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Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: Private grant(s) and/or Sponsorship. Main funding source(s): Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Medical Engineering Background Although primarily considered a respiratory virus, cardiovascular manifestations have been reported in patients with Covid-19 infection. Atrial fibrillation has been observed as the most common arrhythmia with the prevalence rate reportedly as high as 16.5%(1). Purpose The aim of the study was to establish the incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients hospitalised with Covid-19 and evaluate the relationship between patient characteristics and disease severity with new-onset atrial fibrillation in patients with Covid-19. Methods A single centre, retrospective study of 1241 patients with a confirmed PCR diagnosis of Covid-19 admitted during the 1st wave of the pandemic (1st March to 31st September 2020). Patient demographic data, medical history and clinical outcome data were manually collected. Results The study population comprised of 1241 patients hospitalised with Covid-19. Of these, 94 (7.6%) patients were known to have pre-existing atrial fibrillation. In an unadjusted analysis, in-hospital mortality was twice as likely in patients with pre-existing atrial fibrillation compared to patients with no history of atrial fibrillation (odds ratio (OR): 2.18; 95% CI 1.29-3.59, p=0.002). However, after multi-variable matching for age, sex and CHA2DS2VASc score there was no significant difference between groups (OR: 1.13, 95% CI 0.57-2.21, p=0.732). During their admission, 42 (3.4%) patients developed new-onset atrial fibrillation. New-onset atrial fibrillation was associated with an increased risk of mechanical­­­ ventilation (OR: 4.59, 95% CI 2.34-9.06, p New-onset atrial fibrillation was associated with older age (p Conclusion New-onset atrial fibrillation during admission with Covid-19 is associated with both co-morbidity status and markers of disease severity at the time of hospital admission. New-onset atrial fibrillation is associated with elevated in-hospital mortality compared with patients with either pre-existing or no history of atrial fibrillation.

Background High-sensitivity cardiac troponin has enabled the rapid rule-out and rule-in of myocardial infarction at presentation. However, increases in cardiac troponin may not be detectable early after symptom onset, and uncertainty remains as to how time of symptom onset influences diagnostic performance. Purpose To evaluate the impact of time from symptom onset on the diagnostic performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin for type 1 myocardial infarction. Methods In a secondary analysis of a prospective multicentre randomised controlled trial of consecutive patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I measurements at presentation stratified by time of symptom onset to blood sampling. Diagnostic performance was evaluated in four groups (≤3 hours, 4–6 hours, 7–12 hours and >12 hours from symptom onset) for recommended thresholds to rule-out (sex-specific 99th centile and optimised threshold [64 ng/L]) type 1 myocardial infarction. Results This analysis included 41,104 patients (median 60 [interquartile range 49–74] years, 46% female) of which 12,595 (31%), 10,298 (25%), 7,171 (17%) and 11,040 (27%) presented ≤3 hours, 4–6 hours, 7–12 hours and >12 hours, respectively. Type 1 myocardial infarction was the adjudicated diagnosis in 3,692 (9%) patients. For the rule-out of type 1 myocardial infarction, sensitivity was highest in those tested 7–12 hours from symptom onset and lowest in those tested ≤3 hours. In early presenters, a threshold of 3 hrs from symptom onset, the sensitivity and negative predictive value for both thresholds were similar, but a threshold of Conclusions The diagnostic performance of cardiac troponin for myocardial infarction is strongly influenced by the time from symptom onset to testing. In early presenters the limit of detection may facilitate immediate rule-out of myocardial infarction, but otherwise testing at least 3 hours from symptom onset is needed with the optimal time to rule-in myocardial infarction being 7–12 hours from the onset of symptoms. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): British Heart Foundation (BHF)Medical Research council UK (MRC)

