Twisted Nano-optics: Manipulating Light at the Nanoscale with Twisted Phonon Polaritonic Slabs

Recent discoveries have shown that when two layers of van der Waals (vdW) materials are superimposed with a relative twist angle between their respective in-plane principal axes, the electronic properties of the coupled system can be dramatically altered. Here, we demonstrate that a similar concept can be extended to the optics realm, particularly to propagating polaritons, hybrid light-matter interactions. To do this, we fabricate stacks composed of two twisted slabs of a polar vdW crystal (MoO3) supporting low-loss anisotropic phonon polaritons (PhPs), and image the propagation of the latter when launched by localized sources (metal antennas). Our images reveal that under a critical angle the PhPs isofrequency curve (determining the PhPs momentum at a fixed frequency) undergoes a topological transition. Remarkably, at this angle, the propagation of PhPs is strongly guided along predetermined directions (canalization regime) with no geometrical spreading (diffraction-less). These results demonstrate a new degree of freedom (twist angle) for controlling the propagation of polaritons at the nanoscale with potential for nano-imaging, (bio)-sensing, quantum applications and heat management

Early Developmental Stages of Crustacean Decapods Associated with Floating Seaweed in Fiord and Channels from Southern Chile

Durante el crucero "CIMAR 9 Fiordos" realizado en agosto y noviembre de 2003 en los fiordos y canales de la región de Aysén, Chile, se cuantificó la abundancia de macroalgas flotando a la deriva (MFD) y se identificó los estados tempranos de desarrollo de crustáceos decápodos (megalopas y juveniles, ETD) asociados a ellas. Las macroalgas Macrocystis spp. y Durvillaea antarctica fueron las más abundantes. Para ambos meses monitoreados se registraron las mayores abundancias de MFD en la zona norte del área de estudio y en el sector sur del canal Moraleda. Las abundancias de macroalgas fueron sustancialmente más altas en primavera (noviembre) que en invierno (agosto). Del mismo modo, sólo en primavera se encontró ETD asociados a estas macroalgas, pero en abundancias relativamente bajas (máximo de 5 ind. por muestra). Las especies de crustáceos decápodos encontradas en MFD son especies principalmente intermareales. En un estudio sobre MFD, realizado en la misma localidad y durante primavera de 2002 (CIMAR 8 Fiordos), se encontró mayores abundancias de ETD asociados que en el presente estudio. Se concluye que en la área de estudio hay un suplemento relativamente consistente y alto de MFD, pero existe elevada variabilidad inter e intra-anual de la presencia de ETD en estas macroalgas. Por lo tanto, se sugiere examinar con mayor detalle esta asociación para determinar la importancia de MFD en el proceso de reclutamiento de especies de crustáceos decápodos

Estados Tempranos de Desarrollo de Crustáceos Decápodos Asociados a Macroalgas Flotando a la Deriva en Fiordos y Canales del Sur de Chile

Durante el crucero "CIMAR 9 Fiordos" realizado en agosto y noviembre de 2003 en los fiordos y canales de la región de Aysén, Chile, se cuantificó la abundancia de macroalgas flotando a la deriva (MFD) y se identificó los estados tempranos de desarrollo de crustáceos decápodos (megalopas y juveniles, ETD) asociados a ellas. Las macroalgas Macrocystis spp. y Durvillaea antarctica fueron las más abundantes. Para ambos meses monitoreados se registraron las mayores abundancias de MFD en la zona norte del área de estudio y en el sector sur del canal Moraleda. Las abundancias de macroalgas fueron sustancialmente más altas en primavera (noviembre) que en invierno (agosto). Del mismo modo, sólo en primavera se encontró ETD asociados a estas macroalgas, pero en abundancias relativamente bajas (máximo de 5 ind. por muestra). Las especies de crustáceos decápodos encontradas en MFD son especies principalmente intermareales. En un estudio sobre MFD, realizado en la misma localidad y durante primavera de 2002 (CIMAR 8 Fiordos), se encontró mayores abundancias de ETD asociados que en el presente estudio. Se concluye que en la área de estudio hay un suplemento relativamente consistente y alto de MFD, pero existe elevada variabilidad inter e intra-anual de la presencia de ETD en estas macroalgas. Por lo tanto, se sugiere examinar con mayor detalle esta asociación para determinar la importancia de MFD en el proceso de reclutamiento de especies de crustáceos decápodos

Dynamic Edematous Response of the Human Heart to Myocardial Infarction Implications for Assessing Myocardial Area at Risk and Salvage

BACKGROUND: Clinical protocols aimed to characterize the post-myocardial infarction (MI) heart by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) need to be standardized to take account of dynamic biological phenomena evolving early after the index ischemic event. Here, we evaluated the time course of edema reaction in patients with ST-segment-elevation MI by CMR and assessed its implications for myocardium-at-risk (MaR) quantification both in patients and in a large-animal model. METHODS: A total of 16 patients with anterior ST-segment-elevation MI successfully treated by primary angioplasty and 16 matched controls were prospectively recruited. In total, 94 clinical CMR examinations were performed: patients with ST-segment-elevation MI were serially scanned (within the first 3 hours after reperfusion and at 1, 4, 7, and 40 days), and controls were scanned only once. T2 relaxation time in the myocardium (T2 mapping) and the extent of edema on T2-weighted short-tau triple inversion-recovery (ie, CMR-MaR) were evaluated at all time points. In the experimental study, 20 pigs underwent 40-minute ischemia/reperfusion followed by serial CMR examinations at 120 minutes and 1, 4, and 7 days after reperfusion. Reference MaR was assessed by contrast-multidetector computed tomography during the index coronary occlusion. Generalized linear mixed models were used to take account of repeated measurements. RESULTS: In humans, T2 relaxation time in the ischemic myocardium declines significantly from early after reperfusion to 24 hours, and then increases up to day 4, reaching a plateau from which it decreases from day 7. Consequently, edema extent measured by T2-weighted short-tau triple inversion-recovery (CMR-MaR) varied with the timing of the CMR examination. These findings were confirmed in the experimental model by showing that only CMR-MaR values for day 4 and day 7 postreperfusion, coinciding with the deferred edema wave, were similar to values measured by reference contrast-multidetector computed tomography. CONCLUSIONS: Post-MI edema in patients follows a bimodal pattern that affects CMR estimates of MaR. Dynamic changes in post-ST-segment-elevation MI edema highlight the need for standardization of CMR timing to retrospectively delineate MaR and quantify myocardial salvage. According to the present clinical and experimental data, a time window between days 4 and 7 post-MI seems a good compromise solution for standardization. Further studies are needed to study the effect of other factors on these variables.This study was partially supported by a competitive grant from the Spanish Society of Cardiology (Proyectos de Investigacion Traslacional en Cardiologia de la Sociedad Espanola de Cardiologia 2015, for the project Caracterizacion tiSUlar miocaRdica con resonancia magnetica en pacientes tras inFarto agudo de mioCardio con elevacioN de ST sometidos a angloplastia Coronaria primaria. Estudio SURF-CNIC), by a competitive grant from the Carlos III Institute of Health-Fondo de Investigacion Sanitaria- and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF/FEDER) (PI10/02268 and PI13/01979), the Spanish Ministry of economy, industry, and competitiveness (MEIC) and ERDF/FEDER SAF2013-49663-EXP. Dr Fernandez-Jimenez holds a FICNIC fellowship from the Fundacio Jesus Serra, the Fundacion Interhospitalaria de Investigacion Cardiovascular, and the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), and Dr Aguero is a FP7-PEOPLE-2013-ITN-Cardionext fellow. This study forms part of a Master Research Agreement between the CNIC and Philips Healthcare, and is part of a bilateral research program between Hospital de Salamanca Cardiology Department and the CNIC. This research program is part of an institutional agreement between FIIS-Fundacion Jimenez Diaz and CNIC. The CNIC is supported by the MEIC and the Pro CNIC Foundation, and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (MEIC award SEV-2015-0505).S

A Simple Screen to Identify Promoters Conferring High Levels of Phenotypic Noise

Genetically identical populations of unicellular organisms often show marked variation in some phenotypic traits. To investigate the molecular causes and possible biological functions of this phenotypic noise, it would be useful to have a method to identify genes whose expression varies stochastically on a certain time scale. Here, we developed such a method and used it for identifying genes with high levels of phenotypic noise in Salmonella enterica ssp. I serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). We created a genomic plasmid library fused to a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter and subjected replicate populations harboring this library to fluctuating selection for GFP expression using fluorescent-activated cell sorting (FACS). After seven rounds of fluctuating selection, the populations were strongly enriched for promoters that showed a high amount of noise in gene expression. Our results indicate that the activity of some promoters of S. Typhimurium varies on such a short time scale that these promoters can absorb rapid fluctuations in the direction of selection, as imposed during our experiment. The genomic fragments that conferred the highest levels of phenotypic variation were promoters controlling the synthesis of flagella, which are associated with virulence and host–pathogen interactions. This confirms earlier reports that phenotypic noise may play a role in pathogenesis and indicates that these promoters have among the highest levels of noise in the S. Typhimurium genome. This approach can be applied to many other bacterial and eukaryotic systems as a simple method for identifying genes with noisy expression

Authors’ Reply to Letter to the Editor: Continued improvement to genetic diversity indicator for CBD

International audienc

Co-option of Neutrophil Fates by Tissue Environments.

Classically considered short-lived and purely defensive leukocytes, neutrophils are unique in their fast and moldable response to stimulation. This plastic behavior may underlie variable and even antagonistic functions during inflammation or cancer, yet the full spectrum of neutrophil properties as they enter healthy tissues remains unexplored. Using a new model to track neutrophil fates, we found short but variable lifetimes across multiple tissues. Through analysis of the receptor, transcriptional, and chromatin accessibility landscapes, we identify varying neutrophil states and assign non-canonical functions, including vascular repair and hematopoietic homeostasis. Accordingly, depletion of neutrophils compromised angiogenesis during early age, genotoxic injury, and viral infection, and impaired hematopoietic recovery after irradiation. Neutrophils acquired these properties in target tissues, a process that, in the lungs, occurred in CXCL12-rich areas and relied on CXCR4. Our results reveal that tissues co-opt neutrophils en route for elimination to induce programs that support their physiological demands.This study was supported byIntramural grants from the Severo Ochoa program (IGP-SO), a grant from Fundacio la Marato de TV3 (120/C/2015-20153032), grant SAF2015-65607-R fromMinisterio de Ciencia e Innovacion (MICINN) with co-funding by Fondo Eu-ropeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), RTI2018-095497-B-I00 from MICINN,HR17_00527 from Fundacion La Caixa, and Transatlantic Network of Excel-lence (TNE-18CVD04) from the Leducq Foundation to A.H. I.B. is supportedby fellowship MSCA-IF-EF-748381 and EMBO short-term fellowship 8261.A.R.-P. is supported by a fellowship (BES-2016-076635) and J.A.N.-A. byfellowship SVP-2014-068595 from MICINN. R.O. is supported by ERC startinggrant 759532, Italian Telethon Foundation SR-Tiget grant award F04, ItalianMoH grant GR-201602362156, AIRC MFAG 20247, Cariplo Foundation grant2015-0990, and the EU Infect-ERA 126. C.S. is supported by the SFB 1123,project A07, as well as by the DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research) and the BMBF (German Ministry of Education and Research) grant81Z0600204. L.G.N. is supported by SIgN core funding from A*STAR. The CNIC is supported by the MICINN and the Pro-CNIC Foundation and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (MICINN award SEV-2015-0505). G.F.-C. issupported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacio ́n (grantPID2019-110895RB-100) and Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha(grant SBPLY/19/180501/000211). C.R. received funding from the BoehingerIngelheim Foundation (consortium grant ‘‘Novel and Neglected CardiovascularRisk Factors’’) and German Federal Ministry of Education and Research(BMBF 01EO1503) and is a Fellow of the Gutenberg Research College (GFK)at the Johannes Gutenberg-University MainzS

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Status of the BELLE II Pixel Detector

The Belle II experiment at the super KEK B-factory (SuperKEKB) in Tsukuba, Japan, has been collecting $e^+e^−$ collision data since March 2019. Operating at a record-breaking luminosity of up to $4.7×10^{34} cm^{−2}s^{−1}$, data corresponding to $424 fb^{−1}$ has since been recorded. The Belle II VerteX Detector (VXD) is central to the Belle II detector and its physics program and plays a crucial role in reconstructing precise primary and decay vertices. It consists of the outer 4-layer Silicon Vertex Detector (SVD) using double sided silicon strips and the inner two-layer PiXel Detector (PXD) based on the Depleted P-channel Field Effect Transistor (DePFET) technology. The PXD DePFET structure combines signal generation and amplification within pixels with a minimum pitch of $(50×55) μm^2$. A high gain and a high signal-to-noise ratio allow thinning the pixels to $75 μm$ while retaining a high pixel hit efficiency of about $99$. As a consequence, also the material budget of the full detector is kept low at $≈0.21$$\frac{X}{X_0}$ per layer in the acceptance region. This also includes contributions from the control, Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), and data processing Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) as well as from cooling and support structures. This article will present the experience gained from four years of operating PXD; the first full scale detector employing the DePFET technology in High Energy Physics. Overall, the PXD has met the expectations. Operating in the intense SuperKEKB environment poses many challenges that will also be discussed. The current PXD system remains incomplete with only 20 out of 40 modules having been installed. A full replacement has been constructed and is currently in its final testing stage before it will be installed into Belle II during the ongoing long shutdown that will last throughout 2023

The PROFOUND Database for evaluating vegetation models and simulating climate impacts on European forests

Process-based vegetation models are widely used to predict local and global ecosystem dynamics and climate change impacts. Due to their complexity, they require careful parameterization and evaluation to ensure that projections are accurate and reliable. The PROFOUND Database (PROFOUND DB) provides a wide range of empirical data on European forests to calibrate and evaluate vegetation models that simulate climate impacts at the forest stand scale. A particular advantage of this database is its wide coverage of multiple data sources at different hierarchical and temporal scales, together with environmental driving data as well as the latest climate scenarios. Specifically, the PROFOUND DB provides general site descriptions, soil, climate, CO2, nitrogen deposition, tree and forest stand level, and remote sensing data for nine contrasting forest stands distributed across Europe. Moreover, for a subset of five sites, time series of carbon fluxes, atmospheric heat conduction and soil water are also available. The climate and nitrogen deposition data contain several datasets for the historic period and a wide range of future climate change scenarios following the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP6.0, RCP8.5). We also provide pre-industrial climate simulations that allow for model runs aimed at disentangling the contribution of climate change to observed forest productivity changes. The PROFOUND DB is available freely as a "SQLite" relational database or "ASCII" flat file version (at https://doi.org/10.5880/PIK.2020.006/; Reyer et al., 2020). The data policies of the individual contributing datasets are provided in the metadata of each data file. The PROFOUND DB can also be accessed via the ProfoundData R package (https://CRAN.R- project.org/package=ProfoundData; Silveyra Gonzalez et al., 2020), which provides basic functions to explore, plot and extract the data for model set-up, calibration and evaluation.Peer reviewe