N=4 Supergravity Lagrangian for Type IIB Orientifold on T^6/Z_2 in Presence of Fluxes and D3-Branes

We derive the Lagrangian and the transformation laws of N=4 gauged supergravity coupled to matter multiplets whose sigma-model of the scalars is SU(1,1)/U(1)x SO(6,6+n)/SO(6)xSO(6+n) and which corresponds to the effective Lagrangian of the Type IIB string compactified on the T^6/Z_2 orientifold with fluxes turned on and in presence of n D3-branes. The gauge group is T^12 x G where G is the gauge group on the brane and T^12 is the gauge group on the bulk corresponding to the gauged translations of the R-R scalars coming from the R-R four--form. The N=4 bulk sector of this theory can be obtained as a truncation of the Scherk-Schwarz spontaneously broken N=8 supergravity. Consequently the full bulk spectrum satisfies quadratic and quartic mass sum rules, identical to those encountered in Scherk-Schwarz reduction gauging a flat group. This theory gives rise to a no scale supergravity extended with partial super-Higgs mechanism.Comment: 49 pages, LaTex, 2 figures. Misprints corrected, more comments adde

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity of liver metastases in a patient with uveal melanoma revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing

Tumor heterogeneity is a major obstacle to the success of cancer treatment. An accurate understanding and recognition of tumor heterogeneity is critical in the clinical management of cancer patients. Here, we utilized single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to uncover the intra- and intertumoral heterogeneity of liver metastases from a patient with metastatic uveal melanoma. The two metastases analyzed were largely infiltrated by noncancerous cells with significant variability in the proportion of different cell types. Analysis of copy-number variations (CNVs) showed gain of 8q and loss of 6q in both tumors, but loss of Chromosome 3 was only detected in one of the tumors. Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) array revealed a uniparental isodisomy 3 in the tumor with two copies of Chromosome 3, indicating a regain of Chromosome 3 during the development of the metastatic disease. In addition, both tumors harbored subclones with additional CNVs. Pathway enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes revealed that cancer cells in the metastasis with isodisomy 3 showed up-regulation in epithelial–mesenchymal transition and myogenesis related genes. In contrast, up-regulation in interferon signaling was observed in the metastasis with monosomy 3 and increased T-cell infiltrate. This study highlights the complexity and heterogeneity of different metastases within an individual case of uveal melanoma

Logics in Fungal Mycelium Networks

The living mycelium networks are capable of efficient sensorial fusion over very large areas and distributed decision making. The information processing in the mycelium networks is implemented via propagation of electrical and chemical signals en pair with morphological changes in the mycelium structure. These information processing mechanisms are manifested in experimental laboratory findings that show that the mycelium networks exhibit rich dynamics of neuron-like spiking behaviour and a wide range of non-linear electrical properties. On an example of a single real colony of Aspergillus niger, we demonstrate that the non-linear transformation of electrical signals and trains of extracellular voltage spikes can be used to implement logical gates and circuits. The approaches adopted include numerical modelling of excitation propagation on the mycelium network, representation of the mycelium network as a resistive and capacitive network and an experimental laboratory study on mining logical circuits in mycelium bound composites

Is Tissue Still the Issue? The Promise of Liquid Biopsy in Uveal Melanoma

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the second most frequent type of melanoma. Therapeutic options for UM favor minimally invasive techniques such as irradiation for vision preservation. As a consequence, no tumor material is obtained. Without available tissue, molecular analyses for gene expression, mutation or copy number analysis cannot be performed. Thus, proper patient stratification is impossible and patients' uncertainty about their prognosis rises. Minimally invasive techniques have been studied for prognostication in UM. Blood-based biomarker analysis has become more common in recent years; however, no clinically standardized protocol exists. This review summarizes insights in biomarker analysis, addressing new insights in circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA, extracellular vesicles, proteomics, and metabolomics. Additionally, medical imaging can play a significant role in staging, surveillance, and prognostication of UM and is addressed in this review. We propose that combining multiple minimally invasive modalities using tumor biomarkers should be the way forward and warrant more attention in the coming years.Patholog