Suppression of Lattice Doubling in Quasi-Skutterudite La3Rh4Sn13: A Comparison of Temperature and Hydrostatic Pressure Routes.

We present structural properties at different temperatures and high-pressure (HP) of La3Rh4Sn13 which is one of the interesting systems in the Remika phase RE3Rh4Sn13 (RE=Sr, Ca, La, Pr, Ce) quasi-skutterudite series using synchrotron diffraction. Data at ambient conditions revealed the presence of several weak reflections, which could be accounted only with a superlattice I* structure (I4132) with lattice parameter a~19.457 Å. However, above 350 K, a complete suppression of the weak superlattice reflections of the I* structure is observed. Data at higher temperatures is found to be well described by the I structure (Pm-3n) having half the lattice parameter compared to the I* structure. HP-XRPD at ambient temperature showed that pressures greater than 7.5 GPa result in similar suppression of the weak I* superlattice reflections. Data at higher pressures is found to be well described by the I structure (Pm-3n), similar to the high-temperature phase. HP Raman measurements demonstrated changes that seem to be consistent with a locally more ordered structure as in the case of the I*→I transition. Our findings on La3Rh4Sn13 open up new avenues to study unexplored HP phenomena, especially the superconductivity in these Remika phase quasi-skutterudites.

The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of obstetrics and gynaecology trainees: a world-wide literature review.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the training and wellbeing of obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) trainees. The aim of this review is to offer a worldwide overview on its' impact on the mental health of O&G trainees, so that measures can be put into place to better support trainees during the transition back to the 'new normal'. METHODS: Key search terms used on PubMed and Google Scholar databases include: mental health, COVID-19, O&G, trainees, residents. RESULTS: Fifteen articles (cumulative number of respondents = 3230) were identified, of which eight employed validated questionnaires (n = 1807 respondents), while non-validated questionnaires were used in seven (n = 1423 respondents). Studies showed that COVID-19 appeared to exert more of a negative impact on females and on senior trainees' mental health, while protective factors included marriage/partner and having had children. Validated and non-validated questionnaires suggested that trainees were exposed to high levels of anxiety and depression. Their mental health was also affected by insomnia, stress, burnout and fear of passing on the virus. DISCUSSION: This review analyses the global impact of COVID-19 on O&G trainees' mental health, showing a pervasive negative effect linked to fear of the virus. Limited psychological support has led to prolonged issues, hindering patient safety and increasing sick leave. The study underscores the urgency of comprehensive support, particularly in female-dominated fields. Addressing these challenges is crucial for future pandemics, highlighting the need to learn from past mistakes and prioritise mental health resources for trainee well-being during and beyond pandemics.

This review provides a worldwide overview of the impact Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the mental health of obstetrics and gynaecology (O&G) trainees. Fifteen articles were identified, of which eight employed validated questionnaires (n = 1807 respondents), while non-validated questionnaires were used in seven (n = 1423 respondents). The pandemic appeared to exert more of a negative impact on females and on senior trainees' mental health, while protective factors included marriage/partner and having had children. Studies suggested that trainees were exposed to high levels of anxiety and depression. Their mental health was also affected by insomnia, stress, burnout and fear of passing on the virus.Limited psychological support has led to prolonged recovery issues and increasing sick leave. The study underscores the urgency of comprehensive support, particularly in female-dominated fields. Addressing these challenges is crucial for future pandemics, highlighting the need to learn from past mistakes and prioritise mental health resources for trainee well-being.

Associations of relative deprivation with self-rated health and health-related quality of life: mediating role of subjective social status.

