Development of a Novel Humidity Sensor Based on a Polymer Silver Nanoparticle Composite

Humidity sensing is of particular concern for many industrial applications. Humidity sensors have typically been based on a reversible interaction between a polymer and water vapour. There is work published on gas sensors based on polymer gold nanoparticle composites, where the conductivity of the composite decreases on interaction with the gas. This happens because the swelling of the polymer which increases the electron hopping distance between the gold nanoparticles. The device in this work is a poly vinyl alcohol silver nanoparticle composite cast on an interdigital electrode array. On application of a dc bias, a current develops which is proportional to levels of humidity from 10% to 60%. The response is reversible and fast at room temperature. Details are provided of the synthesis, characterisation and use of the composite for humidity sensing. In addition the device forms the basis of a sensor for an array of gases

A randomized controlled trial of folic acid intervention in pregnancy highlights a putative methylation-regulated control element at ZFP57

Table S1. Pyrosequencing and transcriptional primer sets used in this study. Pyroassay primers are given as bisulfite converted sequence. The same primers were used for both RT-PCR and RT-qPCR. (DOCX 15 kb

Evidence for local and international spread of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis through whole genome sequencing of isolates from the island of Ireland

Publication history: Accepted - 1 April 2022; Published online - 5 April 2022We describe application of whole genome sequencing (WGS) to a collection of 197 Mycobacterium avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP) isolates gathered from 122 cattle herds across 27 counties of the island of Ireland. We compare WGS to MAP diversity quantified using mycobacterial interspersed random unit – variable number tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTR). While MIRU-VNTR showed only two major types, WGS could split the 197 isolates into eight major groups. We also found six isolates corresponding to INMV 13, a novel MIRU-VNTR type for Ireland. Evidence for dispersal of MAP across Ireland via cattle movement could be discerned from the data, with mixed infections present in several herds. Furthermore, comparisons of MAP WGS data from Ireland to data from Great Britain and continental Europe revealed many instances of close genetic similarity and hence evidence for international transmission of infection. BEAST MASCOT structured coalescent analyses, with relaxed and strict molecular clocks, estimated the substitution rate to be 0.10–0.13 SNPs/site/year and disclosed greater transitions per lineage per year from Europe to Ireland, indicating transmission into Ireland. Our work therefore reveals new insight into the seeding of MAP infection across Ireland, highlighting how WGS can inform policy formulation to ultimately control MAP transmission at local, national and international scales.We acknowledge funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine awards 15/S/651 (‘NexusMAP’) and 2019R404 (’BTBGe- nIE’)

The aesthetic and cultural pursuits of patients with stroke

peer-reviewedTables to accompany this article on second fileGOAL: There has been an increasing interest in the arts in healthcare, with a suggestion that the arts and aesthetics can augment patient outcomes in stroke and other illnesses. Designing such programmes requires better knowledge of the artistic, aesthetic and cultural pursuits of people affected by stroke. The aim of this study was to obtain the insights of this group about the profile of arts and aesthetics activities in their lives as well as the influence of stroke on these aspects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients attending a stroke service were administered questions adapted from the Irish Arts Council’s 2006 questionnaire on participation in aesthetics and cultural pursuits, Information was also collected on stroke type and present functional and cognitive status. Thirty-eight patients were interviewed. Of these, twenty were inpatients in hospital at the time of the interview and eighteen were interviewed in an outpatient setting. FINDINGS: Popular activities included mainstream cinema, listening to music, dancing, attending plays or musicals and being outdoors. Many patients ceased these activities after their stroke, mostly due to health issues and inaccessibility. The majority of patients valued the importance of the arts in the healthcare setting. CONCLUSION: This study gives a perspective for the first time on the aesthetic and cultural pursuits of stroke patients prior to their stroke. It portrays a wide variety of cultural and leisure activities, and the cessation of these post-stroke. It revealed the restrictions patients felt on gaining access to leisure pursuits both while in hospital and following discharge.Acceptedpeer-reviewe

Effects of maternal folic acid supplementation during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy on neurocognitive development in the child:an 11-year follow-up from a randomised controlled trial

Background: Maternal folic acid (FA) supplementation before and in early pregnancy prevents neural tube defects (NTD), but it is uncertain whether continuing FA after the first trimester has benefits on offspring health. We aimed to evaluate the effect of FA supplementation throughout pregnancy on cognitive performance and brain function in the child. Methods: Follow-up investigation of 11-year-old children, residing in Northern Ireland, whose mothers had participated in a randomised trial of Folic Acid Supplementation in the Second and Third Trimesters (FASSTT) in pregnancy and received 400 μg/day FA or placebo from the 14th gestational week. Cognitive performance (Full Scale Intelligence Quotient, Verbal Comprehension, Working Memory, Perceptual Reasoning, and Processing Speed) was assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Neuronal function was assessed using magnetoencephalographic (MEG) brain imaging. Results: Of 119 mother-child pairs in the FASSTT trial, 68 children were assessed for neurocognitive performance at 11-year follow-up (Dec 2017 to Nov 2018). Children of mothers randomised to FA compared with placebo scored significantly higher in two Processing Speed tests, i.e. symbol search (mean difference 2.9 points, 95% CI 0.3 to 5.5, p = 0.03) and cancellation (11.3 points, 2.5 to 20.1, p = 0.04), whereas the positive effect on Verbal Comprehension was significant in girls only (6.5 points, 1.2 to 11.8, p = 0.03). MEG assessment of neuronal responses to a language task showed increased power at the Beta (13–30 Hz, p = 0.01) and High Gamma (49–70 Hz, p = 0.04) bands in children from FA-supplemented mothers, suggesting more efficient semantic processing of language. Conclusions: Continued FA supplementation in pregnancy beyond the early period currently recommended to prevent NTD can benefit neurocognitive development of the child. MEG provides a non-invasive tool in paediatric research to objectively assess functional brain activity in response to nutrition and other interventions. Trial registration: ISRCTN ISRCTN19917787. Registered on 15 May 2013