Alternating magnetic field guiding system for MNP hyperthermia treatment of deep-seated cancers.

OBJECTIVES: Demonstrate the potential application of a novel, endoscope-like device to guide and focus an alternating magnetic field (AMF) for treating deep-seated cancers via magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia (MNPH). METHODS: AMF delivery, MNP activation, and eddy current distribution characteristics are investigated through experimental studies in phantoms and computational simulations using a full 3-dimensional human model. The 3D simulations compare the novel device to traditional AMF designs, including a MagForce-like, two-coil system (used clinically) and a single surface-coil system. RESULTS: The results demonstrate that this approach can deliver the same magnetic field strength at the prostate's centroid as traditional AMF designs, while reducing eddy current heating by 2 to 6 times. At the same level of normal tissue heating, this method provides 5.0 times, 1.5 times, and 0.92 times the magnetic field strength to the nearest, centroid, and farthest regions of the prostate, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate proof-of-concept for an endoscopic magnetic field guiding and focusing system capable of delivering clinically relevant AMF from a distance. This innovative approach offers a promising alternative to conventional field delivery methods by directing AMF through the body, concentrating it in the tumor region, reducing eddy currents in surrounding healthy tissue, and avoiding exposure of nearby metallic implants.

COS-derived GPP relationships with temperature and light help explain high-latitude atmospheric CO2 seasonal cycle amplification.

In the Arctic and Boreal region (ABR) where warming is especially pronounced, the increase of gross primary production (GPP) has been suggested as an important driver for the increase of the atmospheric CO2 seasonal cycle amplitude (SCA). However, the role of GPP relative to changes in ecosystem respiration (ER) remains unclear, largely due to our inability to quantify these gross fluxes on regional scales. Here, we use atmospheric carbonyl sulfide (COS) measurements to provide observation-based estimates of GPP over the North American ABR. Our annual GPP estimate is 3.6 (2.4 to 5.5) PgC · y-1 between 2009 and 2013, the uncertainty of which is smaller than the range of GPP estimated from terrestrial ecosystem models (1.5 to 9.8 PgC · y-1). Our COS-derived monthly GPP shows significant correlations in space and time with satellite-based GPP proxies, solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence, and near-infrared reflectance of vegetation. Furthermore, the derived monthly GPP displays two different linear relationships with soil temperature in spring versus autumn, whereas the relationship between monthly ER and soil temperature is best described by a single quadratic relationship throughout the year. In spring to midsummer, when GPP is most strongly correlated with soil temperature, our results suggest the warming-induced increases of GPP likely exceeded the increases of ER over the past four decades. In autumn, however, increases of ER were likely greater than GPP due to light limitations on GPP, thereby enhancing autumn net carbon emissions. Both effects have likely contributed to the atmospheric CO2 SCA amplification observed in the ABR.

Quantifying Northern High Latitude Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) Using Carbonyl Sulfide (OCS).

The northern high latitude (NHL, 40°N to 90°N) is where the second peak region of gross primary productivity (GPP) other than the tropics. The summer NHL GPP is about 80% of the tropical peak, but both regions are still highly uncertain (Norton et al. 2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-16-3069-2019). Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) provides an important proxy for photosynthetic carbon uptake. Here we optimize the OCS plant uptake fluxes across the NHL by fitting atmospheric concentration simulation with the GEOS-CHEM global transport model to the aircraft profiles acquired over Alaska during NASA's Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (2012-2015). We use the empirical biome-specific linear relationship between OCS plant uptake flux and GPP to derive the six plant uptake OCS fluxes from different GPP data. Such GPP-based fluxes are used to drive the concentration simulations. We evaluate the simulations against the independent observations at two ground sites of Alaska. The optimized OCS fluxes suggest the NHL plant uptake OCS flux of -247 Gg S year-1, about 25% stronger than the ensemble mean of the six GPP-based OCS fluxes. GPP-based OCS fluxes systematically underestimate the peak growing season across the NHL, while a subset of models predict early start of season in Alaska, consistent with previous studies of net ecosystem exchange. The OCS optimized GPP of 34 PgC yr-1 for NHL is also about 25% more than the ensembles mean from six GPP data. Further work is needed to fully understand the environmental and biotic drivers and quantify their rate of photosynthetic carbon uptake in Arctic ecosystems.