OBJECTIVES: Relative deprivation has been linked to various adverse health outcomes. However, the potential mediating factors in the association between relative deprivation and health outcomes remain unclear. This study aimed to (1) examine the association between relative deprivation and self-rated health and health-related quality of life among the working-age population in Taiwan and (2) investigate the mediating effect of subjective social status. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using nationally representative data. METHODS: Data were obtained from the 2022 Taiwan Social Change Survey conducted from September 2021 to April 2022. We analyzed 1108 participants aged 25-64 years. Relative deprivation was measured using the Yitzhaki Index based on individual monthly income from all sources. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the 12-item Short Form Health Survey. RESULTS: After adjusting for all covariates and absolute income, least-squares regression models indicated a negative association between the Yitzhaki Index and self-rated health, as well as the physical and mental components of health-related quality of life. Furthermore, subjective social status partially mediates the association between relative income deprivation and poorer self-rated health and health-related quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The findings support the psychosocial effect of the relative deprivation measure, emphasizing the importance of addressing relative deprivation to improve health-related quality of life among the working-age population.

Clustering of comorbidities and associated outcomes in people with osteoarthritis - A UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the clusters of chronic conditions present in people with osteoarthritis and the associated risk factors and health outcomes. METHODS: Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) GOLD was used to identify people diagnosed with incident osteoarthritis (n = 221,807) between 1997 and 2017 and age (±2 years), gender, and practice matched controls (no osteoarthritis, n = 221,807) from UK primary care. Clustering of people was examined for 49 conditions using latent class analysis. The associations between cluster membership and covariates were quantified by odds ratios (OR) using multinomial logistic regression. General practice (GP) consultations, hospitalisations, and all-cause mortality rates were compared across the clusters identified at the time of first diagnosis of osteoarthritis (index date). RESULTS: In both groups, conditions largely grouped around five clusters: relatively healthy; cardiovascular (CV), musculoskeletal-mental health (MSK-MH), CV-musculoskeletal (CV-MSK) and metabolic (MB). In the osteoarthritis group, compared to the relatively healthy cluster, strong associations were seen for 1) age with all clusters; 2) women with the MB cluster (OR 5.55: 5.14-5.99); 3) obesity with the CV-MSK (OR 2.11: 2.03-2.20) and CV clusters (OR 2.03: 1.97-2.09). The CV-MSK cluster in the osteoarthritis group had the highest number of GP consultations and hospitalisations, and the mortality risk was 2.45 (2.33-2.58) times higher compared to the relatively healthy cluster. CONCLUSIONS: Of the five identified clusters, CV-MSK, CV, and MSK-MH are more common in OA and CV-MSK cluster had higher health utilisation. Further research is warranted to better understand the mechanistic pathways and clinical implications.

Improved Constraints on Primordial Gravitational Waves using Planck, WMAP, and BICEP/Keck Observations through the 2018 Observing Season.

We present results from an analysis of all data taken by the BICEP2, Keck Array, and BICEP3 CMB polarization experiments up to and including the 2018 observing season. We add additional Keck Array observations at 220 GHz and BICEP3 observations at 95 GHz to the previous 95/150/220 GHz dataset. The Q/U maps now reach depths of 2.8, 2.8, and 8.8 µK_{CMB} arcmin at 95, 150, and 220 GHz, respectively, over an effective area of ≈600 square degrees at 95 GHz and ≈400 square degrees at 150 and 220 GHz. The 220 GHz maps now achieve a signal-to-noise ratio on polarized dust emission exceeding that of Planck at 353 GHz. We take auto- and cross-spectra between these maps and publicly available WMAP and Planck maps at frequencies from 23 to 353 GHz and evaluate the joint likelihood of the spectra versus a multicomponent model of lensed ΛCDM+r+dust+synchrotron+noise. The foreground model has seven parameters, and no longer requires a prior on the frequency spectral index of the dust emission taken from measurements on other regions of the sky. This model is an adequate description of the data at the current noise levels. The likelihood analysis yields the constraint r_{0.05}<0.036 at 95% confidence. Running maximum likelihood search on simulations we obtain unbiased results and find that σ(r)=0.009. These are the strongest constraints to date on primordial gravitational waves.

Risk of cancer in patients with ankylosing spondylitis: a nationwide cohort study in Taiwan.

