Light-Controlled Direction of Distributed Feedback Laser Emission by Photo-Mobile Polymer Films

We report on the realization of Distributed Feedback (DFB) lasing by a high-resolution reflection grating integrated in a Photomobile Polymer (PMP) film. The grating is recorded in a recently developed holographic mixture basically containing halolakanes/acrylates and a fluorescent dye molecule (Rhodamine 6G). The PMP-mixture is placed around the grating spot and a subsequent curing/photo-polymerization process is promoted by UV-irradiation. Such a process brings to the simultaneous formation of the PMP-film and the covalent link of the PMP-film to the DFB-grating area (PMP-DFB system). The PMP-DFB allows lasing action when optically pumped with a nano-pulsed green laser source. Moreover, under a low-power light-irradiation the PMP-DFB bends inducing a spatial readdressing of the DFB-laser emission. This device is the first example of a light-controlled direction of a DFB laser emission. It could represent a novel disruptive optical technology in many fields of Science, making feasible the approach to free standing and light-controllable lasers

Efficient high-volume cleaning of Aspergillus nidulans cleistothecia using bare fingers.

Even seasoned workers find it tedious and sometimes frustrating to remove Hülle cells and stray conidia from Aspergillus cleistothecia by rolling them with forceps across an agar surface, particularly when large numbers must be cleaned. It can be even more challenging to teach the skill to others, especially to a whole class of easily discouraged undergraduates, who may be seeing their first high-mag image of forceps tips at the same time as their first view of a cleistothecium

HKUST-1-Doped High-Resolution Volume Holographic Gratings

We report on transmission holographic gratings doped with metal organic frameworks (MOFs). As a first attempt, we focused on MOF-199, also known as HKUST-1, which is an efficient adsorbent of VOCs. HKUST-1 is not soluble in the pre-polymerized holographic mixture. For this reason, samples containing HKUST-1 show high light scattering. In this work, the recording of HKUST-1-doped one-dimensional transmission phase gratings is demonstrated. The optical properties of the recorded structures, such as diffraction efficiency and average refractive index changes, are reported by using angular analysis measurements. A first attempt to demonstrate the possibility of using the doped gratings as sensors is also reported

Complement activation in the plasma and placentas of women with different subsets of antiphospholipid syndrome

Problem: As antiphospholipid antibody\u2010positive women with adverse pregnancy outcomes have higher plasma complement activation product levels, and the placentas of women with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) exhibit C4d complement component deposition, complement activation involvement has been hypothesized in APS pregnancy complications. Method of study: Plasma levels of C5a and C5b\u20109 complement components of 43 APS non\u2010pregnant patients and 17 pregnant APS women were measured using enzyme\u2010 linked immunosorbent assay. The results were compared with those of 16 healthy non\u2010pregnant women and eight healthy pregnant women, respectively. Placenta samples of five APS patients at high risk of pregnancy complications and of five healthy controls were subjected to immunoblotting analysis with specific antibodies to C5b\u20109 and CD46, CD55, CD59 complement regulators. Results: The mean plasma C5a and C5b\u20109 levels were significantly higher in the nonpregnant APS patients with previous thrombosis \ub1 pregnancy morbidity (P = .0001 and P = .0034, respectively) and in the pregnant APS women with adverse outcomes (P = .0093 for both). Similarly, C5b\u20109 amounts were significantly higher in the adverse pregnancy outcome placenta (P = .0115) than in those associated to a favorable outcome. The mean CD46, CD55 and CD59 amounts were, instead, lower, although not always significantly, in the placentas of all the high\u2010risk APS women with respect to the control placentas. Conclusion: Data analysis demonstrated that there was significant complement activation in the more severe subset of APS patients and in only the adverse pregnancy outcome APS women. Further studies will clarify whether the lower CD46, CD55, and CD59 expressions in the APS placentas are limited to only high\u2010risk APS patients

CD4 cell count and the risk of AIDS or death in HIV-Infected adults on combination antiretroviral therapy with a suppressed viral load: a longitudinal cohort study from COHERE.

BACKGROUND: Most adults infected with HIV achieve viral suppression within a year of starting combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). It is important to understand the risk of AIDS events or death for patients with a suppressed viral load. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using data from the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research Europe (2010 merger), we assessed the risk of a new AIDS-defining event or death in successfully treated patients. We accumulated episodes of viral suppression for each patient while on cART, each episode beginning with the second of two consecutive plasma viral load measurements 500 copies/µl, the first of two consecutive measurements between 50-500 copies/µl, cART interruption or administrative censoring. We used stratified multivariate Cox models to estimate the association between time updated CD4 cell count and a new AIDS event or death or death alone. 75,336 patients contributed 104,265 suppression episodes and were suppressed while on cART for a median 2.7 years. The mortality rate was 4.8 per 1,000 years of viral suppression. A higher CD4 cell count was always associated with a reduced risk of a new AIDS event or death; with a hazard ratio per 100 cells/µl (95% CI) of: 0.35 (0.30-0.40) for counts <200 cells/µl, 0.81 (0.71-0.92) for counts 200 to <350 cells/µl, 0.74 (0.66-0.83) for counts 350 to <500 cells/µl, and 0.96 (0.92-0.99) for counts ≥500 cells/µl. A higher CD4 cell count became even more beneficial over time for patients with CD4 cell counts <200 cells/µl. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the low mortality rate, the risk of a new AIDS event or death follows a CD4 cell count gradient in patients with viral suppression. A higher CD4 cell count was associated with the greatest benefit for patients with a CD4 cell count <200 cells/µl but still some slight benefit for those with a CD4 cell count ≥500 cells/µl

