Electrically Tunable Delay for Trains of Optical Pulses

Abstract: A technique to implement an electrically tunable delay line with high bandwidth for trains of ultrashort optical pulses is presented. The system is based on the temporal self-imaging effect in fiber gratings and electrooptic modulation

Chlorophyll a Fluorescence: a Fast and Low-Cost Tool to Detect Superficial Scald in 'Rocha' Pear (Pyrus communis L. 'Rocha')?

This study aimed to test whether the chlorophyll a (Chla) fluorescence determined by a low-cost non-modulated fluorometer could provide fast, reliable and non-invasive estimators of superficial scald in 'Rocha' pear (Pyrus communis L. 'Rocha'). Fruit were harvested before the optimal maturation stage and cold stored under normal atmosphere for 7 months (NA: 0 degrees C, 90-95% RH) and 2 in controlled atmosphere (CA: 0 degrees C, 90-95% RH, 1.5 kPaO(2) + 0.5 kPa CO2) (T), or harvested at the optimal maturation stage and cold stored for 9 months under CA (C). Then, they were transferred to shelf-life conditions (22+/-2 degrees C, 70% RH) and followed for 7 d. Chla fluorescence, scald index (SI), ripening attributes, alpha-farnesene, conjugated trienols, and photosynthetic pigments were determined for each pear in both groups. Conditions chosen before shelf-life did not prevent the subsequent ripening of any fruit, but changed dramatically the superficial scald development pattern: in C fruit, the disorder developed progressively during shelf-life, whereas in T fruit, it peaked during storage. C fruit exhibited a significant negative correlation (R=-0.65; p<0.05) between Fv/Fm and scald development, but not with ripening (R=-0.15; p<0.05). As expected, the opposite was observed in T fruit, in which only a low, positive, yet significant correlation was found between Fv/Fm and ripening (R=0.44; p<0.05). The multiple regression approach using Fv/Fm and other Chla fluorescence parameters produced an equation from which we calculated the 'predicted' scald index in C fruit. This correlated clearly (R=0.73; p<0.05) with the real values visually assessed. If color values a*, b* and Hue were included in this multiple regression, the correlation was significantly enhanced (0.91; p<0.05). Although preliminary, this study has shown that basic Chla fluorescence parameters are valuable estimators of superficial scald in 'Rocha' pear and might be used in the early detection of the disorder

Researching Intimacies and New Media:Methodological Opportunities and Challenges

Researching intimacies and new media encompasses a wide variety of intersecting practices and relationships. This special issue presents contributions from researchers who are investigating practices of intimacy mediated either wholly or in part through new media in which a variety of different methodological opportunities and challenges are highlighted and discussed. Existing research has addressed different combinations of new media, intimacy, and methodology, but there remains space for a dedicated focus on the ways in which these areas are interrelated and entangled. The articles in this special issue build up a conversation around this particular intersection from a range of directions, from reflections on specific technological devices/apps and their promotion of particular forms of intimacies that may lead to (dis)comfort and (dis)connection, to the intimate—and sometimes risky—investments in research processes and fieldwork, as well as the ethical frameworks and decision-making processes guiding the research

Designing with and for people with dementia: developing a mindful interdisciplinary co-design methodology

This paper reports on the development of a mindful interdisciplinary design methodology in the context of the MinD project research into designing for and with people with dementia, which takes the particular focus on supporting the subjective well-being and self-empowerment of people with early to mid stage dementia in social context. Existing research is for the most part focussed on functional support and safe-keeping from the perspective of the carer. References to decision-making and empowerment are predominantly related to action planning for dementia care or advance care planning. References to care and social interaction show that caregivers tend to take a deficit-oriented perspective, and occupation of people with dementia is often associated with doing 'something' with little focus on the meaningfulness of the activity. Furthermore, caregivers and people with dementia tend to differ in their perspectives, e.g. on assistive devices, which might offer support. The MinD project, has therefore developed an interdisciplinary co-design methodology in which the voices to people with dementia contribute to better understanding and developing mindful design solutions that support people with dementia with regard to their the subjective well-being and self-empowerment a well as meaningful and equitable social engagement. This paper discussed the design methodological framework and methods developed for the data collection and design development phases of the project, and their rationale. It thus makes a contribution to interdisciplinary methodologies in the area of design for health

Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound signs for detecting adnexal torsion: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of different ultrasound signs for diagnosing adnexal torsion, using surgery as the reference standard. Methods: This was a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies published between January 1990 and November 2021 evaluating ovarian edema, adnexal mass, ovarian Doppler flow findings, the whirlpool sign and pelvic fluid as ultrasound signs (index tests) for detecting adnexal torsion, using surgical findings as the reference standard. The search for studies was performed in PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, The Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov and Web of Science databases. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 (QUADAS-2) tool was used to evaluate the quality of the studies. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios were calculated separately, and the post-test probability of adnexal torsion following a positive or negative test was also determined. Results: The search identified 1267 citations after excluding duplicates. Eighteen studies were ultimately included in the qualitative and quantitative syntheses. Eight studies (809 patients) analyzed the presence of ovarian edema, eight studies (1044 patients) analyzed the presence of an adnexal mass, 14 studies (1742 patients) analyzed ovarian Doppler flow, six studies (545 patients) analyzed the whirlpool sign and seven studies (981 patients) analyzed the presence of pelvic fluid as ultrasound signs of adnexal torsion. Overall, the quality of most studies was considered to be moderate or good. However, there was a high risk of bias in the patient-selection and index-text domains (with the exception of the whirlpool sign) in a significant proportion of studies. Pooled sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative likelihood ratios of each ultrasound sign were 58%, 86%, 4.0 and 0.49 for ovarian edema, 69%, 46%, 1.3 and 0.67 for adnexal mass, 65%, 91%, 7.6 and 0.38 for the whirlpool sign, 53%, 95%, 11.0 and 0.49 for ovarian Doppler findings and 55%, 69%, 1.7 and 0.66 for pelvic fluid. Heterogeneity was high for all analyses. Conclusions: The presence of an adnexal mass or pelvic fluid have poor diagnostic accuracy as ultrasound signs of adnexal torsion, while the presence of ovarian edema, the whirlpool sign and decreased or absent ovarian Doppler flow have good specificity but moderate sensitivity for detecting adnexal torsion. © 2022 The Authors. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.Objetivo.Evaluar la precision diagnostica de diferentes indicios ecograficos para el diagnostico de la torsion anexial,utilizando la cirugia como patron de referencia. Metodos. Se trata de una revision sistematica y un metaanalisis de los estudios publicados entre enero de 1990 y noviembre de 2021 que evaluaron el edema ovarico, la masa anexial, los resultados del flujo Doppler ovarico, el ‘‘signo del remolino’’ (torsion ovarica) y el liquido pelvico como indicios ecograficos (pruebas de referencia) para detectar la torsion anexial, utilizando los resultados quirurgicos como patron de referencia. La busqueda de estudios se realizo en las bases de datos PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, The Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov y Web of Science.Para evaluar la calidad de los estudios se utilizo la herramienta de Evaluacion de Calidad de los Estudios de Precision Diagnostica-2 (QUADAS-2, por sus siglas en ingles). Se calcularon por separado los valores combinados de sensibilidad,especificidad y cocientes de verosimilitud positivos y negativos, y se determino tambien la probabilidad posterior a la prueba de la torsion anexial tras una prueba positiva o negativa. Resultados. La busqueda identifico 1267 citas, una vez excluidas las duplicadas. Se incluyeron dieciocho estudios en las sıntesis cualitativa y cuantitativa. Ocho estudios (809 pacientes) analizaron la presencia de edema ovarico, ocho estudios(1044 pacientes) analizaron la presencia de una masa anexial, 14 estudios (1742 pacientes) analizaron el flujo Doppler ovarico, seis estudios (545 pacientes) analizaron el ‘‘signo del remolino’’ y siete estudios (981 pacientes) analizaron la presencia de lıquido pelvico como indicios ecograficos de torsion anexial. En general, la calidad de la mayorıa de los estudios se considero moderada o buena. Sin embargo, hubo un alto riesgo de sesgo en una proporcion significativa de estudios en las areas de seleccion de pacientes y texto de referencia (con la excepcion del ‘‘signo del remolino’’). Los valores combinados de la sensibilidad, la especificidad y los cocientes de probabilidad positivos y negativos de cada indicio ecografico fueron del 58%, 86%, 4,0 y 0,49 para el edema ovarico, del 69%, 46%, 1,3 y 0,67 para la masa anexial, del 65%, 91%, 7,6 y 0,38 para el ‘‘signo del remolino’’, del 53%, 95%, 11,0 y 0,49 para los resultados del Doppler ovarico y del 55%, 69%, 1,7 y 0,66 para el liquido pelvico. La heterogeneidad fue elevada en todos los analisis. Conclusion. La presencia de una masa anexial o de liquido pelvico apenas tienen precision diagnostica como indicios ecograficos de torsion anexial, mientras que la presencia de edema ovarico, el ‘‘signo del remolino’’ y la disminucion o ausencia de flujo Doppler ovarico tienen una buena especificidad, pero una sensibilidad moderada para detectar la torsion anexial