Objective: To estimate the incidence of cancer among patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and compare this risk with that of the general population.Method: We obtained data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance database on 19 289 patients with a first diagnosis of AS registered between 2000 and 2012 with no history of cancer before the diagnosis of AS. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for all cancers and for site-specific cancers were used to assess whether AS was associated with an increased risk of cancer.Results: During the follow-up period, 485 patients developed cancer. The incidence rate was therefore 256.3 per 100 000 person-years. Compared with the general population, patients with AS had an increased risk of cancer [SIR 1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.20-1.47]. The SIR of cancer was higher in older patients; the risk increased from 8 years after initial diagnosis. Among solid tumours, the risk of melanoma was the highest (SIR 4.64, 95% CI 1.93-11.15), followed by prostate (SIR 2.53, 95% CI 2.01-3.19), thyroid (SIR 2.09, 95% CI 1.45-3.00), and bone cancer (SIR 2.00, 95% CI 1.01-3.99). Among haematological cancers, the risk of leukaemia was the highest (SIR 1.94, 95% CI 1.21-3.12). By contrast, the risks of oesophageal and oral cancers decreased in patients with AS.Conclusion: This nationwide population-based cohort study demonstrated that patients with AS in Taiwan are at an increased risk of cancer, particularly melanoma; prostate, thyroid, and bone cancers; and haematological malignancies.

Parathyroidectomy slows renal function decline in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism.

PURPOSE: Primary hyperparathyroidism has deleterious effects on health and causes nephrolithiasis and osteoporosis. However, it remains unclear whether parathyroidectomy benefits kidney function among patients with primary hyperparathyroidism. METHODS: In this retrospective study, patients with primary hyperparathyroidism receiving parathyroidectomy in a tertiary medical center between 2003 and 2017 were followed up until December 31 2017, death, or requiring renal replacement therapy. Impact of parathyroidectomy on kidney function was examined using longitudinal estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) change scales: single, average, absolute difference, percent change, annual decline rate, and slope. We applied linear mixed-effect model to determine the effect of parathyroidectomy on kidney function. RESULTS: During study period, 167 patients with primary hyperparathyroidism were identified from 498 parathyroidectomized patients, and finally, 27 patients fulfilled our stringent criteria. Median follow-up duration was 1.50 years (interquartile range 1.05-1.81) before surgery and 2.47 years (1.37-6.43) after surgery. Although parathyroidectomy did not affect amount of proteinuria and distribution of eGFR, parathyroidectomy significantly slowed decline rate of eGFR compared with that before surgery (- 1.67 versus - 2.73 mL/min/1.73 m2/year, p < 0.001). More importantly, parathyroidectomy made more beneficial effects on kidney function in patients with age < 65 years and those without chronic kidney disease or hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that parathyroidectomy slows renal function decline irrespective of age or comorbidities, which offers novel insight into the revision of guidelines for surgical indications in primary hyperparathyroidism. Given small sample size, further large-scale controlled studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

Development of a conversion model between mechanical and electrical vestibular stimuli.

The vestibular end-organs encode for linear and angular head accelerations in space contributing to our internal representation of self-motion. Activation of the vestibular system with transmastoid electrical current has recently grown in popularity; however, a direct relationship between electrically evoked and mechanically evoked vestibular responses remains elusive in humans. We have developed and tested a mechanical-to-electrical vestibular stimulus conversion model incorporating physiological activation of primary vestibular afferents identified in nonhuman primates. We compared ocular torsional responses between mechanical (chair rotation) and model-derived electrical (binaural-bipolar) stimuli in separate experiments for an angular velocity step change (±10 deg/s over 1 s, ±4-mA peak amplitude; n = 10) and multisine angular velocities (±10 deg/s, 9.7 mA peak to peak, 0.05-1 Hz; n = 5), respectively. Perception of whole body rotation (n = 18) to our step-change stimuli was also evaluated. Ocular torsional slow-phase velocity responses between stimulation types were similar (paired two one-sided tests of equivalence: multiple P < 0.002; one-sample t test: P = 0.178) and correlated (Pearson's coefficient: multiple P < 0.001). Bootstrap analysis of perceived angular velocity likewise showed similarity in perceptual decay dynamics. These data suggest that central processing between stimuli was similar, and our vestibular stimulus conversion model with a conversion factor of ∼0.4 mA per deg/s for an angular velocity step change can generate electrical stimuli that replicates dynamic vestibular activation elicited by mechanical whole body rotations. This proposed vestibular conversion model represents an initial framework for using electrical stimuli to generate mechanically equivalent activation of primary vestibular afferents for use in biomedical applications and immersive reality technologies.NEW & NOTEWORTHY With the growing popularity of electrical vestibular stimulation in biomedical and immersive reality applications, a direct conversion model between electrical and mechanical vestibular stimuli is needed. We developed a model to generate electrical stimuli mimicking the physiological activation of vestibular afferents evoked by mechanical rotations. Ocular and perceptual responses evoked by mechanical and model-derived electrical stimuli were similar, thus providing a critical first step toward generation of electrically induced vestibular responses that have a realistic mechanical equivalent.