Narcissism, national narcissism, COVID-19 conspiracy belief, and social media use as predictors of compliance with COVID-19 public health guidelines.

Understanding health belief models, and the variables that influence adherence to public health measures imposed by local governments and international health bodies, is crucial to slowing down the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Conspiracy theories about the virus have quickly spread on social media and have been linked to reluctance to comply with COVID-19 regulations. Personality traits such as narcissism and collective national narcissism have also been associated with the way we perceive severity and susceptibility to the disease. To examine this further, participants (N = 183) completed an online questionnaire measuring belief in COVID-19 conspiracies, trait narcissism, national narcissism, and social media usage. A model containing these variables was able to significantly predict adherence to COVID-19 preventative health behaviours, with higher levels of COVID-19 conspiracy belief, narcissism, and social media usage all contributing to reduced adherence to recommended COVID-19 health behaviours. The findings suggest conspiracy beliefs, narcissism, and social media play a key role in adherence to behaviours orientated towards stopping the spread of COVID-19. Governments and social media companies need to demonstrate greater awareness of the negative effects of conspiracy theories spread through social media, in addition to awareness of how these effects may be greater in more narcissistic individuals.

Understanding water and energy fluxes in the Amazonia: Lessons from an observation-model intercomparison.

Tropical forests are an important part of global water and energy cycles, but the mechanisms that drive seasonality of their land-atmosphere exchanges have proven challenging to capture in models. Here, we (1) report the seasonality of fluxes of latent heat (LE), sensible heat (H), and outgoing short and longwave radiation at four diverse tropical forest sites across Amazonia-along the equator from the Caxiuanã and Tapajós National Forests in the eastern Amazon to a forest near Manaus, and from the equatorial zone to the southern forest in Reserva Jaru; (2) investigate how vegetation and climate influence these fluxes; and (3) evaluate land surface model performance by comparing simulations to observations. We found that previously identified failure of models to capture observed dry-season increases in evapotranspiration (ET) was associated with model overestimations of (1) magnitude and seasonality of Bowen ratios (relative to aseasonal observations in which sensible was only 20%-30% of the latent heat flux) indicating model exaggerated water limitation, (2) canopy emissivity and reflectance (albedo was only 10%-15% of incoming solar radiation, compared to 0.15%-0.22% simulated), and (3) vegetation temperatures (due to underestimation of dry-season ET and associated cooling). These partially compensating model-observation discrepancies (e.g., higher temperatures expected from excess Bowen ratios were partially ameliorated by brighter leaves and more interception/evaporation) significantly biased seasonal model estimates of net radiation (Rn ), the key driver of water and energy fluxes (LE ~ 0.6 Rn and H ~ 0.15 Rn ), though these biases varied among sites and models. A better representation of energy-related parameters associated with dynamic phenology (e.g., leaf optical properties, canopy interception, and skin temperature) could improve simulations and benchmarking of current vegetation-atmosphere exchange and reduce uncertainty of regional and global biogeochemical models.

Single-crystal Ih ice surfaces unveil connection between macroscopic and molecular structure.

Physics and chemistry of ice surfaces are not only of fundamental interest but also have important impacts on biological and environmental processes. As ice surfaces-particularly the two prism faces-come under greater scrutiny, it is increasingly important to connect the macroscopic faces with the molecular-level structure. The microscopic structure of the ubiquitous ice Ih crystal is well-known. It consists of stacked layers of chair-form hexagonal rings referred to as molecular hexagons. Crystallographic unit cells can be assembled into a regular right hexagonal prism. The bases are labeled crystallographic hexagons. The two hexagons are rotated 30° with respect to each other. The linkage between the familiar macroscopic shape of hexagonal snowflakes and either hexagon is not obvious per se. This report presents experimental data directly connecting the macroscopic shape of ice crystals and the microscopic hexagons. Large ice single crystals were used to fabricate samples with the basal, primary prism, or secondary prism faces exposed at the surface. In each case, the same sample was used to capture both a macroscopic etch pit image and an electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) orientation density function (ODF) plot. Direct comparison of the etch pit image and the ODF plot compellingly connects the macroscopic etch pit hexagonal profile to the crystallographic hexagon. The most stable face at the ice-water interface is the smallest area face at the ice-vapor interface. A model based on the molecular structure of the prism faces accounts for this switch.

