Sensitivity to social exclusion in major depressive disorder (MDD) predicts therapeutic outcome after in-patient treatment

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Photometric properties of resolved and unresolved magnetic elements

We investigate the photometric signature of magnetic flux tubes in the solar photosphere. We developed two dimensional, static numerical models of isolated and clustered magnetic flux tubes. We investigated the emergent intensity profiles at different lines-of-sight for various spatial resolutions and opacity models. We found that both geometric and photometric properties of bright magnetic features are determined not only by the physical properties of the tube and its surroundings, but also by the particularities of the observations, including the line/continuum formation height, the spatial resolution and the image analyses techniques applied. We show that some observational results presented in the literature can be interpreted by considering bright magnetic features to be clusters of smaller elements, rather than a monolithic flux tube.Comment: 12 page

Vertical pairing of identical particles suspended in the plasma sheath

It is shown experimentally that vertical pairing of two identical microspheres suspended in the sheath of a radio-frequency (rf) discharge at low gas pressures (a few Pa), appears at a well defined instability threshold of the rf power. The transition is reversible, but with significant hysteresis on the second stage. A simple model, which uses measured microsphere resonance frequencies and takes into account besides Coulomb interaction between negatively charged microspheres also their interaction with positive ion wake charges, seems to explain the instability threshold quite well.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures. to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett. 86, May 14th (2001

A rare case of abnormal uterine bleeding caused by cavernous hemangioma: a case report

Abstract Introduction Cavernous hemangiomas of the uterus are extremely rare, benign lesions. A survey of the current literature identified fewer than 50 cases of hemangioma of the uterus. Case presentation We report a case of cavernous hemangioma of the uterus in a 27-year-old Malay, para 1 woman who presented at our hospital with torrential vaginal bleeding having been transferred by land ambulance from a district hospital 30 minutes away. 11 weeks previously she had an urgent cesarean section at our hospital. She had to undergo a hysterectomy to control her bleeding after other measures were unsuccessful. A histopathological report confirmed a diffuse ramifying hemangioma of the cervix and uterus with left hematosalpinx. Conclusion Most ramifying hemangioma lesions are asymptomatic and are found incidentally, but sometimes they may cause abnormal vaginal bleeding and hence should be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with vaginal bleeding. Hysterectomy is the primary mode of treatment in most symptomatic cases.</p

Buildings behaving badly:A behavioral experiment on how different motivational frames influence residential energy label adoption in the Netherlands

Heating buildings contributes to approximately 36% of Europe’s energy demand and several EU member states have adopted mandatory energy labels to improve energy efficiency by promoting home weatherization investments. This paper focuses on the perception of the energy label for residential buildings in the Netherlands and the role of different frames (egoistic, biospheric and social norms and neutral frames) in motivating adoption of energy labels for housing. We used a behavioral email experiment and an online survey to investigate these motivational factors. We find that biospheric frames are weaker than the other three motivational frames in terms of engaging interest in the energy label, but that the biospheric frame results in higher willingness to pay (WTP) for the energy label. We also find that age (rather than income) correlates with higher willingness to pay for home energy labels

Multiwavelength studies of MHD waves in the solar chromosphere: An overview of recent results

The chromosphere is a thin layer of the solar atmosphere that bridges the relatively cool photosphere and the intensely heated transition region and corona. Compressible and incompressible waves propagating through the chromosphere can supply significant amounts of energy to the interface region and corona. In recent years an abundance of high-resolution observations from state-of-the-art facilities have provided new and exciting ways of disentangling the characteristics of oscillatory phenomena propagating through the dynamic chromosphere. Coupled with rapid advancements in magnetohydrodynamic wave theory, we are now in an ideal position to thoroughly investigate the role waves play in supplying energy to sustain chromospheric and coronal heating. Here, we review the recent progress made in characterising, categorising and interpreting oscillations manifesting in the solar chromosphere, with an impetus placed on their intrinsic energetics.Comment: 48 pages, 25 figures, accepted into Space Science Review

Impact on birth weight of maternal smoking throughout pregnancy mediated by DNA methylation

