Magnetic Susceptibility of Andreev Bound States in Superfluid

Nuclear magnetic resonance measurements of the magnetic susceptibility of superfluid ^{3}He imbibed in anisotropic aerogel reveal anomalous behavior at low temperatures. Although the frequency shift clearly identifies a low-temperature phase as the B phase, the magnetic susceptibility does not display the expected decrease associated with the formation of the opposite-spin Cooper pairs. This susceptibility anomaly appears to be the predicted high-field behavior corresponding to the Ising-like magnetic character of surface Andreev bound states within the planar aerogel structures.

Isolation of Streptomycin-Resistant Erwinia pyrifoliae in Korea.

As a black shoot blight disease-causing agent, Erwinia pyrifoliae was first reported in 1995 in Korea. A total of 101 isolates of E. pyrifoliae were isolated from samples showing bacterial symptoms collected from apple and pear orchards between 2020 and 2021. These isolates were screened for streptomycin resistance, with one from an orchard in Gwangju showing resistance at 100 µg/ml streptomycin. This streptomycin-resistant E. pyrifoliae (EpSmR) isolate was identified via polymerase chain reaction amplification of the strA/strB gene and an internal region of the ribosomal rpsL gene containing codon 43. EpSmR has a point mutation that altered this codon from lysine (AAA) to threonine (ACA). The strA and strB genes were not identified in EpSmR. EpSmR showed a high resistance to streptomycin (>50,000 µg/ml). This is the first study reporting EpSmR, which emerged due to a mutation in codon 43 of the rpsL gene.

Global Forum of Cancer Surgeons: Cancer Surgery During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact and Lessons Learned.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this article is to summarize the opinions of the surgical oncology leaders from the Global Forum of Cancer Surgeons (GFCS) about the global impact of COVID-19 pandemic on cancer surgery. METHODS: A panel session (virtual) was held at the annual Society of Surgical Oncology 2021 International Conference on Surgical Cancer Care to address the impact of COVID-19 on cancer surgery globally. Following the virtual meeting, a questionnaire was sent to all the leaders to gather additional opinions. The input obtained from all the leaders was collated and analyzed to understand how cancer surgeons from across the world adapted in real-time to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. RESULTS: The surgical oncology leaders noted that the COVID-19 pandemic led to severe disruptions in surgical cancer care across all domains of clinical care, education, and research. Several new changes/protocols associated with increased costs were implemented to deliver safe care. Leaders also noted that preexisting disparities in care were exacerbated, and the pandemic had a detrimental effect on well-being and financial status. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to severe disruptions in surgical cancer care globally. Leaders of the GFCS opined that new strategies need to be implemented to prepare for any future catastrophic events based on the lessons learned from the current events. The GFCS will embark on developing such a roadmap to ensure that surgical cancer care is preserved in the future regardless of any catastrophic global events.

Short-term outcomes of a multicentre randomized clinical trial comparing laparoscopic pylorus-preserving gastrectomy with laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer (the KLASS-04 trial).

BACKGROUND: There remain concerns about the safety and functional benefit of laparoscopic pylorus-preserving gastrectomy (LPPG) compared with laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG). This study evaluated short-term outcomes of a randomized clinical trial (RCT) comparing LPPG with LDG for gastric cancer. METHODS: The Korean Laparoendoscopic Gastrointestinal Surgery Study (KLASS)-04 trial was an investigator-initiated, open-label, parallel-assigned, superiority, multicentre RCT in Korea. Patients with cT1N0M0 cancer located in the middle third of the stomach at least 5 cm from the pylorus were randomized to undergo LPPG or LDG. Participants, care givers and those assessing the outcomes were not blinded to group assignment. Outcomes were 30-day postoperative morbidity rate and death at 90 days. RESULTS: Some 256 patients from nine institutions were randomized (LPPG 129 patients, LDG 127 patients) between July 2015 and July 2017 and outcomes for 253 patients were analysed. Postoperative complications within 30 days were seen in 19.3 and 15.5 per cent in the LPPG and LDG groups respectively (P = 0·419). Postoperative pyloric stenosis was observed in nine (7.2 per cent) and two (1·5 per cent) patients in the LPPG and LDG groups (P = 0·026) respectively. In multivariable analysis higher BMI was a risk factor for postoperative complications (odds ratio 1·17, 95 per cent c.i. 1·04 to 1·32; P = 0·011). Death at 90 days was zero in both groups. CONCLUSION: Postoperative complications and mortality was comparable in patients undergoing LPPG and LDG. Registration number: NCT02595086 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov).

