Effect of Immobilisation on Neuromuscular Function In Vivo in Humans: A Systematic Review

This is the final version. Available on open access from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this recordData Availability Statement: Data and materials are available on request from the corresponding author.Background: Muscle strength loss following immobilisation has been predominantly attributed to rapid muscle atrophy. However, this cannot fully explain the magnitude of muscle strength loss, so changes in neuromuscular function (NMF) may be involved. Objectives: We systematically reviewed literature that quantified changes in muscle strength, size and NMF following periods of limb immobilisation in vivo in humans. Methods: Studies were identified following systematic searches, assessed for inclusion, data extracted and quality appraised by two reviewers. Data were tabulated and reported narratively. Results: Forty eligible studies were included, 22 immobilised lower and 18 immobilised upper limbs. Limb immobilisation ranged from 12 h to 56 days. Isometric muscle strength and muscle size declined following immobilisation; however, change magnitude was greater for strength than size. Evoked resting twitch force decreased for lower but increased for upper limbs. Rate of force development either remained unchanged or slowed for lower and typically slowed for upper limbs. Twitch relaxation rate slowed for both lower and upper limbs. Central motor drive typically decreased for both locations, while electromyography amplitude during maximum voluntary contractions decreased for the lower and presented mixed findings for the upper limbs. Trends imply faster rates of NMF loss relative to size earlier in immobilisation periods for all outcomes. Conclusions: Limb immobilisation results in non-uniform loss of isometric muscle strength, size and NMF over time. Different outcomes between upper and lower limbs could be attributed to higher degrees of central neural control of upper limb musculature. Future research should focus on muscle function losses and mechanisms following acute immobilisation. Registration: PROSPERO reference: CRD42016033692

Crystal plasticity as an indicator of the viscous-brittle transition in magmas

Understanding the flow of multi-phase (melt, crystals and bubbles) magmas is of great importance for interpreting eruption dynamics. Here we report the first observation of crystal plasticity, identified using electron backscatter diffraction, in plagioclase in andesite dome lavas from Volcán de Colima, Mexico. The same lavas, deformed experimentally at volcanic conduit temperature and load conditions, exhibit a further, systematic plastic response in the crystalline fraction, observable as a lattice misorientation. At higher stress, and higher crystal fraction, the amount of strain accommodated by crystal plasticity is larger. Crystal plastic distortion is highest in the intact segments of broken crystals, which have exceeded their plastic limit. We infer that crystal plasticity precludes failure and can punctuate the viscous-brittle transition in crystal-bearing magmas at certain shallow magmatic conditions. Since crystal plasticity varies systematically with imposed conditions, this raises the possibility that it may be used as a strain marker in well-constrained systems

EChOSim: The Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory software simulator

EChOSim is the end-to-end time-domain simulator of the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) space mission. EChOSim has been developed to assess the capability EChO has to detect and characterize the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets, and through this revolutionize the knowledge we have of the Milky Way and of our place in the Galaxy. Here we discuss the details of the EChOSim implementation and describe the models used to represent the instrument and to simulate the detection. Software simulators have assumed a central role in the design of new instrumentation and in assessing the level of systematics affecting the measurements of existing experiments. Thanks to its high modularity, EChOSim can simulate basic aspects of several existing and proposed spectrometers for exoplanet transits, including instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope and Spitzer, or ground-based and balloon borne experiments. A discussion of different uses of EChOSim is given, including examples of simulations performed to assess the EChO mission

Correction to: Effect of Immobilisation on Neuromuscular Function In Vivo in Humans: A Systematic Review

