Novices cannot fill the examiners' shoes: Evidence of footwear examiners' expertise in shoe comparisons.

The value of a footwear examiner's opinion centres on their ability to determine whether a particular shoe made an impression with greater accuracy than a novice. However, there has been limited research on the expertise of footwear examiners and the accuracy and reproducibility of their decisions. In the current study, we measured the accuracy and consensus of 31 footwear examiners versus a comparison group of 29 novices. Participants completed 20 ground truth known mock shoe comparisons. Results demonstrated that footwear examiners were more accurate than novices, regardless of comparison difficulty. Overall, on trials where probative decisions were given, examiners made false identifications and false exclusions on a total of 3% and 2% of trials, while novices made false identifications and false exclusions on a total of 19% and 17% of trials. Examiners also demonstrated better consensus in their opinions than novices, although both groups demonstrated low levels of agreement in their responses and variability in their interpretation of the conclusion scale. In summary, these findings support the proposition that footwear examiners show expert-level performance in matching known and unknown footwear impressions. These performance estimates may help the criminal justice system to appropriately value footwear examination evidence.

Using the Child Perceptions Questionnaire with young adults.

OBJECTIVES: That no study has investigated oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) through the transition from adolescence to young adulthood is partly due to no OHRQoL index having been validated in both adult and child populations. Having separate measures for adolescence and young adulthood has meant that the different measures cannot be compared directly. Accordingly, the study objectives were: to determine whether the CPQ11-14 is a valid and reliable OHRQoL measure in young adults and to compare its performance with the OHIP-14 in young adults. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken of a convenience sample of 968 young New Zealand adults aged 18-30 years (83.1% female) using RedCap. Two separate measures of OHRQoL were used (the CPQ11-14 and OHIP-14), along with Locker's global oral health item. RESULTS: Internal consistency reliability was high for the CPQ11-14 and the OHIP-14, with Cronbach's alpha scores of .87 and .92, respectively. Mean scale scores were 15.8 (SD = 9.7) for the CPQ11-14 and 24.1 (SD = 10.1) for the OHIP-14. The scale scores were strongly and positively correlated (Pearson's r = .8). Both demonstrated acceptable construct validity, represented by ascending gradients in mean scores across the ordinal response categories of Locker's global oral health item. Ordinal logistic regression modelling of Locker's item showed the CPQ11-14 to have a slightly better fit and explain more variance than the OHIP-14. CONCLUSION: The CPQ11-14 was valid and reliable in this young adult population. Further epidemiological validation studies should confirm the findings in representative samples.

Exploring the Charge Density Wave Phase of 1T-TaSe_{2}: Mott or Charge-Transfer Gap?

1T-TaSe_{2} is widely believed to host a Mott metal-insulator transition in the charge density wave (CDW) phase according to the spectroscopic observation of a band gap that extends across all momentum space. Previous investigations inferred that the occurrence of the Mott phase is limited to the surface only of bulk specimens, but recent analysis on thin samples revealed that the Mott-like behavior, observed in the monolayer, is rapidly suppressed with increasing thickness. Here, we report combined time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and theoretical investigations of the electronic structure of 1T-TaSe_{2}. Our experimental results confirm the existence of a state above E_{F}, previously ascribed to the upper Hubbard band, and an overall band gap of ∼0.7 eV at Γ[over ¯]. However, supported by density functional theory calculations, we demonstrate that the origin of this state and the gap rests on band structure modifications induced by the CDW phase alone, without the need for Mott correlation effects.