Trends in incidence and prevalence of osteoarthritis in the United Kingdom: findings from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD).

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the incidence and prevalence of OA in the UK in 2017 and their trends from 1997 to 2017 using a large nationally representative primary care database. DESIGN: The UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) comprising data on nearly 17.5 million patients was used for the study. The incidence and prevalence of general practitioner diagnosed OA over a 20 years period (1997-2017) were estimated and age-sex and length of data contribution standardized using the 2017 CPRD population structure. Cohort effects were examined through Age-period-cohort analysis. RESULTS: During 1997-2017, there were 494,716 incident OA cases aged ≥20 years. The standardised incidence of any OA in 2017 was 6.8 per 1000 person-years (95% CI 6.7 to 6.9) and prevalence was 10.7% (95% CI 10.7-10.8%). Both incidence and prevalence were higher in women than men. The incidence of any-OA decreased gradually in the past 20 years at an annual rate of -1.6% (95%CI -2.0 to -1.1%), and the reduction speeded up for people born after 1960. The prevalence of any-OA increased gradually at an annual rate of 1.4% (95% CI 1.3-1.6%). Although the prevalence was highest in Scotland and Northern Ireland, incidence was highest in the East Midlands. Both incidence and prevalence reported highest in the knee followed by hip, wrist/hand and ankle/foot. CONCLUSION: In the UK approximately one in 10 adults have symptomatic clinically diagnosed OA, the knee being the commonest. While prevalence has increased and become static after 2008, incidence is slowly declining. Further research is required to understand these changes.

Observation of Radar Echoes from High-Energy Particle Cascades.

We report the observation of radar echoes from the ionization trails of high-energy particle cascades. Data were taken at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, where the full electron beam (∼10^{9} e^{-} at ∼10 GeV/e^{-}) was directed into a plastic target to simulate an ultrahigh-energy neutrino interaction. The target was interrogated with radio waves, and coherent radio reflections from the cascades were detected with properties consistent with theoretical expectations. This is the first definitive observation of radar echoes from high-energy particle cascades, which may lead to a viable neutrino detection technology for energies ≳10^{16} eV.

Comorbidity in multiple sclerosis: its temporal relationships with disease onset and dose effect on mortality.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We aimed to determine the burden of comorbidities at the time of diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS), the risk of developing new comorbidities after diagnosis and the effect of comorbidities on mortality in patients with MS. METHODS: This study used data from 2526 patients with incident MS and 9980 age-, sex- and physician-matched controls without MS identified from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. RESULTS: Before the MS diagnosis, the adjusted odds ratio for the association between MS and a Charlson comorbidity index score of 1-2, 3-4 or ≥5 was 131 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.17-1.47], 1.65 (95% CI, 1.20-2.26) or 3.26 (95% CI, 1.58-6.70), respectively. MS was associated with increased risks of cardiovascular and neurological/mental diseases. After diagnosis, the adjusted hazard ratio for the association between MS and an increased risk of developing comorbidities was 1.13 (95% CI, 1.00-1.29). The risk of developing any comorbidity in terms of neoplasms, musculoskeletal/connective tissue diseases or neurological/mental diseases was higher in MS. Patients with MS had a higher mortality risk compared with controls, with a hazard ratio of 2.29 (95% CI, 1.81-2.73) after adjusting for comorbidities. There was a dose effect of pre-existing comorbidities on mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with MS have an increased risk of developing multiple comorbidities both before and after diagnosis and pre-existing comorbidities have an impact on survival.