IntroductionRecent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and neuroimaging offer new opportunities for improving diagnosis and prognosis of dementia. To synthesise the available literature, we performed a systematic review.MethodsWe systematically reviewed primary research publications up to January 2021, using AI for neuroimaging to predict diagnosis and/or prognosis in cognitive neurodegenerative diseases. After initial screening, data from each study was extracted, including: demographic information, AI methods, neuroimaging features, and results.ResultsWe found 2709 reports, with 252 eligible papers remaining following screening. Most studies relied on the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset (n=178) with no other individual dataset used more than 5 times. Algorithmic classifiers, such as support vector machine (SVM), were the most commonly used AI method (47%) followed by discriminative (32%) and generative (11%) classifiers. Structural MRI was used in 71% of studies with a wide range of accuracies for the diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases and predicting prognosis. Lower accuracy was found in studies using a multi-class classifier or an external cohort as the validation group. There was improvement in accuracy when neuroimaging modalities were combined, e.g. PET and structural MRI. Only 17 papers studied non-Alzheimer’s disease dementias.ConclusionThe use of AI with neuroimaging for diagnosis and prognosis in dementia is a rapidly emerging field. We make a number of recommendations addressing the definition of key clinical questions, heterogeneity of AI methods, and the availability of appropriate and representative data. We anticipate that addressing these issues will enable the field to move towards meaningful clinical translation.

We report 6 cases of intravenous levofloxacin use to treat multidrug-resistant nosocomial respiratory infections in neonates with a postmenstrual age ranging from 27 to 42 weeks. Because of a lack of neonatal-specific information for levofloxacin, the usual pediatric dosage (10 mg/kg per dose every 12 hours) was used in these patients. Clinical cure occurred in 5 of the 6 patients. Only minimal short-term adverse effects were noted.

Objective To define the presence and relationship of the petrosquamous stalactite (PsS)-a condensation of the trabecular Korner's septum into a bony plate of the petrosquamous suture-to surrounding structures and understand its surgical implications. Study Design Series of cadaver dissections. Setting University of Missouri Alumni Temporal Bone and Microvascular Laboratory. Subjects and Methods Anatomic dissections were conducted on 15 consecutive formalin-preserved and frozen adult human temporal bones. A calibrated Dino-Lite Premier Digital Microscope was used to photograph dissections of each bone. Measurements were conducted with DinoCapture 2.0 software, with measurement agreement between 2 authors. Results The PsS was present in all specimens. A conserved vascular structure courses within the structure, and the superior malleolar ligament inserts on it. The mean ± SEM distances from the PsS to the tegmen tympani and incus buttress were 2 ± 0.24 mm and 4.23 ± 0.14 mm, respectively. The shortest distance from the PsS to the posterior body of the incus was 1.25 ± 0.13 mm, while the greatest distance from the posterior prominence of the PsS to the posterior body of the incus was 4.58 ± 0.25 mm. Conclusion The PsS is a consistently identifiable structure that may facilitate identification of the tegmen tympani and guide the otologic surgeon from the mastoid antrum to the incus. It is important to recognize the contribution of the PsS to the division of the epitympanic space when cholesteatoma involves the region, to avoid leaving a nidus for future disease.

Chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment, known also as "chemobrain", is a medical complication of cancer treatment that is characterized by a general decline in cognition affecting visual and verbal memory, attention, complex problem solving skills, and motor function. It is estimated that one-third of patients who undergo chemotherapy treatment will experience cognitive impairment. Alterations in the release and uptake of dopamine and serotonin, central nervous system neurotransmitters that play important roles in cognition, could potentially contribute to impaired intellectual performance in those impacted by chemobrain. To investigate how chemotherapy treatment affects these systems, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) at carbon-fiber microelectrodes was used to measure dopamine and serotonin release and uptake in coronal brain slices containing the striatum and dorsal raphe nucleus, respectively. Measurements were taken from rats treated weekly with selected doses of carboplatin and from control rats treated with saline. Modeling the stimulated dopamine release plots revealed an impairment of dopamine release per stimulus pulse (80% of saline control at 5 mg/kg and 58% at 20 mg/kg) after 4 weeks of carboplatin treatment. Moreover, Vmax, the maximum uptake rate of dopamine, was also decreased (55% of saline control at 5 mg/kg and 57% at 20 mg/kg). Nevertheless, overall dopamine content, measured in striatal brain lysates by high performance liquid chromatography, and reserve pool dopamine, measured by FSCV after pharmacological manipulation, did not significantly change, suggesting that chemotherapy treatment selectively impairs the dopamine release and uptake processes. Similarly, serotonin release upon electrical stimulation was impaired (45% of saline control at 20 mg/kg). Measurements of spatial learning discrimination were taken throughout the treatment period and carboplatin was found to alter cognition. These studies support the need for additional neurochemical and behavioral analyses to identify the underlying mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced cognitive disorders.