Young-onset frontotemporal dementia with FUS pathology.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is an uncommon cause of behavioural change in adults under the age of 50. A 44-year-old man presented with progressive neuropsychiatric disturbance characterised by social withdrawal, apathy, loss of empathy, motor stereotypies and hyperorality. Cognitive testing identified severe impairment, including executive dysfunction. MR scan of the brain showed bilateral symmetrical frontal atrophy. There was no relevant family history, and targeted genetic testing for FTD-associated variants in MAPT, GRN and C9orf72 genes proved negative. He became more withdrawn with disinhibited behaviour; his condition progressively worsened and he died 6 years later. The pathological diagnosis was frontotemporal lobar degeneration with fused-in-sarcoma (FUS) pathology, a rare sporadic cause of FTD, accounting for only 5%-10% of cases, its characteristic features including very young onset, motor stereotypies and hyperorality.

Microstructural characterization of snow, firn and ice.

This paper provides an overview of techniques used to characterize the microstructure of snow, firn and ice. These range from traditional optical microscopy techniques such as examining thin sections between crossed polarizers to various electron-optical and X-ray techniques. Techniques that could have an impact on microstructural characterization of snow, firn and ice in the future are briefly outlined. This article is part of the theme issue 'The physics and chemistry of ice: scaffolding across scales, from the viability of life to the formation of planets'.

Exploring the relationship between gamma-band activity and maths anxiety.

Previous research has outlined high anxiety in connection with gamma modulation, identifying that gamma-band activity (40-100 Hz) correlates with processing of threat perception, attention and anxiety. Maths anxiety research has also noted the involvement of these aspects, yet this has not been investigated from a neurophysiological standpoint. Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to research gamma-band activity in relation to maths anxiety over two studies. The first measured gamma differences during the processing of complex addition and multiplication stimuli. Results identified differences between high and low maths anxious individuals; significantly greater gamma power was observed in those with high maths anxiety than those with low maths anxiety. As a control condition was not used, the second study replicated the design, but also applied a non-numerical control condition amongst the other stimuli sets. This showed significantly greater gamma activity in high maths anxious individuals across numerical conditions, but not in the non-numerical condition. High maths anxious individuals likely show attentional bias and threat perception to numerical-based stimuli, as indexed by gamma power. This study provides the first evidence of greater gamma-band activity in high maths anxious individuals and serves as a foundation for the exploration of gamma activity in high maths anxious individuals.

Seasonal fluxes of carbonyl sulfide in a midlatitude forest.

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS), the most abundant sulfur gas in the atmosphere, has a summer minimum associated with uptake by vegetation and soils, closely correlated with CO2. We report the first direct measurements to our knowledge of the ecosystem flux of OCS throughout an annual cycle, at a mixed temperate forest. The forest took up OCS during most of the growing season with an overall uptake of 1.36 ± 0.01 mol OCS per ha (43.5 ± 0.5 g S per ha, 95% confidence intervals) for the year. Daytime fluxes accounted for 72% of total uptake. Both soils and incompletely closed stomata in the canopy contributed to nighttime fluxes. Unexpected net OCS emission occurred during the warmest weeks in summer. Many requirements necessary to use fluxes of OCS as a simple estimate of photosynthesis were not met because OCS fluxes did not have a constant relationship with photosynthesis throughout an entire day or over the entire year. However, OCS fluxes provide a direct measure of ecosystem-scale stomatal conductance and mesophyll function, without relying on measures of soil evaporation or leaf temperature, and reveal previously unseen heterogeneity of forest canopy processes. Observations of OCS flux provide powerful, independent means to test and refine land surface and carbon cycle models at the ecosystem scale.

