Ultrashort pulse written fiber Bragg gratings as narrowband filters in multicore fibers.

We present the inscription of narrow-linewidth fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) into different types of multicore fibers (MCFs) using ultrashort laser pulses and the phase mask technique, which can act as notch filters. Such filters are required, e.g., to suppress light emitted by hydroxyl in the Earth's upper atmosphere, which disturbs ground-based observation of extraterrestrial objects in the near infrared. However, the inscription into a commercially available seven-core fiber showed a quite large core-to-core deviation of the resonance wavelength of up to 0.45 nm. Two options are presented to overcome this: first, we present the photo-treatment of the FBGs to tune the resonance wavelength, which allows for sufficient resonance shifts. Second, adapted MCFs containing 12 cores, arranged on a circle, are fabricated. For this, two different fabrication procedures were investigated, namely, the mechanical drilling of the preform for a rod-in-tube version as well as a stack-and-draw approach. Both adapted MCFs yielded significant improvements with core-to-core wavelength variations of the FBGs of only about 0.18 nm and 0.11 nm, respectively, sufficient to fulfill the requirements for astronomical filter applications as discussed above.

Femtosecond inscription of semi-aperiodic multi-notch fiber Bragg gratings using a phase mask.

We present an innovative concept of a semi-aperiodic phase mask design that enables the realization of multi-notch fiber Bragg gratings (FBG). This design utilizes the overlap and interference of near-infrared ultrashort laser pulses diffracted by short sequenced phase mask sections, which not only allows for a highly stable and reproducible inscription of a large number of wavelength filters but also paves the way towards full aperiodic phase masks. The semi-aperiodic FBG inscribed by this phase mask enables versatile notch filters showing multiple non-equidistant resonances. Those filters target applications, for instance in ground-based telescopes, where a large number of hydroxyl emission lines emitted in the upper atmosphere at near-infrared wavelengths restrict the observation of faint extraterrestrial objects.

Cue reactivity towards bodies in anorexia nervosa - common and differential effects in adolescents and adults.

BACKGROUND: Aberrant reward mechanisms with regard to slim body shapes are discussed in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). The aim of the present study was to examine of cue reactivity toward body shapes in AN via the late positive potential (LPP), an event-related electroencephalography (EEG) component. By including adolescents and adults, aspects of development and chronification could be studied (2 × 2 design). METHODS: Thirty-two female AN patients (19 adolescents and 13 adults) and 37 control participants (16 adolescents and 21 adults) were included. Standardized photographic stimuli showing women's bodies in underwear from five body mass index (BMI) categories (extremely underweight to extremely overweight) were presented. During picture evaluation, EEG activity was recorded (10-20 system). The LPP was measured in two time windows characterized by different topographies (450-700 ms: posterior; 1000-1300 ms: central). RESULTS: Regarding the posterior component, LPP amplitudes were clearly reduced in adult but not in adolescent patients; for both time windows the LPP showed differential patterns over BMI categories for patients and controls. Regarding the central component, a highly significant linear decrease from extremely underweight to extremely overweight body shapes was revealed in patients and no significant modulation in control participants. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescent and adult patients show increased sustained attention toward extremely underweight bodies. In chronically ill patients, this bias appears to be accompanied by generally reduced automatic attention. The LPP findings provide a differentiated picture of aberrant cue reactivity which could be interpreted as motivated attention toward body shapes in AN.

Understanding Rapid Adjustments to Diverse Forcing Agents.

Rapid adjustments are responses to forcing agents that cause a perturbation to the top of atmosphere energy budget but are uncoupled to changes in surface warming. Different mechanisms are responsible for these adjustments for a variety of climate drivers. These remain to be quantified in detail. It is shown that rapid adjustments reduce the effective radiative forcing (ERF) of black carbon by half of the instantaneous forcing, but for CO2 forcing, rapid adjustments increase ERF. Competing tropospheric adjustments for CO2 forcing are individually significant but sum to zero, such that the ERF equals the stratospherically adjusted radiative forcing, but this is not true for other forcing agents. Additional experiments of increase in the solar constant and increase in CH4 are used to show that a key factor of the rapid adjustment for an individual climate driver is changes in temperature in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere.

