy (CAFM) at different temperatures and electric fields. The new approach to the CAFM spectroscopy and corresponding data analysis are proposed, which allow deep insight into the material band structure at high lateral resolution. Contrary to many studies via macroscopic methods, postulating electromigration of the oxygen vacancies, we demonstrate resistive switching in bismuth ferrite to be caused by the pure electronic processes of trapping/releasing electrons and injection of the electrons by the scanning probe microscopy tip. The electronic transport was shown to be comprehensively described by the combination of the space charge limited current model, while a Schottky barrier at the interface is less important due to the presence of the built-in subsurface charge.

The ultrafast interaction of tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses with bulk dielectric media in direct laser writing (inscription) regimes is known to proceed via complex multi-scale light, plasma and material modification nanopatterns, which are challenging for exploration owing to their mesoscopic, transient and buried character. In this study, we report on the first experimental demonstration, analysis and modeling of hierarchical multi-period coupled longitudinal and transverse nanogratings in bulk lithium niobate inscribed in the focal region by 1030 nm, 300 fs laser pulses in the recently proposed sub-filamentary laser inscription regime. The longitudinal Bragg-like topography nanogratings, possessing the laser-intensity-dependent periods ≈ 400 nm, consist of transverse birefringent nanogratings, which are perpendicular to the laser polarization and exhibit much smaller periods ≈ 160 nm. Our analysis and modeling support the photonic origin of the longitudinal nanogratings, appearing as prompt electromagnetic and corresponding ionization standing waves in the pre-focal region due to interference of the incident and plasma-reflected laser pulse parts. The transverse nanogratings could be assigned to the nanoscale material modification by interfacial plasmons, excited and interfered in the resulting longitudinal array of the plasma sheets in the bulk dielectric material. Our experimental findings provide strong support for our previously proposed mechanism of such hierarchical laser nanopatterning in bulk dielectrics, giving important insights into its crucial parameters and opening the way for directional harnessing of this technology.

Keynote paper presented at the International Leucaena Conference, 1‒3 November 2018, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Ancestral genome duplication, genomic diploidization, allopatric diploid speciation and recent allotetraploidy (hybrid tetraploid formation) have all contributed to the complex evolutionary history of the genus Leucaena Benth. (Leguminosae: Caesalpinioideae: mimosoid clade). This complexity makes Leucaena an exemplary group to investigate the impacts of these diverse mechanisms on plant speciation across time and space. Furthermore, this complex evolutionary history offers unique opportunities and challenges for translational applied research to improve the use of Leucaena in agroforestry, livestock production, soil stabilization and enrichment and biofuels. Here we review and synthesize historical and recent research on the evolutionary history of Leucaena and highlight the availability of new genomic data resources and tools.

Keynote paper presented at the International Leucaena Conference, 1‒3 November 2018, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Strategies to breed sterile leucaena for Western Australia include plant breeding and biotechnology tools to generate sterile lines at both the tetraploid and triploid ploidy levels. For tetraploids, the main target species is the commercial Leucaena leucocephala, that is well known for its potential as a high-quality, productive and persistent forage. Gene editing technologies (CRISPR) will be utilized to edit out flowering genes and develop a non-flowering L. leucocephala. For triploids, the strategy is to cross tetraploid species (L. leucocephala and/or L. diversifolia) with diploid species to generate sterile triploid hybrids. The diploid parents will include species that have good forage attributes such as L. collinsii, L. macrophylla, L. shannonii and L. pulverulenta. Several of these triploid crosses have already been created by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (Perth, Western Australia) and will be evaluated in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of Western Australia for their agronomic performance and sterility. Vegetative propagation will be required for the tetraploid gene-edited non-flowering L. leucocephala. Triploids can either be vegetatively propagated, once generated, or generated via a seed production nursery.

