A stronger topology for the Brownian web

We propose a metric space of coalescing pairs of paths on which we are able to prove (more or less) directly convergence of objects such as the persistence probability in the (one dimensional, nearest neighbor, symmetric) voter model or the diffusively rescaled weight distribution in a silo model (as well as the equivalent output distribution in a river basin model), interpreted in terms of (dual) diffusively rescaled coalescing random walks, to corresponding objects defined in terms of the Brownian web.Comment: 22 page

Development of a species-specific coproantigen ELISA for human taenia solium taeniasis

Taenia solium causes human neurocysticercosis and is endemic in underdeveloped countries where backyard pig keeping is common. Microscopic fecal diagnostic methods for human T. solium taeniasis are not very sensitive, and Taenia saginata and Taenia solium eggs are indistinguishable under the light microscope. Coproantigen (CoAg) ELISA methods are very sensitive, but currently only genus (Taenia) specific. This paper describes the development of a highly species-specific coproantigen ELISA test to detect T. solium intestinal taeniasis. Sensitivity was maintained using a capture antibody of rabbit IgG against T. solium adult whole worm somatic extract, whereas species specificity was achieved by utilization of an enzyme-conjugated rabbit IgG against T. solium adult excretory-secretory (ES) antigen. A known panel of positive and negative human fecal samples was tested with this hybrid sandwich ELISA. The ELISA test gave 100% specificity and 96.4% sensitivity for T. solium tapeworm carriers (N = 28), with a J index of 0.96. This simple ELISA incorporating anti-adult somatic and anti-adult ES antibodies provides the first potentially species-specific coproantigen test for human T. solium taeniasis

Evidence and modeling of turbulence bifurcation in L-mode confinement transitions on Alcator C-Mod

© 2020 Author(s). Analysis and modeling of rotation reversal hysteresis experiments show that a single turbulent bifurcation is responsible for the Linear to Saturated Ohmic Confinement (LOC/SOC) transition and concomitant intrinsic rotation reversal on Alcator C-Mod. Plasmas on either side of the reversal exhibit different toroidal rotation profiles and therefore different turbulence characteristics despite the profiles of density and temperature, which are indistinguishable within measurement uncertainty. Elements of this bifurcation are also shown to persist for auxiliary heated L-modes. The deactivation of subdominant (in the linear growth rate and contribution to heat transport) ion temperature gradient and trapped electron mode instabilities is identified as the only possible change in turbulence within a reduced quasilinear transport model across the reversal, which is consistent with the measured profiles and inferred heat and particle fluxes. Experimental constraints on a possible change from strong to weak turbulence, outside the description of the quasilinear model, are also discussed. These results indicate an explanation for the LOC/SOC transition that provides a mechanism for the hysteresis through the dynamics of subdominant modes and changes in their relative populations and does not involve a change in the most linearly unstable ion-scale drift-wave instability

A composite hydrogel for brain tissue phantoms

Synthetic phantoms are valuable tools for training, research and development in traditional and computer aided surgery, but complex organs, such as the brain, are difficult to replicate. Here, we present the development of a new composite hydrogel capable of mimicking the mechanical response of brain tissue under loading. Our results demonstrate how the combination of two different hydrogels, whose synergistic interaction results in a highly tunable blend, produces a hybrid material that closely matches the strongly dynamic and non-linear response of brain tissue. The new synthetic material is inexpensive, simple to prepare, and its constitutive components are both widely available and biocompatible. Our investigation of the properties of this engineered tissue, using both small scale testing and life-sized brain phantoms, shows that it is suitable for reproducing the brain shift phenomenon and brain tissue response to indentation and palpation

Exploring the transcriptomic data of the Australian paralysis tick, Ixodes holocyclus