Effects of Tissue Temperature and Injury on ADC during Therapeutic Hypothermia in Newborn Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: ADC changes are useful in detecting ischemic brain injury, but mechanisms other than tissue pathology may affect the kinetic movement and diffusion of water molecules. We aimed to determine the effects of brain temperature on the corresponding ADC in infants undergoing therapeutic hypothermia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Brain temperature and ADC values in the basal ganglia, thalamus, cortical GM, and WM were analyzed during and after therapeutic hypothermia. The study cohort was categorized as having no-injury or injury. Among infants without injury, the correlation between ADC values and temperature was analyzed using the Pearson correlation. Intrasubject comparison of ADC changes during and after therapeutic hypothermia were analyzed, excluding patients who had an MR image interval of >5 days to minimize the effects of injury evolution. RESULTS: Thirty-nine infants with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy were enrolled (23 no-injury; 16 injury). The median ADC was significantly lower during therapeutic hypothermia (837; interquartile range, 771-928, versus 906; interquartile range, 844-1032 ×10-6mm2/s; P < .001). There was no difference in the ADC between the no-injury and injury groups during therapeutic hypothermia (823; interquartile range, 782-868, versus 842; interquartile range, 770-1008 ×10-6mm2/s; P = .4). In the no-injury group, in which ADC is presumed least affected by the evolution of injury, the median ADC was significantly lower during therapeutic hypothermia (826; interquartile range, 771-866, versus 897; interquartile range, 846-936 ×10-6mm2/s; P < .001). There was a moderate correlation between temperature and ADC in the no-injury group (during therapeutic hypothermia: Spearman ρ, 0.48; P < .001; after therapeutic hypothermia: ρ, 0.4; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Aside from brain injury, reduced tissue temperature may also contribute to diffusion restriction on MR imaging in infants undergoing therapeutic hypothermia.

High-efficiency, fifth-harmonic generation of a joule-level neodymium laser in a large-aperture ammonium dihydrogen phosphate crystal.

High-energy deep ultraviolet (UV) sources are required for high-density plasma diagnostics. The fifth-harmonic generation of large-aperture neodymium lasers in ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (ADP) can significantly increase UV energies due to the availability of large ADP crystals. Noncritical phase matching in ADP for (ω + 4ω) was achieved by cooling a 65 × 65-mm crystal in a two-chamber cryostat to 200 K. The crystal chamber used helium as the thermally conductive medium between the crystal and the crystal chamber, which was surrounded by a high-vacuum chamber with a liquid nitrogen reservoir. A temperature variation of 0.2 K across the crystal aperture was obtained. The total conversion efficiency from the fundamental to the fifth harmonic at 211 nm was 26%.

Photoemission from non-polar aromatic molecules in the gas and liquid phase.

The photoelectron spectra of both liquid and gas phase aromatic molecules are reported. The spectra were obtained using a 34.1 eV source produced by high harmonic generation and analysed with the help of high-level ab initio simulations using the reflection principle combined with path integral molecular dynamics simulations accounting for nuclear quantum effects for the gas phase. We demonstrate the suitability of three trimethylbenzenes (1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, 1,2,3-trimethylbenzene and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene) as a solvent for liquid photoelectron spectroscopy of solute species. We also discuss the electrokinetic charging of a non-polar liquid jet.

Effect of inspiratory rise time on sputum movement during ventilator hyperinflation in a test lung model.

OBJECTIVES: Physiotherapists may use ventilator hyperinflation to enhance secretion clearance for intubated patients. This study investigated the effects of altering percentage inspiratory rise time (IRT) on sputum movement, ratio of peak inspiratory to expiratory flow rate (PIF:PEF ratio) and net peak expiratory flow (PEF) during ventilator hyperinflation in a test lung model. DESIGN: Laboratory-based bench study. INTERVENTIONS: Simulated sputum (two viscosities) was inserted into clean, clear tubing and connected between a ventilator and a resuscitation bag. Thirty-six ventilator hyperinflation breaths were applied for each 5% incremental increase in IRT between 0% and 20%. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was sputum displacement (cm). Secondary outcomes included PIF:PEF ratio and net PEF. RESULTS: Significant cephalad sputum movement of 2.42cm (1.59 to 3.94) occurred with IRT between 5% and 20%, compared with caudad movement of 0.53 cm (0.31 to 1.53) at 0% IRT (median sputum movement difference 3.7cm, 95% confidence interval 2.2 to 4.8, P<0.001). Incremental increases in IRT percentage produced linear enhancements in PIF:PEF ratio and net PEF for both sputum concentrations (P<0.001). However, once the critical threshold for PIF:PEF ratio of 0.9 was achieved, the distance of sputum movement remained consistent for all IRT values exceeding 5%. CONCLUSIONS: Significant increases in sputum movement occurred when IRT percentage was lengthened to achieve the optimal PIF:PEF ratio, irrespective of sputum viscosity. This provides a theoretical rationale for therapists to consider this technique when treating mechanically ventilated patients. As no additional sputum movement was seen beyond the critical PIF:PEF ratio threshold, a low IRT percentage may potentially be used to achieve effective sputum movement.

