Forehead Skin Blood Flow in Normal Neonates during Active and Quiet Sleep, Measured with a Diode Laser Doppler Instrument

Changes in forehead skin blood flow during active and quiet sleep were determined in 16 healthy neonates using a recently developed semi-conductor laser Doppler flow meter without light conducting fibres. Measurements were carried out at a postnatal age varying from 5 hours to 7 days. The two sleep states could be distinguished in 17 recordings. The mean skin blood flow values during active sleep were significantly higher (p<0.01) than those during quiet sleep, the mean increase being 28.1%. The variability of the flow signal, expressed as the coefficient of variation, changed significantly from 23.1% during active sleep to 18.2% during quiet sleep

Rasch analysis to evaluate the motor function measure for patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy

Patient-relevant outcome measures for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) are needed. The motor function measure (MFM) is an ordinal-based outcome measure for neuromuscular disorders, but its suitability to measure FSHD patients is questionable. Here, we performed Rasch analyses on MFM data from 194 FSHD patients to assess clinimetric properties in this patient group. Both the total scale and its three domains were analyzed (D1: standing position and transfers; D2: axial and proximal motor function; D3: distal motor function). Fit to the Rasch model, sample-item targeting, individual item fit, threshold ordering, sex- and age-based differential item functioning, response dependency and unidimensionality were assessed. Rasch analysis revealed multiple limitations of the MFM for FSHD, the most important being a large ceiling effect and suboptimal sample-item targeting, which were most pronounced for domains D2 and D3. There were disordered thresholds for most items, often resulting in items functioning in a dichotomous fashion. It was not possible to remodel the MFM into a Rasch-built interval scale. Remodeling of domain D1 into an interval scale with adequate fit statistics was achieved, but sample-item targeting remained suboptimal. Therefore, the MFM should be used with caution in FSHD patients, as it is not optimally suited to measure functional abilities in this patient group

Ultrafast Photoinduced Heat Generation by Plasmonic HfN Nanoparticles

There is great interest in the development of alternatives to noble metals for plasmonic nanostructures. Transition metal nitrides are promising due to their robust refractory properties. However, the photophysics of these nanostructures, particularly the hot carrier dynamics and photothermal response on ultrafast timescales, are not well understood. This limits their implementation in applications such as photothermal catalysis or solar thermophotovoltaics. In this study, the light-induced relaxation processes in water-dispersed HfN nanoparticles are, for the first time, elucidated by fs transient absorption, Lumerical FDTD and COMSOL Multiphysics simulations, and temperature-dependent ellipsometry. It is unequivocally demonstrated that HfN nanoparticles convert absorbed photons into heat within <100 fs; no signature of hot charge carriers is observed. Interestingly, under high photon energy or intense irradiation stimulated Raman scattering characteristic of oxynitride surface termination is observed. These findings suggest that transition metal nitrides could offer benefits over noble metals in the field of plasmonic photothermal catalysis

Dry spells and evidence for scaling of agricultural water management and smallholder irrigation in northern Ghana

United States Agency for International Developmen

Electrochemically Induced pH Change: Time-Resolved Confocal Fluorescence Microscopy Measurements and Comparison with Numerical Model

Confocal fluorescence microscopy is a proven technique, which can image near-electrode pH changes. For a complete understanding of electrode processes, time-resolved measurements are required, which have not yet been provided. Here we present the first measurements of time-resolved pH profiles with confocal fluorescence microscopy. The experimental results compare favorably with a one-dimensional reaction-diffusion model; this holds up to the point where the measurements reveal three-dimensionality in the pH distribution. Specific factors affecting the pH measurement such as attenuation of light and the role of dye migration are also discussed in detail. The method is further applied to reveal the buffer effects observed in sulfate-containing electrolytes. The work presented here is paving the way toward the use of confocal fluorescence microscopy in the measurement of 3D time-resolved pH changes in numerous electrochemical settings, for example in the vicinity of bubbles.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, Supplementary informatio

Agro-climatic and hydrological characterization of selected watersheds in northern Ghana

United States Agency for International Developmen

Dewetting of Pt Nanoparticles Boosts Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Due to Electronic Metal-Support Interaction

Solid-state dewetting is the heat-induced agglomeration of thin metal films into defined nanoparticles (NPs). Dewetted Pt nanoparticles are investigated on F-doped SnO2 (FTO) substrates as model binder-free electrodes for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Dewetting of Pt films into particles exposes the FTO substrate and the metal/support (Pt-FTO) contact line. Despite the decrease in Pt electrochemical surface area (ECSA) upon dewetting, dewetted NPs show a &gt;3-fold increase in ECSA-normalized HER activity compared to as-deposited nanocrystalline Pt films. Electrodes designed with dewetted Pt NPs of different sizes show that the HER activity does not only correlate with the ECSA but also increases with increasing the Pt-FTO contact line length. The smaller the NPs, the larger the Pt-FTO contact line, and the higher the activity. This effect is ascribed to electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI), due to electron transfer from FTO to Pt. It is proposed that EMSI effects alter the electronic structure of Pt sites near the Pt-FTO contact line, facilitating the H2 evolution kinetics. When NPs are a few nm-sized, a large mass fraction of Pt is affected by EMSI, resulting in a further increase of HER activity compared to NPs ≥10 nm despite the lower ECSA.</p

Clinical trial readiness to solve barriers to drug development in FSHD (ReSolve): protocol of a large, international, multi-center prospective study

Background Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) is a dominantly-inherited progressive muscular dystrophy caused by de-repression of the DUX4 gene, which causes disease by a toxic-gain-of-function. As molecularly targeted drugs move from preclinical testing into human trials, it is essential that we validate clinical trial tools and methodology to facilitate the drug development process. Methods/design The primary goal of this study is to hasten drug development for FSHD by validating two novel clinical outcome assessments (COAs) and refining clinical trial strategies. We will perform an 18-month longitudinal study in 220 genetically confirmed and clinically affected participants using our FSHD Clinical Trial Research Network, comprised of 8 sites in the United States, and 3 collaborating sites in Europe. Visits occur at baseline and months 3, 12, and 18. At each visit we will collect: 1) a novel FSHD functional composite COA made up of 18 evaluator-administered motor tasks in the domains of shoulder/arm, hand, core/abdominal, leg, and balance function; and 2) electrical impedance myography as a novel muscle quality biomarker (US sites). Other COAs include 1) Domain 1 of the Motor Function Measure; 2) Reachable workspace; 3) orofacial strength using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument; 4) lean muscle mass using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA); 5) strength as measured by quantitative myometry and manual muscle testing; and 6) the FSHD Health Index and other patient-reported outcomes. Plasma, DNA, RNA, and serum will be collected for future biomarker studies. We will use an industry standard multi-site training plan. We will evaluate the test-retest reliability, validity, and sensitivity to disease progression, and minimal clinically important changes of our new COAs. We will assess associations between demographic and genetic factors and the rate of disease progression to inform refinement of eligibility criteria for future clinical trials. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest collaborative study of patients with FSHD performed in the US and Europe. The results of this study will enable more efficient clinical trial design. During the conduct of the study, relevant data will be made available for investigators or companies pursuing novel FSHD therapeutics