We present a systematic synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy study of the interaction of O2 with defective La0.8Sr0.2Co0.2Fe0.8O3 − δ(100) surfaces at low temperatures. First, the surface chemical evolution during low energy Ar+ ion sputtering is investigated and is found to create oxygen vacancies. Subsequently, the interaction of the O2 molecules with La0.8Sr0.2Co0.2Fe0.8O3 − δ(100) surface is observed to create an insulating phase. We performed a detailed core-level peak-fitting analysis to identify the chemical nature of this phase and to probe the role of vacancies in the formation of this phase.

The ultra-high vacuum surface preparation of heteroepitaxial lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite thin films has been studied using soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Specifically, the effect of annealing the films at low temperatures in low partial pressures of oxygen and argon has been investigated. We find that atmospheric surface carbon contamination of the films can be removed in select anneal temperature regimes in argon, but remains bound to the surface with oxygen annealing at any temperature. Irrespective of the gas used, an insulating phase transition occurs near 300 °C due to strontium segregation at the surface. The surface develops more insulating character if annealed with oxygen. Different species are proposed to be responsible for the discrepancy in insulating character.

We present a detailed study of the microstructure and electronic structure of β-NaxV2O5 (x ≈ 0.33) polycrystalline films, combining film growth, X-ray spectroscopies, and first-principles calculations. High-quality crystalline and stoichiometric V2O5 and β-Na0.33V2O5 films were grown by a sol–gel process, spin-coating, and rapid thermal annealing. The V2O5 film, which exhibits a rough surface, is preferentially oriented in the (001) direction perpendicular to the surface, whereas the b-axis of β-Na0.33V2O5 is oriented in the substrate plane. The β-Na0.33V2O5 film consists of a nested layered structure composed of single-crystalline rods of a few hundred nanometers in diameter and a few micrometers in length. Photoemission and X-ray absorption measurements of β-Na0.33V2O5 confirm the Na incorporation and the presence of mixed V5+ and V4+ species and weakly occupied V 3d states. At the V L-edge, X-ray absorption and resonant inelastic X-ray measurements suggest a larger crystal field for β-Na0.33V2O5 compar...

Objective To define the presence and relationship of the petrosquamous stalactite (PsS)-a condensation of the trabecular Korner's septum into a bony plate of the petrosquamous suture-to surrounding structures and understand its surgical implications. Study Design Series of cadaver dissections. Setting University of Missouri Alumni Temporal Bone and Microvascular Laboratory. Subjects and Methods Anatomic dissections were conducted on 15 consecutive formalin-preserved and frozen adult human temporal bones. A calibrated Dino-Lite Premier Digital Microscope was used to photograph dissections of each bone. Measurements were conducted with DinoCapture 2.0 software, with measurement agreement between 2 authors. Results The PsS was present in all specimens. A conserved vascular structure courses within the structure, and the superior malleolar ligament inserts on it. The mean ± SEM distances from the PsS to the tegmen tympani and incus buttress were 2 ± 0.24 mm and 4.23 ± 0.14 mm, respectively. The shortest distance from the PsS to the posterior body of the incus was 1.25 ± 0.13 mm, while the greatest distance from the posterior prominence of the PsS to the posterior body of the incus was 4.58 ± 0.25 mm. Conclusion The PsS is a consistently identifiable structure that may facilitate identification of the tegmen tympani and guide the otologic surgeon from the mastoid antrum to the incus. It is important to recognize the contribution of the PsS to the division of the epitympanic space when cholesteatoma involves the region, to avoid leaving a nidus for future disease.

In this article we argue for an introductory course in the study of religion that proceeds through interactive interpretation as a responsible form of comparison. Interactive interpretation proceeds provisionally, and encourages students to formulate new questions of the materials instead of making final categories about the materials. We use examples from a typical classroom to show how we work with three pedagogical principles: (1) critical reading; (2) pluralism within religious traditions as well as between religious traditions; and (3) the use of the working hypothesis as a tool in ana- lyzing religious texts. We also make an argument for textual reading as a form of living intellectual practice, which can work alongside of, and not in opposition to, other approaches to the study of religion, such as ethnographic or historical approaches. What is Hinduism? What is Judaism? What is Christianity? What is Islam? What is Buddhism? Our students ask these questions frequently, and many of us respond with a sense that every tradition contains a variety of definitions within it, varieties that shift and change over time. Those who work in the contemporary classroom now very rarely respond to these students' questions with a set definition, or a set of essentialized cat- egories called "the world religions." As a result of legitimate and hard-hitting critiques, most of us have moved away from world religions definitions, in which each religion is a thickly walled container into which we pour knowledge, a set of doctrines, beliefs, and practices unique to itself. So what of the world religions class? Is there any way to address the thorny ques- tions of representation that have emerged in recent decades? Different kinds of world religions classes have emerged in response to these questions. Some choose to introduce a single tradition, highly contextualized and intensely focused on history and practice, with major focus on the interplay of ethnic, cultural, and racial identities. Others choose comparison between two traditions, an expansion of the first alternative by adding a second tradition. This approach presents comparison that is focused, limited, respon- sible, and generally recognizable to scholars of both traditions. Still others choose a third alternative - an introduction to a geographical area during a particular historical period. This approach often features religious and political debates both within and among the traditions. A fourth alternative, and one that has endured for several decades now, is a thematic course, such as "pilgrimage" or "ritual," with intense scrutiny of these practices within particular religious traditions - usually, but not always, placed within the same time period. And the list could go on, with variations on the themes described above, and other themes not addressed in these four possibilities. Is there any room, then, for an introduction to more than two religious traditions - traditions that we used to call broadly "world religions"? Is it possible to present

The topological crystalline insulator tin telluride is known to host superconductivity when doped with indium (Sn$_{1-x}$In$_{x}$Te), and for low indium contents ($x=0.04$) it is known that the topological surface states are preserved. Here we present the growth, characterization and angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy analysis of samples with much heavier In doping (up to $x\approx0.4$), a regime where the superconducting temperature is increased nearly fourfold. We demonstrate that despite strong p-type doping, Dirac-like surface states persist.

Oxygen is a key factor in the regulation of cytotrophoblast differentiation, proliferation and invasion in early pregnancy. Abnormalities in oxygen concentration have also been linked to a number of pregnancy disorders. Cell culture models have been used to study the effect of oxygen on cytotrophoblast behaviour in vitro, however, there is often little or no validation of oxygen levels in these cell culture systems. In this study, dissolved oxygen levels in culture medium maintained in standard culture conditions (18% O(2)) measured 18%. On transfer to a low oxygen environment (2% O(2)), oxygen levels decreased to 6-8% after 4h and reached 2% only after 24h in culture. Culture medium pre-gassed with nitrogen to remove dissolved oxygen quickly absorbed oxygen when exposed to ambient air during dispensing and required further incubation in a 2% oxygen environment before dissolved oxygen levels equilibrated to 2%. Thus, cultured cells placed in a low oxygen environment would be exposed to varying levels of oxygen before the desired level of oxygen exposure is reached. This study highlights the importance of validation of oxygen levels and potential problems associated with in vitro studies on the regulatory effects of oxygen.