Quantifying the Importance of Rapid Adjustments for Global Precipitation Changes.

Different climate drivers influence precipitation in different ways. Here we use radiative kernels to understand the influence of rapid adjustment processes on precipitation in climate models. Rapid adjustments are generally triggered by the initial heating or cooling of the atmosphere from an external climate driver. For precipitation changes, rapid adjustments due to changes in temperature, water vapor, and clouds are most important. In this study we have investigated five climate drivers (CO2, CH4, solar irradiance, black carbon, and sulfate aerosols). The fast precipitation responses to a doubling of CO2 and a 10-fold increase in black carbon are found to be similar, despite very different instantaneous changes in the radiative cooling, individual rapid adjustments, and sensible heating. The model diversity in rapid adjustments is smaller for the experiment involving an increase in the solar irradiance compared to the other climate driver perturbations, and this is also seen in the precipitation changes.

Prostatic artery embolization: radiation exposure to patients and staff.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the radiation doses to patients and staff received from the first cases of prostatic artery embolization (PAE) conducted in a public hospital in Recife, Brazil. Five PAE procedures for 5 men diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia were investigated. In order to characterize patient exposure, dosimetric quantities, such as the air kerma-area product (P KA), the cumulative air kerma at the interventional reference point (Ka,r), the number of images, etc, were registered. To evaluate the possibility for deterministic effects, the peak skin dose (PSD) was measured using radiochromic films. For evaluation of personal dose equivalent and effective dose to the medical staff, thermoluminescent dosemeters (TLD-100) were used. The effective dose was estimated using the double dosimetry alghoritm of von Boetticher. The results showed that the mean patient's PSD per procedure was 2674.2 mGy. With regard to the medical staff, the mean, minimum and maximum effective doses estimated per procedure were: 18 µSv, 12 µSv and 21 µSv respectively. High personal equivalent doses were found for the feet, hands and lens of the eye, due to the use of multiple left anterior oblique projections and the improper use of the suspended lead screen and the lead curtain during procedures.

A rapid method for breath analysis in cystic fibrosis patients.

For easy handling and speed of lung diseases diagnostics, approaches based on volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including those emitted by pathogenic microorganisms, are considered but currently require considerable sampling efforts. We tested whether easy-to-handle and fast detection of lung infections is possible using solid-phase microextraction (SPME) of 100 ml of exhaled breath. An analytical procedure for the detection of VOCs from the headspace of epithelial lung cells infected with four human pathogens was developed. The feasibility of this method was tested in a cystic fibrosis (CF) outpatient clinic in vivo. Exhaled breath was extracted by SPME and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The compositions of VOCs released in the infection model were characteristic for all individual pathogens tested. Exhaled breath of CF patients allowed clear distinction of CF patients and controls by their VOC compositions using multivariate analyses. Interestingly, the major specific VOCs detected in the exhaled breath of infected CF patients in vivo differed from those monitored during bacterial in vitro growth. SPME extraction of VOCs from 100 ml of human breath allowed the distinction between CF patients and healthy probands. Our results highlight the importance of assessing the entire pattern of VOCs instead of selected biomarkers for diagnostic purposes, as well as the need to use clinical samples to identify reliable biomarkers. This study provides the proof-of-concept for the approach using the composition of exhaled VOCs in human breath for the rapid identification of infectious agents in patients with lower respiratory tract infections.

Pregnancy in a woman with pulmonary hypertension: favorable outcome with intravenous treprostinil.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) presents a high risk for maternal mortality. The intravenous administration of treprostinil has demonstrated effectiveness for the treatment of PH, though documentations of its use during pregnancy are few. The authors present a 30-year-old gravid women with symptoms of PH at 23 weeks gestation. Treatment comprised of oxygen therapy, enoxaparin, and intravenous treprostinil from gestational week 25, following a successful elective cesarean section at 33 weeks gestation with favorable outcome. This report demonstrates the effectiveness of an intensive therapeutic protocol, including intravenous treprostinil, for the treatment of PH in pregnancy.

[Combination of a universal antidote and temporary skin substitute for chemical burns: Extended case report]. / Kombination von universellem Antidot und temporärem Hautersatz bei Verätzungen: Erweiterter Fallbericht.

