634 research outputs found
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci from two inbreeding bark beetle species (Coccotrypes)
We developed 14 microsatellite markers in Coccotrypes carpophagus and 14 in C. dactyliperda.
These loci will be used for studying genetic structure and the level of inbreeding in
populations in the Canary Islands and Madeira. As a result of long-term inbreeding,
genetic variability is relatively low in these bark beetle species. We found one to five alleles
per locus in 29 C. carpophagus and 41 C. dactyliperda from various localities. Eleven of the
markers developed for C. carpophagus amplified in C. dactyliperda and seven of the markers
developed for C. dactyliperda amplified in C. carpophagus
Effect of physical aging on the low-frequency vibrational density of states of a glassy polymer
The effects of the physical aging on the vibrational density of states (VDOS)
of a polymeric glass is studied. The VDOS of a poly(methyl methacrylate) glass
at low-energy (<15 meV), was determined from inelastic neutron scattering at
low-temperature for two different physical thermodynamical states. One sample
was annealed during a long time at temperature lower than Tg, and another was
quenched from a temperature higher than Tg. It was found that the VDOS around
the boson peak, relatively to the one at higher energy, decreases with the
annealing at lower temperature than Tg, i.e., with the physical aging.Comment: To be published in Europhys. Let
Magnetic switching in granular FePt layers promoted by near-field laser enhancement
Light-matter interaction at the nanoscale in magnetic materials is a topic of
intense research in view of potential applications in next-generation
high-density magnetic recording. Laser-assisted switching provides a pathway
for overcoming the material constraints of high-anisotropy and high-packing
density media, though much about the dynamics of the switching process remains
unexplored. We use ultrafast small-angle x-ray scattering at an x-ray
free-electron laser to probe the magnetic switching dynamics of FePt
nanoparticles embedded in a carbon matrix following excitation by an optical
femtosecond laser pulse. We observe that the combination of laser excitation
and applied static magnetic field, one order of magnitude smaller than the
coercive field, can overcome the magnetic anisotropy barrier between "up" and
"down" magnetization, enabling magnetization switching. This magnetic switching
is found to be inhomogeneous throughout the material, with some individual FePt
nanoparticles neither switching nor demagnetizing. The origin of this behavior
is identified as the near-field modification of the incident laser radiation
around FePt nanoparticles. The fraction of not-switching nanoparticles is
influenced by the heat flow between FePt and a heat-sink layer
Coordinated and tailored work rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial with economic evaluation undertaken with workers on sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders
Introduction In Denmark, the magnitude and impact of work disability on the individual worker and society has prompted the development of a new "coordinated and tailored work rehabilitation" (CTWR) approach. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of CTWR with conventional case management (CCM) on return-to-work of workers on sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Methods The study was a randomized controlled trial with economic evaluation undertaken with workers on sick leave for 4-12 weeks due to MSDs. CTWR consists of a work disability screening by an interdisciplinary team followed by the collaborative development of a RTW plan. The primary outcome variable was registered cumulative sickness absence hours during 12 months follow-up. Secondary outcomes were work status as well as pain intensity and functional disability, measured at baseline, 3 and 12 months follow-up. The economic evaluation (intervention costs, productivity loss, and health care utilization costs) was based on administrative data derived from national registries. Results For the time intervals 0-6 months, 6-12 months, and the entire follow-up period, the number of sickness absence hours was significantly lower in the CTWR group as compared to the control group. The total costs saved in CTWR participants compared to controls were estimated at US 10,666 per person at 12 months follow-up. Conclusions Workers on sick leave for 4-12 weeks due to MSD who underwent "CTWR" by an interdisciplinary team had fewer sickness absence hours than controls. The economic evaluation showed that-in terms of productivity loss-CTWR seems to be cost saving for the society
Variability in Tuberculosis Granuloma T Cell Responses Exists, but a Balance of Pro- and Anti-inflammatory Cytokines Is Associated with Sterilization