Background: Cigarette smoking has severe adverse health consequences in adults and in the offspring of mothers who smoke during pregnancy. One of the most widely reported effects of smoking during pregnancy is reduced birth weight which is in turn associated with chronic disease in adulthood. Epigenome-wide association studies have revealed that smokers show a characteristic “smoking methylation pattern”, and recent authors have proposed that DNA methylation mediates the impact of maternal smoking on birth weight. The aims of the present study were to replicate previous reports that methylation mediates the effect of maternal smoking on birth weight, and for the first time to investigate whether the observed mediation effects are sex-specific in order to account for known sex-specific differences in methylation levels. Methods: Methylation levels in the cord blood of 313 newborns were determined using the Illumina HumanMethylation450K Beadchip. A total of 5,527 CpG sites selected on the basis of evidence from the literature were tested. To determine whether the observed association between maternal smoking and birth weight was attributable to methylation, mediation analyses were performed for significant CpG sites. Separate analyses were then performed in males and females. Results: Following quality control, 282 newborns eventually remained in the analysis. A total of 25 mothers had smoked consistently throughout the pregnancy. The birthweigt of newborns whose mothers had smoked throughout pregnancy was reduced by &gt;200g. After correction for multiple testing, 30 CpGs showed differential methylation in the maternal smoking subgroup including top “smoking methylation pattern” genes AHRR, MYO1G, GFI1, CYP1A1, and CNTNAP2. The effect of maternal smoking on birth weight was partly mediated by the methylation of cg25325512 (PIM1); cg25949550 (CNTNAP2); and cg08699196 (ITGB7). Sex-specific analyses revealed a mediating effect for cg25949550 (CNTNAP2) in male newborns. Conclusion: The present data replicate previous findings that methylation can mediate the effect of maternal smoking on birth weight. The analysis of sex-dependent mediation effects suggests that the sex of the newborn may have an influence. Larger studies are warranted to investigate the role of both the identified differentially methylated loci and the sex of the newborn in mediating the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy and birth weight

Risk-adapted targeted intraoperative radiotherapy versus whole-breast radiotherapy for breast cancer: 5-year results for local control and overall survival from the TARGIT-A randomised trial

BACKGROUND: The TARGIT-A trial compared risk-adapted radiotherapy using single-dose targeted intraoperative radiotherapy (TARGIT) versus fractionated external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for breast cancer. We report 5-year results for local recurrence and the first analysis of overall survival. METHODS: TARGIT-A was a randomised, non-inferiority trial. Women aged 45 years and older with invasive ductal carcinoma were enrolled and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive TARGIT or whole-breast EBRT, with blocks stratified by centre and by timing of delivery of targeted intraoperative radiotherapy: randomisation occurred either before lumpectomy (prepathology stratum, TARGIT concurrent with lumpectomy) or after lumpectomy (postpathology stratum, TARGIT given subsequently by reopening the wound). Patients in the TARGIT group received supplemental EBRT (excluding a boost) if unforeseen adverse features were detected on final pathology, thus radiotherapy was risk-adapted. The primary outcome was absolute difference in local recurrence in the conserved breast, with a prespecified non-inferiority margin of 2·5% at 5 years; prespecified analyses included outcomes as per timing of randomisation in relation to lumpectomy. Secondary outcomes included complications and mortality. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00983684. FINDINGS: Patients were enrolled at 33 centres in 11 countries, between March 24, 2000, and June 25, 2012. 1721 patients were randomised to TARGIT and 1730 to EBRT. Supplemental EBRT after TARGIT was necessary in 15·2% [239 of 1571] of patients who received TARGIT (21·6% prepathology, 3·6% postpathology). 3451 patients had a median follow-up of 2 years and 5 months (IQR 12–52 months), 2020 of 4 years, and 1222 of 5 years. The 5-year risk for local recurrence in the conserved breast was 3·3% (95% CI 2·1–5·1) for TARGIT versus 1·3% (0·7–2·5) for EBRT (p=0·042). TARGIT concurrently with lumpectomy (prepathology, n=2298) had much the same results as EBRT: 2·1% (1·1–4·2) versus 1·1% (0·5–2·5; p=0·31). With delayed TARGIT (postpathology, n=1153) the between-group difference was larger than 2·5% (TARGIT 5·4% [3·0–9·7] vs EBRT 1·7% [0·6–4·9]; p=0·069). Overall, breast cancer mortality was much the same between groups (2·6% [1·5–4·3] for TARGIT vs 1·9% [1·1–3·2] for EBRT; p=0·56) but there were significantly fewer non-breast-cancer deaths with TARGIT (1·4% [0·8–2·5] vs 3·5% [2·3–5·2]; p=0·0086), attributable to fewer deaths from cardiovascular causes and other cancers. Overall mortality was 3·9% (2·7–5·8) for TARGIT versus 5·3% (3·9–7·3) for EBRT (p=0·099). Wound-related complications were much the same between groups but grade 3 or 4 skin complications were significantly reduced with TARGIT (four of 1720 vs 13 of 1731, p=0·029). INTERPRETATION: TARGIT concurrent with lumpectomy within a risk-adapted approach should be considered as an option for eligible patients with breast cancer carefully selected as per the TARGIT-A trial protocol, as an alternative to postoperative EBRT. FUNDING: University College London Hospitals (UCLH)/UCL Comprehensive Biomedical Research Centre, UCLH Charities, National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme, Ninewells Cancer Campaign, National Health and Medical Research Council, and German Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Biological control of whitefly on Gerbera: success or failure? : tritrophic interactions between Gerbera jamesonii, Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Encarsia formosa