The maintenance effect of acupuncture on breast cancer-related menopause symptoms: a systematic review.

Background: Acupuncture has been used for many breast cancer treatment-related problems, but how long the effect lasts is unknown. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate how long the effect of acupuncture on breast cancer-related hot flushes and menopause symptoms lasts.Methods: The research design followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement, without language restrictions. Seven databases from inception through February 2019 were accessed; only randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that examined the maintenance effect of acupuncture on hot flushes or menopause symptoms after treatment were included. Cochrane criteria were followed and RevMan 5.2 software was used to analyze trials.Results: In total, 943 patients from 13 RCTs were analyzed. The meta-analysis showed that acupuncture had no significant long-term maintenance effect on the frequency or severity of hot flushes (p = 0.29; p = 0.34), but had a significant 3-month maintenance effect of ameliorating menopause symptoms at 3 months after treatment ended (p = 0.001). No adverse events were reported.Conclusions: Acupuncture significantly alleviated menopause symptoms for at least 3 months, but not hot flushes. Breast cancer patients concerned about the adverse effects of hormone therapy could consider acupuncture as an alternative. Additional acupuncture at 3 months after the initial treatment course could be considered. A large-scale study may help to define the optimal guideline for this issue.

The association between serum vitamin D level and risk and prognosis of melanoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D has antineoplastic effects, but the synthesis of vitamin D requires ultraviolet radiation, a known risk factor for melanoma. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlations between serum vitamin D levels and risk and prognosis of melanoma. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted. Online databases were searched on 31 Oct 2018. RESULTS: Twenty-five studies with a total of 11166 patients with melanoma were included. There was no significant difference in serum vitamin D levels between patients with melanoma and controls [standardized mean difference (SMD), -0.185; 95% confidence interval (CI), -0.533 to 0.162]. However, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was significantly higher in patients with melanoma than that in controls (odds ratio, 2.115; 95% CI, 1.151-3.885). In terms of prognosis, serum vitamin D levels were significantly higher in melanoma patients with lower Breslow thickness (≦1 vs. >1 mm: SMD, 0.243; 95% CI, 0.160-0.327). Moreover, melanoma patients with lower vitamin D levels had a significantly higher mortality rate (hazard ratio, 1.558; 95% CI, 1.258-1.931). CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with higher Breslow thickness and mortality in melanoma patients.

Gastrointestinal involvement of primary skin diseases.

Less is known about gastrointestinal (GI) involvement of primary skin diseases due to the difference in embryology, histology, microbiology and physiology between integument and alimentary tract. Oesophagus, following the oropharyngeal mucosa, is the most common GI segment affected by primary skin diseases, especially by eosinophilic oesophagitis, lichen planus and autoimmune bullous dermatoses like pemphigus vulgaris, mucosal membrane pemphigoid and epidermolysis bullosa acquisita. Eosinophilic oesophagitis is an emerging chronic atopic disease with oesophageal dysfunction as the typical presentation, and oesophageal narrowing, rings and stricture as late complications. Oesophageal lichen planus mainly involves the proximal to mid-oesophagus in elderly aged women with long-term oral mucosal lesions. In acute attack of pemphigus vulgaris, oesophageal involvement is not uncommon but often neglected and may cause sloughing oesophagitis (oesophagitis dissecans superficialis) with acute GI bleeding in rare cases. GI manifestation of hereditary bradykininergic angio-oedema with colicky acute abdomen mostly affects small intestine, usually in the absence of pruritus or urticaria, and is more severe and long-lasting than the acquired histaminergic form. Strong evidence supports association between inflammatory bowel disease, especially Crohn disease, and hidradenitis suppurativa/acne inversa. Patients with vitiligo need surveillance of autoimmune liver disease, autoimmune atrophic gastritis or coeliac disease when corresponding symptoms become suspect. Melanoma is the most common primary tumour metastatic to the GI tract, with small intestine predominantly targeted. Gastrointestinal involvement is not uncommon in disseminated mycosis fungoides. Extramammary Paget's disease is an intraepidermal adenocarcinoma of controversial origin, and a high association between the anogenital occurrence and colorectal adenocarcinoma has been reported. As GI tract is the largest organ system with multidimensional functions, dermatologists in daily practice should be aware of the gastrointestinal morbidities related to primary skin diseases for an early diagnosis and treatment.