Thyroid surgery during coronavirus-19 pandemic phases I, II and III: lessons learned in China, South Korea, Iran and Italy.

OBJECTIVE: We compared demographic and clinic-pathological variables related to the number of surgeries for thyroid conditions or for cancer, morbidity, and fine needle aspiration (FNA) practices among Covid19 pandemic phases I, II, III and the same seasonal periods in 2019. METHODS: The prospective database of the Division of Thyroid Surgery, China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China was used for this study. Covid19 emergency levels were stratified according to the World Health Organization: phase I (January 25-February 25, 2020), phase II (February 26-March 19), phase III (March 20-April 20). RESULTS: There were fewer outpatient FNAs and surgeries in 2020 than in 2019. There were no thyroid surgeries during phase I. There were also fewer surgeries for cancer with a significant reduction of advanced stage cancer treatments, mainly stage T1b N1a in phase II and T3bN1b in phase III. Operative times and postoperative stays were significantly shorter during the pandemic compared to our institutional baseline. In phase III, vocal cord paralysis (VCP) increased to 4.3% of our baseline numbers (P = 0.001). There were no cases of Covid19-related complications during the perioperative period. No patients required re-admission to the hospital. CONCLUSION: The Covid19 outbreak reduced thyroid surgery patient volumes. The decrease of Covid19 emergency plans contributed to unexpected outcomes (reduction of early stage cancer treatment, decreased operative times and hospital stays, increased VCP rate).

Clinical features of subungual melanoma according to the extent of Hutchinson's nail sign: a retrospective single-centre study.

BACKGROUND: Hutchinson's nail sign (HS) is among the diagnostic criteria for subungual melanoma (SUM). However, there is minimal evidence supporting the overall clinical significance of HS in SUM. OBJECTIVES: To identify clinicopathological features of SUM according to the extent of HS. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study was performed with consecutive SUM patients at a single centre from January 2006 to December 2017. The extent of HS was defined by the number of affected nail folds (range 0-4). Comparison groups were organized as follows: patients with HS (affecting ≥1 nail folds) vs. without HS; patients with HS affecting ≥2 nail folds vs. HS affecting <2 nail folds; patients with HS affecting ≥3 nail folds vs. HS affecting <3 nail folds. Clinicopathological characteristics of SUM were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Sixty-one SUM patients were included. Forty-six (75.4%) exhibited HS; 22 (47.8%) on a toe and 24 (52.2%) on a finger. In multivariate analysis, nail destruction [hazard ratio (HR), 10.00; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.61-38.30; P = 0.001] was significantly associated with the presence of HS and amputation was significantly associated with HS affecting ≥2 nail folds (HR, 4.75; 95% CI, 1.36-16.61; P = 0.015). High T stage (HR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.20-2.85; P = 0.005, Fig. 2) was significantly associated with HS appearing in ≥3 nail folds. CONCLUSION: Besides its value of detecting SUM, HS provides useful clinical information. The number of nail folds exhibiting HS could be a useful clinical clue for planning therapeutic strategies for SUM.

Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) transcription factor is a key oncogenic driver of aggressive human meningioma progression.

