Longitudinal changes in prospective memory and their clinical correlates at 1-year follow-up in first-episode schizophrenia

This study aimed to investigate prospective memory (PM) and the association with clinical factors at 1-year follow-up in first-episode schizophrenia (FES). Thirty-two FES patients recruited from a university-affiliated psychiatric hospital in Beijing and 17 healthy community controls (HCs) were included. Time- and event-based PM (TBPM and EBPM) performances were measured with the Chinese version of the Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CCAMPROMPT) at baseline and at one-year follow-up. A number of other neurocognitive tests were also administered. Remission was determined at the endpoint according to the PANSS score _ 3 for selected items. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a significant interaction between time (baseline vs. endpoint) and group (FES vs. HCs) for EBPM (F(1, 44) = 8.8, p = 0.005) and for all neurocognitive components. Paired samples ttests showed significant improvement in EBPM in FES (13.1±3.7 vs. 10.3±4.8; t = 3.065, p = 0.004), compared to HCs (15.7±3.6 vs. 16.5±2.3; t = -1.248, p = 0.230). A remission rate of 59.4% was found in the FES group. Analysis of covariance revealed that remitters performed significantly better on EBPM (14.9±2.6 vs. 10.4±3.6; F(1, 25) = 12.2, p = 0.002) than non-remitters at study endpoint. The association between EBPM and 12-month clinical improvement in FES suggests that EBPM may be a potential neurocognitive marker for the effectiveness of standard pharmacotherapy. Furthermore, the findings also imply that PM may not be strictly a trait-related endophenotype as indicated in previous studies

Stochastic magnetohydrodynamic turbulence in space dimensions d≥2d\ge 2

Interplay of kinematic and magnetic forcing in a model of a conducting fluid with randomly driven magnetohydrodynamic equations has been studied in space dimensions $d\ge 2$ by means of the renormalization group. A perturbative expansion scheme, parameters of which are the deviation of the spatial dimension from two and the deviation of the exponent of the powerlike correlation function of random forcing from its critical value, has been used in one-loop approximation. Additional divergences have been taken into account which arise at two dimensions and have been inconsistently treated in earlier investigations of the model. It is shown that in spite of the additional divergences the kinetic fixed point associated with the Kolmogorov scaling regime remains stable for all space dimensions $d\ge 2$ for rapidly enough falling off correlations of the magnetic forcing. A scaling regime driven by thermal fluctuations of the velocity field has been identified and analyzed. The absence of a scaling regime near two dimensions driven by the fluctuations of the magnetic field has been confirmed. A new renormalization scheme has been put forward and numerically investigated to interpolate between the $\epsilon$ expansion and the double expansion.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Developments in synthesis, characterization, and application of large, high-quality CVD single crystal diamond

Single crystal diamond synthesis by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition at rapid growth rate has considerably advanced in the past few years. Developments have been made in growth, optical quality, and mechanical properties. Of the various types of single crystal diamond that can be produced using these techniques, high quality single crystal CVD diamond can be routinely produced, and this material is playing an increasing role in research on materials under extreme conditions. This article highlights recent developments in single crystal CVD diamond synthesis and characterization, as well as various applications in high-pressure materials research.За останні кілька роки синтез монокристалів алмазу мікрохвильовим плазмовим хімічним осадженням з газової фази з високою швидкістю значно просунувся. Прогрес було досягнуто у рості, оптичних і механічних властивостях. З різних типів монокристалічного алмазу, що можна отримати з використанням цього методу, регулярно виробляють високоякісні монокристалічні CVD-алмази, і цей матеріал відіграє все більш важливу роль при дослідженні матеріалів в екстремальних умовах. У даній роботі висвітлено останні досягнення в синтезі монокристалічного CVD-алмазу і дослідженні його характеристик, а також його різне застосування у дослідженні матеріалів при високому тиску.За последние несколько лет синтез монокристаллов алмаза микроволновым плазменным химическим осаждением из газовой фазы с высокой скоростью значительно продвинулся. Прогресс был достигнут в росте, оптических и механических свойствах. Из различных типов монокристаллического алмаза, которые могут быть получены с использованием этого метода, регулярно производят высококачественные монокристаллы CVD-алмаза, и этот материал играет все более важную роль в исследовании материалов в экстремальных условиях. В этой работе осветлены последние разработки в синтезе монокристаллов CVD-алмаза и исследовании его характерист

Increased Mobilisation of Circulating Endothelial Progenitors in von Hippel-Lindau Disease and Renal Cell Carcinoma

Background: Circulating endothelial cells (CECs) are a candidate biomarker for monitoring angiogenesis in cancer. Circulating endothelial cell subsets are mobilised by angiogenic mediators. Because of the highly angiogenic phenotype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC), we sought to assess the potential of CECs as a marker of RCC in patients with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease and those with sporadic RCC. Methods: We performed multicolour flow cytometry to enumerate CECs in patients with RCC, patients with VHL disease with and without RCC, and normal subjects. Two subsets of CECs were evaluated: mature CECs (mCECs) and circulating endothelial progenitors (CEPs). Results: In patients with VHL disease and RCC and those with sporadic RCC (N=10), CEPs and the CEP:mCEC ratio were higher than in normal subjects (N=17) (median CEPs: 0.97 vs 0.19 cells $\mu l^{-1}$, respectively, P<0.01; median CEP:mCEC: 0.92 vs 0.58, respectively, P=0.04). However, in patients with VHL without RCC, CECs were not increased. In paired pre- and post-nephrectomy RCC patient samples (N=20), CEPs decreased after surgery (median difference 0.02 cells $\mu l^{-1}$, −0.06 to 1.2; P=0.05). Conclusion: Circulating endothelial progenitors were elevated in RCC, but not in patients with VHL without RCC. Circulating endothelial progenitor enumeration merits further investigation as a monitoring strategy for patients with VHL

Mitigating aflatoxin contamination in groundnut through a combination of genetic resistance and post-harvest management practices

Aflatoxin is considered a “hidden poison” due to its slow and adverse effect on various biological pathways in humans, particularly among children, in whom it leads to delayed development, stunted growth, liver damage, and liver cancer. Unfortunately, the unpredictable behavior of the fungus as well as climatic conditions pose serious challenges in precise phenotyping, genetic prediction and genetic improvement, leaving the complete onus of preventing aflatoxin contamination in crops on post-harvest management. Equipping popular crop varieties with genetic resistance to aflatoxin is key to effective lowering of infection in farmer’s fields. A combination of genetic resistance for in vitro seed colonization (IVSC), pre-harvest aflatoxin contamination (PAC) and aflatoxin production together with pre- and post-harvest management may provide a sustainable solution to aflatoxin contamination. In this context, modern “omics” approaches, including next-generation genomics technologies, can provide improved and decisive information and genetic solutions. Preventing contamination will not only drastically boost the consumption and trade of the crops and products across nations/regions, but more importantly, stave off deleterious health problems among consumers across the globe

Enamel remineralization via poly(amido amine) and adhesive resin containing calcium phosphate nanoparticles

Objectives:The objective of this study was to investigate enamel remineralization using salivary statherin pro-tein-inspired poly(amidoamine) dendrimer (SN15-PAMAM) and adhesive containing nanoparticles of amor-phous calcium phosphate (NACP) in a cyclic artificial saliva/demineralizing solution for thefirst time.Methods:The enamel shear bond strengths of NACP adhesives were measured compared to commercial adhesive(Scotchbond Multi-Purpose, 3 M). Adhesive disks containing NACP were tested for calcium (Ca) and phosphorus(P) ions release. Four groups were tested: (1) enamel control, (2) enamel with NACP, (3) enamel with SN15-PAMAM, and (4) enamel with SN15-PAMAM + NACP. The specimens were treated with cyclic artificial saliva/demineralizing solution for 28 days. The remineralized enamel specimens were examined by surface and cross-sectional hardness test.Results:NACP adhesive yielded a similar shear bond strength to commercial control (Scotchbond Multi-Purpose,3 M). NACP adhesive released high levels of Ca and P ions. At 28 days, the enamel hardness of SN15-PAMAM +NACP group was 2.89 ± 0.13 GPa, significantly higher than that of control group (1.46 ± 0.10 GPa) (p< 0.05).SN15-PAMAM + NACP increased the enamel cross-sectional hardness at 28 days; at 25μm, enamel cross-sectional hardness was 90 % higher than that of control group (p< 0.05).Significance:The novel SN15-PAMAM + NACP adhesive method could achieve 90 % higher enamel reminer-alization of the artificial caries than the control under acid challenge for thefirst time. This method is promisingfor use after tooth cavity preparation, or as a coating on enamel with white spot lesions (WSLs) for prevention, toreduce secondary caries, prevent caries procession and protect tooth structures

Intrinsic efficiency limits in low-bandgap non-fullerene acceptor organic solar cells

In bulk heterojunction (BHJ) organic solar cells (OSCs) both the electron affinity (EA) and ionization energy (IE) offsets at the donor–acceptor interface should equally control exciton dissociation. Here, we demonstrate that in low-bandgap non-fullerene acceptor (NFA) BHJs ultrafast donor-to-acceptor energy transfer precedes hole transfer from the acceptor to the donor and thus renders the EA offset virtually unimportant. Moreover, sizeable bulk IE offsets of about 0.5 eV are needed for efficient charge transfer and high internal quantum efficiencies, since energy level bending at the donor–NFA interface caused by the acceptors’ quadrupole moments prevents efficient exciton-to-charge-transfer state conversion at low IE offsets. The same bending, however, is the origin of the barrier-less charge transfer state to free charge conversion. Our results provide a comprehensive picture of the photophysics of NFA-based blends, and show that sizeable bulk IE offsets are essential to design efficient BHJ OSCs based on low-bandgap NFAs

An Integrated TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource to Drive High-Quality Survival Outcome Analytics

For a decade, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) program collected clinicopathologic annotation data along with multi-platform molecular profiles of more than 11,000 human tumors across 33 different cancer types. TCGA clinical data contain key features representing the democratized nature of the data collection process. To ensure proper use of this large clinical dataset associated with genomic features, we developed a standardized dataset named the TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource (TCGA-CDR), which includes four major clinical outcome endpoints. In addition to detailing major challenges and statistical limitations encountered during the effort of integrating the acquired clinical data, we present a summary that includes endpoint usage recommendations for each cancer type. These TCGA-CDR findings appear to be consistent with cancer genomics studies independent of the TCGA effort and provide opportunities for investigating cancer biology using clinical correlates at an unprecedented scale. Analysis of clinicopathologic annotations for over 11,000 cancer patients in the TCGA program leads to the generation of TCGA Clinical Data Resource, which provides recommendations of clinical outcome endpoint usage for 33 cancer types

Search for a W' boson decaying to a bottom quark and a top quark in pp collisions at sqrt(s) = 7 TeV

Results are presented from a search for a W' boson using a dataset corresponding to 5.0 inverse femtobarns of integrated luminosity collected during 2011 by the CMS experiment at the LHC in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV. The W' boson is modeled as a heavy W boson, but different scenarios for the couplings to fermions are considered, involving both left-handed and right-handed chiral projections of the fermions, as well as an arbitrary mixture of the two. The search is performed in the decay channel W' to t b, leading to a final state signature with a single lepton (e, mu), missing transverse energy, and jets, at least one of which is tagged as a b-jet. A W' boson that couples to fermions with the same coupling constant as the W, but to the right-handed rather than left-handed chiral projections, is excluded for masses below 1.85 TeV at the 95% confidence level. For the first time using LHC data, constraints on the W' gauge coupling for a set of left- and right-handed coupling combinations have been placed. These results represent a significant improvement over previously published limits.Comment: Submitted to Physics Letters B. Replaced with version publishe