Shape evolution and shape coexistence in Pt isotopes: comparing interacting boson model configuration mixing and Gogny mean-field energy surfaces

The evolution of the total energy surface and the nuclear shape in the isotopic chain $^{172-194}$Pt are studied in the framework of the interacting boson model, including configuration mixing. The results are compared with a self-consistent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculation using the Gogny-D1S interaction and a good agreement between both approaches shows up. The evolution of the deformation parameters points towards the presence of two different coexisting configurations in the region 176 $\leq$ A $\leq$ 186.Comment: Submitted to PR

Near infra-red photoimmunotherapy with anti-CEA-IR700 results in extensive tumor lysis and a significant decrease in tumor burden in orthotopic mouse models of pancreatic cancer.

Photoimmunotherapy (PIT) of cancer utilizes tumor-specific monoclonal antibodies conjugated to a photosensitizer phthalocyanine dye IR700 which becomes cytotoxic upon irradiation with near infrared light. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of PIT on human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo in an orthotopic nude mouse model. The binding capacity of anti-CEA antibody to BxPC-3 human pancreatic cancer cells was determined by FACS analysis. An in vitro cytotoxicity assay was used to determine cell death following treatment with PIT. For in vivo determination of PIT efficacy, nude mice were orthotopically implanted with BxPC-3 pancreatic tumors expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP). After tumor engraftment, the mice were divided into two groups: (1) treatment with anti-CEA-IR700 + 690 nm laser and (2) treatment with 690 nm laser only. Anti-CEA-IR700 (100 μg) was administered to group (1) via tail vein injection 24 hours prior to therapy. Tumors were then surgically exposed and treated with phototherapy at an intensity of 150 mW/cm2 for 30 minutes. Whole body imaging was done subsequently for 5 weeks using an OV-100 small animal imaging system. Anti-CEA-IR700 antibody bound to the BxPC3 cells to a high degree as shown by FACS analysis. Anti-CEA-IR700 caused extensive cancer cell killing after light activation compared to control cells in cytotoxicity assays. In the orthotopic models of pancreatic cancer, the anti-CEA-IR700 group had significantly smaller tumors than the control after 5 weeks (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in the body weights of mice in the anti-CEA-IR700 and control groups indicating that PIT was well tolerated by the mice

On Noncommutative Minisuperspace and the Friedmann equations

In this paper we present noncommutative version of scalar field cosmology. We find the noncommutative Friedmann equations as well as the noncommutative Klein-Gordon equation. Interestingly the noncommutative contributions are only present up to second order in the noncommutitive parameter. Finally we conclude that if we want a noncommutative minisuperspace with a constant noncommutative parameter as viable phenomenological model, the noncommuative parameter is very small.Comment: 4 pages, no figures, revte

Differential Disease Susceptibilities in Experimentally Reptarenavirus-Infected Boa Constrictors and Ball Pythons.

Inclusion body disease (IBD) is an infectious disease originally described in captive snakes. It has traditionally been diagnosed by the presence of large eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions and is associated with neurological, gastrointestinal, and lymphoproliferative disorders. Previously, we identified and established a culture system for a novel lineage of arenaviruses isolated from boa constrictors diagnosed with IBD. Although ample circumstantial evidence suggested that these viruses, now known as reptarenaviruses, cause IBD, there has been no formal demonstration of disease causality since their discovery. We therefore conducted a long-term challenge experiment to test the hypothesis that reptarenaviruses cause IBD. We infected boa constrictors and ball pythons by cardiac injection of purified virus. We monitored the progression of viral growth in tissues, blood, and environmental samples. Infection produced dramatically different disease outcomes in snakes of the two species. Ball pythons infected with Golden Gate virus (GoGV) and with another reptarenavirus displayed severe neurological signs within 2 months, and viral replication was detected only in central nervous system tissues. In contrast, GoGV-infected boa constrictors remained free of clinical signs for 2 years, despite high viral loads and the accumulation of large intracellular inclusions in multiple tissues, including the brain. Inflammation was associated with infection in ball pythons but not in boa constrictors. Thus, reptarenavirus infection produces inclusions and inclusion body disease, although inclusions per se are neither necessarily associated with nor required for disease. Although the natural distribution of reptarenaviruses has yet to be described, the different outcomes of infection may reflect differences in geographical origin.IMPORTANCE New DNA sequencing technologies have made it easier than ever to identify the sequences of microorganisms in diseased tissues, i.e., to identify organisms that appear to cause disease, but to be certain that a candidate pathogen actually causes disease, it is necessary to provide additional evidence of causality. We have done this to demonstrate that reptarenaviruses cause inclusion body disease (IBD), a serious transmissible disease of snakes. We infected boa constrictors and ball pythons with purified reptarenavirus. Ball pythons fell ill within 2 months of infection and displayed signs of neurological disease typical of IBD. In contrast, boa constrictors remained healthy over 2 years, despite high levels of virus throughout their bodies. This difference matches previous reports that pythons are more susceptible to IBD than boas and could reflect the possibility that boas are natural hosts of these viruses in the wild

Phenotypes of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and all-cause mortality: Unsupervised machine learning analysis of NHANES III