AIMS: Aggressive meningioma remains incurable with neither chemo- nor targeted therapies proven effective, largely due to unidentified genetic alterations and/or aberrant oncogenic pathways driving the disease progression. In this study, we examined the expression and function of Forkhead box M1 (FOXM1) transcription factor during meningioma progression. METHODS: Human meningioma samples (n = 101) were collected, followed by Western blotting, quantitative PCR, immunohistochemical and progression-free survival (PFS) analyses. For in vitro assays, FOXM1 was overexpressed or knocked-down in benign (SF4433 and SF4068) or malignant (SF3061 and IOMM-Lee) human meningioma cell lines respectively. For in vivo studies, siomycin A (a FOXM1 inhibitor)-pretreated or control IOMM-Lee cells were implanted subcutaneously in nude mice. RESULTS: FOXM1 expression was increased in higher grades of meningioma and correlated with the mitotic index in the tumour tissue. Moreover, FOXM1 was increased in recurrent meningioma compared with the matched primary lesions. The patients who had higher FOXM1 expression had shorter PFS. In the subsequent in vitro assays, knockdown of FOXM1 in malignant meningioma cell lines resulted in decreased tumour cell proliferation, angiogenesis and invasion, potentially via regulation of ß-catenin, cyclin D1, p21, interleukin-8, vascular endothelial growth factor-A, PLAU, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition-related genes, whereas overexpression of FOXM1 in benign meningioma cell lines had the opposite effects. Last, suppression of FOXM1 using a pharmacological inhibitor, siomycin A, decreased tumour growth in an in vivo mouse model. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that FOXM1 is a key transcription factor regulating oncogenic signalling pathways in meningioma progression, and a promising therapeutic target for aggressive meningioma.

Differentiation of dural arteriovenous fistula from reflux venous flow on 3D TOF-MR angiography: identifying asymmetric enlargement of external carotid artery branches.

AIM: To differentiate dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) from reflux venous flow (RVF) by assessment of asymmetric enlargement of external carotid artery (ECA) branches on three-dimensional (3D) time-of-flight magnetic resonance angiography (TOF-MRA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nineteen patients with DAVF and 27 patients with RVF were included from September 2007 to April 2019. The locations of DAVF were the cavernous (n=9) and sigmoid-transverse (n=6) sinuses, and the jugular (n=3) and sphenoparietal (n=1) veins. Two radiologists visually assessed asymmetric enlargement of the ascending pharyngeal artery (ASP), middle meningeal artery (MMA), accessory meningeal artery (AMA), artery of the foramen rotundum, and occipital artery. MMA size was also measured quantitatively. RESULTS: More frequent asymmetric enlargement of the ASP and MMA were seen in DAVF than in RVF (17 of 19 versus 3 of 27 for ASP; 16 of 19 versus 1 of 27 for MMA, p<0.01). The AMA, artery of the foramen rotundum, and occipital arteries were not visualised in RVF patients. The ipsilateral MMA size was significantly larger in DAVF than in RVF (2.14 versus 0.64 mm2, p< 0.01). The diagnostic performance of ipsilateral MMA size for DAVF was good, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.89, with a sensitivity of 84.2% and a specificity of 81.5% at a cut-off of 1.08 mm2. CONCLUSIONS: DAVF showed significantly larger ECA branches than RVF on 3D TOF-MRA. Therefore, thorough evaluation of ECA branches could help to differentiate DAVF from RVF.

Short communication: Dietary bovine milk-derived exosomes improve bone health in an osteoporosis-induced mouse model.

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by low bone mass and micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and fracture susceptibility. In an aged society with increased life expectancy, the incidence rate of osteoporosis is also rapidly increasing. Inadequate nutrition may negatively influence bone metabolism. Recently, many studies have investigated the functionality of milk-derived exosomes, which play important roles in cell-to-cell communication. However, there are few reports of how milk-derived exosomes influence osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. Here, we determined whether bovine colostrum-derived exosomes promote anti-osteoporosis in vitro and in vivo. Tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-stained cells were significantly inhibited in Raw264.7 cells treated with exosomes, indicating reduced osteoclast differentiation. We induced osteoporosis in mice using glucocorticoid pellets after orally administering exosomes for 2 mo. Interestingly, the bone mineral density of exosome-fed mouse groups was significantly improved compared with the glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis group without exosome treatment. In addition, Lactobacillus were decreased in the gut microbiota community of osteoporosis-induced mice, but the gut microbiota community composition was effectively restored by exosome intake. Taken together, we propose that exosomes isolated from bovine colostrum could be a potential candidate for osteoporosis prevention, bone remodeling improvement, and inhibition of bone resorption. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a protective effect of milk exosomes against osteoporosis has been demonstrated in vivo. Our results strongly suggest that bovine colostrum exosomes might be used as a prophylaxis to prevent the onset of osteoporosis. Indeed, our results offer promising alternative strategies in the nutritional management of age-related bone complications.