Climate change and forest fires synergistically drive widespread melt events of the Greenland Ice Sheet.

In July 2012, over 97% of the Greenland Ice Sheet experienced surface melt, the first widespread melt during the era of satellite remote sensing. Analysis of six Greenland shallow firn cores from the dry snow region confirms that the most recent prior widespread melt occurred in 1889. A firn core from the center of the ice sheet demonstrated that exceptionally warm temperatures combined with black carbon sediments from Northern Hemisphere forest fires reduced albedo below a critical threshold in the dry snow region, and caused the melting events in both 1889 and 2012. We use these data to project the frequency of widespread melt into the year 2100. Since Arctic temperatures and the frequency of forest fires are both expected to rise with climate change, our results suggest that widespread melt events on the Greenland Ice Sheet may begin to occur almost annually by the end of century. These events are likely to alter the surface mass balance of the ice sheet, leaving the surface susceptible to further melting.

Utility of testing for apraxia and associated features in dementia.

INTRODUCTION: Existing literature suggests that the presence or absence of apraxia and associated parietal deficits may be clinically relevant in differential diagnosis of dementia syndromes. AIM: This study investigated the profile of these features in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) spectrum disorders, at first presentation. METHODS: Retrospective case note analysis was undertaken in 111 patients who presented to the Oxford Cognitive Disorders Clinic, Oxford, UK, including 29 amnestic AD, 12 posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), 12 logopenic primary progressive aphasia (lvPPA), 20 behavioural variant FTD (bvFTD), 7 non-fluent variant PPA (nfvPPA), 6 semantic variant PPA (svPPA) and 25 patients with subjective cognitive impairment (SCI). The clinical features of interest were: limb apraxia, apraxia of speech (AOS), and left parietal symptoms of dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. RESULTS: The prevalence of limb apraxia was highest in PCA, amnestic AD, lvPPA and nfvPPA. AOS was only observed in nfvPPA. Associated parietal features were more prevalent in AD spectrum than FTD spectrum disorders. Group comparisons between key differential diagnostic challenges showed that lvPPA and nfvPPA could be significantly differentiated on the presence of left parietal features and AOS, and amnestic AD could be differentiated from bvFTD, svPPA and SCI by limb apraxia. Regression analysis showed that limb apraxia could successfully differentiate between AD and FTLD spectrum disorders with 83% accuracy. DISCUSSION: Disease-specific profiles of limb apraxia and associated deficits can be observed. FTD and AD spectrum disorders can be difficult to differentiate due to overlapping cognitive symptoms, and measures of apraxia, in particular, appear to be a promising discriminator.

Diagnosing young onset dementia can be challenging.

Although the risk of developing dementia increases with age, onset can be as early as the third or fourth decade of life. Genetic influences play a more important role in younger than in older people with dementia, so young onset dementia may cluster in families. Diagnosing young onset dementia is challenging. The range of possible presenting features is broad, encompassing behavioural, cognitive, psychiatric and neurological domains, and symptoms are often subtle initially. Frequently the complaints are misattributed to stress or depression, and the patient is falsely reassured that they are too young to have dementia. The most common causes of young onset dementia are early onset forms of adult neurodegenerative conditions and alcohol. Vascular dementia is the second most common cause of young onset dementia after Alzheimer's disease. Conventional vascular risk factors may be absent and diagnosis relies on imaging evidence of cerebrovascular disease. Obtaining a detailed history remains the most important part of the workup and usually requires corroboration by a third party. Undertaking a basic neurological examination is also important. Those with suspected young onset dementia should be referred to a neurology-led cognitive disorders clinic where available as the differenti diagnosis is considerably broader tha in older adults and requires specialist investigation.

Simulations of chlorophyll fluorescence incorporated into the Community Land Model version 4.