Lung granulomas are the pathologic hallmark of tuberculosis (TB). T cells are a major cellular component of TB lung granulomas and are known to play an important role in containment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection. We used cynomolgus macaques, a non-human primate model that recapitulates human TB with clinically active disease, latent infection or early infection, to understand functional characteristics and dynamics of T cells in individual granulomas. We sought to correlate T cell cytokine response and bacterial burden of each granuloma, as well as granuloma and systemic responses in individual animals. Our results support that each granuloma within an individual host is independent with respect to total cell numbers, proportion of T cells, pattern of cytokine response, and bacterial burden. The spectrum of these components overlaps greatly amongst animals with different clinical status, indicating that a diversity of granulomas exists within an individual host. On average only about 8% of T cells from granulomas respond with cytokine production after stimulation with Mtb specific antigens, and few “multi-functional” T cells were observed. However, granulomas were found to be “multi-functional” with respect to the combinations of functional T cells that were identified among lesions from individual animals. Although the responses generally overlapped, sterile granulomas had modestly higher frequencies of T cells making IL-17, TNF and any of T-1 (IFN-γ, IL-2, or TNF) and/or T-17 (IL-17) cytokines than non-sterile granulomas. An inverse correlation was observed between bacterial burden with TNF and T-1/T-17 responses in individual granulomas, and a combinatorial analysis of pair-wise cytokine responses indicated that granulomas with T cells producing both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (e.g. IL-10 and IL-17) were associated with clearance of Mtb. Preliminary evaluation suggests that systemic responses in the blood do not accurately reflect local T cell responses within granulomas
Fifty Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis) microsatellite loci polymorphic in Sylviidae species and their cross-species amplification in other passerine birds
Variation in Glycemic Outcomes in Focal Forms of Congenital Hyperinsulinism - The UK Perspective
Context: In focal congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI), localized clonal expansion of pancreatic β-cells causes excess insulin secretion and severe hypoglycemia. Surgery is curative, but not all lesions are amenable to surgery. Objective: We describe surgical and nonsurgical outcomes of focal CHI in a national cohort. Methods: Patients with focal CHI were retrospectively reviewed at 2 specialist centers, 2003-2018. Results: Of 59 patients with focal CHI, 57 had heterozygous mutations in ABCC8/KCNJ11 (51 paternally inherited, 6 de novo). Fluorine-18 L-3,4 dihydroxyphenylalanine positron emission tomography computed tomography scan identified focal lesions in 51 patients. In 5 patients, imaging was inconclusive; the diagnosis was established by frozen section histopathology in 3 patients, a lesion was not identified in 1 patient, and 1 declined surgery. Most patients (n = 56) were unresponsive to diazoxide, of whom 33 were unresponsive or partially responsive to somatostatin receptor analog (SSRA) therapy. Fifty-five patients underwent surgery: 40 had immediate resolution of CHI, 10 had persistent hypoglycemia and a focus was not identified on biopsy in 5. In the 10 patients with persistent hypoglycemia, 7 underwent further surgery with resolution in 4 and ongoing hypoglycemia requiring SSRA in 3. Nine (15% of cohort) patients (1 complex surgical access; 4 biopsy negative; 4 declined surgery) were managed conservatively; medication was discontinued in 8 children at a median (range) age 2.4 (1.5-7.7) years and 1 remains on SSRA at 16 years with improved fasting tolerance and reduction in SSRA dose. Conclusion: Despite a unifying genetic basis of disease, we report inherent heterogeneity in focal CHI patients impacting outcomes of both surgical and medical management
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Transient magnetic gratings on the nanometer scale
Laser-driven non-local electron dynamics in ultrathin magnetic samples on a sub-10 nm length scale is a key process in ultrafast magnetism. However, the experimental access has been challenging due to the nanoscopic and femtosecond nature of such transport processes. Here, we present a scattering-based experiment relying on a laser-induced electro- and magneto-optical grating in a Co/Pd ferromagnetic multilayer as a new technique to investigate non-local magnetization dynamics on nanometer length and femtosecond timescales. We induce a spatially modulated excitation pattern using tailored Al near-field masks with varying periodicities on a nanometer length scale and measure the first four diffraction orders in an x-ray scattering experiment with magnetic circular dichroism contrast at the free-electron laser facility FERMI, Trieste. The design of the periodic excitation mask leads to a strongly enhanced and characteristic transient scattering response allowing for sub-wavelength in-plane sensitivity for magnetic structures. In conjunction with scattering simulations, the experiment allows us to infer that a potential ultrafast lateral expansion of the initially excited regions of the magnetic film mediated by hot-electron transport and spin transport remains confined to below three nanometers
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