Identification of Trichosanthes associated rhabdovirus 1, a novel member of the genus Cytorhabdovirus of the family Rhabdoviridae, in the Trichosanthes kirilowii transcriptome.

The genome sequence of a novel RNA virus, Trichosanthes associated rhabdovirus 1 (TrARV1), was identified in a transcriptome dataset isolated from a root sample of Trichosanthes kirilowii, which is a flowering plant belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. The fruits, seeds, and root tubers of T. kirilowii have been used clinically in traditional Chinese medicine. The TrARV1 genome sequence was predicted to have six open reading frames (ORFs) encoding five canonical structural proteins of the family Rhabdoviridae (N ORF for nucleocapsid, P ORF for phosphoprotein, M ORF for matrix protein, G ORF for glycoprotein, and L ORF for polymerase), and an accessory protein. Sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analyses based on L and N proteins confirmed that TrARV1 is a novel member of the genus Cytorhabdovirus of the family Rhabdoviridae. TrARV1 is most closely related to Wuhan insect virus 5 and persimmon virus A. The putative cis-regulatory elements involved in transcription termination and polyadenylation, commonly found in the gene junction regions of rhabdoviruses, were also identified in the TrARV1 genome having the consensus sequence 3'- ACUAAAUUAUUUUGAUCUUU-5'. The genome sequence of TrARV1 may be useful to study the evolution and molecular biology of cytorhabdoviruses. Keywords: Trichosanthes associated rhabdovirus 1; Cytorhabdovirus; Rhabdoviridae; Trichosanthes kirilowii.

Identification of Pistacia-associated flexivirus 1, a putative mycovirus of the family Gammaflexiviridae, in the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus) transcriptome.

In this study, we identified the genome sequence of the novel virus Pistacia-associated flexivirus 1 (PAFV1), a putative member of the mycovirus family Gammaflexiviridae (the order Tymovirales), via analysis of a transcriptome dataset for the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus, the family Anacardiaceae). PAFV1 was predicted to have three open reading frames (ORFs): ORF1, encoding a replicase (REP) with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity; ORF2, a movement protein (MP); and ORF3, a hypothetical protein. The PAFV1 REP sequence showed high similarity to those of three known members of the family Gammaflexiviridae i.e., Entoleuca gammaflexivirus 1 (EnFV1), Entoleuca gammaflexivirus 2 (EnFV2), and Botrytis virus F (BVF). A genome contig of the fungus Monosporascus cannonballus also contained a sequence of an endogenous virus similar to that of PAFV1. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis indicated that PAFV1, EnFV1, and the endogenous virus of M. cannonballus formed a distinct subgroup (apart from EnFV2 and BVF), and may be the founding members of a novel genus in the family Gammaflexiviridae. Notably, MP sequences of PAFV1/EnFV1 showed similarity to the MP sequences of the mycovirus group called tobamo-like mycoviruses (an unassigned taxon), implying that genomic recombination occurred between members of the family Gammaflexiviridae and tobamo-like mycoviruses. Since PAFV1 is phylogenetically related to mycoviruses, PAFV1 may also be a mycovirus that infected a fungus associated with the mastic tree sample, which is evidenced by the presence of fungal ribosomal RNA sequences in the mastic tree transcriptome. Thus, the PAFV1 genome sequence may be useful in elucidating the genome evolution of Gammaflexiviridae and tobamo-like mycoviruses. Keywords: Pistacia-associated flexivirus 1; Gammaflexiviridae; mycovirus, mastic tree.

