Deformation spaces of Kleinian surface groups are not locally connected

For any closed surface $S$ of genus $g \geq 2$, we show that the deformation space of marked hyperbolic 3-manifolds homotopy equivalent to $S$, $AH(S \times I)$, is not locally connected. This proves a conjecture of Bromberg who recently proved that the space of Kleinian punctured torus groups is not locally connected. Playing an essential role in our proof is a new version of the filling theorem that is based on the theory of cone-manifold deformations developed by Hodgson, Kerckhoff, and Bromberg

Charge-remote fragmentation in a hybrid (BEqQ) mass spectrometer to determine isotopic purity in selectively polydeuterated surfactants

AbstractThe combination of fast atom bombardment with charge-remote fragmentation using a hybrid (BEqQ) mass spectrometer was used successfully to assess and localize the extent of selective deuterium isotope labeling of tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromdes. Spectral details reveal a new reaction that can give rise to ions isobaric with those formed by charge-remote fragmentation

Correction: How do people become W.E.I.R.D.? Migration reveals the cultural transmission mechanisms underlying variation in psychological processes

This is the final version. Available on open access via the DOI in this recordThe article to which this is the correction is available in ORE at http://hdl.handle.net/10871/19436This is the correction to: Mesoudi A, Magid K, Hussain D (2016) How Do People Become W.E.I.R.D.? Migration Reveals the Cultural Transmission Mechanisms Underlying Variation in Psychological Processes. PLoS ONE 11(1): e0147162. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.014716

Visions of a more precise soil biology

Includes bibliographical references (pages 389-390).Soils have often been viewed as a black box. Soil biology is difficult to study with the precision we would wish, due to the presence of considerable soil heterogeneity, a huge diversity of organisms, and a plethora of interacting processes taking place in a complex physical-chemical environment. We have isolated a tiny fraction of the known organisms, and the possible interactions of soil parent materials, landscape, land use, depth and time with the biota mean that we are to some extent still fumbling in the dark. There have been great advances, but we argue that the pace of advance could be faster. To progress, science needs new theory and concepts but also acceptable methodologies. Coherent and generally accepted theoretical knowledge exists in many areas, but there is a shortage of valid and exact methods to test new and sometimes even old hypotheses. New methods add knowledge, but they also can add to the confusion if they are not tied to the existing knowledge base. We speculate on how to improve soil biology through improving the way we perform and interpret research. Can we deal with soil variability? Can we measure the critical variables with adequate precision to test our hypotheses? Can we avoid reinventing the wheel? Can we find a balance between the freedom to test new and maybe even controversial ideas and the control and direction of research required by society?

AIPvariant causing familial prolactinoma

Pathogenic variants in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor-interacting protein (AIP) gene are increasingly recognised as a cause of familial isolated pituitary adenoma. AIP-associated tumours are most commonly growth hormone (GH) producing. In our cohort of 175 AIP mutation positive patients representing 93 kindreds, 139 (79%) have GH excess, 19 have prolactinoma (17 familial and 2 sporadic cases) and out of the 17 clinically non-functioning tumours 4 were subsequently operated and found to be GH or GH & prolactin immunopositive adenoma. Here we report a family with an AIP variant, in which multiple family members are affected by prolactinoma, but none with GH excess. To our knowledge this is the first reported family with an AIP pathogenic variant to be affected solely by prolactinoma. These data suggest that prolactinoma families represent a small subset of AIP mutation positive kindreds, and similar to young-onset sporadic prolactinomas, AIP screening would be indicated

Evaluation of The Economic Efficacy of Some Antimycotoxicosis Compounds on Production and Humoral Immunity in Broiler Chickens.

Mycotoxicosis is an important problem in poultry industry causing global economic losses constituting a great threat. The present study was designed to investigate the ameliorative effects of four different antimycotoxicosis compounds (AMCs) against production, economic performance and humoral immunity induced by intoxication of dietary aflatoxin (AF) and/or ochratoxin (OT) in broiler chicks. Experiment (I), AF (23 ppb) and OT (17 ppb) were fed alone or mixed and in association with antimycotoxin feed additives, product A or B (1 and 0.5 g/kg feed), respectively. In experiment (II), the intoxicated chicks treated with antimycotoxin drugs, product C or D in drinking water (1ml/liter/3 successive days and 0.5 ml/liter/one day), respectively. Results revealed that chicks intoxicated with AF and/or OT showed significant (P<0.05) increase in feed conversion ratio (FCR) and mortality percentages (%) while the antibody titers against Newcastle disease (ND) virus were significantly (P<0.05) reduced. It is interesting to note that the adverse effects on FCR and mortality % were significantly (P<0.05) reduced in the single AF or OT contaminated diets with dietary supplementation of product A but in the mixed AF and OT contaminated diet, FCR were significantly (P<0.05) decreased with addition of product B. Also, product B showed significant (P<0.05) increase in the antibody titers against ND in all AF and/or OT contaminated groups. Moreover, the treatment of AF and/or OT intoxicated chicks with product C or D in the drinking water was reported significant (P<0.05) decrease in the mortality% and non-significant (P>0.05) change in FCR and ND antibody titers

