Diagnostic accuracy of leptospirosis whole-cell lateral flow assays: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Leptospirosis is under-diagnosed by clinicians in many high-incidence countries, because reference diagnostic tests are largely unavailable. Lateral flow assays (LFA) that use antigen derived from heat-treated whole cell Leptospira biflexa serovar Patoc have the potential to improve leptospirosis diagnosis in resource-limited settings. Objectives: We sought to summarize estimates of sensitivity and specificity of LFA by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of evaluations of the accuracy of LFA to diagnose human leptospirosis. Data sources: On 4 July 2017 we searched three medical databases. Study eligibility criteria: Articles were included if they were a study of LFA sensitivity and specificity. Participants: Patients with suspected leptospirosis. Interventions: Nil. Methods: For included articles, we assessed study quality, characteristics of participants and diagnostic testing methods. We estimated sensitivity and specificity for each study against the study-defined case definition as the reference standard, and performed a meta-analysis using a random-effects bivariate model. Results: Our search identified 225 unique reports, of which we included nine (4%) published reports containing 11 studies. We classified one (9%) study as high quality. Nine (82%) studies used reference tests with considerable risk of misclassification. Our pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity were 79% (95% CI 70%–86%) and 92% (95% CI 85%–96%), respectively. Conclusions: As the evidence base for determining the accuracy of LFA is small and at risk of bias, pooled estimates of sensitivity and specificity should be interpreted with caution. Further studies should use either reference tests with high sensitivity and specificity or statistical techniques that account for an imperfect reference standard

Modeling Green's function measurements with two-tip scanning tunneling microscopy

A double-tip scanning tunneling microscope with nanometer-scale tip separation has the ability to access the single-electron Green's function in real and momentum spaces based on second-order tunneling processes. Experimental realization of such measurements has been limited to quasi-one-dimensional systems due to the extremely small signal size. Here we propose an alternative approach to obtain such information by exploiting the current-current correlations from the individual tips and present a theoretical formalism to describe it. To assess the feasibility of our approach we make a numerical estimate for an ∼25-nm Pb nanoisland and show that the wave function in fact extends from tip to tip and the signal depends less strongly on increased tip separation in the diffusive regime than the one in alternative approaches relying on tip-to-tip conductance.Quantum Matter and Optic

Measuring local moiré lattice heterogeneity of twisted bilayer graphene

We introduce a new method to continuously map inhomogeneities of a moiré lattice and apply it to open-device twisted bilayer graphene (TBG). We show that the variation in the twist angle, which is frequently conjectured to be the reason for differences between devices with a supposed similar twist angle, is about 0.04° over areas of several hundred nm, comparable to devices encapsulated between hBN slabs. We distinguish between an effective twist angle and local anisotropy and relate the latter to heterostrain. Our results suggest that the lack of evidence for superconductivity in open devices is not a consequence of higher heterogeneity in the twist angle, but possibly due to the absence of interaction with a top hBN layer. Furthermore, our results imply that for our devices, twist angle heterogeneity has a roughly equal effect to the electronic structure as local strain. The method introduced here is applicable to results from different imaging techniques, and on different moiré materials. Quantum Matter and Optic

Imaging moiré deformation and dynamics in twisted bilayer graphene

Quantum Matter and Optic

Discrete integrable systems and Poisson algebras from cluster maps

We consider nonlinear recurrences generated from cluster mutations applied to quivers that have the property of being cluster mutation-periodic with period 1. Such quivers were completely classified by Fordy and Marsh, who characterised them in terms of the skew-symmetric matrix that defines the quiver. The associated nonlinear recurrences are equivalent to birational maps, and we explain how these maps can be endowed with an invariant Poisson bracket and/or presymplectic structure. Upon applying the algebraic entropy test, we are led to a series of conjectures which imply that the entropy of the cluster maps can be determined from their tropical analogues, which leads to a sharp classification result. Only four special families of these maps should have zero entropy. These families are examined in detail, with many explicit examples given, and we show how they lead to discrete dynamics that is integrable in the Liouville-Arnold sense.Comment: 49 pages, 3 figures. Reduced to satisfy journal page restrictions. Sections 2.4, 4.5, 6.3, 7 and 8 removed. All other results remain, with minor editin