In this thesis fundamental and applied research is described that was initiated to develop biological control of whitefly with the parasitoid Encarsia formosa in the ornamental Gerbera jamesonii Hook (Campanulales: Compositae).To test the hypothesis that host plant architecture of G. jamesonii results in a different whitefly distribution pattern when compared with vegetables such as tomato and cucumber, we started studying whitefly dispersal behaviour and the choice of oviposition and feeding sites of the greenhouse whitefly within a plant. The behaviour of the herbivore was compared on two cultivars of G. jamesonii , differing in hairiness.The dispersal process of whiteflies was directed to the centre of the plant. This leads to adult and egg aggregation on young leaves on the hairy as well as on the less-hairy cultivar. Three parameters (development time, mortality and fecundity) to measure performance of T. vaporariorum were investigated, to determine a possible link with preference for certain leaves or cultivars by whitefly adults. Development duration of immatures is the same on leaves of different ages. Mortality of whiteflies is much lower and fecundity is higher on young Gerbera leaves. The dispersal and aggregation of whitefly adults between plants was investigated next. Whitefly populations were strongly aggregated on Gerbera , which seems typical for this whitefly species. Travel distance and dispersal speed were similar on very different crops such as Gerbera and tomato. Leaf selection behaviour and the resulting distribution of greenhouse whitefly on Gerbera was similar to that on vegetables. The first hypothesis that differences in host plant architecture result in different whitefly distributions is, thus, rejected.The second hypothesis that plant characteristics such as shape and leaf hairiness of G. jamesonii negatively influence the searching behaviour of the parasitoid E. formosa was tested next. Trichome density of Gerbera cultivars appeared to influence the walking behaviour (walking speed, walking activity and straightness of walkng path) and searching efficiency of E. formosa only slightly. Gerbera leaves of all age classes were found and searched by the parasitoid. Number of landings was the same on infested and uninfested Gerbera leaves; parasitoids were observed more often on the abaxial side of the leaves, where hosts are found normally. The foraging behaviour of E. formosa on leaves of a range of Gerbera cultivars is comparable. The searching efficiency of E. formosa on Gerbera is as good as on the vegetable tomato, so also the second hypothesis that plant characteristics negatively influence the searching behaviour of Encarsia on Gerbera , is rejected.The third hypothesis that plant architecture and leaf characteristics of G. jamesonii lead to failure of whitefly biological control on Gerbera was tested in glasshouses. Glasshouse studies are essential to validate the conclusions based on small population experiments and laboratory experiments. One central release of on average three parasitoids per plant, three weeks after whitefly introduction resulted in successful pest control in a small glasshouse of 60 m 2 . Sufficient control was not achieved in a larger glasshouse (300 m 2 ).Possible explanations for the failure of biological control in Gerbera were evaluated with a simulation model of G. jamesonii , T. vaporariorum and E. formosa . Surprisingly, and as a result of integrating all parameters for crop, pest, natural enemy and glasshouse temperature, we found that it is mainly the glasshouse temperature that determines success or failure of biological control in Gerbera .With an adjustment of the release strategy of parasitoids, the right choice of (partially) resistant Gerbera cultivars, and a slight increase of glasshouse temperature in early spring, biological control of T. vaporariorum on G. jamesonii will be successful.</p

The association between work-related rumination and heart rate variability: A field study

This is the final version. Available on open access from Frontiers Media via the DOI in this recordThe objective of this study was to examine the association between perseverative cognition in the form of work-related rumination, and heart rate variability (HRV). We tested the hypothesis that high ruminators would show lower vagally mediated HRV relative to low ruminators during their leisure time. Individuals were classified as being low (n = 17) or high ruminators (n = 19), using the affective scale on the work-related rumination measure. HRV was assessed using a wrist sensor band (Microsoft Band 2). HRV was sampled between 8 pm and 10 pm over three workday evenings (Monday to Wednesday) while individuals carried out their normal evening routines. Compared to the low ruminators, high affective ruminators demonstrated lower HRV in the form of root mean square successive differences (RMSSDs), relative to the low ruminators, indicating lower parasympathetic activity. There was no significant difference in heart rate, or activity levels between the two groups during the recording periods. The current findings of this study may have implications for the design and delivery of interventions to help individuals unwind post work and to manage stress more effectively. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed