Time-resolved X-ray diffraction investigation of the modified phonon dispersion in InSb nanowires.

The modified phonon dispersion is of importance for understanding the origin of the reduced heat conductivity in nanowires. We have measured the phonon dispersion for 50 nm diameter InSb (111) nanowires using time-resolved X-ray diffraction. By comparing the sound speed of the bulk (3880 m/s) and that of a classical thin rod (3600 m/s) to our measurement (2880 m/s), we conclude that the origin of the reduced sound speed and thereby to the reduced heat conductivity is that the C44 elastic constant is reduced by 35% compared to the bulk material.

Wave function microscopy of quasibound atomic states.

In the 1980s Demkov, Kondratovich, and Ostrovsky and Kondratovich and Ostrovsky proposed an experiment based on the projection of slow electrons emitted by a photoionized atom onto a position-sensitive detector. In the case of resonant excitation, they predicted that the spatial electron distribution on the detector should represent nothing else but a magnified image of the projection of a quasibound electronic state. By exciting lithium atoms in the presence of a static electric field, we present in this Letter the first experimental photoionization wave function microscopy images where signatures of quasibound states are evident. Characteristic resonant features, such as (i) the abrupt change of the number of wave function nodes across a resonance and (ii) the broadening of the outer ring of the image (associated with tunneling ionization), are observed and interpreted via wave packet propagation simulations and recently proposed resonance tunneling mechanisms. The electron spatial distribution measured by our microscope is a direct macroscopic image of the projection of the microscopic squared modulus of the electron wave that is quasibound to the atom and constitutes the first experimental realization of the experiment proposed 30 years ago.

The effect of endometriosis on in vitro fertilisation outcome: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is found in 0.5-5% of fertile women and 25-40% of infertile women. It is known that endometriosis is associated with infertility, but there is uncertainty whether women with endometriosis have adverse pregnancy outcomes in in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment. OBJECTIVES: To explore the association between endometriosis and IVF outcome. SEARCH STRATEGY: Searches were conducted on MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and Web of Science (inception, December 2012) in all languages, together with reference lists of retrieved papers. SELECTION CRITERIA: Studies comparing IVF outcome in women with endometriosis with women without endometriosis. Patients were classified by stage of endometriosis. The outcomes were fertilisation, implantation, clinical pregnancy and live birth rates. Study selection was conducted independently by two reviewers. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale was used for quality assessment. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Data extraction was conducted independently by two reviewers. Relative risks from individual studies were meta-analysed. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-seven observational studies were included, comprising 8984 women. Meta-analysis of these studies showed that fertilisation rates were reduced in stage I/II of endometriosis (relative risk [RR] = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.87-0.99, P = 0.03). There was a decrease in the implantation rate (RR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.67-0.93, P = 0.006) and clinical pregnancy rate (RR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.69-0.91, P = 0.0008) in women with stage III/IV endometriosis undergoing IVF treatment. CONCLUSION: The presence of severe endometriosis (stage III/IV) is associated with poor implantation and clinical pregnancy rates in women undergoing IVF treatment.

Investigating microbial dynamics and potential advantages of anaerobic co-digestion of cheese whey and poultry slaughterhouse wastewaters.

Resource recovery and prevention of environmental pollution are key goals for sustainable development. It is widely reported that agro-industrial activities are responsible for the discharge of billions of liters of wastewater to the environment. Anaerobic digestion of these energy rich agro-industrial wastewaters can simultaneously mitigate environmental pollution and recover embedded energy as methane gas. In this study, an assessment of mono- and co-digestion of cheese whey wastewater (CWW) and poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSW) was conducted in 2.25-L lab-scale anaerobic digesters. Treatment combinations evaluated included CWW (R1), PSW (R2), 75:25 CWW:PSW (R3), 25:75 CWW:PSW (R4), and 50:50 CWW:PSW (R5). The digestion efficiencies of the mixed wastewaters were compared to the weighted efficiencies of the corresponding combined mono-digested samples. R4, with a mixture of 25% CWW and 75% PSW, achieved the greatest treatment efficiency. This corresponded with an average biodegradability of 84%, which was greater than for R1 and R2 at 68.5 and 71.9%, respectively. Similarly, R4 produced the highest average cumulative methane value compared to R1 and R2 at 1.22× and 1.39× for similar COD loading, respectively. The modified Gompertz model provided the best fit for the obtained methane production data, with lag time decreasing over progressive treatment cycles. PCoA and heatmap analysis of relative microbial abundances indicated a divergence of microbial communities based on feed type over the treatment cycles. Microbial community analysis showed that genus Petrimonas attained the highest relative abundance (RA) at up to 38.9% in the first two cycles, then subsequently decreased to near 0% for all reactors. Syntrophomonas was highly abundant in PSW reactors, reaching up to 36% RA. Acinetobacter was present mostly in CWW reactors with a RA reaching 56.5%. The methanogenic community was dominated by Methanothrix (84.3-99.9% of archaea). The presence of phosphate and Acinetobacter in CWW feed appeared to reduce the treatment efficiency of associated reactors. Despite Acinetobacter being strictly aerobic, previous and current results indicate its survival under anaerobic conditions, with the storage of phosphate likely playing a key role in its ability to scavenge acetate during the digestion process.

Synthesis and characterization of cellulose/TiO2 nanocomposite: Evaluation of in vitro antibacterial and in silico molecular docking studies.

Cellulose/TiO2 nanocomposite was synthesized using coagulation in sodium hydroxide-thiourea-urea aqueous solution medium by precipitation method. This method was accomplished green and cost-effective for the fabrication of composite nanomaterials. Structure, morphology and optical properties of the nanocomposite were characterized by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and ultraviolet diffuse reflectance spectra respectively. XRD results showed the anatase structure of TiO2 while FESEM micrograph showed evidence of particle size ranging from 20 to 40 nm for cellulose/TiO2 nanocomposite. The Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy investigation reveals that the TiO2 is bound to hydroxyl groups to the cellulose by hydrogen bonding. The optical energy bandgap is found to be 2.71 eV for nanocomposite from the UV-DRS. The mechanical strength of the composites gently escalated with the addition of TiO2 nanoparticles into cellulose polymer matrix. Cellulose/TiO2 nanocomposite was screened for their in vitro antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli bacteria have been investigated. Additionally, the results obtained from in silico molecular docking studies confirm the interaction of nanocomposite with proteins, were in good agreement with the experimental data. This finding provides a novel and simple method for the synthesis of cellulose/TiO2 nanocomposite as functional biomaterials.

Structure and optical properties of core-shell bimetallic Ag(n)Ni(n) clusters: Comparison with pure silver and nickel clusters.

We present the structural, electronic, and optical properties of bimetallic Ag(n)Ni(n) (n

Optical absorption of small silver clusters: Ag(n), (n=4-22).

We present a joint theoretical and experimental investigation of the absorption spectra of silver clusters Ag(n) (4

Eastern Canadian Colorectal Cancer Consensus Conference 2017.

The annual Eastern Canadian Gastrointestinal Cancer Consensus Conference 2017 was held in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, 28-30 September. Experts in radiation oncology, medical oncology, surgical oncology, and cancer genetics who are involved in the management of patients with gastrointestinal malignancies participated in presentations and discussion sessions for the purpose of developing the recommendations presented here. This consensus statement addresses multiple topics in the management of gastric, rectal, and colon cancer, including ■ identification and management of hereditary gastric and colorectal cancer (crc);■ palliative systemic therapy for metastatic gastric cancer;■ optimum duration of preoperative radiation in rectal cancer-that is, short- compared with long-course radiation;■ management options for peritoneal carcinomatosis in crc;■ implications of tumour location for treatment and prognosis in crc; and■ new molecular markers in crc.

Non-contact ultrasonic technique for Lamb wave characterization in composite plates.

A fully non-contact single-sided air-coupled and laser ultrasonic non-destructive system based on the generation and detection of Lamb waves is implemented for the characterization of A0 Lamb wave mode dispersion in a composite plate. An air-coupled transducer (ACT) radiates acoustic pressure on the surface of the composite and generates Lamb waves within the structure. The out-of-plane velocity of the propagating wave is measured using a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV). In this study, the non-contact automated system focuses on measuring A0 mode frequency-wavenumber, phase velocity dispersion curves using Snell's law and group velocity dispersion curves using Morlet wavelet transform (MWT) based on time-of-flight along different wave propagation directions. It is theoretically demonstrated that Snell's law represents a direct link between the phase velocity of the generated Lamb wave mode and the coincidence angle of the ACT. Using Snell's law and MWT, the former three dispersion curves of the A0 mode are easily and promptly generated from a set of measurements obtained from a rapid ACT angle scan experiment. In addition, the phase velocity and group velocity polar characteristic wave curves are also computed to analyze experimentally the angular dependency of Lamb wave propagation. In comparison with the results from the theory, it is confirmed that using the ACT/LDV system and implementing simple Snell's law method is highly sensitive and effective in characterizing the dispersion curves of Lamb waves in composite structures as well as its angular dependency.

A rapid, fully non-contact, hybrid system for generating Lamb wave dispersion curves.

A rapid, fully non-contact, hybrid system which encompasses an air-coupled transducer (ACT) and a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) is presented for profiling A0 Lamb wave dispersion of an isotropic aluminum plate. The ACT generates ultrasonic pressure incident upon the surface of the plate. The pressure waves are partially refracted into the plate. The LDV is employed to measure the out-of-plane velocity of the excited Lamb wave mode at some distances where the Lamb waves are formed in the plate. The influence of the ACT angle of incidence on Lamb wave excitation is investigated and Snell's law is used to directly compute Lamb wave dispersion curves including phase and group velocity dispersion curves in aluminum plates from incident angles found to generate optimal A0 Lamb wave mode. The measured curves are compared to results obtained from a two-dimensional (2-D) Fast Fourier transform (FFT), Morlet wavelet transform (MWT) and theoretical predictions. It was concluded that the experimental results obtained using Snell's law concept are well in accordance with the theoretical solutions. The high degree of accuracy in the measured data with the theoretical results proved a high sensitivity of the air-coupled and laser ultrasound in characterizing Lamb wave dispersion in plate-like structures. The proposed non-contact hybrid system can effectively characterize the dispersive relation without knowledge of neither the materials characteristics nor the mathematical model.

Efficient assessment of filariasis endemicity by screening for filarial antigenaemia in a sentinel population.

We have previously reported that a monoclonal antibody-based antigen detection assay (AD12) is sensitive and specific for Bancroftian filariasis in Egypt. The purpose of the present study was to demonstrate the use of this assay in a sentinel population as a means of efficiently screening for filariasis endemicity. Antigen testing was performed with finger-prick blood collected during the day from 743 schoolchildren (ages 11-16 years). The school draws students from 5 villages in Qalubia Governorate, 35 km north-east of Cairo, Egypt. The prevalence of filarial antigenaemia in the school was 17.2%. Antigenaemia rates in children from the 5 villages were 29, 20, 18, 17, and 10% (non-uniformity significant by chi 2 analysis, P = 0.02). These data agree with Ministry of Health rankings of relative endemicity for these villages based on prior night blood surveys. The village with the highest antigen prevalence in children was surveyed one year before the present study. Prevalence rates of antigenaemia and microfilaraemia at that time for a different sample of children aged 11-16 years were 33% and 22%, respectively. We conclude that antigen detection in schoolchildren of this age group is an efficient means of assessing filariasis endemicity in Egypt.

Routine pulse oximetry in the asymptomatic newborn.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of routine measurement of postductal oxygen saturation as an adjunct to routine clinical examination in the asymptomatic newborn. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective study in a district general hospital. PATIENTS: All 6166 infants inborn between 1 April 1999 and 31 March 2001. INTERVENTION: Oxygen saturation was measured over two minutes, after the age of 2 hours and before discharge, in one foot of all babies not admitted directly to the neonatal unit. Babies with fractional (as opposed to functional) oxygen saturation (SaO(2)) below 95% were examined by the midwife. If this examination was abnormal or if normal but further measurements were below 95%, an echocardiogram was performed. All babies with cardiac malformations diagnosed by 1 year of age were identified from databases maintained at the regional cardiology referral unit and the regional congenital malformation survey. RESULTS: Measurements were made in 98% of eligible babies. A fractional SaO(2) less than 95% was found in 5% but persisted in only 1%. Structural cardiac malformations were found in 50 (8.1/1000), 26 of whom had isolated ventricular septal defects. Of the remaining 24 with other cardiac malformations, attention was first drawn to six by low SaO(2), and four more, first noticed for other reasons, also had low SaO(2). Low SaO(2) also first drew attention to 13 other babies ill for other reasons. CONCLUSION: Newborn babies with important cardiac malformations are often asymptomatic initially and the yield from clinical examination is poor. Measuring postductal saturation routinely in newborn babies before discharge is easy and can alert staff to ill babies.

Presentation of obstructive left heart malformations in infancy.

This study documents the presentation of acutely life threatening congenital heart disease in infancy in order to assess the performance of screening examinations soon after birth and at 6 weeks of age. All cases of obstructive left heart malformations presenting in infancy in one health region from 1987-91 were analysed retrospectively. Altogether, 120 infants presented with either hypoplastic left heart syndrome, interruption of the aortic arch, coarctation of the aorta, or aortic valve stenosis. Twelve became symptomatic or died within 24 hours. Thirty four had an abnormal neonatal examination, eight of whom were referred. Six more became symptomatic before discharge. Ninety four babies went home, 51 developed heart failure before 6 weeks, and another seven died without diagnosis. Twenty five of 36 (69%) reaching 6 weeks without diagnosis had a second examination which was abnormal in 17. Two babies died undiagnosed after 6 weeks and the other 18 presented at up to 11 months of age. The neonatal and 6 week examinations perform poorly as screening tests for congenital heart disease. A normal neonatal examination does not exclude life threatening congenital heart disease.