Frequent loss of CD10 expression in follicular lymphoma with leukaemic presentation.

INTRODUCTION: Follicular lymphoma (FL) is usually a nodal lymphoma expressing CD10, rarely with leukaemic presentation (FL-LP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched for FL-LP in our institution from 2000 to 2018 and characterised the neoplastic cells by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Thirteen (6.1%) of 212 FL cases were FL-LP, all de novo neoplasms. The leukaemic cells were small in 12 cases and large in one. All had concurrent FL, mostly (92%; 12/13) low-grade. The single case with large leukaemic cells had a concurrent primary splenic low-grade FL and a double-hit large B-cell lymphoma in the marrow. RESULTS: CD10 was expressed in the leukaemic cells in 38% (5/13) cases by flow cytometry and in 77% (10/13) cases in tumours (p= 0.0471). IGH/BCL2 reciprocal translocation was identified in 85% (11/13) cases. Most patients were treated with chemotherapy. In a median follow-up time of 36 months, nine patients were in complete remission. The 2- and 5-year survival rates were at 100% and 83%, respectively. In this study, we characterised a series of de novo FL-LP in Taiwan. All patients had concurrent nodal and/or tissue tumours, which might suggest that these patients seek medical help too late. CONCLUSION: The lower CD10 expression rate by flow cytometry than by immunohistochemistry might be due to different epitopes for these assays. Alternatively, loss of CD10 expression might play a role in the pathogenesis of leukaemic change. The clinical course of FL-LP could be aggressive, but a significant proportion of the patients obtained complete remission with chemotherapy.

Risk of osteoporosis and fracture in victims with burn injury.

Osteoporosis is a well-known bone disorder affecting people worldwide. Patients with osteoporosis have an increased risk of bone fracture. This study provides new information on the risk of developing osteoporosis post burn injury and the risk of fracture among those with osteoporosis developed. INTRODUCTION: The relationship between burn injury and hip fracture risk is unclear. Population-based evaluation on relationships between burn injury and osteoporosis development and subsequent fractures is limited. We conducted a retrospective cohort study as the investigation. METHODS: From the insurance data of Taiwan, we established a cohort of 43,532 patients with a burn injury in 2000-2012 and a comparison cohort of 174,124 individuals without such an injury, frequency matched by sex, age, and diagnosis date. Both cohorts were followed up to the end of 2013 to evaluate the occurrence of osteoporosis and hip fracture. RESULTS: The incidence of osteoporosis was greater in the burn cohort than in the comparison cohort (6.40 vs. 4.75 per 1,000 person-years) with an adjusted IRR of 1.35 (95% confidence interval = 1.32-1.39). The incidence rates in both cohorts were greater in women than in men, increased with age, income, and Charlson comorbidity index. Patients with burns involving 20%-49% of total body surface area and with burns confined to the lower/upper limbs had the greatest incidence rates, 8.32 and 8.58 per 1,000 person-years, respectively. Osteoporosis incidence increased further to 22.7 per 1,000 person-years for burn victims with comorbid diabetes. The risk of fracture was over five-fold greater for burn victims with osteoporosis developed than for comparisons without osteoporosis. CONCLUSION: Patients who have a burn injury deserve prevention intervention to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fracture.