Several studies have shown that satellite retrievals of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) provide useful information on terrestrial photosynthesis or gross primary production (GPP). Here, we have incorporated equations coupling SIF to photosynthesis in a land surface model, the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Land Model version 4 (NCAR CLM4), and have demonstrated its use as a diagnostic tool for evaluating the calculation of photosynthesis, a key process in a land surface model that strongly influences the carbon, water, and energy cycles. By comparing forward simulations of SIF, essentially as a byproduct of photosynthesis, in CLM4 with observations of actual SIF, it is possible to check whether the model is accurately representing photosynthesis and the processes coupled to it. We provide some background on how SIF is coupled to photosynthesis, describe how SIF was incorporated into CLM4, and demonstrate that our simulated relationship between SIF and GPP values are reasonable when compared with satellite (Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite; GOSAT) and in situ flux-tower measurements. CLM4 overestimates SIF in tropical forests, and we show that this error can be corrected by adjusting the maximum carboxylation rate (Vmax ) specified for tropical forests in CLM4. Our study confirms that SIF has the potential to improve photosynthesis simulation and thereby can play a critical role in improving land surface and carbon cycle models.

Self, memory, and imagining the future in a case of psychogenic amnesia.

We report a case of psychogenic amnesia and examine the relationships between autobiographical memory impairment, the self, and ability to imagine the future. Case study JH, a 60-year-old male, experienced a 6-year period of pervasive psychogenic amnesia covering all life events from childhood to the age of 53. JH was tested during his amnesic period and again following hypnotherapy and the recovery of his memories. JH's amnesia corresponded with deficits in self-knowledge and imagining the future. Results are discussed with reference to models of self and memory and processes involving remembering and imagining.

Recessive mutations in SPTBN2 implicate ß-III spectrin in both cognitive and motor development.

ß-III spectrin is present in the brain and is known to be important in the function of the cerebellum. Heterozygous mutations in SPTBN2, the gene encoding ß-III spectrin, cause Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 5 (SCA5), an adult-onset, slowly progressive, autosomal-dominant pure cerebellar ataxia. SCA5 is sometimes known as "Lincoln ataxia," because the largest known family is descended from relatives of the United States President Abraham Lincoln. Using targeted capture and next-generation sequencing, we identified a homozygous stop codon in SPTBN2 in a consanguineous family in which childhood developmental ataxia co-segregates with cognitive impairment. The cognitive impairment could result from mutations in a second gene, but further analysis using whole-genome sequencing combined with SNP array analysis did not reveal any evidence of other mutations. We also examined a mouse knockout of ß-III spectrin in which ataxia and progressive degeneration of cerebellar Purkinje cells has been previously reported and found morphological abnormalities in neurons from prefrontal cortex and deficits in object recognition tasks, consistent with the human cognitive phenotype. These data provide the first evidence that ß-III spectrin plays an important role in cortical brain development and cognition, in addition to its function in the cerebellum; and we conclude that cognitive impairment is an integral part of this novel recessive ataxic syndrome, Spectrin-associated Autosomal Recessive Cerebellar Ataxia type 1 (SPARCA1). In addition, the identification of SPARCA1 and normal heterozygous carriers of the stop codon in SPTBN2 provides insights into the mechanism of molecular dominance in SCA5 and demonstrates that the cell-specific repertoire of spectrin subunits underlies a novel group of disorders, the neuronal spectrinopathies, which includes SCA5, SPARCA1, and a form of West syndrome.

Persistent anterograde amnesia following limbic encephalitis associated with antibodies to the voltage-gated potassium channel complex.

OBJECTIVE: Limbic encephalitis (LE) associated with antibodies to the voltage-gated potassium channel complex (VGKC) is a potentially reversible cause of cognitive impairment. Despite the prominence of cognitive dysfunction in this syndrome, little is known about patients' neuropsychological profile at presentation or their long-term cognitive outcome. METHODS: We used a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery to evaluate cognitive function longitudinally in 19 patients with VGKC-LE. RESULTS: Before immunotherapy, the group had significant impairment of memory, processing speed and executive function, whereas language and perceptual organisation were intact. At follow-up, cognitive impairment was restricted to the memory domain, with processing speed and executive function having returned to the normal range. Residual memory function was predicted by the antibody titre at presentation. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that, despite broad cognitive dysfunction in the acute phase, patients with VGKC-LE often make a substantial recovery with immunotherapy but may be left with permanent anterograde amnesia.

