984 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
Numerical analysis of second harmonic generation in soft glass equiangular spiral photonic crystal fibers
In this paper, the accurate and numerically efficient finite element (FE)-based beam propagation method (BPM) has been employed to investigate second harmonic generation (SHG) in highly nonlinear soft glass (SF57) equiangular spiral photonic crystal fibers (ES-PCFs) for the first time. It is shown here that the SHG output power in highly nonlinear SF57 soft glass PCF exploiting the ES design is significantly higher compared with that of silica PCF with hexagonal air-hole arrangements. The effects of fabrication tolerances on the coherence length and the modal properties of ES-PCF are also illustrated. Moreover, phase matching between the fundamental and the second harmonic modes is discussed through the use of the quasi-phase matching technique. Furthermore, the ultralow bending loss in the SF57 ES-PCF design has been successfully analyzed
Inflect: Optimizing Computational Workflows for Thermal Proteome Profiling Data Analysis
The CETSA and Thermal Proteome Profiling (TPP) analytical methods are invaluable for the study of protein–ligand interactions and protein stability in a cellular context. These tools have increasingly been leveraged in work ranging from understanding signaling paradigms to drug discovery. Consequently, there is an important need to optimize the data analysis pipeline that is used to calculate protein melt temperatures (Tm) and relative melt shifts from proteomics abundance data. Here, we report a user-friendly analysis of the melt shift calculation workflow where we describe the impact of each individual calculation step on the final output list of stabilized and destabilized proteins. This report also includes a description of how key steps in the analysis workflow quantitatively impact the list of stabilized/destabilized proteins from an experiment. We applied our findings to develop a more optimized analysis workflow that illustrates the dramatic sensitivity of chosen calculation steps on the final list of reported proteins of interest in a study and have made the R based program Inflect available for research community use through the CRAN repository [McCracken, N. Inflect: Melt Curve Fitting and Melt Shift Analysis. R package version 1.0.3, 2021]. The Inflect outputs include melt curves for each protein which passes filtering criteria in addition to a data matrix which is directly compatible with downstream packages such as UpsetR for replicate comparisons and identification of biologically relevant changes. Overall, this work provides an essential resource for scientists as they analyze data from TPP and CETSA experiments and implement their own analysis pipelines geared toward specific applications
Coverage gaps in empiric antibiotic regimens used to treat serious bacterial infections in neonates and children in Southeast Asia and the Pacific
Background: High levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are propagating deaths due to neonatal and paediatric infections globally. This is of particular concern in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, where healthcare resources are constrained and access to newer agents to treat multidrug-resistant pathogens is limited.
Methods: To assess the coverage provided by commonly prescribed empiric antibiotic regimens for children in low- and middle-income countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, we built a weighted incidence syndromic combination antibiogram (WISCA), parameterised using data obtained from a systematic review of published literature incorporating WHO-defined SEARO and WPRO regions in Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health and PubMed. Susceptibility data for bacterial pathogens were extracted to provide coverage estimates for pre-specified antibiotics (aminopenicillins, gentamicin, third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenems), reported at the regional level.
Findings: 6648 bacterial isolates from 11 countries across 86 papers were included in the Bayesian WISCA model, which weighted bacterial incidence and antimicrobial susceptibility of relevant isolates. Coverage provided by aminopenicillins in neonatal sepsis/meningitis was 26% (80% credible interval: 16–49) whilst gentamicin coverage was 45% (29–62). Third-generation cephalosporin coverage was only 29% (16–49) in neonatal sepsis/meningitis, 51% (38–64) in paediatric sepsis and 65% (51–77) in paediatric meningitis. Carbapenems were estimated to provide the highest coverage: 81% (65–90) in neonatal sepsis/meningitis, 83% (72–90) in paediatric sepsis and 79% (62–91) in paediatric meningitis.
Interpretation: These findings reveal alarmingly high rates of resistance to commonly prescribed empirical therapies for neonatal and paediatric sepsis and meningitis in the Asia–Pacific region
COVID-19 deaths in people with intellectual disability in the UK and Ireland: descriptive study.