Preoperative N stage evaluation in advanced gastric cancer patients using multidetector CT: can the sum of the diameters of metastatic LNs be used for N stage evaluation?

AIM: To compare the diagnostic performance of total counts of metastatic lymph nodes (LN-sum) and conventional multidetector (MD) computed tomography (CT) staging in the nodal evaluation of advanced gastric cancer (AGC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 127 consecutive patients who underwent preoperative MDCT and gastrectomy for AGC were identified. Metastatic LNs on MDCT were defined as LNs with a short axis ≥8 mm, marked or heterogeneous enhancement, and morphological features (central necrosis, round shape, clustering). The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the N-stage using LN-sum and conventional MDCT staging were generated and compared. In addition, metastatic LN counts between the MDCT and the histopathological examinations and correlation between LN-sum and histopathological nodal status were analysed. RESULTS: The total counts of metastatic LNs on MDCT was significantly smaller than those detected in histopathological assessments (p<0.0001). LN-sum showed significant correlation with the pathological N stage and the number of metastatic LNs (rho=0.69, 0.73, p<0.0001). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.896, and 0.835, for N stage ≥N2 and N3, with cut-off values of 12.5 and 23.5 mm, respectively. LN-sum provided better diagnostic performance than conventional MDCT staging for discriminating N0-2 versus N3; sensitivity, accuracy, PPV and NPV of LN-sum were significantly higher (80.4 versus 52.2%, 81.1 versus 68.5%, 71.2 versus 57.1%, and 88 versus 74.1%). CONCLUSION: LN-sum may be sufficiently useful in assessing the N3 stage of AGC and may help to plan appropriate therapy for AGC patients.

Suppressive effect of Lactobacillus fermentum Lim2 on Clostridioides difficile 027 toxin production.

Clostridioides difficile is a spore-forming, Gram-positive, anaerobic pathogen that caused gastrointestinal illness. During dysbiosis, overgrowth of C. difficile resulting in higher levels of toxin production. Since Lactobacillus has been commonly used to alleviate gastrointestinal discomfort, this study aimed to investigate the effects of Lactobacillus isolated from kimchi on the quorum-sensing and virulence factors of C. difficile 027. Among the isolated Lactobacillus strains, the acid and bile tolerant L. fermentum Lim2 was only able to reduce C. difficile 027 growth by one log10 CFU per ml. In keeping with this finding, C. difficile 027 growth was unaffected by either untreated or heat-inactivated cell extracts from L. fermentum Lim2. Both untreated and heat-inactivated cell extracts did, however, significantly reduce the autoinducer-2 (AI-2) activity of C. difficile 027, with the most prominent suppression effect (654-fold) being found from 100 mg ml-1 of heat-inactivated cell extract. A gene expression analysis indicated that in the presence of 100 mg ml-1 heat-inactivated cell extract, the quorum-sensing (luxS) and the virulence factors (tcdA, tcdB and tcdE) were significantly suppressed, whereas the negative regulator gene (tcdC) was significantly up-regulated. Taken together, the significant anti-pathogenic effect from L. fermentum Lim2 could potentially be used to treat C. difficile-infections. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Clostridioides difficile is a Gram-positive pathogenic bacteria that caused gastrointestinal illness via toxic production. The emergence of highly virulence and foodborne C. difficile strains has further increased the incident and severity of C. difficile-infections (CDIs). Numerous studies have reported the immunomodulatory activity of Lactobacillus, a member of healthy gut microbiota, to maintain gastrointestinal health. Here, we successfully isolated L. fermentum Lim2 from kimchi, and identified a promising anti-pathogenic effect against C. difficile 027, from the heat-inactivated L. fermentum cell extract via suppression on the C. difficile 027 quorum-sensing system and toxin production, which could potentially be used to treat and prevent CDIs.

A novel Waikavirus (the family Secoviridae) genome sequence identified in rapeseed (Brassica napus).