The paper describes an approach that allows solving the problem of extrinsic calibration of a multi-beam lidar and a stereo camera. The approach does not impose any restrictions on the place in which calibration should be performed. Calibration is performed using a calibration board, which is a flat rectangle with special markers. Three-dimensional correspondences are used for calibration. First, a search for the three-dimensional coordinates of the corner points of the calibration board in the coordinate systems of the stereo pair cameras as well as in the coordinate system of the lidar is made. Next, using the optimization methods, calibration parameters are calculated. The results of a series of virtual and real experiments show that the algorithm allows the calibration to be performed with an accuracy comparable to that of sensors. The proposed approach allows one to improve the calibration accuracy due to the simultaneous use of information from two cameras of the stereo pair and is suitable for lidars with both the low and high point density.

The process of collecting annotated data is expensive and time-consuming. Making use of crowdsourcing instead of experts in a laboratory setting is a viable alternative to reduce these costs. However, without adequate quality control the obtained labels may be less reliable. Whereas crowdsourcing reduces only the costs per annotation, another technique, active learning, aims at reducing the overall annotation costs by selecting the most important instances of the dataset and only asking for manual annotations for these selected samples. Herein, we investigate the advantages of combining crowdsourcing and different iterative active learning paradigms for audio data annotation. Further, we incorporate an annotator trustability score to further reduce the labelling effort needed and, at the same time, to achieve better classification results. In this context, we introduce a novel active learning algorithm, called Trustability-based dynamic active learning, which accumulates manual annotations in each step until a trustability-weighted agreement level of annotators is reached. Furthermore, we bring this approach into the real world and integrate it in our gamified intelligent crowdsourcing platform iHEARu-PLAY. Key experimental results on an emotion recognition task indicate that a considerable relative annotation cost reduction of up to 90.57 % can be achieved when compared with a non-intelligent annotation approach. Moreover, our proposed method reaches an unweighted average recall value of 73.71 %, while a conventional passive learning algorithm peaks at 60.03 %. Therefore, our novel approach not only efficiently reduces the manual annotation work load but also improves the classification performance.

This paper is concerned with the derivation of a discontinuous conduction mode boost PFC rectifier as a driver for high-power LED lighting applications. The proposed driver is operated in the current mode regime while emulating a resistance towards the line, thus attaining a near unity power factor and low total harmonic distortion of the line current. Theoretical analysis is reported and conditions for the low LED flicker are derived. A method of design for minimum THD is also suggested. Simulation and experimental results are reported.

Since the industrial revolution, the world’s economy has mainly relied on the consumption of fossil fuels. The burning of coal releases vast amounts of toxic COx greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere that bear an undesirable environmental impact. The ongoing offshore oil exploration activities; the infrastructure for oil extraction, production, and transportation; and the inevitable oil spills cause severe damage to the environment and huge loss of sea life, flora, and fauna. Recent awareness of the environmental issues and the worldwide climate change spurred public interest in clean and environmentally friendly “green” energy generation. Solar energy is an abundant and inexhaustible resource that can meet much of the worlds’ energy needs and, thus, has been in the focus of scientific attention for many years. Yet, converting solar energy into usable electric power is a formidable engineering and economical challenge. The recent environmental awareness triggered governments and private companies around the world to encourage further research and capital investment into the development and deployment of efficient and cost-effective solar technologies. This review reports on advances in the technological approaches that can be employed to convert sunlight to electricity. This article presents a short survey of the state-of-the-art architectures of photovoltaic arrays and a review of the concepts and strategies of their associated electronic power processors for solar energy generation. The paper aims to be of assistance to engineers and scientists who are already engaged or just joining this fascinating field, to promote the knowledge of photovoltaic energy and facilitate the proliferation of the solar power generation systems.