Objectives: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a non-communicable disease with a rising prevalence worldwide and with large burden for patients and health systems. To date, the presence of unique phenotypes in patients with NAFLD has not been studied, and their identification could inform precision medicine and public health with pragmatic implications in personalised management and care for patients with NAFLD. Design: Cross-sectional and prospective (up to 31 December 2019) analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (1988–1994). Primary and secondary outcomes measures: NAFLD diagnosis was based on liver ultrasound. The following predictors informed an unsupervised machine learning algorithm (k-means): body mass index, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure (SBP), plasma glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, liver enzymes alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and gamma glutamyl transferase. We summarised (means) and compared the predictors across clusters. We used Cox proportional hazard models to quantify the all-cause mortality risk associated with each cluster. Results: 1652 patients with NAFLD (mean age 47.2 years and 51.5% women) were grouped into 3 clusters: anthro-SBP-glucose (6.36%; highest levels of anthropometrics, SBP and glucose), lipid-liver (10.35%; highest levels of lipid and liver enzymes) and average (83.29%; predictors at average levels). Compared with the average phenotype, the anthro-SBP-glucose phenotype had higher all-cause mortality risk (aHR=2.88; 95% CI: 2.26 to 3.67); the lipid-liver phenotype was not associated with higher all-cause mortality risk (aHR=1.11; 95% CI: 0.86 to 1.42). Conclusions: There is heterogeneity in patients with NAFLD, whom can be divided into three phenotypes with different mortality risk. These phenotypes could guide specific interventions and management plans, thus advancing precision medicine and public health for patients with NAFLD

Quantifying alignment effects in 3D coordinate measurement

The use of fixtureless, non-contact coordinate measurement has become increasingly prevalent in manufacturing problem solving. Manufacturers now routinely use measurement systems such as white light area scanners, photogrammetry, laser trackers, and portable laser scanners to conduct studies that require measuring upstream supplier parts, tooling, or in-process subassemblies. For part measurements in these studies, certified fixtures with alignment features such as tooling balls often are not available. Instead, manufacturers rely on ad hoc part-holding fixtures or measure parts without fixtures and perform alignments mathematically. Here, advancements in software are providing operators with numerous alignment options, and users are actively using this functionality. Naturally, these additional capabilities have led to inconsistencies in the alignment method used across measurement studies, often affecting dimensional results. This paper reviews several common alignment or registration methods and provides a metric to assess systematic alignment error. To demonstrate alignment effects, we present a measurement system study of a moderately complex part requiring an over-constrained datum scheme. We first measure the part using a conventional fixture-based method to establish a baseline for static and dynamic repeatability. We then compare these with results from two mathematically-based iterative alignment methods based on fixtureless measurement. Next, we assess the systematic alignment error between the different fixture/alignment alternatives. We show that for the same basic datum scheme provided on engineering drawings, the systematic alignment error is a far more significant issue for problem solving than the repeatability error or equipment accuracy.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69245/1/99983.pd

Interferometric characterization of the optical window for LISA Pathfinder and LISA

In LISA Pathfinder and LISA the position fluctuations of drag free test masses will be determined interferometrically to picometer precision. To this end, laser light is brought to interference on an ultra stable optical bench after being reflected on the test mass, which needs to be in an ultra-high vacuum. The present baseline for both missions includes a separate vacuum enclosure for each test mass, so that the sensing laser beam has to pass through an optical window. This window is therefore a transmissive element in the interferometer and its associated pathlength fluctuations are potentially significant. We have selected an athermal glass that should minimize the thermally induced pathlength changes.Several prototype windows, both mounted and unmounted, have been produced and characterized. The pathlength sensitivity to both temperature fluctuations and temperature gradients has been measured with a dedicated interferometer prototype. We have also compared the long-term stability of the LISA Technology Package interferometer when an optical window is present in the optical path to the situation without window. Finally, glass samples have been radiated and the absorption in the glass after the radiation tests has been measured to be negligible at the wavelength of interest (1064 nm). We present here the results of our measurements, which indicate that using a window does not influence the interferometer performance

Development of a Novel Ex-vivo 3D Model to Screen Amoebicidal Activity on Infected Tissue

Amoebiasis is a parasitic disease that causes thousands of deaths every year, its adverse effects and resistance to conventional treatments have led to the search of new treatment options, as well as the development of novel screening methods. In this work, we implemented a 3D model of intestine and liver slices from hamsters that were infected ex vivo with virulent E. histolytica trophozoites. Results show preserved histology in both uninfected tissues as well as ulcerations, destruction of the epithelial cells, and inflammatory reaction in intestine slices and formation of micro abscesses, and the presence of amoebae in the sinusoidal spaces and in the interior of central veins in liver slices. The three chemically synthetized compounds T-001, T-011, and T-016, which act as amoebicides in vitro, were active in both infected tissues, as they decreased the number of trophozoites, and provoked death by disintegration of the amoeba, similar to metronidazole. However, compound T-011 induced signs of cytotoxicity to liver slices. Our results suggest that ex vivo cultures of precision-cut intestinal and liver slices represent a reliable 3D approach to evaluate novel amoebicidal compounds, and to simultaneously detect their toxicity, while reducing the number of experimental animals commonly required by other model systems