High Performance 400 Gigabit Ethernet Links using Hybrid Multiband CAP/QAM Scheme

We propose the first combined 4×100Gb/s hybrid multiband CAP-16 transmitter and QAM-16 receiver system and simulations show that it has 0.7 dBo (2.2 dBo) more power margin than 8×50Gb/s (4×100Gb/s) PAM-4 over DML (EML) SMF link.This work was partly supported by the European Union under a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship for Career Development (CEEOALAN project) and by the UK EPSRC via the INTERNET project.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available at https://www.osapublishing.org/abstract.cfm?uri=OFC-2015-Th2A.65

Risk of myocardial infarction and stroke after acute infection or vaccination.

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that chronic inflammation may promote atherosclerotic disease. We tested the hypothesis that acute infection and vaccination increase the short-term risk of vascular events. METHODS: We undertook within-person comparisons, using the case-series method, to study the risks of myocardial infarction and stroke after common vaccinations and naturally occurring infections. The study was based on the United Kingdom General Practice Research Database, which contains computerized medical records of more than 5 million patients. RESULTS: A total of 20,486 persons with a first myocardial infarction and 19,063 persons with a first stroke who received influenza vaccine were included in the analysis. There was no increase in the risk of myocardial infarction or stroke in the period after influenza, tetanus, or pneumococcal vaccination. However, the risks of both events were substantially higher after a diagnosis of systemic respiratory tract infection and were highest during the first three days (incidence ratio for myocardial infarction, 4.95; 95 percent confidence interval, 4.43 to 5.53; incidence ratio for stroke, 3.19; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.81 to 3.62). The risks then gradually fell during the following weeks. The risks were raised significantly but to a lesser degree after a diagnosis of urinary tract infection. The findings for recurrent myocardial infarctions and stroke were similar to those for first events. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide support for the concept that acute infections are associated with a transient increase in the risk of vascular events. By contrast, influenza, tetanus, and pneumococcal vaccinations do not produce a detectable increase in the risk of vascular events

“Does Short-term variation in fetal heart rate predict fetal acidaemia?” A Systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the association of short-term variation (STV) of the fetal heart rate in predicting fetal acidaemia at birth. Methods: The search strategy employed searching of electronic databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar) and reference lists of relevant studies. Data was extracted from studies, adhering strictly to the following criteria: singleton pregnancy at ≥ 24 weeks gestation, computerised CTG (index test) and calculation of STV before delivery. The outcome measure was arterial pH assessed in cord blood obtained at birth. Results: Meta-analysis showed moderate accuracy of STV in predicting fetal acidaemia with a sensitivity of 0.57 (95% CI: 0.45 to 0.68), specificity of 0.81 (95% CI: 0.69 to 0.89), positive likelihood ratio of 3.14 (95% CI: 2.13 to 4.63) and negative likelihood ratio of 0.58, (95% CI: 0.46 to 0.72). However, in intra-uterine growth restricted fetuses, a small improvement in detecting acidaemia was observed; with a sensitivity of 0.63, (95% CI: 0.49 to 0.75) and negative likelihood ratio of 0.50, (95% CI: 0.31 to 0.80). Conclusion: STV appears to be a moderate predictor for fetal acidaemia. However, its usefulness as a stand-alone test in predicting acidaemia in clinical setting remains to be determined

What's in the Gift? Towards a Molecular Dissection of Nuptial Feeding in a Cricket.

Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tResearch Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.Nuptial gifts produced by males and transferred to females during copulation are common in insects. Yet, their precise composition and subsequent physiological effects on the female recipient remain unresolved. Male decorated crickets Gryllodes sigillatus transfer a spermatophore to the female during copulation that is composed of an edible gift, the spermatophylax, and the ampulla that contains the ejaculate. After transfer of the spermatophore, the female detaches the spermatophylax and starts to eat it while sperm from the ampulla are evacuated into the female reproductive tract. When the female has finished consuming the spermatophylax, she detaches the ampulla and terminates sperm transfer. Hence, one simple function of the spermatophylax is to ensure complete sperm transfer by distracting the female from prematurely removing the ampulla. However, the majority of orally active components of the spermatophylax itself and their subsequent effects on female behavior have not been identified. Here, we report the first analysis of the proteome of the G. sigillatus spermatophylax and the transcriptome of the male accessory glands that make these proteins. The accessory gland transcriptome was assembled into 17,691 transcripts whilst about 30 proteins were detected within the mature spermatophylax itself. Of these 30 proteins, 18 were encoded by accessory gland encoded messages. Most spermatophylax proteins show no similarity to proteins with known biological functions and are therefore largely novel. A spermatophylax protein shows similarity to protease inhibitors suggesting that it may protect the biologically active components from digestion within the gut of the female recipient. Another protein shares similarity with previously characterized insect polypeptide growth factors suggesting that it may play a role in altering female reproductive physiology concurrent with fertilization. Characterization of the spermatophylax proteome provides the first step in identifying the genes encoding these proteins in males and in understanding their biological functions in the female recipient.Max Planck GesellschaftNational Science FoundationBBSRRoyal Societ

The effects of laryngeal mask airway passage simulation training on the acquisition of undergraduate clinical skills: a randomised controlled trial

Background\ud Effective use of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) requires learning proper insertion technique in normal patients undergoing routine surgical procedures. However, there is a move towards simulation training for learning practical clinical skills, such as LMA placement. The evidence linking different amounts of mannequin simulation training to the undergraduate clinical skill of LMA placement in real patients is limited. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness in vivo of two LMA placement simulation courses of different durations. \ud \ud Methods\ud Medical students (n = 126) enrolled in a randomised controlled trial. Seventy-eight of these students completed the trial. The control group (n = 38) received brief mannequin training while the intervention group (n = 40) received additional more intensive mannequin training as part of which they repeated LMA insertion until they were proficient. The anaesthetists supervising LMA placements in real patients rated the participants' performance on assessment forms. Participants completed a self-assessment questionnaire. \ud \ud Results\ud Additional mannequin training was not associated with improved performance (37% of intervention participants received an overall placement rating of > 3/5 on their first patient compared to 48% of the control group, $X^2$ = 0.81, p = 0.37). The agreement between the participants and their instructors in terms of LMA placement success rates was poor to fair. Participants reported that mannequins were poor at mimicking reality. \ud \ud Conclusions\ud The results suggest that the value of extended mannequin simulation training in the case of LMA placement is limited. Educators considering simulation for the training of practical skills should reflect on the extent to which the in vitro simulation mimics the skill required and the degree of difficulty of the procedure. \ud \u

Using CHIRON Spectroscopy to Test the Hypothesis of a Precessing Orbit for the WN4 star EZ CMa

The bright WN4 star EZ CMa exhibits a 3.77 day periodicity in photometry, spectroscopy, and polarimetry but the variations in the measurements are not strictly phase-locked, exhibiting changes in reference times, amplitudes, and the shape of the variability happening over times as short as a few weeks. Recently, 137 days of contiguous, variable photometry from BRITE-Constellation was interpreted as caused either by large-scale dense wind structures modulated by rotation, or by a fast-precessing binary having a slightly shorter 3.626 day orbital period and a fast apsidal motion rate of $1315^\circ\,\text{yr}^{-1}$. We aim at testing the latter hypothesis through analysis of spectroscopy and focus on the N\,{\sc v} $\lambda\,4945$ line. We derive an orbital solution for the system and reject the 3.626 day period to represent the variations in the radial velocities of EZ CMa. An orbital solution with an orbital period of 3.77 days was obtained but at the cost of an extremely high and thus improbable apsidal motion rate. Our best orbital solution yields a period of $3.751\pm0.001$\,days with no apsidal motion. We place our results in the context of other variability studies and system properties. While we cannot fully reject the precessing binary model, we find that the corotating interaction region (CIR) hypothesis is better supported by these and other data through qualitative models of CIRs.Comment: accepted to MNRA