Highly ordered quasi-nanowires from fluorescent semiconductor CdSe/ZnS spherical(quantum dots) or rod-like (quantum rods) nanoparticles were produced using DNA as atemplate. Positively charged nanoparticles were fixed along the negatively charged DNAbackbone by electrostatic interaction. After incubation of the solution of DNA andnanoparticles at different stoichiometric ratios the complexes were applied to thehydrophobic surface and stretched using the molecular combing technique. Here, wedemonstrate that fluorescent patterns with desirable morphology and properties can beformed by varying the nanoparticle charge and shape and their stoichiometry in thecomplex with DNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjective: We attempted to track scientific interest in dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder by estimating the annual output of publications regarding these entities over the last 20 years. Methods: Using a standard medical index, PsycINFO, we counted the number of indexed publications involving dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder listed for each year. We then compared these rates with those of well-established diagnoses such as anorexia nervosa, alcohol abuse, and schizophrenia. We also systematically reviewed all publications involving dissociative amnesia that appeared in 2003. Results: Annual publications involving dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorder rose from low levels in the 1980’s to a sharp peak in the mid 1990’s, followed by an equally sharp decline to only about one quarter of their peak levels by 2002 and 2003. In contrast, all of the 25 comparison diagnoses in our survey showed constant or steadily rising publication rates; none showed the ‘bubble’ pattern of the dissociative disorders. Of the 34 papers involving dissociative amnesia identified by PsycINFO for 2003, 10 (32%) appeared skeptical of the validity of dissociative amnesia and/or recovered-memory therapy. Despite a detailed search using multiple medical indices and search terms, we could find only 13 explicit cases of individuals with dissociative amnesia worldwide in the 2003 literature. Conclusions: Dissociative amnesia and dissociative identity disorderhave not generated consistent scientific interest over the years, but instead apparently enjoyed a brief period of fashion that now has waned. Overall, our observations suggest that these diagnostic entities presently do not command widespread scientific acceptance.Copyright © 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Neurofilament heavy chain (NEFH) gene was recently identified to cause autosomal dominant axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT2cc). However, the clinical spectrum of this condition and the physio-pathological pathway remain to be delineated. We report 12 patients from two French families with axonal dominantly inherited form of CMT caused by two new mutations in the NEFH gene. A remarkable feature was the early involvement of proximal muscles of the lower limbs associated with pyramidal signs in some patients. Nerve conduction velocity studies indicated a predominantly motor axonal neuropathy. Unique deletions of two nucleotides causing frameshifts near the end of the NEFH coding sequence were identified: in family 1, c.3008_3009del (p.Lys1003Argfs*59), and in family 2 c.3043_3044del (p.Lys1015Glyfs*47). Both frameshifts lead to 40 additional amino acids translation encoding a cryptic amyloidogenic element. Consistently, we show that these mutations cause protein aggregation which are recognised by the autophagic pathway in motoneurons and triggered caspase 3 activation leading to apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells. Using electroporation of chick embryo spinal cord, we confirm that NEFH mutants form aggregates in vivo and trigger apoptosis of spinal cord neurons. Thus, our results provide a physiological explanation for the overlap between CMT and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) clinical features in affected patients.

This study examines the influence of state participation in the ownership structure of companies on their financial efficiency using a sample of 114 largest companies in Russia. As an indirect indicator of efficiency, we used a variety of financial indicators: revenue per employee (gross margin), return on equity, profit margin and debt burden. The effects of direct and indirect state ownership are considered separately. Using econometric analysis, we conclude that the dominance of the block of shares owned by the state has a negative effect on the performance characteristics, and its increase is associated with an increase in the debt burden of the companies. According to our criteria, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) perform worse on average than private companies. The mechanism of how changes in the “real sector” affect profitability is examined particularly closely. The study shows that a change in the profitability of private companies is characterized by a significant dependence on the movement of labor productivity characteristics. At the same time, for SOEs, a similar correlation was not revealed. These companies demonstrated no visible relationship between their profitability and performance characteristics. The study shows that increases in the size of direct government ownership lead to lower labor productivity and profitability; the impact of indirect ownership is, seemingly, more complicated.

This article analyzes the ownership structure of state-owned companies and their role in the Russian economy. Using a sample of 114 of the largest Russian companies, we estimated direct and indirect state participation as a percentage of shareholdings for direct and indirect federal property during the time period of 2006–2014. We used two methods to estimate the role of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which allowed us to compare our results with OECD and Rosstat statistics for a broader sample of Russian companies owned by the public sector. This study revealed a decline in SOEs’ share in the capitalization of the Russian stock market and a slight increase in their share of total revenues and employment. The results indicated that public SOEs demonstrated significantly higher productivity compared to non-public SOEs and private companies had a distinct advantage in productivity compared with public SOEs. Despite the significant advantages in productivity of private companies over the SOEs, over a 9-year period, we observed that this gap narrowed. This may be due to conditions of high financial volatility and stagnation of the economy that result in certain advantages for SOEs in terms of access to sources of long-term funding and other forms of state support. However, SOEs with indirect state control experienced a rapid growth in revenue and productivity compared to other firms. This may indicate the presence of a specific stock selection mechanism for transferring more effective SOEs from direct state ownership to indirect control as an alternative to privatization.