Non-host larvae negatively impact persistence of the entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana in soil.

A better understanding of the ecology of the insect pathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana, in soil is needed to identify reasons behind the variable efficacy often seen after field application. A transformed strain of a candidate commercial strain of B. bassiana (F418 gfp tr3), expressing the green fluorescent protein and the hygromycin B resistance gene, was used to assess the effects of the larvae of a host insect, Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), a non-host, Costelytra zealandica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) and the absence of larvae on the persistence of F418 gfp tr3 in pasteurised and non-sterile soil over 4 months. In the presence of a T. molitor larvae, F418 gfp tr3 populations increased significantly in pasteurised and non-sterile soil; however, populations increased less in non-sterile soil than in pasteurised soil. Lower populations of F418 gfp tr3 were recovered in pasteurised soil in the presence of C. zealandica larvae than in pasteurised soil without larvae. No difference was observed between F418 gfp tr3 populations in non-sterile soil with a non-host larvae or without larvae. Accompanying studies showed that F418 gfp tr3 conidia germinated and produced appressoria on live and excised cuticle of non-host (C. zealandica) larvae but infection did not occur, leading to a net loss of viable conidia in the soil. Conidia administrated orally to C. zealandica larvae were viable on recovery from faecal samples, suggesting that ingestion of the fungus by the larvae had little impact on the viable fungal population. Soil bacterial and fungal community patterns were analysed using Single-Strand Conformation Polymorphism (SSCP) and showed a correlation between changes in F418 gfp tr3 persistence in pasteurised and non-sterile soil and changes in soil communities in the presence of a host insect, non-host insect or in the absence of insect. In pasteurised soil, non-specific germination of F418 gfp tr3 conidia on the non-host larval cuticle and the presence of antagonistic bacteria introduced with the field-collected larvae are most likely responsible for the differences observed. The more complex microbial community structures in non-sterile soil could lead to fungistasis, preventing potentially antagonistic bacteria degrading conidia or inhibiting attachment and germination on the non-host larval cuticle, resulting in the observed lack of difference between non-host and no larval treatments.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Method for Rich Pharmacokinetic Sampling Schemes in Translational Rat Toxicity Models With Vancomycin.

A translational need exists to understand and predict vancomycin-induced kidney toxicity. We describe: (i) a vancomycin high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for rat plasma and kidney tissue homogenate; (ii) a rat pharmacokinetic (PK) study to demonstrate utility; and (iii) a catheter retention study to enable future preclinical studies. Rat plasma and pup kidney tissue homogenate were analyzed via HPLC for vancomycin concentrations ranging from 3-75 and 15.1-75.5 µg/mL, respectively, using a Kinetex Biphenyl column and gradient elution of water with 0.1% formic acid: acetonitrile (70:30 v/v). Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 10) receiving 150 mg/kg of vancomycin intraperitoneally had plasma sampled for PK. Finally, a catheter retention study was performed on polyurethane catheters to assess adsorption. Precision was <6.1% for all intra-assay and interassay HPLC measurements, with >96.3% analyte recovery. A two-compartment model fit the data well, facilitating PK exposure estimates. Finally, vancomycin was heterogeneously retained by polyurethane catheters.

Publisher's Note: Hydrogen Bonds in Excited State Proton Transfer [Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 163002 (2016)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.163002.

Hydrogen Bonds in Excited State Proton Transfer.

Hydrogen bonding interactions between biological chromophores and their surrounding protein and solvent environment significantly affect the photochemical pathways of the chromophore and its biological function. A common first step in the dynamics of these systems is excited state proton transfer between the noncovalently bound molecules, which stabilizes the system against dissociation and principally alters relaxation pathways. Despite such fundamental importance, studying excited state proton transfer across a hydrogen bond has proven difficult, leaving uncertainties about the mechanism. Through time-resolved photoelectron imaging measurements, we demonstrate how the addition of a single hydrogen bond and the opening of an excited state proton transfer channel dramatically changes the outcome of a photochemical reaction, from rapid dissociation in the isolated chromophore to efficient stabilization and ground state recovery in the hydrogen bonded case, and uncover the mechanism of excited state proton transfer at a hydrogen bond, which follows sequential hydrogen and charge transfer processes.

Early primary biliary cholangitis is characterised by brain abnormalities on cerebral magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND: Brain change can occur in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), potentially as a result of cholestatic and/or inflammatory processes. This change is linked to systemic symptoms of fatigue and cognitive impairment. AIM: To identify whether brain change occurs early in PBC. If the change develops early and is progressive, it may explain the difficulty in treating these symptoms. METHODS: Early disease brain change was explored in 13 patients with newly diagnosed biopsy-proven precirrhotic PBC using magnetisation transfer, diffusion-weighted imaging and 1 H magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Results were compared to 17 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: Cerebral magnetisation transfer ratios were reduced in early PBC, compared to healthy volunteers, in the thalamus, putamen and head of caudate with no greater reduction in patients with greater symptom severity. Mean apparent diffusion coefficients were increased in the thalamus only. No 1 H magnetic resonance spectroscopy abnormalities were seen. Serum manganese levels were elevated in all PBC patients, but no relationship was seen with imaging or symptom parameters. There were no correlations between neuroimaging data, laboratory data, symptom severity scores or age. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to be performed in this precirrhotic patient population, and we have highlighted that neuroimaging changes are present at a much earlier stage than previously demonstrated. The neuroimaging abnormalities suggest that the brain changes seen in PBC occur early in the pathological process, even before significant liver damage has occurred. If such changes are linked to symptom pathogenesis, this could have important implications for the timing of second-line-therapy use.

The Effect of Inspiratory Muscle Training on Respiratory and Limb Locomotor Muscle Deoxygenation During Exercise with Resistive Inspiratory Loading.

We investigated how inspiratory muscle training impacted respiratory and locomotor muscle deoxygenation during submaximal exercise with resistive inspiratory loading. 16 male cyclists completed 6 weeks of either true (n=8) or sham (n=8) inspiratory muscle training. Pre- and post-training, subjects completed 3, 6-min experimental trials performed at ~80% ˙VO2peak with interventions of either moderate inspiratory loading, heavy inspiratory loading, or maximal exercise imposed in the final 3 min. Locomotor and respiratory muscle oxy-, deoxy-, and total-haemoglobin and myoglobin concentration was continuously monitored using near-infrared spectroscopy. Locomotor muscle deoxygenation changes from 80% ˙VO2peak to heavy inspiratory loading were significantly reduced pre- to post-training from 4.3±5.6 µM to 2.7±4.7 µM. Respiratory muscle deoxygenation was also significantly reduced during the heavy inspiratory loading trial (4.6±3.5 µM to 1.9±1.5 µM) post-training. There was no significant difference in oxy-, deoxy-, or total-haemoglobin and myoglobin during any of the other loading trials, from pre- to post-training, in either group. After inspiratory muscle training, highly-trained cyclists exhibited decreased locomotor and respiratory muscle deoxygenation during exercise with heavy inspiratory loading. These data suggest that inspiratory muscle training reduces oxygen extraction by the active respiratory and limb muscles, which may reflect changes in respiratory and locomotor muscle oxygen delivery.

Investigating the Pygmy Dipole Resonance Using ß Decay.

In this contribution it is explored whether γ-ray spectroscopy following ß decay with high Q values from mother nuclei with low ground-state spin can be exploited as a probe for the pygmy dipole resonance. The suitability of this approach is demonstrated by a comparison between data from photon scattering, ^{136}Xe(γ,γ^{'}), and ^{136}I [J_{0}^{π}=(1^{-})]→^{136}Xe^{*} ß-decay data. It is demonstrated that ß decay populates 1^{-} levels associated with the pygmy dipole resonance, but only a fraction of those. The complementary insight into the wave functions probed by ß decay is elucidated by calculations within the quasiparticle phonon model. It is demonstrated that ß decay dominantly populates complex configurations, which are only weakly excited in inelastic scattering experiments.

Using Deception to Establish a Reproducible Improvement in 4-Km Cycling Time Trial Performance.

We investigated whether performance gains achieved with deception persisted after the deception was revealed, and whether pacing strategy changed. 14 trained cyclists completed 4 simulated 4-km time trials (TT) on a cycle ergometer comprising familiarization and baseline trials (BAS), followed by "unaware" (of deception, UAW) and "aware" (of deception, AW) trials on separate days. In the UAW trial, participants competed against an on-screen avatar set at 102% of their baseline trial mean power output (Pmean) believing it was set at 100% of BAS Pmean. 24 h prior to the AW trial, participants were informed of the deception in the UAW trial. 4 participants did not improve in the UAW trial compared to BAS. 10 participants improved time to completion (TTC) and Pmean in the UAW and AW trials compared to BAS (p<0.03) with no significant differences between UAW and AW (p=1.0). Pacing strategy (at 0.5-km intervals) and RPE responses were unchanged (p>0.05) for these participants. In summary, deception did not improve performance in all participants. However, participants whose time trial performance improved following deception could retain their performance gains once the deception was revealed, demonstrating a similar pacing strategy and RPE response.

Generation and Evolution of Spin-, Valley-, and Layer-Polarized Excited Carriers in Inversion-Symmetric WSe_{2}.

We report the spin-selective optical excitation of carriers in inversion-symmetric bulk samples of the transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) WSe_{2}. Employing time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy (trARPES) and complementary time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT), we observe spin-, valley-, and layer-polarized excited state populations upon excitation with circularly polarized pump pulses, followed by ultrafast (<100 fs) scattering of carriers towards the global minimum of the conduction band. TDDFT reveals the character of the conduction band, into which electrons are initially excited, to be two-dimensional and localized within individual layers, whereas at the minimum of the conduction band, states have a three-dimensional character, facilitating interlayer charge transfer. These results establish the optical control of coupled spin-, valley-, and layer-polarized states in centrosymmetric materials with locally broken symmetries and suggest the suitability of TMDC multilayer and heterostructure materials for valleytronic and spintronic device concepts.

The costs of managing genital warts in the UK by devolved nation: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Genital warts, 90% of which are caused by human papillomavirus types 6 and 11, are a significant problem in the UK. The cost of managing genital warts was previously estimated at £52.4 million for 2010. The objective of this study was to estimate the cost of genital warts management up to 2012 in the UK and by jurisdiction. Population statistics and the number of reported genital warts cases in genito-urinary medicine clinics were obtained and extrapolated to 2012. Cases of genital warts treated in primary care were estimated from The Health Improvement Network database. The number of visits and therapy required were estimated by genito-urinary medicine experts. Costs were obtained from the appropriate national tariffs. The model estimated there were 220,875 genital warts cases in the UK in 2012, costing £58.44 million (£265/patient). It estimated 157,793 cases in England costing £41.74 million; 7468 cases in Scotland costing £1.90 million; 7095 cases in Wales costing £1.87 million; and 3621 cases in Northern Ireland costing £948,000. The full National Health Service costs for the management of genital warts have never previously been estimated separately for each jurisdiction. Findings reveal a significant economic burden, which is important to quantify when understanding the value of quadrivalent human papilloma virus vaccination.