The genome sequence of a novel species of the genus Waikavirus (the family Secoviridae), which we named Brassica napus RNA virus 1 (BnRV1), was identified in a rapeseed (Brassica napus) transcriptome dataset. The BnRV1 genome was 12,293 nucleotides long followed by a poly(A) tail. Two open reading frames (ORFs), called ORF1 and ORFX, were predicted. The larger ORF, ORF1, encodes a polyprotein of 3,471 amino acids and the smaller ORF, ORFX, overlaps ORF1 and encodes an 87 aa long protein of unknown function. The BnRV1 ORF1 polyprotein was predicted to undergo proteolytic processing to yield seven mature proteins, including an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and three distinct coat proteins. The ORF1 and ORFX proteins share sequence similarities with the respective proteins of viruses in the genus Waikavirus, including the bellflower vein chlorosis virus, rice tungro spherical virus, and maize chlorotic dwarf virus. A phylogenetic tree inferred from a conserved segment of the polyproteins of several Secoviridae viruses confirmed that BnRV1 is a novel species of the genus Waikavirus. The BnRV1 genome sequence identified in this study may be useful for the study of waikavirus biology and waikavirus-derived diseases. Keywords: Brassica napus RNA virus 1; Waikavirus; Secoviridae; rapeseed.

Novel Foveavirus (the family Betaflexiviridae) species identified in ginseng (Panax ginseng).

Ginseng (Panax ginseng) is a valuable herb that is widely cultivated in Korea, China, and Japan because it contains a variety of pharmacologically active substances with a wide range of positive effects on human health. Identification and prevention of disease-causing viral pathogens of ginseng is important for improving the yield and quality of ginseng-derived bioactive molecules. In this study, the genome sequence of the virus Panax ginseng flexivirus 1 (PgFV1) was identified from a ginseng root transcriptome data set. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis showed that PgFV1 is a novel plant RNA virus species of the genus Foveavirus (the family Betaflexiviridae). Foveaviruses have flexuous and filamentous virions with a single-stranded positive-sense mono-segmented RNA genome. Its infection causes diseases with mosaic and ringspot symptoms in the stems and leaves. The PgFV1 genome encodes for 5 open reading frames: a replicase polyprotein for viral genome replication, 3 triple gene block proteins for viral cell-to-cell movement, and coat protein. Phylogenetic trees inferred from replicase polyprotein or coat protein sequences showed that PgFV1 is most closely related to grapevine virus T. PgFV1 is the first foveavirus identified to be associated with ginseng. Given the potential pathogenic features of previously known foveaviruses and importance of ginseng in the health industry, the PgFV1 genome sequence may be highly useful for studying ginseng foveaviruses. Keywords: ginseng; Panax ginseng flexivirus 1; Foveavirus; Betaflexiviridae.

Zostera virus T - a novel virus of the genus Tepovirus identified in the eelgrass, Zostera muelleri.

Analysis of a transcriptome dataset obtained from tissue samples of the eelgrass Zostera muelleri, an aquatic flowering plant species of the family Zosteraceae, yielded three genome sequence contigs of a novel RNA virus. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis revealed that the novel RNA virus, named Zostera virus T (ZoVT), belongs to the genus Tepovirus of the family Betaflexiviridae. The three genome contigs of ZoVT showed 88.2‒97.2% nucleotide sequence identity to each other, indicating that they descended from a common ancestor. The ZoVT genome contains three open reading frames (ORFs): ORF1 encodes a 1816 amino acid (aa) replicase (REP) with RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity; ORF2, a 398 aa movement protein (MP); and ORF3, a 240 aa coat protein (CP). The phylogenetic analysis using REP sequences of ZoVT and other Betaflexiviridae viruses showed that Prunus virus T is the closest known virus to ZoVT, whereas potato virus T, the type species of the genus Tepovirus, is the second closest virus. Genome sequences of ZoVT, which is the third tepovirus species identified to date, may be useful for investigating the evolution and molecular biology of tepoviruses. Keywords: Zostera virus T; Tepovirus; Betaflexiviridae; eelgrass; Zostera muelleri.

A Tabletop Persistent-Mode, Liquid Helium-Free 1.5-T MgB2 "Finger" MRI Magnet: Construction and Operation of a Prototype Magnet.