Staphylococcus aureus is among the important pathogens contributing to foodborne illnesses. They easily cross contaminate foods from hands that comes in contact with the nose and mouth. They cause endocarditis, boils, impetigo, cellulitis and scalded skin. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from raw and grilled beef sold in Nyankpala, Northern Region of Ghana. Isolation of Staphylococcus aureus was done according to the USA-FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using the disc diffusion method and the results interpreted using the CLSI guidelines. A total of 54 beef samples made up of 18 raw beef samples(T1), 18 grilled beef samples tested immediately after grilling (T2) and 18 grilled beef samples tested 1 h 30 min after grilling (T3) were examined. Overall, 16.67% (9) were positive for Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from grilled beef immediately (T2) after grilling (33.33%) and 1 h 30 min (T3) after grilling (16.67%). They were not isolated from raw beef samples (T1). Aerobic plate count was highest in T1 (3.59 log cfu/g), followed by T2 (2.94 log cfu/g) and T3 (2.83 log cfu/g). Out of 18 positive samples, 85.19% were susceptible, 14.81% were intermediate resistant and none was resistant. Staphylococcus aureus were all (100%) susceptible to amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, gentamicin, and sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim. This study revealed that Staphylococcus aureus are present in grilled beef rather than the fresh samples examined. In conclusion, Staphylococcus aureus contamination mostly occurred after processing and were susceptible to most antibiotics.

Background: The palatine tonsils are secondary lymphoid organs, important in sampling antigens directly from the epithelial surfaces. They produce antibodies locally and distally through their migrating B cells. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the changes in serum and saliva immunoglobulin (Ig) levels after total vs. partial tonsillectomy and also to systematically review the literature regarding the changes in humoral immunity following tonsillar surgery. Patients and Methods: Children with obstructive tonsils were recruited in a pilot study and randomized to undergo total or partial tonsillectomy. Blood and saliva samples were obtained immediately preoperatively and within 3 months postoperatively, to measure serum Ig (G, M and A) and saliva secretory IgA concentrations. Patients’ clinical history was reviewed at one year postoperatively. Systematic literature review regarding the effects of tonsillar surgery on humoral immunity was performed, using Medline, Embase and Cochrane. Results: Nineteen patients completed the study (11 partial, 8 total). No statistically significant changes noted in the serum Ig’s level in both groups, except for IgM which increased (P = 0.018) after partial tonsillectomy, mainly in males (P = 0.04), and in those aged 5 years and older (P = 0.02). There was noticeable decrease in susceptibility to infections. Four out of 30 studies (406 out of 1796 patients) showed decrease in some elements of the humoral immunity or suspected a negative impact of tonsillectomy on the immune system. Conclusions: Partial tonsillectomy does not seem to offer an immunological advantage over total tonsillectomy. The literature does not imply a significant negative impact of tonsillectomy on the humoral immune system.

Fibreoptic intubation through a supraglottic airway is an alternative plan for airway management in difficult or failed laryngoscopy. The aim of this study was to compare three supraglottic airways as conduits in patients with at least one predictor for difficult laryngoscopy. The i-gel was compared with the single-use intubating laryngeal mask airway (sILMA) and CTrach laryngeal mask in 120 adult patients scheduled for elective surgeries under general anaesthesia using a prospective, randomized and single-blinded design. Primary outcome was success rate of tracheal intubation through the device, while secondary outcomes were times required for device insertion and tracheal tube placement, fibreoptic scores and the incidence of perioperative complications and postoperative complaints. The success rates showed no statistical difference between devices (i-gel 100%, CTrach 97.5%, ILMA 95%). Insertion time was shortest for the i-gel (12.4 s) compared with ILMA (19.3 s) and CTrach (24.4 s). Intubation time was shorter in the i-gel group (29.4 s) in comparison with the CTrach (39.8 s, p