Imaging moiré deformation and dynamics in twisted bilayer graphene

In twisted bilayer graphene (TBG) a moiré pattern forms that introduces a new length scale to the material. At the 'magic' twist angle of 1.1°, this causes a flat band to form, yielding emergent properties such as correlated insulator behavior and superconductivity [1-4]. In general, the moiré structure in TBG varies spatially, influencing the local electronic properties [5-9] and hence the outcome of macroscopic charge transport experiments. In particular, to understand the wide variety observed in the phase diagrams and critical temperatures, a more detailed understanding of the local moiré variation is needed [10]. Here, we study spatial and temporal variations of the moiré pattern in TBG using aberration-corrected Low Energy Electron Microscopy (AC-LEEM) [11,12]. The spatial variation we find is lower than reported previously. At 500°C, we observe thermal fluctuations of the moiré lattice, corresponding to collective atomic displacements of less than 70pm on a time scale of seconds [13], homogenizing the sample. Despite previous concerns, no untwisting of the layers is found, even at temperatures as high as 600°C [14,15]. From these observations, we conclude that thermal annealing can be used to decrease the local disorder in TBG samples. Finally, we report the existence of individual edge dislocations in the atomic and moiré lattice. These topological defects break translation symmetry and are anticipated to exhibit unique local electronic properties. NWOQuantum Matter and Optic

Direct evidence for Cooper pairing without a spectral gap in a disordered superconductor above Tc

The idea that preformed Cooper pairs could exist in a superconductor at temperatures higher than its zero-resistance critical temperature (T-c) has been explored for unconventional, interfacial, and disordered superconductors, but direct experimental evidence is lacking. We used scanning tunneling noise spectroscopy to show that preformed Cooper pairs exist up to temperatures much higher than T-c in the disordered superconductor titanium nitride by observing an enhancement in the shot noise that is equivalent to a change of the effective charge from one to two electron charges. We further show that the spectroscopic gap fills up rather than closes with increasing temperature. Our results demonstrate the existence of a state above T-c that, much like an ordinary metal, has no (pseudo)gap but carries charge through paired electrons.Quantum Matter and Optic

Declarative Event-Based Workflow as Distributed Dynamic Condition Response Graphs

We present Dynamic Condition Response Graphs (DCR Graphs) as a declarative, event-based process model inspired by the workflow language employed by our industrial partner and conservatively generalizing prime event structures. A dynamic condition response graph is a directed graph with nodes representing the events that can happen and arrows representing four relations between events: condition, response, include, and exclude. Distributed DCR Graphs is then obtained by assigning roles to events and principals. We give a graphical notation inspired by related work by van der Aalst et al. We exemplify the use of distributed DCR Graphs on a simple workflow taken from a field study at a Danish hospital, pointing out their flexibility compared to imperative workflow models. Finally we provide a mapping from DCR Graphs to Buchi-automata.Comment: In Proceedings PLACES 2010, arXiv:1110.385

Avoiding lodging in irrigated spring wheat. II. Genetic variation of stem and root structural properties

Lodging-related traits were evaluated on the CIMMYT Core spring wheat Germplasm Panel (CIMCOG) in the Yaqui Valley of North-West Mexico during three seasons (2010–2013). Genetic variation was significant for all the lodging-related traits in the cross-year analysis, however, significant G × E interaction due to rank changes or changes in the absolute differences between cultivars were identified. The inconsistences on cultivar performances across seasons particularly reduced the heritability of key characters related to root lodging resistance (anchorage strength). Target characters related to stem lodging resistance (stem strength) showed good heritability values equal or above 0.70. Positive correlations between stem strength and stem diameter and between root plate spread and root strength were found. Selecting for greater stem diameter and wall width, greater root plate spread and shorter plant height could enable breeders to increase lodging resistance by increasing stem strength, root strength and decreasing plant leverage, respectively. Achieving a lodging-proof crop will depend on finding a wider root plate spread and implementing new management strategies. Genetic linkages between lodging traits will not constrain the combination of the key lodging-trait dimensions to achieve a lodging-proof ideotype. However, strong association between stem strength and stem wall width will increase the total biomass cost needed for lodging resistance