In this article we describe our experiences in the treatment of chemical burns with Diphoterine(®) solution and Suprathel(®) as a temporary skin substitute material, a treatment which in the past was not commonly used for this pattern of injuries. In the study period from October 2012 to December 2013 we treated five patients (four male and one female including two children and three adults) with chemical burns by decontamination with Diphoterine(®) and wound covering with Suprathel(®). The control group included five patients with similar injury patterns who were treated with Diphoterine(®) and occlusive wound dressings. No wound infections occurred in any of the five cases and no interactions were observed between Suprathel(®) and the chemical substance involved. In four cases the skin areas with IIa-IIb degree damage showed good wound healing and only slight scarring in the follow-up after 3 months and one of the five patients had to be treated surgically. Suprathel(®) can be used as a temporary skin substitute for the treatment of skin burns and is also available for the treatment of chemical burns.

Estimation of organ doses to patients undergoing hepatic chemoembolization procedures.

The aim of this study is to evaluate organ and tissue absorbed doses to patients undergoing hepatic chemoembolization procedures performed in two hospitals in the city of Recife, Brazil. Forty eight patients undergoing fifty hepatic chemoembolization procedures were investigated. For the 20 cases with PA projection only, organs and tissues dose to KAP conversion coefficients were calculated using the mesh-based anthropometric phantom series FASH and MASH coupled to the EGSnrc Monte Carlo code. Clinical, dosimetric and irradiations parameters were registered for all patients. The maximum organ absorbed doses found were 2.4 Gy, 0.85 Gy, 0.76 Gy and 0.44 Gy for skin, kidneys, adrenals and liver, respectively.

Monitoring hydroquinone-quinone redox cycling by single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy.

Current research in the field of single-molecule chemistry is increasingly focused on the development of reliable experimental approaches for investigating chemical processes on a molecular level using single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy (SMFS). Herein, we report on single-molecule observations of the copper(II)/air mediated oxidation of fluorescently labeled hydroquinone-based probe molecules followed by their reduction with cysteine. The redox cycle is signaled by quenching/recovery of fluorescence emission after addition of the oxidant/reductant, respectively. The experiments were realized by immobilizing the probe on a glass cover slide to allow single-molecule observation by means of total-internal-reflection fluorescence microscopy. Besides detection of successful oxidation and reduction events on single probe molecules, individual molecular intensity trajectories revealed dynamic processes and formation of intermediate states upon reaction. For the experimental design presented, we envision further reaction studies of catalytic redox-processes of single hydroquinone-moieties by means of SMFS.

Incorporating diverse values of nature in decision-making-theory and practice.

Values play a significant role in decision-making, especially regarding nature. Decisions impact people and nature in complex ways and understanding which values are prioritised, and which are left out is an important task for improving the equity and effectiveness of decision-making. Based on work done for the IPBES Values Assessment, this paper develops a framework to support analyses of how decision-making influences nature as well as whose values get prioritised. The framework is used to analyse key areas of environmental policy: a) the present model for nature protection in market economies, b) the role of valuation in bringing nature values into decisions, and c) values embedded in environmental policy instruments, exemplified by protected areas for nature conservation and payments for ecosystem services. The analyses show that environmental policies have been established as mere additions to decision-making structures that foster economic expansion, which undermines a wide range of nature's values. Moreover, environmental policies themselves are also focused on a limited set of nature's diverse values. This article is part of the theme issue 'Bringing nature into decision-making'.

Conformational changes of the betaine transporter BetP from Corynebacterium glutamicum studied by pulse EPR spectroscopy.