BACKGROUND: Rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected people with intellectual disability disproportionately. Existing data does not provide enough information to understand factors associated with increased deaths in those with intellectual disability. Establishing who is at high risk is important in developing prevention strategies, given risk factors or comorbidities in people with intellectual disability may be different to those in the general population. AIMS: To identify comorbidities, demographic and clinical factors of those individuals with intellectual disability who have died from COVID-19. METHOD: An observational descriptive case series looking at deaths because of COVID-19 in people with intellectual disability was conducted. Along with established risk factors observed in the general population, possible specific risk factors and comorbidities in people with intellectual disability for deaths related to COVID-19 were examined. Comparisons between mild and moderate-to-profound intellectual disability subcohorts were undertaken. RESULTS: Data on 66 deaths in individuals with intellectual disability were analysed. This group was younger (mean age 64 years) compared with the age of death in the general population because of COVID-19. High rates of moderate-to-profound intellectual disability (n = 43), epilepsy (n = 29), mental illness (n = 29), dysphagia (n = 23), Down syndrome (n = 20) and dementia (n = 15) were observed. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study exploring associations between possible risk factors and comorbidities found in COVID-19 deaths in people with intellectual disability. Our data provides insight into possible factors for deaths in people with intellectual disability. Some of the factors varied between the mild and moderate-to-profound intellectual disability groups. This highlights an urgent need for further systemic inquiry and study of the possible cumulative impact of these factors and comorbidities given the possibility of COVID-19 resurgence
Boosting Detection of Low-Abundance Proteins in Thermal Proteome Profiling Experiments by Addition of an Isobaric Trigger Channel to TMT Multiplexes
The study of low-abundance proteins is a challenge to discovery-based proteomics. Mass spectrometry (MS) applications, such as thermal proteome profiling (TPP), face specific challenges in the detection of the whole proteome as a consequence of the use of nondenaturing extraction buffers. TPP is a powerful method for the study of protein thermal stability, but quantitative accuracy is highly dependent on consistent detection. Therefore, TPP can be limited in its amenability to study low-abundance proteins that tend to have stochastic or poor detection by MS. To address this challenge, we incorporated an affinity-purified protein complex sample at submolar concentrations as an isobaric trigger channel into a mutant TPP (mTPP) workflow to provide reproducible detection and quantitation of the low-abundance subunits of the cleavage and polyadenylation factor (CPF) complex. The inclusion of an isobaric protein complex trigger channel increased detection an average of 40Ă— for previously detected subunits and facilitated detection of CPF subunits that were previously below the limit of detection. Importantly, these gains in CPF detection did not cause large changes in melt temperature (Tm) calculations for other unrelated proteins in the samples, with a high positive correlation between Tm estimates in samples with and without isobaric trigger channel addition. Overall, the incorporation of an affinity-purified protein complex as an isobaric trigger channel within a tandem mass tag (TMT) multiplex for mTPP experiments is an effective and reproducible way to gather thermal profiling data on proteins that are not readily detected using the original TPP or mTPP protocols
Tenecteplase versus Alteplase for Stroke Thrombolysis Evaluation Trial in the Ambulance (Mobile Stroke Unit - TASTE-A): Protocol for a prospective randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint, phase II superiority trial of tenecteplase versus alteplase for ischaemic stroke patients presenting within 4.5 hours of symptom onset to the mobile stroke unit
Introduction Mobile stroke units (MSUs) equipped with a CT scanner are increasingly being used to assess and treat stroke patients' prehospital with thrombolysis and transfer them to the most appropriate hospital for ongoing stroke care and thrombectomy when indicated. The effect of MSUs in both reducing the time to reperfusion treatment and improving patient outcomes is now established. There is now an opportunity to improve the efficacy of treatment provided by the MSU. Tenecteplase is a potent plasminogen activator, which may have benefits over the standard of care stroke lytic alteplase. Specifically, in the MSU environment tenecteplase presents practical benefits since it is given as a single bolus and does not require an infusion over an hour like alteplase. Objective In this trial, we seek to investigate if tenecteplase, given to patients with acute ischaemic stroke as diagnosed on the MSU, improves the rate of early reperfusion. Methods and analysis TASTE-A is a prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded endpoint (PROBE) phase II trial of patients who had an ischaemic stroke assessed in an MSU within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. The primary endpoint is early reperfusion measured by the post-lysis volume of the CT perfusion lesion performed immediately after hospital arrival. Ethics and dissemination The study was approved by the Royal Melbourne Hospital Human Ethics committee. The findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at academic conferences and disseminated among consumer and healthcare professional audiences. Trial registration number NCT04071613
ES11MA110N OF GLOBAL WARMING DAMAGE COST DUE TO THE FOREST RRES IN THE IMBULPE DIVISIONAL SECRETARIAT DIVISION, 2003 IN SRI LANKA
The objective of the study was to estimate the global warming damage costs caused byman made catastrophic forest fires in the Imbulpe divisional secretariat division (23140ha), Balangoda electorate in the Ratnapura district in Sri Lanka in 2003. The climaticforest fires occur every year during the period June to mid October in this area, creatingnumerous environmental and socio-economic problems such as declining of water table,extinction of endemic flora and fauna species, loss of bio diversity and pollution of air,water, and land and occasionally rendering people homeless. Even though the gravity ofthose forest fires in this region every year was devastating, the majority of the researchersdid not take this aspect into their consideration.Hence to combat this menace the Sabaragamuwa University Centre for Environment andSustainable Development (SUCEDS) had launched a number of projects since 2000 andthe current study is one such project. To accomplish this task primary data (forest fireaffected land areas and types of forests) were collected by means of household surveysand land surveying techniques. In addition to that maps and previous reports pertainingto the area were used to obtain secondary data (land use types, population of that area,endemic plant species). Determination of the extent of burnt land of diverse types and theconsideration of catastrophic forest fires caused in the Imbulpe area were identified using1:50000 map. The estimation of the global warming damage cost of the burnt area wascarried out by carbon Sequestration value of the burnt forest in the Imbulpe area by theTurner's (1994) value of $20. This value has been suggested as the financial damagecaused by every ton of carbon released from burning tropical rain forests, whichcontributes the global warming. The estimated global warming damage costs based onlost carbon sequestration function was Rs. 126.5 millionFurther this research disclosed that the main reasons for such fires were fires set out forunknown reasons, fires to prepare fresh grazing land for cattle feeding, hunters also setfire to forests for poaching of wild animals, fires caused by butt-ends of cigarettes andfires set to clear virgin forests for agricultural purposes.