This paper presents results of construction and operation of a persistent-mode, liquid-helium-free, small-scale prototype magnet for the development of a tabletop 1.5-T "finger" MRI system for osteoporosis screening. The prototype magnet, composed of 2 MgB2 coils, one superconducting joint, and a persistent-current switch (PCS) built from a portion of one coil, was wound with a one continuous ~80-m long unreacted and monofilament MgB2 wire and then reacted. The test magnet was charged successfully and generated the estimated target field of 1.75 T at 5 K with the proposed PCS operation. During initial persistent-mode, the field was slightly decayed due to the index dissipation of the joint; thereafter it sustained the persistent field of 1.7 T for 35 h. The test results validated the joint resistance of < 1.2 × 10-11 as well as the proposed approach involving the PCS coil circuit model.

A phylogenetic approach to a global supraspecific taxonomy of Cortinarius (Agaricales) with an emphasis on the southern mycota.

A section-based taxonomy of Cortinarius, covering large parts of the temperate North and South Hemispheres, is presented. Thirty-seven previously described sections are reviewed, while another forty-two sections are proposed as new or as new combinations. Twenty additional clades are recovered but not formally described. Furthermore, six new or combined species names are introduced, and one species is neotypified. The structure is supported by morphological characters and molecular evidence, based on two (nrITS and nrLSU) and four (nrITS, nrLSU, rpb1 and rpb2) loci datasets and analysed by Maximum Likelihood methods (PhyML, RAxML). Altogether 789 Cortinarius samples were included in the study.

Genetic Diversity and Protective Efficacy of the RTS,S/AS01 Malaria Vaccine.

BACKGROUND: The RTS,S/AS01 vaccine targets the circumsporozoite protein of Plasmodium falciparum and has partial protective efficacy against clinical and severe malaria disease in infants and children. We investigated whether the vaccine efficacy was specific to certain parasite genotypes at the circumsporozoite protein locus. METHODS: We used polymerase chain reaction-based next-generation sequencing of DNA extracted from samples from 4985 participants to survey circumsporozoite protein polymorphisms. We evaluated the effect that polymorphic positions and haplotypic regions within the circumsporozoite protein had on vaccine efficacy against first episodes of clinical malaria within 1 year after vaccination. RESULTS: In the per-protocol group of 4577 RTS,S/AS01-vaccinated participants and 2335 control-vaccinated participants who were 5 to 17 months of age, the 1-year cumulative vaccine efficacy was 50.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 34.6 to 62.3) against clinical malaria in which parasites matched the vaccine in the entire circumsporozoite protein C-terminal (139 infections), as compared with 33.4% (95% CI, 29.3 to 37.2) against mismatched malaria (1951 infections) (P=0.04 for differential vaccine efficacy). The vaccine efficacy based on the hazard ratio was 62.7% (95% CI, 51.6 to 71.3) against matched infections versus 54.2% (95% CI, 49.9 to 58.1) against mismatched infections (P=0.06). In the group of infants 6 to 12 weeks of age, there was no evidence of differential allele-specific vaccine efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that among children 5 to 17 months of age, the RTS,S vaccine has greater activity against malaria parasites with the matched circumsporozoite protein allele than against mismatched malaria. The overall vaccine efficacy in this age category will depend on the proportion of matched alleles in the local parasite population; in this trial, less than 10% of parasites had matched alleles. (Funded by the National Institutes of Health and others.).

Electrically controllable THz asymmetric split-loop resonator with an outer square loop based on VO2.

In this paper, we propose an asymmetric split-loop resonator with an outer square loop (ASLR-OSL) based on vanadium dioxide (VO2) which can actively control the transmission characteristics of a terahertz wave while maintaining a high quality factor of the asymmetric split-loop resonator (ASLR) by adding an outer square loop. The proposed ASLR-OSL demonstrated transmission characteristics similar to those of ASLR, and the transmission characteristics of ASLR-OSL were successfully controlled by directly applying a bias voltage. These results show a simple method for imposing active properties on a common metamaterial having a high quality factor by adding a loop structure.