Gender and observed complexity in palliative home care : A prospective multicentre study using the hexcom model

This study analyses gender differences in the complexity observed in palliative home care through a multicentre longitudinal observational study of patients with advanced disease treated by palliative home care teams in Catalonia (Spain). We used the HexCom model, which includes six dimensions and measures three levels of complexity: high (non-modifiable situation), medium (difficult) and low. Results: N = 1677 people, 44% women. In contrast with men, in women, cancer was less prevalent (64.4% vs. 73.9%) (p < 0.001), cognitive impairment was more prevalent (34.1% vs. 26.6%; p = 0.001) and professional caregivers were much more common (40.3% vs. 24.3%; p < 0.001). Women over 80 showed less complexity in the following subareas: symptom management (41.7% vs. 51,1%; p = 0.011), emotional distress (24.5% vs. 32.8%; p = 0.015), spiritual distress (16.4% vs. 26.4%; p = 0.001), socio-familial distress (62.7% vs. 70.1%; p = 0.036) and location of death (36.0% vs. 49.6%; p < 0.000). Men were more complex in the subareas of "practice" OR = 1.544 (1.25-1.90 p = 0.000) and "transcendence" OR = 1.52 (1.16-1.98 p = 0.002). Observed complexity is related to male gender in people over 80 years of age. Women over the age of 80 are remarkably different from their male counterparts, showing less complexity regarding care for their physical, psycho-emotional, spiritual and socio-familial needs

A population of gamma-ray emitting globular clusters seen with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

Globular clusters with their large populations of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) are believed to be potential emitters of high-energy gamma-ray emission. Our goal is to constrain the millisecond pulsar populations in globular clusters from analysis of gamma-ray observations. We use 546 days of continuous sky-survey observations obtained with the Large Area Telescope aboard the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope to study the gamma-ray emission towards 13 globular clusters. Steady point-like high-energy gamma-ray emission has been significantly detected towards 8 globular clusters. Five of them (47 Tucanae, Omega Cen, NGC 6388, Terzan 5, and M 28) show hard spectral power indices $(0.7 < \Gamma <1.4)$ and clear evidence for an exponential cut-off in the range 1.0-2.6 GeV, which is the characteristic signature of magnetospheric emission from MSPs. Three of them (M 62, NGC 6440 and NGC 6652) also show hard spectral indices $(1.0 < \Gamma < 1.7)$, however the presence of an exponential cut-off can not be unambiguously established. Three of them (Omega Cen, NGC 6388, NGC 6652) have no known radio or X-ray MSPs yet still exhibit MSP spectral properties. From the observed gamma-ray luminosities, we estimate the total number of MSPs that is expected to be present in these globular clusters. We show that our estimates of the MSP population correlate with the stellar encounter rate and we estimate 2600-4700 MSPs in Galactic globular clusters, commensurate with previous estimates. The observation of high-energy gamma-ray emission from a globular cluster thus provides a reliable independent method to assess their millisecond pulsar populations that can be used to make constraints on the original neutron star X-ray binary population, essential for understanding the importance of binary systems in slowing the inevitable core collapse of globular clusters.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. Corresponding authors: J. Kn\"odlseder, N. Webb, B. Pancraz

Fermi Large Area Telescope Constraints on the Gamma-ray Opacity of the Universe

The Extragalactic Background Light (EBL) includes photons with wavelengths from ultraviolet to infrared, which are effective at attenuating gamma rays with energy above ~10 GeV during propagation from sources at cosmological distances. This results in a redshift- and energy-dependent attenuation of the gamma-ray flux of extragalactic sources such as blazars and Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs). The Large Area Telescope onboard Fermi detects a sample of gamma-ray blazars with redshift up to z~3, and GRBs with redshift up to z~4.3. Using photons above 10 GeV collected by Fermi over more than one year of observations for these sources, we investigate the effect of gamma-ray flux attenuation by the EBL. We place upper limits on the gamma-ray opacity of the Universe at various energies and redshifts, and compare this with predictions from well-known EBL models. We find that an EBL intensity in the optical-ultraviolet wavelengths as great as predicted by the "baseline" model of Stecker et al. (2006) can be ruled out with high confidence.Comment: 42 pages, 12 figures, accepted version (24 Aug.2010) for publication in ApJ; Contact authors: A. Bouvier, A. Chen, S. Raino, S. Razzaque, A. Reimer, L.C. Reye

Assessing genetic polymorphisms using DNA extracted from cells present in saliva samples

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Technical advances following the Human Genome Project revealed that high-quality and -quantity DNA may be obtained from whole saliva samples. However, usability of previously collected samples and the effects of environmental conditions on the samples during collection have not been assessed in detail. In five studies we document the effects of sample volume, handling and storage conditions, type of collection device, and oral sampling location, on quantity, quality, and genetic assessment of DNA extracted from cells present in saliva.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Saliva samples were collected from ten adults in each study. Saliva volumes from .10-1.0 ml, different saliva collection devices, sampling locations in the mouth, room temperature storage, and multiple freeze-thaw cycles were tested. One representative single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the catechol-<it>0</it>-methyltransferase gene (COMT rs4680) and one representative variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR: serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region) were selected for genetic analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The smallest tested whole saliva volume of .10 ml yielded, on average, 1.43 ± .77 μg DNA and gave accurate genotype calls in both genetic analyses. The usage of collection devices reduced the amount of DNA extracted from the saliva filtrates compared to the whole saliva sample, as 54-92% of the DNA was retained on the device. An "adhered cell" extraction enabled recovery of this DNA and provided good quality and quantity DNA. The DNA from both the saliva filtrates and the adhered cell recovery provided accurate genotype calls. The effects of storage at room temperature (up to 5 days), repeated freeze-thaw cycles (up to 6 cycles), and oral sampling location on DNA extraction and on genetic analysis from saliva were negligible.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Whole saliva samples with volumes of at least .10 ml were sufficient to extract good quality and quantity DNA. Using 10 ng of DNA per genotyping reaction, the obtained samples can be used for more than one hundred candidate gene assays. When saliva is collected with an absorbent device, most of the nucleic acid content remains in the device, therefore it is advisable to collect the device separately for later genetic analyses.</p

The detection of a strong episignature for Chung–Jansen syndrome, partially overlapping with Börjeson–Forssman–Lehmann and White–Kernohan syndromes

Chung-Jansen syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability, behavioral problems, obesity and dysmorphic features. It is caused by pathogenic variants in the PHIP gene that encodes for the Pleckstrin homology domain-interacting protein, which is part of an epigenetic modifier protein complex. Therefore, we hypothesized that PHIP haploinsufficiency may impact genome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm). We assessed the DNAm profiles of affected individuals with pathogenic and likely pathogenic PHIP variants with Infinium Methylation EPIC arrays and report a specific and sensitive DNAm episignature biomarker for Chung–Jansen syndrome. In addition, we observed similarities between the methylation profile of Chung–Jansen syndrome and that of functionally related and clinically partially overlapping genetic disorders, White–Kernohan syndrome (caused by variants in DDB1 gene) and Börjeson–Forssman–Lehmann syndrome (caused by variants in PHF6 gene). Based on these observations we also proceeded to develop a common episignature biomarker for these disorders. These newly defined episignatures can be used as part of a multiclass episignature classifier for screening of affected individuals with rare disorders and interpretation of genetic variants of unknown clinical significance, and provide further insights into the common molecular pathophysiology of the clinically-related Chung–Jansen, Börjeson–Forssman–Lehmann and White–Kernohan syndromes.</p