Gene content evolution in the arthropods
Arthropods comprise the largest and most diverse phylum on Earth and play vital roles in nearly every ecosystem. Their diversity stems in part from variations on a conserved body plan, resulting from and recorded in adaptive changes in the genome. Dissection of the genomic record of sequence change enables broad questions regarding genome evolution to be addressed, even across hyper-diverse taxa within arthropods. Using 76 whole genome sequences representing 21 orders spanning more than 500 million years of arthropod evolution, we document changes in gene and protein domain content and provide temporal and phylogenetic context for interpreting these innovations. We identify many novel gene families that arose early in the evolution of arthropods and during the diversification of insects into modern orders. We reveal unexpected variation in patterns of DNA methylation across arthropods and examples of gene family and protein domain evolution coincident with the appearance of notable phenotypic and physiological adaptations such as flight, metamorphosis, sociality, and chemoperception. These analyses demonstrate how large-scale comparative genomics can provide broad new insights into the genotype to phenotype map and generate testable hypotheses about the evolution of animal diversity
Uncovering spatiotemporal patterns of atrophy in progressive supranuclear palsy using unsupervised machine learning
To better understand the pathological and phenotypic heterogeneity of progressive supranuclear palsy and the links between the two, we applied a novel unsupervised machine learning algorithm (Subtype and Stage Inference) to the largest MRI data set to date of people with clinically diagnosed progressive supranuclear palsy (including progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson and variant progressive supranuclear palsy syndromes). Our cohort is comprised of 426 progressive supranuclear palsy cases, of which 367 had at least one follow-up scan, and 290 controls. Of the progressive supranuclear palsy cases, 357 were clinically diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson, 52 with a progressive supranuclear palsy-cortical variant (progressive supranuclear palsy-frontal, progressive supranuclear palsy-speech/language, or progressive supranuclear palsy-corticobasal), and 17 with a progressive supranuclear palsy-subcortical variant (progressive supranuclear palsy-parkinsonism or progressive supranuclear palsy-progressive gait freezing). Subtype and Stage Inference was applied to volumetric MRI features extracted from baseline structural (T1-weighted) MRI scans and then used to subtype and stage follow-up scans. The subtypes and stages at follow-up were used to validate the longitudinal consistency of subtype and stage assignments. We further compared the clinical phenotypes of each subtype to gain insight into the relationship between progressive supranuclear palsy pathology, atrophy patterns, and clinical presentation. The data supported two subtypes, each with a distinct progression of atrophy: a 'subcortical' subtype, in which early atrophy was most prominent in the brainstem, ventral diencephalon, superior cerebellar peduncles, and the dentate nucleus, and a 'cortical' subtype, in which there was early atrophy in the frontal lobes and the insula alongside brainstem atrophy. There was a strong association between clinical diagnosis and the Subtype and Stage Inference subtype with 82% of progressive supranuclear palsy-subcortical cases and 81% of progressive supranuclear palsy-Richardson cases assigned to the subcortical subtype and 82% of progressive supranuclear palsy-cortical cases assigned to the cortical subtype. The increasing stage was associated with worsening clinical scores, whilst the 'subcortical' subtype was associated with worse clinical severity scores compared to the 'cortical subtype' (progressive supranuclear palsy rating scale and Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale). Validation experiments showed that subtype assignment was longitudinally stable (95% of scans were assigned to the same subtype at follow-up) and individual staging was longitudinally consistent with 90% remaining at the same stage or progressing to a later stage at follow-up. In summary, we applied Subtype and Stage Inference to structural MRI data and empirically identified two distinct subtypes of spatiotemporal atrophy in progressive supranuclear palsy. These image-based subtypes were differentially enriched for progressive supranuclear palsy clinical syndromes and showed different clinical characteristics. Being able to accurately subtype and stage progressive supranuclear palsy patients at baseline has important implications for screening patients on entry to clinical trials, as well as tracking disease progression
Single hadron response measurement and calorimeter jet energy scale uncertainty with the ATLAS detector at the LHC
The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is
derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the
calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and
compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at
centre-of-mass energies of sqrt(s) = 900 GeV and 7 TeV collected during 2009
and 2010. Then, using the decay of K_s and Lambda particles, the calorimeter
response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged
pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo
predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by
propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles
to jets. The response uncertainty is 2-5% for central isolated hadrons and 1-3%
for the final calorimeter jet energy scale.Comment: 24 pages plus author list (36 pages total), 23 figures, 1 table,
submitted to European Physical Journal
- …