Variability of four limb blood pressure in normal neonates.

AIMS: To assess the variation in blood pressure (BP) between limbs in normal neonates. To assess whether comparison of arm and leg BP in neonates is reproducible enough to allow the difference to raise suspicion of coarctation of the aorta. METHODS: Infants recruited from the postnatal wards and the postnatal murmur clinic underwent echocardiography and BP measurement in each limb using a Dinamap Compact T 482210. The method of BP measurement was guided by a telephone survey of 40 UK neonatal units. RESULTS: Forty healthy neonates underwent echocardiography and all had a normal aortic arch. BP was measured in 39. In three, BP in the arms was 20 mm Hg higher than in the legs. This gave a specificity of comparison of the upper and lower limb BPs of 92 (36/39) or a false positive rate of 8% (3/39). The standard deviation in BPs was 15.7 mm Hg between arms, 14.5 mm Hg between legs, and 11 mm Hg when the nearest arm and leg were compared. CONCLUSIONS: With current measurement techniques, normal neonates may have a wide variation in BP between limbs. A difference of 20 mm Hg in isolation is more likely to be due to random variability in measurement than to coarctation of the aorta. If coarctation of the aorta is suspected, it can only be excluded or confirmed by echocardiography.

Treatment of advanced Kaposi's sarcoma using a combination of bleomycin and vincristine.

Eighteen patients with disseminated AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and compromised bone marrow function were treated with a relatively non-myelosuppressive regimen of bleomycin and vincristine (BV). At study entry, the patients presented with the following median laboratory values: hemoglobin of 9.5 g/dl, granulocyte counts of 1,173/mm3, platelet counts of 218,000/mm3, and CD4 lymphocyte counts of 58/mm3. All patients had extensive Kaposi's sarcoma. Nine patients had visceral involvement: four with pulmonary involvement, two with gastrointestinal involvement, and three with both. Following a median number of seven cycles of biweekly chemotherapy, complete or partial tumor responses were achieved in 13 patients (72%). Two patients experienced bleomycin-induced skin toxicities, whereas 10 others (55%) experienced peripheral sensory neuropathy requiring vincristine dose reductions. Opportunistic infections had occurred in 11 patients prior to initiation of chemotherapy and in 16 after initiation of chemotherapy. Despite the frequent development of opportunistic infections, BV chemotherapy was relatively well tolerated and resulted in a high response rate in this patient population that presented with suboptimal marrow function and extremely low CD4 lymphocyte counts.

Megavoltage irradiation of neoplasms of the nasal and paranasal cavities in 77 dogs.

Seventy-seven dogs with malignant tumors of the nasal and paranasal cavities were treated by use of radiotherapy. The tumors included carcinomas (58) and sarcomas (19). Radiographic findings, including site of involvement and tumor extension, were the basis of clinical staging. Staging was performed according to the tumor, node, metastasis staging of the World Health Organization, and a modified staging scheme based on prognostic factors that seemed to correlate best with response to treatment. All irradiations were done with a telecobalt 60 unit. Fifty-six dogs were treated with irradiation alone, and 21 had partial tumor resection prior to radiotherapy. Treatment dose was 48 Gy (minimal tumor dose) administered on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday basis at 4 Gy/fraction over 4 weeks. The irradiation technique emphasized rostral field with a generous treatment volume. Duration of follow-up after irradiation ranged from 1 month to 61 months. The 1- and 2-year overall survival rates were 60.3% and 25%, respectively, and the 1- and 2-year relapse-free survival rates were 38.2% and 17.6%, respectively. Results of histologic examination and our modified staging scheme were significant (P = 0.02 and P = 0.04, respectively) prognostic factors of relapse-free survival. Conversely, tumor site, tumor extension, World Health Organization clinical stage, and cytoreductive surgery prior to irradiation did not affect the outcome of treatment. According to our modified staging scheme, dogs with stage-2- disease have a poorer prognosis than dogs with stage-1 disease, with a relative risk of relapse 2.3-fold higher. Dogs with carcinoma had a poorer prognosis than dogs with sarcoma (predominantly chondrosarcoma) with a relative risk of relapse 3.3-fold higher.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Central diabetes insipidus in dogs: 20 cases (1986-1995).