The following sections 3.5.1 to 3.5.3.2, which previously read

First observation of medium-spin excitations in the 138Cs nucleus

Medium-spin, yrast excitations in the 138Cs nucleus, populated in the spontaneous fission of 248Cm, were observed for the first time. 138Cs was studied by means of prompt γ-ray spectroscopy using the EUROGAM2 array. The newly observed yrast cascade, built on the known 6- isomer at 80 keV, was successfully described by shell model calculations. Analogously to the 136I isotone, the 6- isomer in 138Cs has the \ensuremath{(\pi g_{7/2} ^4 d_{5/2} \nu f_{7/2})_{6^-}} dominating configuration and the 7- excitation, located 175 keV above, corresponds to the \ensuremath{(\pi g_{7/2} ^3 d_{5/2}^2 \nu f_{7/2})_{7^-}} as dominating configuration. Similarly as in 136I, changing the position of the d 5/2 proton orbital improves the reproduction of the data. However, in 138Cs the energy of this orbital should be increased compared to its energy in 133Sb, to get the best description, in contrast to 136I and 135Sb, where it had to be decreased. The best reproduction of excitation energies in 138Cs is obtained assuming that the πd 5/2 orbital in 138Cs is located about 100 keV higher than in 133Sb. These observations suggest that the lowering of the d 5/2 s.p. energy in 135Sb is not a physical effect due to the appearance of a neutron skin, as proposed by other authors, but rather an artifact due to some deficiency of the input data used in the shell model calculations in the region of the doubly magic 132Sn core

Effect of Immobilisation on Neuromuscular Function In Vivo in Humans: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Muscle strength loss following immobilisation has been predominantly attributed to rapid muscle atrophy. However, this cannot fully explain the magnitude of muscle strength loss, so changes in neuromuscular function (NMF) may be involved. OBJECTIVES: We systematically reviewed literature that quantified changes in muscle strength, size and NMF following periods of limb immobilisation in vivo in humans. METHODS: Studies were identified following systematic searches, assessed for inclusion, data extracted and quality appraised by two reviewers. Data were tabulated and reported narratively. RESULTS: Forty eligible studies were included, 22 immobilised lower and 18 immobilised upper limbs. Limb immobilisation ranged from 12 h to 56 days. Isometric muscle strength and muscle size declined following immobilisation; however, change magnitude was greater for strength than size. Evoked resting twitch force decreased for lower but increased for upper limbs. Rate of force development either remained unchanged or slowed for lower and typically slowed for upper limbs. Twitch relaxation rate slowed for both lower and upper limbs. Central motor drive typically decreased for both locations, while electromyography amplitude during maximum voluntary contractions decreased for the lower and presented mixed findings for the upper limbs. Trends imply faster rates of NMF loss relative to size earlier in immobilisation periods for all outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Limb immobilisation results in non-uniform loss of isometric muscle strength, size and NMF over time. Different outcomes between upper and lower limbs could be attributed to higher degrees of central neural control of upper limb musculature. Future research should focus on muscle function losses and mechanisms following acute immobilisation. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO reference: CRD42016033692

Quantum computing with defects

Identifying and designing physical systems for use as qubits, the basic units of quantum information, are critical steps in the development of a quantum computer. Among the possibilities in the solid state, a defect in diamond known as the nitrogen-vacancy (NV-1) center stands out for its robustness - its quantum state can be initialized, manipulated, and measured with high fidelity at room temperature. Here we describe how to systematically identify other deep center defects with similar quantum-mechanical properties. We present a list of physical criteria that these centers and their hosts should meet and explain how these requirements can be used in conjunction with electronic structure theory to intelligently sort through candidate defect systems. To illustrate these points in detail, we compare electronic structure calculations of the NV-1 center in diamond with those of several deep centers in 4H silicon carbide (SiC). We then discuss the proposed criteria for similar defects in other tetrahedrally-coordinated semiconductors.Comment: 31 pages, 7 figures, 2 table

Evolution from adherent to suspension: systems biology of HEK293 cell line development

The need for new safe and efficacious therapies has led to an increased focus on biologics produced in mammalian cells. The human cell line HEK293 has bio-synthetic potential for human-like production attributes and is currently used for manufacturing of several therapeutic proteins and viral vectors. Despite the increased popularity of this strain we still have limited knowledge on the genetic composition of its derivatives. Here we present a genomic, transcriptomic and metabolic gene analysis of six of the most widely used HEK293 cell lines. Changes in gene copy and expression between industrial progeny cell lines and the original HEK293 were associated with cellular component organization, cell motility and cell adhesion. Changes in gene expression between adherent and suspension derivatives highlighted switching in cholesterol biosynthesis and expression of five key genes (RARG, ID1, ZIC1, LOX and DHRS3), a pattern validated in 63 human adherent or suspension cell lines of other origin