The betaine transporter BetP from Corynebacterium glutamicum is activated by hyperosmotic stress critically depending on the presence and integrity of its sensory C-terminal domain. The conformational properties of the trimeric BetP reconstituted in liposomes in the inactive state and during osmotic activation were investigated by site-directed spin labeling and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Comparison of intra- and intermolecular inter spin distance distributions obtained by double electron-electron resonance (DEER) EPR with the crystal structure of BetP by means of a rotamer library analysis suggest a rotation of BetP protomers within the trimer by about 15° as compared to the X-ray structure. Furthermore, we observed conformational changes upon activation of BetP, which are reflected in changes of the distances between positions 545 and 589 of different protomers in the trimer. Introduction of proline at positions 550 and 572, both leading to BetP variants with a permanent (low level) transport activity, caused changes of the DEER data similar to those observed for the activated and inactivated state, respectively. This indicates that not only displacements of the C-terminal domain in general but also concomitant interactions of its primary structure with surrounding protein domains and/or lipids are crucial for the activity regulation of BetP.

Differential hippocampal gene expression is associated with climate-related natural variation in memory and the hippocampus in food-caching chickadees.

There is significant and often heritable variation in cognition and its underlying neural mechanisms, yet specific genetic contributions to such variation are not well characterized. Black-capped chickadees present a good model to investigate the genetic basis of cognition because they exhibit tremendous climate-related variation in memory, hippocampal morphology and neurogenesis rates throughout the North American continent, and these cognitive traits appear to have a heritable basis. We examined the hippocampal transcriptome profiles of laboratory-reared chickadees from the two most divergent populations to test whether differential gene expression in the hippocampus is associated with population differences in spatial memory, hippocampal morphology and adult hippocampal neurogenesis rates. Using high-resolution mRNA sequencing coupled to a de novo transcriptome assembly, we generated 23 295 consensus sequences, which predicted 16 206 protein sequences with 13 982 showing high similarity to known protein sequences or conserved hypothetical proteins in other species. Of these, we identified differential expression in nearly 380 genes, with 47 genes specifically linked to neurogenesis, apoptosis, synaptic function, and learning and memory processes. Many of the other differentially expressed genes, however, may be associated with other functions. Our study presents the first avian hippocampal transcriptome, and it is the first study identifying differential gene expression associated with natural variation in cognition and the hippocampus. Our results provide additional support to the hypothesis that population differences in memory, hippocampal morphology and neurogenesis in chickadees have likely resulted from natural selection that appears to act on memory and its underlying neural mechanisms.

Mutations in the integrin alpha7 gene cause congenital myopathy.

The basal lamina of muscle fibers plays a crucial role in the development and function of skeletal muscle. An important laminin receptor in muscle is integrin alpha7beta1D. Integrin beta1 is expressed throughout the body, while integrin alpha7 is more muscle-specific. To address the role of integrin alpha7 in human muscle disease, we determined alpha7 protein expression in muscle biopsies from 117 patients with unclassified congenital myopathy and congenital muscular dystrophy by immunocytochemistry. We found three unrelated patients with integrin alpha7 deficiency and normal laminin alpha2 chain expression. To determine if any of these three patients had mutations of the integrin alpha7 gene, ITGA7, we cloned and sequenced the full-length human ITGA7 cDNA, and screened the patients for mutations. One patient had splice mutations on both alleles; one causing a 21-bp insertion in the conserved cysteine-rich region, and the other causing a 98-bp deletion. A second patient was a compound heterozygote for the same 98-bp deletion, and had a 1-bp frame-shift deletion on the other allele. A third showed marked deficiency of ITGA7 mRNA. Clinically, these patients showed congenital myopathy with delayed motor milestones. Our results demonstrate that mutations in ITGA7 are involved in a form of congenital myopathy.

Development of newborn and 1-year-old reference phantoms based on polygon mesh surfaces.

The purpose of this study is the development of paediatric reference phantoms for newborn and 1-year-old infants to be used for the calculation of organ and tissue equivalent doses in radiation protection. The study proposes a method for developing anatomically highly sophisticated paediatric phantoms without using medical images. The newborn and 1-year-old hermaphrodite phantoms presented here were developed using three-dimensional (3D) modelling software applied to anatomical information taken from atlases, textbooks and images provided by the Department of Anatomy of the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil. The method uses polygon mesh surfaces to model body contours, the shape of organs as well as their positions and orientations in the human body. Organ and tissue masses agree with corresponding data given by the International Commission on Radiological Protection for newborn and 1-year-old reference children. Bones were segmented into cortical bone, spongiosa, medullary marrow and cartilage to allow for the use of µCT images of trabecular bone for skeletal dosimetry. Anatomical results show 3D images of the phantoms' surfaces, organs and skeletons, as well as tables with organ and tissue masses or skeletal tissue volumes. Dosimetric results present comparisons of organ and tissue absorbed doses or specific absorbed fractions between the newborn and 1-year-old phantoms and corresponding data for other paediatric stylised or voxel phantoms. Most differences were found to be below 10%.