Adhesive latching and legless leaping in small, worm-like insect larvae.

Jumping is often achieved using propulsive legs, yet legless leaping has evolved multiple times. We examined the kinematics, energetics and morphology of long-distance jumps produced by the legless larvae of gall midges (Asphondylia sp.). They store elastic energy by forming their body into a loop and pressurizing part of their body to form a transient 'leg'. They prevent movement during elastic loading by placing two regions covered with microstructures against each other, which likely serve as a newly described adhesive latch. Once the latch releases, the transient 'leg' launches the body into the air. Their average takeoff speeds (mean: 0.85 m s-1; range: 0.39-1.27 m s-1) and horizontal travel distances (up to 36 times body length or 121 mm) rival those of legged insect jumpers and their mass-specific power density (mean: 910 W kg-1; range: 150-2420 W kg-1) indicates the use of elastic energy storage to launch the jump. Based on the forces reported for other microscale adhesive structures, the adhesive latching surfaces are sufficient to oppose the loading forces prior to jumping. Energetic comparisons of insect larval crawling versus jumping indicate that these jumps are orders of magnitude more efficient than would be possible if the animals had crawled an equivalent distance. These discoveries integrate three vibrant areas in engineering and biology - soft robotics, small, high-acceleration systems, and adhesive systems - and point toward a rich, and as-yet untapped area of biological diversity of worm-like, small, legless jumpers.

Correction: A method to quantify mechanobiologic forces during zebrafish cardiac development using 4-D light sheet imaging and computational modeling.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005828.].

Epilepsy and associated mortality in patients with multiple sclerosis.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We aimed to determine the prevalence of epilepsy in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) at diagnosis, the risk of developing epilepsy after the diagnosis of MS and the relative risk of mortality associated with epilepsy. METHODS: We used the UK Clinical Practice Research Data-link to identify 2526 patients with incident MS and 9980 age-, sex- and index year-matched non-MS controls from 1997 to 2006. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios [95% confidence interval (CI)] for epilepsy and Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) (95% CI) for epilepsy and mortality. RESULTS: Patients with incident MS were on average 45 years old and 70.9% were female. At diagnosis, the prevalence of epilepsy in patients with MS was 1.30% compared with 0.57% in non-MS controls. At diagnosis, MS was associated with an adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) of 2.11 (1.36-3.27) for pre-existing epilepsy. Among epilepsy-free patients, the cumulative probabilities of developing epilepsy, first recorded within 10 years of the index date, were 2.77% for patients with MS and 0.90% for controls. MS was associated with an adjusted HR (95% CI) of 6.01 (2.94-12.29) for epilepsy. Among patients with MS, epilepsy was associated with an HR (95% CI) of 2.23 (1.02-4.84) for all-cause mortality. CONCLUSIONS: This population-based study found an increased prevalence of epilepsy in patients with MS at diagnosis when compared with non-MS controls and the risk of developing epilepsy was also higher following the MS diagnosis. Patients with MS with epilepsy had a higher risk of mortality compared with those without.

On the Image Sensor Processing for Lane Detection and Control in Vehicle Lane Keeping Systems.

Lane keeping systems for a keeping a vehicle in the desired lane is key to advanced driving assistance system in autonomous vehicles. This paper presents a cost-effective image sensor with efficient processing algorithm for lane detection and lane control applications to autonomous delivery systems. The algorithm includes (1) lane detection by inverse perspective mapping and random sample consensus parabola fitting and (2) lane control by pure pursuit steering controller and classical proportional integral speed controller based on a nonholonomic kinematic model. The image sensor experiments conducted on a 1/10 scale model car maneuvering in a straight⁻curve⁻straight lane validate the better processing performance before, during, and after the turning section over previous work. The image sensor with the processing algorithm achieves the average lane detection error within 5% and maximum cross-track error within 9% in real-time. The development shall pave the way to cost-effective autonomous delivery systems.