Microstructure, Mechanical, and Tribological Properties of Nb-Doped TiAl Alloys Fabricated via Laser Metal Deposition.

TiAl alloys possess excellent properties, such as low density, high specific strength, high elastic modulus, and high-temperature creep resistance, which allows their use to replace Ni-based superalloys in some high-temperature applications. In this work, the traditional TiAl alloy Ti-48Al-2Nb-2Cr (Ti4822) was alloyed with additional Nb and fabricated using laser metal deposition (LMD), and the impacts of this additional Nb on the microstructure and mechanical and tribological properties of the as-fabricated alloys were investigated. The resulting alloys mainly consisted of the γ phase, trace ß0 and α2 phases. Nb was well distributed throughout the alloys, while Cr segregation resulted in the residual ß0 phase. Increasing the amount of Nb content increased the amount of the γ phase and reduced the amount of the ß0 phase. The alloy Ti4822-2Nb exhibited a room-temperature (RT) fracture strength under a tensile of 568 ± 7.8 MPa, which was nearly 100 MPa higher than that of the Ti4822-1Nb alloy. A further increase in Nb to an additional 4 at.% Nb had little effect on the fracture strength. Both the friction coefficient and the wear rate increased with the increasing Nb content. The wear mechanisms for all samples were abrasive wear with local plastic deformation and oxidative wear, resulting in the formation of metal oxide particles.

Enhancing the immunomodulatory osteogenic properties of Ti-Mg alloy by Mg2+-containing nanostructures.

Facilitating an appropriate immune response is crucial for promoting bone tissue regeneration upon biomaterial implantation. In this study, the Mg2+-containing nanostructures on the surface of Ti-1.25Mg alloy were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal reaction method via regulating pH value to enhance the immunomodulatory osteogenic properties of Ti-Mg alloys. In neutral (HT7) or alkaline (HT9) hydrothermal treatment (HT) solution, the size of MgTiO3 nanostructures formed on the surface of Ti-1.25Mg alloy is smaller than that in acidic HT solution (HT5), and lamellar Mg(OH)2 nanostructures are found in HT7 and HT9. In addition, the sample surface has a lower roughness and higher wettability with increasing pH value. The Mg2+-containing nanostructures on the Ti-1.25Mg alloy inhibited inflammatory response by promoting the polarization of M2 macrophages, thereby promoting osteogenesis in vitro. The micro-CT and histological assessment proved that the regeneration of bone defect was faster in HT7 than the Ti-1.25Mg in vivo. Mechanically, Mg2+-containing nanostructures can mediate the immune response of macrophages via upregulating integrins α5ß1 and inhibiting Toll-like receptors (TLR-4), subsequently inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway. Overall, osteoimmunity-regulating Mg2+-containing nanostructures on Ti-1.25Mg present a promising biomaterial for bone repair.

Microstructural Evolution, Mechanical Properties and Tribological Behavior of B4C-Reinforced Ti In Situ Composites Produced by Laser Powder Bed Fusion.

Based on the advantage of rapid net-shape fabrication, laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) is utilized to process B4C-reinforced Ti composites. The effect of volumetric energy density (VED) on the relative density, microstructural evolution, tensile properties and wear behaviors of B4C-reinforced Ti composites were systematically investigated. The LPBF-ed samples with high relative density (>99%) can be achieved, while the pores and un-melted powders can be observed in the sample owing to the low energy input (33 J/mm3). The additive particulates B4C were transformed into needle-like TiB whiskers with nano-scale while C dissolved in the Ti matrix. Fine-scale grains (<10 µm) with random crystallographic orientation can be achieved and the residual stress shows a downtrend as the VED increases. Through the analysis of the tensile and wear tests, the sample at 61 J/mm3 VED showed a good combination of strength and wear performance, with an ultimate tensile strength of 951 MPa and a wear rate of 3.91 × 10-4 mm3·N-1m-1. The microstructural evolution in VED changes and the corresponding underlying strengthening mechanisms of LPBF-ed Ti + B4C composites are conducted in detail.