Impaired Chronotropic Response to Exercise Stress Testing in Patients With Diabetes Predicts Future Cardiovascular Events

OBJECTIVES— To assess the association between impaired chronotropic response (CR) and adverse events among patients with diabetes referred for exercise treadmill testing (ETT)

Atrial fibrillation and outcomes in heart failure with preserved versus reduced left ventricular ejection fraction

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are 2 of the most common cardiovascular conditions nationally and AF frequently complicates HF. We examined how AF has impacts on adverse outcomes in HF-PEF versus HF-REF within a large, contemporary cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified all adults diagnosed with HF-PEF or HF-REF based on hospital discharge and ambulatory visit diagnoses and relevant imaging results for 2005-2008 from 4 health plans in the Cardiovascular Research Network. Data on demographic features, diagnoses, procedures, outpatient pharmacy use, and laboratory results were ascertained from health plan databases. Hospitalizations for HF, stroke, and any reason were identified from hospital discharge and billing claims databases. Deaths were ascertained from health plan and state death files. Among 23 644 patients with HF, 11 429 (48.3%) had documented AF (9081 preexisting, 2348 incident). Compared with patients who did not have AF, patients with AF had higher adjusted rates of ischemic stroke (hazard ratio [HR] 2.47 for incident AF; HR 1.57 for preexisting AF), hospitalization for HF (HR 2.00 for incident AF; HR 1.22 for preexisting AF), all-cause hospitalization (HR 1.45 for incident AF; HR 1.15 for preexisting AF), and death (incident AF HR 1.67; preexisting AF HR 1.13). The associations of AF with these outcomes were similar for HF-PEF and HF-REF, with the exception of ischemic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: AF is a potent risk factor for adverse outcomes in patients with HF-PEF or HF-REF. Effective interventions are needed to improve the prognosis of these high-risk patients

Tannakian duality for Anderson-Drinfeld motives and algebraic independence of Carlitz logarithms

We develop a theory of Tannakian Galois groups for t-motives and relate this to the theory of Frobenius semilinear difference equations. We show that the transcendence degree of the period matrix associated to a given t-motive is equal to the dimension of its Galois group. Using this result we prove that Carlitz logarithms of algebraic functions that are linearly independent over the rational function field are algebraically independent.Comment: 39 page

Use of Risk Models to Predict Death in the Next Year Among Individual Ambulatory Patients With Heart Failure

Importance: The clinical practice guidelines for heart failure recommend the use of validated risk models to estimate prognosis. Understanding how well models identify individuals who will die in the next year informs decision making for advanced treatments and hospice. Objective: To quantify how risk models calculated in routine practice estimate more than 50% 1-year mortality among ambulatory patients with heart failure who die in the subsequent year. Design, Setting, and Participants: Ambulatory adults with heart failure from 3 integrated health systems were enrolled between 2005 and 2008. The probability of death was estimated using the Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM) and the Meta-Analysis Global Group in Chronic Heart Failure (MAGGIC) risk calculator. Baseline covariates were collected from electronic health records. Missing covariates were imputed. Estimated mortality was compared with actual mortality at both population and individual levels. Main Outcomes and Measures: One-year mortality. Results: Among 10930 patients with heart failure, the median age was 77 years, and 48.0% of these patients were female. In the year after study enrollment, 1661 patients died (15.9% by life-table analysis). At the population level, 1-year predicted mortality among the cohort was 9.7% for the SHFM (C statistic of 0.66) and 17.5% for the MAGGIC risk calculator (C statistic of 0.69). At the individual level, the SHFM predicted a more than 50% probability of dying in the next year for 8 of the 1661 patients who died (sensitivity for 1-year death was 0.5%) and for 5 patients who lived at least a year (positive predictive value, 61.5%). The MAGGIC risk calculator predicted a more than 50% probability of dying in the next year for 52 of the 1661 patients who died (sensitivity, 3.1%) and for 63 patients who lived at least a year (positive predictive value, 45.2%). Conversely, the SHFM estimated that 8496 patients (77.8%) had a less than 15% probability of dying at 1 year, yet this lower-risk end of the score range captured nearly two-thirds of deaths (n = 997); similarly, the MAGGIC risk calculator estimated a probability of dying of less than 25% for the majority of patients who died at 1 year (n = 914). Conclusions and Relevance: Although heart failure risk models perform reasonably well at the population level, they do not reliably predict which individual patients will die in the next year