Ixodes holocyclus is the paralysis tick commonly found in Australia. I. holocyclus does not cause paralysis in the primary host – bandicoots, but markedly affects secondary hosts such as companion animals, livestock and humans. Holocyclotoxins are the neurotoxin molecules in I. holocyclus responsible for paralysis symptoms. There is a limited understanding of holocyclotoxins due to the difficulties in purifying and expressing these toxins in vitro. Next-generation sequencing technologies were utilised for the first time to generate transcriptome data from two cDNA samples –salivary glands samples collected from female adult ticks engorged on paralysed companion animals and on bandicoots. Contigencoded proteins in each library were annotated according to their best BLAST match against several databases and functionally assigned into six protein categories: housekeeping, transposable elements, pathogen-related, hypothetical, secreted and novel. The “secreted protein” category is comprised of ten protein families: enzymes, protease inhibitors, antigens, mucins, immunity-related, lipocalins, glycinerich, putative secreted, salivary and toxin-like. Comparisons of contig representation between the two libraries reveal the differential expression of tick proteins collected from different hosts. This study provides a preliminary description of the I. holocyclus tick salivary gland transcriptome

Prevalence of Avian-Pathogenic Escherichia coli Strain O1 Genomic Islands among Extraintestinal and Commensal E. coli Isolates

Escherichia coli strains that cause disease outside the intestine are known as extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) and include pathogens of humans and animals. Previously, the genome of avian-pathogenic E. coli (APEC) O1:K1:H7 strain O1, from ST95, was sequenced and compared to those of several other E. coli strains, identifying 43 genomic islands. Here, the genomic islands of APEC O1 were compared to those of other sequenced E. coli strains, and the distribution of 81 genes belonging to 12 APEC O1 genomic islands among 828 human and avian ExPEC and commensal E. coli isolates was determined. Multiple islands were highly prevalent among isolates belonging to the O1 and O18 serogroups within phylogenetic group B2, which are implicated in human neonatal meningitis. Because of the extensive genomic similarities between APEC O1 and other human ExPEC strains belonging to the ST95 phylogenetic lineage, its ability to cause disease in a rat model of sepsis and meningitis was assessed. Unlike other ST95 lineage strains, APEC O1 was unable to cause bacteremia or meningitis in the neonatal rat model and was significantly less virulent than uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) CFT073 in a mouse sepsis model, despite carrying multiple neonatal meningitis E. coli (NMEC) virulence factors and belonging to the ST95 phylogenetic lineage. These results suggest that host adaptation or genome modifications have occurred either in APEC O1 or in highly virulent ExPEC isolates, resulting in differences in pathogenicity. Overall, the genomic islands examined provide targets for further discrimination of the different ExPEC subpathotypes, serogroups, phylogenetic types, and sequence types

Prevalence of purging at age 16 and associations with negative outcomes among girls in three community-based cohorts.

The comorbidity of purging behaviours, such as vomiting, inappropriate use of laxatives, diuretics or slimming medications, has been examined in literature. However, most studies do not include adolescents, individuals who purge in the absence of binge eating, or those purging at subclinical frequency. This study examines the prevalence of purging among 16-year-old girls across three countries and their association with substance use and psychological comorbidity

Alcohol-dysregulated microRNAs in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

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Ageing memory and glassiness of a driven vortex system

Many systems in nature, glasses, interfaces and fractures being some examples, cannot equilibrate with their environment, which gives rise to novel and surprising behaviour such as memory effects, ageing and nonlinear dynamics. Unlike their equilibrated counterparts, the dynamics of out-of- equilibrium systems is generally too complex to be captured by simple macroscopic laws. Here we investigate a system that straddles the boundary between glass and crystal: a Bragg glass formed by vortices in a superconductor. We find that the response to an applied force evolves according to a stretched exponential, with the exponent reflecting the deviation from equilibrium. After the force is removed, the system ages with time and its subsequent response time scales linearly with its age (simple ageing), meaning that older systems are slower than younger ones. We show that simple ageing can occur naturally in the presence of sufficient quenched disorder. Moreover, the hierarchical distribution of timescales, arising when chunks of loose vortices cannot move before trapped ones become dislodged, leads to a stretched-exponential response.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure