Voltage-programmable liquid optical interface

Recently, there has been intense interest in photonic devices based on microfluidics, including displays and refractive tunable microlenses and optical beamsteerers, that work using the principle of electrowetting. Here, we report a novel approach to optical devices in which static wrinkles are produced at the surface of a thin film of oil as a result of dielectrophoretic forces. We have demonstrated this voltage-programmable surface wrinkling effect in periodic devices with pitch lengths of between 20 and 240 µm and with response times of less than 40 µs. By a careful choice of oils, it is possible to optimize either for high-amplitude sinusoidal wrinkles at micrometre-scale pitches or more complex non-sinusoidal profiles with higher Fourier components at longer pitches. This opens up the possibility of developing rapidly responsive voltage-programmable, polarization-insensitive transmission and reflection diffraction devices and arbitrary surface profile optical devices

Polarity of the First Episode and Time to Diagnosis of Bipolar I Disorder

Objective The current study explored the relationship between the polarity of the first episode and the timing of eventual diagnosis of bipolar I disorder, and associated clinical implications. Methods Twelve years of clinical data from the medical records of 258 inpatients meeting DSM-III-R or DSM-IV criteria for bipolar I disorder were analyzed. Subjects were divided into two groups according to the polarity of the first episode: those with depressive polarity (FE-D), and those with manic polarity (FE-M). Comparisons were made between the two groups on variables associated with the timing of diagnosis and related outcomes. Results In Population with bipolar I disorder, a significant longer time lapse from the first major mood episode to the confirmed diagnosis was associated with the FE-D group compared to the FE-M group [5.6 (+/- 6.1) vs. 2.5 (+/- 5.5) years, p<0.001]. FE-D subjects tended to have prior diagnoses of schizophrenia and major depressive disorder while FE-M subjects tended to have prior diagnoses of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. A significantly higher rate of suicide attempts was associated with the FE-D group compared to the FE-M group (12.7 vs. 1.7%, p<0.001). Conclusion The results of this study indicate that first-episode depressive polarity is likely to be followed by a considerable delay until an eventual confirmed diagnosis of bipolar I disorder. Given that first-episode depressive patients are particularly vulnerable to unfavorable clinical Outcomes Such as suicide attempts, a more systematic approach is needed to differentiate bipolar disorder among depressed patients in their early stages.Rosa AR, 2008, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V107, P45, DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2007.07.021Chaudhury SR, 2007, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V104, P245, DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2007.02.022Berk M, 2007, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V103, P181, DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2007.01.027Benazzi F, 2007, LANCET, V369, P935GOODWIN FK, 2007, MANIC DEPRESSIVE ILLDaban C, 2006, COMPR PSYCHIAT, V47, P433, DOI 10.1016/j.comppsych.2006.03.009McElroy SL, 2006, BIPOLAR DISORD, V8, P596Kassem L, 2006, AM J PSYCHIAT, V163, P1754Colom F, 2006, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V93, P13, DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2006.01.032Perlis RH, 2005, AM J MANAG CARE, V11, pS271Perlis RH, 2005, BIOL PSYCHIAT, V58, P549, DOI 10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.07.029Gazalle FK, 2005, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V86, P313, DOI 10.1016/j.jad.2005.01.003Ghaemi SN, 2005, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V84, P273, DOI 10.1016/S0165-0327(03)00196-4Post JC, 2005, CURR OPIN ALLERGY CL, V5, P5Mitchell PB, 2004, BIPOLAR DISORD, V6, P530Goodwin FK, 2003, JAMA-J AM MED ASSOC, V290, P1467Morselli PL, 2003, BIPOLAR DISORD, V5, P265Daniels BA, 2003, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V75, P163, DOI 10.1016/S0165-0327(02)00041-1Baethge C, 2003, ACTA PSYCHIAT SCAND, V107, P260Hirschfeld RMA, 2003, J CLIN PSYCHIAT, V64, P161Goldberg JF, 2002, J CLIN PSYCHIAT, V63, P985Ghaemi SN, 2002, CAN J PSYCHIAT, V47, P125Suppes T, 2001, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V67, P45Hirsch M, 2001, YALE J CRIT, V14, P5Bowden CL, 2001, PSYCHIATR SERV, V52, P51Hirschfeld RMA, 2000, AM J PSYCHIAT, V157, P1873Ghaemi SN, 2000, J CLIN PSYCHIAT, V61, P804Perugi G, 2000, COMPR PSYCHIAT, V41, P13GHAEMI SN, 2000, J CLIN PSYCHIAT, V61, P809Ghaemi SN, 1999, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V52, P135Baldessarini RJ, 1999, J CLIN PSYCHIAT, V60, P77BALDESSARINI RJ, 1999, J CLIN PSYCHIAT S2, V60, P111LISH JD, 1994, J AFFECT DISORDERS, V31, P281WEHR TA, 1988, AM J PSYCHIAT, V145, P179

Soluble polysaccharides reduce binding and inhibitory activity of tea polyphenols against porcine pancreatic α-amylase

The effects of three soluble polysaccharides on the inhibitory activity of tea polyphenols against porcine pancreatic α-amylase (PPA) were studied through PPA inhibition, half inhibition concentration (IC50), inhibition kinetics and fluorescence quenching. The results show that citrus pectin, wheat arabinoxylan and oat β-glucan could each increase the IC50 values and competitive inhibition constants (Kic), and decrease the fluorescence quenching constants (KFQ) of tea polyphenols interacting with PPA. The data show a competitive interaction equilibrium among polysaccharides, polyphenols and PPA. For individual polyphenols, there were negative linear correlations between both the values of 1/Kic and KFQ and that of IC50 with and without polysaccharides, indicating that the decreased inhibitory activity of polyphenols induced by the polysaccharides was caused by the reduced binding of polyphenols with PPA. Additionally, the slopes of the linear relationship between IC50 and Kic and that between KFQ and 1/Kic remained stable with and without polysaccharides, suggesting that these constants may be combined to characterize the effects of soluble polysaccharides on the PPA inhibition by polyphenols

Evolutionary trade-offs underlie the multi-faceted virulence of Staphylococcus aureus

Published onlineJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tBacterial virulence is a multifaceted trait where the interactions between pathogen and host factors affect the severity and outcome of the infection. Toxin secretion is central to the biology of many bacterial pathogens and is widely accepted as playing a crucial role in disease pathology. To understand the relationship between toxicity and bacterial virulence in greater depth, we studied two sequenced collections of the major human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus and found an unexpected inverse correlation between bacterial toxicity and disease severity. By applying a functional genomics approach, we identified several novel toxicity-affecting loci responsible for the wide range in toxic phenotypes observed within these collections. To understand the apparent higher propensity of low toxicity isolates to cause bacteraemia, we performed several functional assays, and our findings suggest that within-host fitness differences between high- and low-toxicity isolates in human serum is a contributing factor. As invasive infections, such as bacteraemia, limit the opportunities for onward transmission, highly toxic strains could gain an additional between-host fitness advantage, potentially contributing to the maintenance of toxicity at the population level. Our results clearly demonstrate how evolutionary trade-offs between toxicity, relative fitness, and transmissibility are critical for understanding the multifaceted nature of bacterial virulence

Wet Granular Materials

Most studies on granular physics have focused on dry granular media, with no liquids between the grains. However, in geology and many real world applications (e.g., food processing, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, civil engineering, constructions, and many industrial applications), liquid is present between the grains. This produces inter-grain cohesion and drastically modifies the mechanical properties of the granular media (e.g., the surface angle can be larger than 90 degrees). Here we present a review of the mechanical properties of wet granular media, with particular emphasis on the effect of cohesion. We also list several open problems that might motivate future studies in this exciting but mostly unexplored field.Comment: review article, accepted for publication in Advances in Physics; tex-style change

Types of interventions targeting dietary, physical activity and weight-related outcomes among university students : a systematic review of systematic reviews

Belogianni, Katerina - ORCID 0000-0002-3634-7861 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3634-7861Item previously deposited in Kingston University repository on 17 April 2019 at: http://eprints.kingston.ac.uk/id/eprint/43127Item not available in this repository.A plethora of studies aiming to improve dietary, physical activity (PA), and weight-related (WR) outcomes among university students have been implemented and summarized in a series of systematic reviews, with unclear conclusions regarding their effectiveness. This overview aims to identify systematic reviews and meta-analyses of studies aiming to improve health outcomes in university students, to assess their methodological quality, to identify the different types of interventions used and outcomes assessed, and to estimate their overall effect. Four electronic databases were searched until 19 March, 2018 following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The identified reviews were described and their methodological quality was rated. The studies of reviews were investigated to identify the different types of interventions used and outcomes assessed. Effectiveness was assessed by measuring the overall number of improved outcomes out of the total number of outcomes reported. As a result, 8 reviews were identified targeting food sales (n = 2), dietary (n = 3), PA (n = 1), WR (n = 1), or all outcomes (n = 1). The methodological quality of the reviews was moderate (n = 5) to low (n = 3). In all, the reviews included 122 studies, of which 36 used an environmental, 51 a face-to-face, 30 an e-intervention, and 5 a combined approach. Environmental interventions improved a moderate number of food sales (32 of 61) and dietary intake (22 of 47) outcomes. Face-to-face interventions improved a high number of dietary cognitive outcomes (15 of 18), a moderate number of dietary intake (28 of 65) and WR (11 of 18) outcomes, and a low number of PA behavioral (22 of 69) and cognitive (2 of 14) outcomes. E-interventions improved a high number of dietary cognitive variables (11 of 16) but had a low effect (≤33%) on the other types of outcomes. In conclusion, face-to-face and e-interventions improved cognitive variables toward diet or PA but were less effective in changing actual behaviors. Environmental interventions favorably changed food sales. Face-to-face and e-interventions moderately affected WR outcomes. Future research should focus on long-term studies.http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmz027inpressinpres

Cracking-assisted Fabrication of Nanoscale Patterns for Micro/Nanotechnological Applications

Cracks are frequently observed in daily life, but they are rarely welcome and are considered as a material failure mode. Interestingly, cracks cause critical problems in various micro/nanofabrication processes such as colloidal assembly, thin film deposition, and even standard photolithography because they are hard to avoid or control. However, increasing attention has been given recently to control and use cracks as a facile, low-cost strategy for producing highly ordered nanopatterns. Specifically, cracking is the breakage of molecular bonds and occurs simultaneously over a large area, enabling fabrication of nanoscale patterns at both high resolution and high throughput, which are difficult to obtain simultaneously using conventional nanofabrication techniques. In this review, we discuss various cracking-assisted nanofabrication techniques, referred to as crack lithography, and summarize the fabrication principles, procedures, and characteristics of the crack patterns such as their position, direction, and dimensions. First, we categorize crack lithography techniques into three technical development levels according to the directional freedom of the crack patterns: randomly oriented, unidirectional, or multidirectional. Then, we describe a wide range of novel practical devices fabricated by crack lithography, including bioassay platforms, nanofluidic devices, nanowire sensors, and even biomimetic mechanosensors.ope

The Dynamics of Supply and Demand in mRNA Translation

We study the elongation stage of mRNA translation in eukaryotes and find that, in contrast to the assumptions of previous models, both the supply and the demand for tRNA resources are important for determining elongation rates. We find that increasing the initiation rate of translation can lead to the depletion of some species of aa-tRNA, which in turn can lead to slow codons and queueing. Particularly striking “competition” effects are observed in simulations of multiple species of mRNA which are reliant on the same pool of tRNA resources. These simulations are based on a recent model of elongation which we use to study the translation of mRNA sequences from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome. This model includes the dynamics of the use and recharging of amino acid tRNA complexes, and we show via Monte Carlo simulation that this has a dramatic effect on the protein production behaviour of the system

Changes in Body Weight and Psychotropic Drugs: A Systematic Synthesis of the Literature

<div><h3>Introduction</h3><p>Psychotropic medication use is associated with weight gain. While there are studies and reviews comparing weight gain for psychotropics within some classes, clinicians frequently use drugs from different classes to treat psychiatric disorders.</p> <h3>Objective</h3><p>To undertake a systematic review of all classes of psychotropics to provide an all encompassing evidence-based tool that would allow clinicians to determine the risks of weight gain in making both intra-class and interclass choices of psychotropics.</p> <h3>Methodology and Results</h3><p>We developed a novel hierarchical search strategy that made use of systematic reviews that were already available. When such evidence was not available we went on to evaluate randomly controlled trials, followed by cohort and other clinical trials, narrative reviews, and, where necessary, clinical opinion and anecdotal evidence. The data from the publication with the highest level of evidence based on our hierarchical classification was presented. Recommendations from an expert panel supplemented the evidence used to rank these drugs within their respective classes. Approximately 9500 articles were identified in our literature search of which 666 citations were retrieved. We were able to rank most of the psychotropics based on the available evidence and recommendations from subject matter experts. There were few discrepancies between published evidence and the expert panel in ranking these drugs.</p> <h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Potential for weight gain is an important consideration in choice of any psychotropic. This tool will help clinicians select psychotropics on a case-by-case basis in order to minimize the impact of weight gain when making both intra-class and interclass choices.</p> </div