A history of heart failure is an independent risk factor for death in patients admitted with coronavirus 19 disease

Aims: The association between cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease and hypertension, and worse outcomes in COVID-19 patients has been previously demonstrated. However, the effect of a prior diagnosis of heart failure (HF) with reduced or preserved left ventricular ejection fraction on COVID-19 outcomes has not yet been established. Methods and Results: We retrospectively studied all adult patients with COVID-19 admitted to our institution from March 1st to 2nd May 2020. Patients were grouped based on the presence or absence of HF. We used competing events survival models to examine the association between HF and death, need for intubation, or need for dialysis during hospitalization. Of 4043 patients admitted with COVID-19, 335 patients (8.3%) had a prior diagnosis of HF. Patients with HF were older, had lower body mass index, and a significantly higher burden of co-morbidities compared to patients without HF, yet the two groups presented to the hospital with similar clinical severity and similar markers of systemic inflammation. Patients with HF had a higher cumulative in-hospital mortality compared to patients without HF (49.0% vs. 27.2%, p &lt; 0.001) that remained statistically significant (HR = 1.383, p = 0.001) after adjustment for age, body mass index, and comorbidities, as well as after propensity score matching (HR = 1.528, p = 0.001). Notably, no differences in mortality, need for mechanical ventilation, or renal replacement therapy were observed among HF patients with preserved or reduced ejection fraction. Conclusions: The presence of HF is a risk factor of death, substantially increasing in-hospital mortality in patients admitted with COVID-19

Comparing the use of ERA5 reanalysis dataset and ground-based agrometeorological data under different climates and topography in Italy

Study region: The study region is represented by seven irrigation districts distributed under different climate and topography conditions in Italy. Study focus: This study explores the reliability and consistency of the global ERA5 single levels and ERA5-Land reanalysis datasets in predicting the main agrometeorological estimates commonly used for crop water requirements calculation. In particular, the reanalysis data was compared, variable-by-variable (e.g., solar radiation, R-s; air temperature, T-air; relative humidity, RH; wind speed, u(10); reference evapotranspiration, ET0), with in situ agrometeorological obser-vations obtained from 66 automatic weather stations (2008-2020). In addition, the presence of a climate-dependency on their accuracy was assessed at the different irrigation districts. New hydrological insights for the region: A general good agreement was obtained between observed and reanalysis agrometeorological variables at both daily and seasonal scales. The best perfor-mance was obtained for T-air, followed by RH, R-s, and u(10) for both reanalysis datasets, especially under temperate climate conditions. These performances were translated into slightly higher accuracy of ET0 estimates by ERA5-Land product, confirming the potential of using reanalysis datasets as an alternative data source for retrieving the ET0 and overcoming the unavailability of observed agrometeorological data

Match running performance and physical capacity profiles of U8 and U10 soccer players

Aim This study aimed to characterize match running performance of very young soccer players and evaluate the relationship between these data and physical capacities and technical skills. Methods Distances covered at different speed thresholds were measured during 31 official matches using GPS technology in U10 (n = 12; age 10.1 ± 0.1 years) and U8 (n = 15; age 7.9 ± 0.1 years) national soccer players. Counter movement jump performance (CMJ), 20 m shuttle running (20 m-SR), linear sprint performance (10, 20, 30 m), shuttle (SHDT) and slalom dribble tests (SLDT) were performed to determine the players physical capacities and technical skills. Results Physical capacities and technical skills were higher in U10 versus U8 players [P 0.05, ES: 0.74). The U10 players covered more total (TD) and high-intensity running distance (HIRD) than their younger counterparts did (P 0.05, ES: 0.99). TD and HIRD covered across the three 15 min periods of match play did not decline (P > 0.05, ES: 0.02–0.55). Very large magnitude correlations were observed between the U8 and U10 players performances during the 20 m-SR versus TD (r = 0.79; P < 0.01) and HIRD (r = 0.82; P < 0.01) covered during match play. Conclusions Data demonstrate differences in match running performance and physical capacity between U8 and U10 players, and large magnitude relationships between match play measures and physical test performances. These findings could be useful to sports science staff working within the academies

Impact of CD4 and CD8 dynamics and viral rebounds on loss of virological control in HIV controllers.

HIV controllers (HICs) spontaneously maintain HIV viral replication at low level without antiretroviral therapy (ART), a small number of whom will eventually lose this ability to control HIV viremia. The objective was to identify factors associated with loss of virological control. HICs were identified in COHERE on the basis of ≥5 consecutive viral loads (VL) ≤500 copies/mL over ≥1 year whilst ART-naive, with the last VL ≤500 copies/mL measured ≥5 years after HIV diagnosis. Loss of virological control was defined as 2 consecutive VL &gt;2000 copies/mL. Duration of HIV control was described using cumulative incidence method, considering loss of virological control, ART initiation and death during virological control as competing outcomes. Factors associated with loss of virological control were identified using Cox models. CD4 and CD8 dynamics were described using mixed-effect linear models. We identified 1067 HICs; 86 lost virological control, 293 initiated ART, and 13 died during virological control. Six years after confirmation of HIC status, the probability of losing virological control, initiating ART and dying were 13%, 37%, and 2%. Current lower CD4/CD8 ratio and a history of transient viral rebounds were associated with an increased risk of losing virological control. CD4 declined and CD8 increased before loss of virological control, and before viral rebounds. Expansion of CD8 and decline of CD4 during HIV control may result from repeated low-level viremia. Our findings suggest that in addition to superinfection, other mechanisms, such as low grade viral replication, can lead to loss of virological control in HICs