Long-Term Outcomes of Bovine versus Porcine Mitral Valve Replacement: A Multicenter Analysis.

Introduction: Recent national guidelines recommending mitral valve replacement (MVR) for severe secondary mitral regurgitation have resulted in an increased utilization of mitral bioprosthesis. There is a paucity of data on how longitudinal clinical outcomes vary by prosthesis type. We examined long-term survival and risk of reoperation between patients having bovine vs. porcine MVR. Study Design. A retrospective analysis of MVR or MVR + coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) from 2001 to 2017 among seven hospitals reporting to a prospectively maintained clinical registry was conducted. The analytic cohort included 1,284 patients undergoing MVR (801 bovine and 483 porcine). Baseline comorbidities were balanced using 1 : 1 propensity score matching with 432 patients in each group. The primary end point was all-cause mortality. Secondary end points included in-hospital morbidity, 30-day mortality, length of stay, and risk of reoperation. Results: In the overall cohort, patients receiving porcine valves were more likely to have diabetes (19% bovine vs. 29% porcine; p < 0.001), COPD (20% bovine vs. 27% porcine; p=0.008), dialysis or creatinine >2 mg/dL (4% bovine vs. 7% porcine; p=0.03), and coronary artery disease (65% bovine vs. 77% porcine; p < 0.001). There was no difference in stroke, acute kidney injury, mediastinitis, pneumonia, length of stay, in-hospital morbidity, or 30-day mortality. In the overall cohort, there was a difference in long-term survival (porcine HR 1.17 (95% CI: 1.00-1.37; p=050)). However, there was no difference in reoperation (porcine HR 0.56 (95% CI: 0.23-1.32; p=0.185)). In the propensity-matched cohort, patients were matched on all baseline characteristics. There was no difference in postoperative complications or in-hospital morbidity and 30-day mortality. After 1 : 1 propensity score matching, there was no difference in long-term survival (porcine HR 0.97 (95% CI: 0.81-1.17; p=0.756)) or risk of reoperation (porcine HR 0.54 (95% CI: 0.20-1.47; p=0.225)). Conclusions: In this multicenter analysis of patients undergoing bioprosthetic MVR, there was no difference in perioperative complications and risk of reoperation of long-term survival after matching.

Effects of conjugated linoleic acids fed to dairy cows during early gestation on hematological, immunological, and metabolic characteristics of cows and their calves.

The aim of the present experiment was to test the stimulation ability of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) expressed as stimulation index (SI) of newborn calves and of their dams fed a control fat supplement (CON, n=6) or 50 and 100g/d of a CLA-containing fat supplement (CLA50, n=5, and CLA100, n=6, respectively) during the preceding lactation period for 182 d after calving. The total intake of cis-9,trans-11 and trans-10,cis-12 CLA by groups CLA50 and CLA100 amounted to 4 and 8 g/d each, respectively. For this purpose, blood was collected immediately after parturition from calves before and after colostrum intake, and from cows after parturition and 21 d later. The SI was related to the fatty acid composition of erythrocyte and milk lipids and to various hematological and clinical-chemical parameters. Retrospective evaluation revealed that depletion time (i.e., the individual period elapsed between the day of terminating the feeding of the experimental diet in the preceding lactation period and the day of calving) ranged from 190 to 262 d, which corresponded to fetal exposure times of 19 to 102 d. The SI from cows increased significantly by 77 and 55%, within 21 d after calving according to the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and Alamar Blue assays, respectively. However, feeding of 50 g of the CLA product failed to demonstrate this increase in the MTT assay. Moreover, SI was significantly lower for calves whose dams belonged to the CLA50 group, whereas stimulation ability was comparable for the PBMC from calves whose mothers were treated with CON and CLA100. Plasma metabolites (total bilirubin, total cholesterol, glucose, nonesterified fatty acids, 3-ß-hydroxybutyrate, total protein, and albumin) and hematological parameters (hematocrit, white blood cell profile) were not significantly influenced by dietary treatments of the cows in the preceding lactation period. Although the fatty acid pattern of erythrocyte lipids of cows remained uninfluenced, that of calves showed alterations due to the feeding type of their dams. For example, C16:0 increased significantly from 14.4 to 16.9% of total fatty acid methyl esters, whereas cis-9,trans-11 CLA increased slightly from 0.11 to 0.15% at the same time in calves when their mothers were fed the CLA100 instead of the CON diet. Fatty acid profile of colostrum was significantly different from that of milk after 3 wk for most of the detected fatty acids, but was not influenced by diet type. In conclusion, feeding a CLA-containing fat supplement during the preceding lactation and gestation period exerted effects on the stimulation ability of PBMC from cows and calves for the subsequent parturition. However, CLA dose effects were inconsistent and require further investigation.