Kinetic Characterisation of a Single Chain Antibody against the Hormone Abscisic Acid: Comparison with Its Parental Monoclonal

A single-chain Fv fragment antibody (scFv) specific for the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) has been expressed in the bacterium Escherichia coli as a fusion protein. The kinetics of ABA binding have been measured using surface plasmon resonance spectrometry (BIAcore 2000) using surface and solution assays. Care was taken to calculate the concentration of active protein in each sample using initial rate measurements under conditions of partial mass transport limitation. The fusion product, parental monoclonal antibody and the free scFv all have low nanomolar affinity constants, but there is a lower dissociation rate constant for the parental monoclonal resulting in a three-fold greater affinity. Analogue specificity was tested and structure-activity binding preferences measured. The biologically-active (+)-ABA enantiomer is recognised with an affinity three orders of magnitude higher than the inactive (-)-ABA. Metabolites of ABA including phaseic acid, dihydrophaseic acid and deoxy-ABA have affinities over 100-fold lower than that for (+)-ABA. These properties of the scFv make it suitable as a sensor domain in bioreporters specific for the naturally occurring form of ABA

Surgical margins and survival after head and neck cancer surgery

BACKGROUND: Mixed results exist as to whether positive surgical margins impact survival. The aim of this study was to determine whether positive surgical margins are indeed associated with decreased survival in patients with primary head and neck cancer. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 261 cases diagnosed with cancer of the larynx or tongue between 1995 and 1999. Cases were followed through December 31, 2002. Survival curves by margin status were generated by Kaplan-Meier methods. Categorical data were evaluated with odds ratios (OR). RESULTS: All-cause mortality was markedly higher in cases with positive margins as compared with those with negative margins (54% versus 29%, P = 0.005). This pattern also appeared after adjusting for age and sex (OR = 2.97, 95% CI: 1.29 – 6.84). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that positive surgical margin status is associated with increased mortality. This association also generally persists after adjustment for tumor size, stage, and adjuvant therapy

Physiological models of body composition and human obesity

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Rural to Urban Migration and Changes in Cardiovascular risk Factors in Tanzania: A Prospective Cohort Study.

High levels of rural to urban migration are a feature of most African countries. Our aim was to investigate changes, and their determinants, in cardiovascular risk factors on rural to urban migration in Tanzania. Men and women (15 to 59 years) intending to migrate from Morogoro rural region to Dar es Salaam for at least 6 months were identified. Measurements were made at least one week but no more than one month prior to migration, and 1 to 3 monthly after migration. Outcome measures included body mass index, blood pressure, fasting lipids, and self reported physical activity and diet. One hundred and three men, 106 women, mean age 29 years, were recruited and 132 (63.2%) followed to 12 months. All the figures presented here refer to the difference between baseline and 12 months in these 132 individuals. Vigorous physical activity declined (79.4% to 26.5% in men, 37.8% to 15.6% in women, p < 0.001), and weight increased (2.30 kg men, 2.35 kg women, p < 0.001). Intake of red meat increased, but so did the intake of fresh fruit and vegetables. HDL cholesterol increased in men and women (0.24, 0.25 mmoll-1 respectively, p < 0.001); and in men, not women, total cholesterol increased (0.42 mmoll-1, p = 0.01), and triglycerides fell (0.31 mmoll-1, p = 0.034). Blood pressure appeared to fall in both men and women. For example, in men systolic blood pressure fell by 5.4 mmHg, p = 0.007, and in women by 8.6 mmHg, p = 0.001. The lower level of physical activity and increasing weight will increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, changes in diet were mixed, and may have contributed to mixed changes in lipid profiles and a lack of rise in blood pressure. A better understanding of the changes occurring on rural to urban migration is needed to guide preventive measures