OBJECTIVE: To assess clinical signs, biochemical findings, results of modified water deprivation and other diagnostic tests, response to treatment, and survival time in dogs with central diabetes insipidus (CDI). DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: 20 dogs with CDI. PROCEDURE: Signalment, history, physical examination, results of diagnostic tests, response to treatment, and survival time were extracted from the medical record of each dog and supplemented with information obtained from owners via telephone. RESULTS: Isosthenuria or hyposthenuria was a consistent finding. Seven dogs with complete CDI and 13 dogs with partial CDI were identified on the basis of results of a modified water deprivation test. Dogs treated with desmopressin acetate responded well to treatment. Seven dogs were alive 18 to 72 months (median, 36 months) after diagnosis, and 10 dogs died or were euthanatized 1 week to 2 years (median, 2 months) after diagnosis. Seven of 10 dogs that died developed neurologic signs after diagnosis of CDI. Computed tomography revealed a mass in the region of the pituitary gland in 5 of 7 dogs. Necropsy of 6 dogs, including 2 dogs on which computed tomography had been performed, revealed neoplasia in the pituitary gland. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Onset of neurologic signs after diagnosis of CDI in middle- to old-aged dogs indicates that CDI may not be a benign disease that is treated easily. Brain imaging is recommended after diagnosis of CDI in middle- to old-aged dogs. Also, because many dogs are isosthenuric on initial examination, CDI cannot be ruled out as a cause of polyuria and polydipsia on the basis of lack of hyposthenuria.

[Creation of a viral hepatitis B and C in the Côte-d'Or department. Methodology and initial results]. / Mise en place d'un registre des hépatites virales B et C dans le département de la Côte-d'Or. Méthodologie, premiers résultats. Réseau Bourguignon des Hépatites C.

OBJECTIVES: The epidemiological status of viral B and C hepatitis remains unknown in the general French population. This is why a specialized registry was created in the French Côte-d'Or administrative area (493,931 inhabitants) on 1994 January 1st. METHODS: The three sources of information were: a) biological and virological analysis laboratories, which report all new HBs Ag and HCV Ab cases, b) specialists in gastroenterology, hepatology, infectious diseases and internal medicine, c) pathologists. Additional information was obtained from the medical practitioner who prescribed the serology. RESULTS: Between January and December 1994, 241 new cases of HBs Ag and HCV Ab were reported: 168 cases of HCV Ab (96 males, 72 females) and 73 cases of HBs Ag (37 males, 36 females) including 10 mixed cases (HBs Ag and HCV Ab). The annual standardized rate of detection of patients with HCV Ab was 26.4 +/- 4.6/100,000 inhabitants. Contamination was a result of intravenous drug addiction in 54 cases (32%), blood transfusion in 39 cases (23%) and remained unknown in 56 cases (33%). A liver biopsy was performed in 42 patients, 17 were treated with interferon during the two years following diagnosis. The standardized detection rate of patients with HBs Ag was 12.9 +/- 2.6/100,000 inhabitants. Contamination resulted from sexual transmission in 17 cases (23%), was related to a lengthy stay in endemic countries in 10 cases (14%) or to intravenous drug addiction in 6 cases (8%), and remained unknown in 37 cases (51%). A liver biopsy was performed in 6 cases and 2 patients were treated. CONCLUSION: These preliminary French population based data show that the annual frequency of detection of HBs Ag and HCV Ab is high and that care of these patients must be improved.

Pavlovian conditioning and cross-sensitization studies raise challenges to the hypothesis that overeating is an addictive behavior.

Elevated glucocorticoid levels and sign tracking (ST) in Pavlovian conditioning are potential biomarkers of compulsive behaviors such as addiction. As overeating is sometimes viewed as a form of addictive behavior, we hypothesized that murine Pavlovian sign trackers would have a greater propensity to overeat and develop obesity. Using a food reward in the classical conditioning paradigm, we show that ST behavior is a robust conditioned response but not a predictor of eating and growth trajectories in mice, thus challenging the view that the development of obesity and drug addiction depend on identical mechanisms. This interpretation was supported by experiments which showed that overweight mice do not display cross-sensitization to an addictive drug (morphine), and conversely, that overweight morphine-sensitized animals do not overconsume a highly rewarding food. Although the rewarding/motivational effects of both food and drugs of abuse are mediated by similar neurochemical mechanisms, obesity and drug addiction represent a summation of other dysfunctional input and output pathways that lead to the emergence of two distinct disorders, each of which would deserve a specific pharmacotherapeutic approach.