Epidemiology and economic burden of meningococcal disease in Germany: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a notifiable disease in Germany and other European countries. Due to the high lethality of the disease and the risk of long-term consequences, IMD prevention is of high public health relevance despite the low number of cases in the population. This study aims to describe key epidemiological and economic parameters of IMD in Germany to support national decision-making processes for implementing enhanced prevention measures. METHODS: Based on a systematic literature review in PubMed and EMBASE, all publications on the burden of disease and costs of IMD published up to May 2020 were evaluated. Additionally, notification data were used to report the annual case numbers and incidence of IMD in Germany until the end of 2019. RESULTS: Thirty-six studies were included, of which 35 reported data on the epidemiological burden of disease and three reported data on economic aspects of IMD. The type of reported endpoints and results on the incidence of IMD differed widely by reporting year, population, and data source used. Most of the data are reported without specific information about a serogroup. Data on the economic burden of disease and healthcare resource use are scarce. Based on mandatory notification data, a decrease in the incidence of notified IMD cases has been observed since 2004. Currently, the nationwide annual incidence in Germany is at 0.3 cases per 100,000 persons and has gradually decreased. While the overall decline is mainly attributable to MenB, cases with MenY and MenW are the only ones that have increased on a low level in recent years. CONCLUSION: While IMD is a rare disease, high direct and indirect costs illustrate the relevance of the disease for patients, caregivers, as well as for the health care system. Future research should concentrate on quantifying the long-term economic burden and indirect costs of meningococcal disease. Integrated IMD surveillance with isolate characterisation remains crucial to inform public health policies.

A bioavailable strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isoscape for Aotearoa New Zealand: Implications for food forensics and biosecurity.

As people, animals and materials are transported across increasingly large distances in a globalized world, threats to our biosecurity and food security are rising. Aotearoa New Zealand is an island nation with many endemic species, a strong local agricultural industry, and a need to protect these from pest threats, as well as the economy from fraudulent commodities. Mitigation of such threats is much more effective if their origins and pathways for entry are understood. We propose that this may be addressed in Aotearoa using strontium isotope analysis of both pests and products. Bioavailable radiogenic isotopes of strontium are ubiquitous markers of provenance that are increasingly used to trace the origin of animals and plants as well as products, but currently a baseline map across Aotearoa is lacking, preventing use of this technique. Here, we have improved an existing methodology to develop a regional bioavailable strontium isoscape using the best available geospatial datasets for Aotearoa. The isoscape explains 53% of the variation (R2 = 0.53 and RMSE = 0.00098) across the region, for which the primary drivers are the underlying geology, soil pH, and aerosol deposition (dust and sea salt). We tested the potential of this model to determine the origin of cow milk produced across Aotearoa. Predictions for cow milk (n = 33) highlighted all potential origin locations that share similar 87Sr/86Sr values, with the closest predictions averaging 7.05 km away from their true place of origin. These results demonstrate that this bioavailable strontium isoscape is effective for tracing locally produced agricultural products in Aotearoa. Accordingly, it could be used to certify the origin of Aotearoa's products, while also helping to determine if new pest detections were of locally breeding populations or not, or to raise awareness of imported illegal agricultural products.