This paper is concerned with the derivation of a one-cycle controller for driving a single-stage buck-boost DC-AC micro-inverter in grid-tied applications. The topology under study is based on a full-bridge switch arrangement with no unfolder circuit. The proposed micro-inverter attains a high gain by applying a multi-winding tapped inductor and, therefore, can operate at grid-level voltage without using a DC-DC step-up stage. To minimize the switching loss, the proposed inverter is operated in the discontinuous conduction mode. The operation principles of the proposed topology in the discontinuous conduction mode are discussed and analyzed. Based on the analysis, the one-cycle control law and modulator circuitry needed to control the proposed micro-inverter are developed. The feasibility of the proposed modulation scheme is verified by simulation.

Nanocrystalline La0.9A0.1MnO3 (where A is Li, Na, K) powders were synthesized by a combustion method. The powders used to prepare nanoceramics were fabricated via a high-temperature sintering method. The structure and morphology of all compounds were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the size of the crystallites depended on the type of alkali ions used. The high-pressure sintering method kept the nanosized character of the grains in the ceramics, which had a significant impact on their physical properties. Magnetization studies were performed for both powder and ceramic samples in order to check the impact of the alkali ion dopants as well as the sintering pressure on the magnetization of the compounds. It was found that, by using different dopants, it was possible to strongly change the magnetic characteristics of the manganites.

This paper introduces a family of single-stage buck-boost DC/AC inverters for photovoltaic (PV) applications. The high-gain feature was attained by applying a multi-winding tapped inductor, and thus, the proposed topologies can generate a grid-level AC output voltage without using additional high step-up stages. The proposed topologies had a low component count and consisted of a single magnetic device and three or four power switches. Moreover, the switches were assembled in a push-pull or half/full-bridge arrangement, which allowed using commercial low-cost driver-integrated circuits. In this paper, the operation principle and comparison of the proposed topologies are presented. The feasibility of the proposed topologies was verified by simulations and experimental tests.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is known to overexpress a variety of receptor tyrosine kinases, such as the HGF receptor Met. Like other malignancies, HNSCC involves a mutual interaction between the tumor cells and surrounding tissues and cells. We hypothesized that activation of HGF/Met signaling in HNSCC influences glucose metabolism and therefore substantially changes the tumor microenvironment. To determine the effect of HGF, we submitted three established HNSCC cell lines to mRNA sequencing. Dynamic changes in glucose metabolism were measured in real time by an extracellular flux analyzer. As expected, the cell lines exhibited different levels of Met and responded differently to HGF stimulation. As confirmed by mRNA sequencing, the level of Met expression was associated with the number of upregulated HGF-dependent genes. Overall, Met stimulation by HGF leads to increased glycolysis, presumably mediated by higher expression of three key enzymes of glycolysis. These effects appear to be stronger in Methigh-expressing HNSCC cells. Collectively, our data support the hypothesized role of HGF/Met signaling in metabolic reprogramming of HNSCC.

This article analyzes the impact of the increase of an investment horizon on the comparative advantages of the basic asset classes and on the principles of constructing the investment strategy. It demonstrates that the traditional approach of portfolio management theory, which states that investments in stocks are preferable over bonds in terms of their long-run risk–return trade-offs, is by no means always consistent with empirical evidence. This article proves the opposite, i.e., that for long-term investors, investments in corporate bonds are more profitable in terms of the risk–return ratio than investments in stocks, arguing in favor of strategies pursued by pension funds and other institutional investors focused primarily on investments in fixed-income instruments, including infrastructural bonds. Emphasis is placed on the need for regular adjustments to long-term investors’ portfolios. As portfolios get older, those investors see a reduction in the returns’ dispersion, while differences in risk between various portfolios increase. This means that to maintain a fixed risk–return ratio for a portfolio as the horizon increases, an investor needs to increase the share of lower-risk financial assets during asset allocation process. This thesis becomes especially relevant in the context of retirement savings management.