Heme oxygenases (HO-1 and HO-2) are responsible for the production of carbon monoxide, a vasodilator. HO is important in controlling placental blood flow and expression can be sensitive to oxygen. We previously reported a reduction in HO-2 expression in placentae obtained from patients with pre-eclampsia or living at high altitude, both associated with placental hypoxia. Thus we hypothesized that HO expression in cultured trophoblasts would be altered by exposure to hypoxia. HO-1 and HO-2 expression was assessed in trophoblast cell cultures following exposure to different oxygen environments. Western blot analyses showed that HO-1 expression in syncytiotrophoblast was significantly lower than in cytotrophoblasts in standard conditions (p0.05). There was no difference in HO-1 expression in cytotrophoblasts transferred to 2% O2 for various times. However, exposure of syncytiotrophoblast cultures to hypoxia for 12 h resulted in a significant reduction in HO-1 expression (p0.05). HO-2 expression was not affected by exposure to hypoxia in either cytotrophoblast or syncytiotrophoblast cultures. Possible interpretations of these findings are that chronic hypoxia alone is not responsible for reduced HO-2 expression or a much longer exposure to chronic hypoxia (perhaps months) is required. This study also reinforces the complexities of HO regulation by oxygen.

The Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry and Applied Spectroscopy, also known as Pittcon, is the world’s largest annual conference and exposition based on measurement science and instrumentation. Each year, more than 18,000 worldwide participants, coming mostly from academia, industry and government agencies, attend Pittcon to exchange information on the latest analytical techniques, the most advanced instrumentation and the current job market. In 2013, the 64th Pittcon Conference was held at the Pennsylvania Conference Center in Philadephia, PA, USA. Herein, we highlight just a few of the many presentations that describe creative and transformative research efforts aimed at obtaining bioanalytical measurements that enhance knowledge of living systems and improve human health.

The electronic structure of La(1-x)Lu(x)VO(3)(x = 0, 0.2, 0.6 and 1) single crystals has been investigated using soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy, soft x-ray emission spectroscopy, and resonant soft x-ray inelastic scattering to study the effects of rare-earth size. The x-ray absorption and emission spectra at the O K-edge present a progressive evolution with R-site cation, in agreement with local spin density approximation calculations. This evolution with R, together with the temperature dependence of the O K-edge spectra, is attributed to changes in the crystal structure of La(1-x)Lu(x)VO(3). The crystal-field dd. excitations probed by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the V L(3)-edge exhibit an increase in energy and enhanced intensity with the decrease of R-site ionic radius, which is mainly attributed to the increased tilting magnitude of the VO(6) octahedra. Upon cooling to ~95 K, the dd* excitations are prominently enhanced in relative Intensity, in agreement with the formation of the Jahn.Teller distortion int he orbital ordering phase. Additionally, the dd* transitions of the mixed compounds are noticeably suppressed with respect to those of the pure compounds, possibly owing to the formation of C-type orbital ordering induced by large R-site size variances.

The electronic structure of NdVO(3) and YVO(3) has been investigated as a function of sample temperature using resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering at the V L(3)-edge. Most of the observed spectral features are in good agreement with an atomic crystal-field multiplet model. However, a low energy feature is observed at ∼ 0.4 eV that cannot be explained by crystal-field arguments. The resonant behaviour of this feature establishes it as due to excitations of the V t(2g) states. Moreover, this feature exhibits a strong sample temperature dependence, reaching maximum intensity in the orbitally-ordered phase of NdVO(3), before becoming suppressed at low temperatures. This behaviour indicates that the origin of this feature is a collective orbital excitation, i.e. the bi-orbiton.

In the second trimester, oestriol is synthesized in the placenta and secreted into the maternal circulation. 16alpha-hydroxy dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (16alpha-OH-DHEAS) is formed in the fetal liver by hydroxylation of dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) and transported to the placenta where it undergoes desulphation by steroid sulphatase (STS) and aromatization to oestriol. Maternal serum levels of unconjugated oestriol (UE3) are lower in Down's syndrome pregnancies than in unaffected pregnancies in the second trimester. The underlying cause of this variation was investigated in placenta, fetal liver, maternal serum and amniotic fluid from Down's syndrome pregnancies by measuring the levels of UE3, DHEAS and STS in appropriate tissues and in corresponding samples from unaffected pregnancies. UE3 levels, expressed as multiples of the control median at the appropriate gestation (MOM), were lower in placental tissue (0.52 MOM), maternal serum (0.65 MOM) and amniotic fluid (0.61 MOM) than in unaffected pregnancies. There was a significant correlation between placental and maternal serum levels of UE3 in the Down's syndrome cases. The median STS activity in placental tissue from Down's syndrome pregnancies (1.14 MOM) was not significantly different from that of the control pregnancies (1. 01 MOM), suggesting that placental turnover of the fetal precursor DHEAS is not reduced. However, levels of DHEAS were reduced in maternal serum (0.69 MOM), placental tissue (0.54 MOM) and fetal liver (0.65 MOM) from Down's syndrome pregnancies. Thus, a diminished supply of the fetal precursor DHEAS may be the cause of the decreased placental production of UE3 in Down's syndrome pregnancies in the second trimester.

Previous studies have suggested that all populations of cactophilic Drosophila mojavensis prefer pitaya agria cactus, Stenocereus gummosus, over all other potential hosts for feeding and breeding, including populations that inhabit areas where no agria grows. We sampled five geographically isolated populations of D. mojavensis from nature to assess host choice within and between populations. Host choice tests were performed in a laboratory “olfactometer” by allowing adult D. mojavensis to choose between plumes of synthetic volatile cocktails of two widespread host cacti. Overall, each population showed significant preference for agria volatiles with one exception: a mainland Sonora population that uses organ pipe cactus in nature exhibited preference for organ pipe volatiles, suggesting a possible shift in host preference. The degree of preference for agria volatiles was greatest in a population from southern California that use California barrel cactus as a host. Since southern Californian populations of D. mojavensis are thought to be derived from those in Baja California, preference for agria volatiles is considered a retained ancestral trait. Three populations from Baja California and mainland Mexico that use agria in the wild expressed lower, but similar preferences for agria volatiles. Because populations of D. mojavensis are ancestral to those in mainland Mexico, Arizona, and California, the shift from agria to alternate hosts has not been accompanied by strong changes in host preference behavior.

We employ soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering spectroscopy to study the redox behavior in the first lithiation/delithiation cycle of Li2-xMnSiO4 (4.0–4.6 V). For extraction of lithium ions up to an end potential of 4.1 V, we do not detect any change in the oxidation state for the expected redox-active Mn atom, instead the electronic structure of the Si–O network is affected. Above 4.1 V, there is an abrupt change in the oxidation state of the Mn-ions, from 2+ to 4+, which is accompanied by a complete loss of long range order in the material, as detected by X-ray diffraction. Further lithium extraction leads to progressive loss of crystallinity of Li2-xMnSiO4, rather than formation of a new structure, explaining the measured first-cycle capacity loss of this material. Our results suggest that future improvement of the crystalline stability of the material, particularly with respect to the SiO4 network, is required to harness the full charge capacity of Li2-xMnSiO4.

We have studied the element and orbital-specific electronic structure of thin films of 3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride (PTCDA) using a combination of synchrotron radiation-exited resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, as well as density functional theory calculations. Resonant and non-resonant x-ray emission spectroscopies were used to measure the C and O 2p partial densities of state in PTCDA. Furthermore, resonant x-ray emission at the C and O K-edges is shown to be able to measure the partial densities of states associated with individual atomic sites. The flat molecular orientation of PTCDA on various substrates is explained in terms of the carbonyl O atom acting as a hydrogen-bond acceptor leading to multiple in-plane intermolecular C=O···H−C hydrogen bonding between carbonyl groups and the perylene core of the neighboring PTCDA molecules. We support this conclusion by comparison of our calculations to measurements of the electronic structure using element-, site-, and orbital-selective C and O K-edge resonant x-ray emission spectroscopy, and photoemission spectroscopy.

We grew highly textured phase pure VO2 thin films on c-plane Al2O3 substrates with different oxygen partial pressure. X-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopy confirm the identical valence state of vanadium ions despite the different oxygen pressure during the deposition. As the O2 flow rate increases, the [010] lattice parameter for monoclinic VO2 was reduced and coincidently distinctive changes in the metal- semiconductor transition (MST) and transport behaviors were observed despite the identical valence state of vanadium in these samples. We discuss the effect of the oxygen partial pressure on the monoclinic structure and electronic structure of VO2, and consequently the MST., 16 pages, 3 figures, 1 table