A planar quasi-optical SIS receiver for array applications

A planar, quasi-optical SIS receiver operating at 230 GHz is described. The receiver consists of a 2 x 5 array of half wave dipole antennas with ten niobium-aluminum oxide-niobium SIS junctions on a quartz dielectric-filled parabola. The 1.4 GHz intermediate frequency is coupled from the mixer via coplanar strip transmission lines and 4:1 balun transformers. The receiver is operated at 4.2 K in a liquid helium immersion cryostat. We report accurate measurements of the performance of single receiver elements. A mixer noise temperature of 89 K DSB, receiver noise temperature of 156 K DSB, and conversion loss of 3 dB into a matched load have been obtained

The declining representativeness of the British party system, and why it matters

In a recent article, Michael Laver has explained ‘Why Vote-Seeking Parties May Make Voters Miserable’. His model shows that, while ideological convergence may boost congruence between governments and the median voter, it can reduce congruence between the party system and the electorate as a whole. Specifically, convergence can increase the mean distance between voters and their nearest party. In this article we show that this captures the reality of today’s British party system. Policy scale placements in British Election Studies from 1987 to 2010 confirm that the pronounced convergence during the past decade has left the Conservatives and Labour closer together than would be optimal in terms of minimising the policy distance between the average voter and the nearest major party. We go on to demonstrate that this comes at a cost. Respondents who perceive themselves as further away from one of the major parties in the system tend to score lower on satisfaction with democracy. In short, vote-seeking parties have left the British party system less representative of the ideological diversity in the electorate, and thus made at least some British voters miserable

A versatile protocol for Stille−Migita cross coupling reactions

The combination of catalytic amounts of [Pd(PPh3)4], copper thiophene-2-carboxylate (CuTC) and [Ph2PO2][NBu4] allowed a series of exigent Stille–Migita reactions to be performed with high yields; as the protocol is fluoride free, a variety of O-silyl and C-silyl groups remained intact

Quantifying the contribution of pathways of nosocomial acquisition of COVID-19 in English hospitals

BACKGROUND: Despite evidence of the nosocomial transmission of novel coronavirus Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in hospitals worldwide, the contributions of the pathways of transmission are poorly quantified. METHODS: We analysed national records of hospital admissions and discharges, linked to data on SARS-CoV-2 testing, using an individual-based model that considers patient-to-patient, patient-to-healthcare worker (HCW), HCW-to-patient and HCW-to-HCW transmission. RESULTS: Between 1 March 2020 and 31 December 2020, SARS-CoV-2 infections that were classified as nosocomial were identified in 0.5% (0.34-0.74) of patients admitted to an acute National Health Service trust. We found that the most likely route of nosocomial transmission to patients was indirect transmission from other infected patients, e.g. through HCWs acting as vectors or contaminated fomites, followed by direct transmission between patients in the same bay. The risk of transmission to patients from HCWs over this time period is low, but can contribute significantly when the number of infected inpatients is low. Further, the risk of a HCW acquiring SARS-CoV-2 in hospital is approximately equal to that in the community, thereby doubling their overall risk of infection. The most likely route of transmission to HCWs is transmission from other infected HCWs. CONCLUSIONS: Current control strategies have successfully reduced the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 between patients and HCWs. In order to reduce the burden of nosocomial COVID-19 infections on health services, stricter measures should be enforced that would inhibit the spread of the virus between bays or wards in the hospital. There should also be a focus on inhibiting the spread of SARS-CoV-2 between HCWs. The findings have important implications for infection-control procedures in hospitals

HbA1c response and hospital admissions following commencement of flash glucose monitoring in adults with type 1 diabetes

Introduction Our aim was to assess the effect of introducing flash monitoring in adults with type 1 diabetes with respect to change in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and frequency of hospital admissions.Research design and methods Prospective observational study of adults with type 1 diabetes in our center, in whom a prescription for a flash monitoring sensor was collected. Primary outcome was change in HbA1c between 2016 and after flash monitoring. Rates of hospital admission were compared between the first year after flash monitoring and the corresponding 12-month period 2 years earlier.Results Approximately half of all adults with type 1 diabetes, attending our center, collected prescriptions for flash monitoring sensors (n=2216). Median fall in HbA1c was −1 (−0.1) mmol/mol (%) (p<0.001) and was greatest in those with baseline HbA1c >75 (9.0) mmol/mol (%): −10 (−0.9) mmol/mol (%), p<0.001. 43% of those with a baseline HbA1c >53 mmol/mol (7%) experienced a ≥5 mmol/mol (0.5%) fall in HbA1c. In addition to higher HbA1c, early commencement within 1 month of NHS-funded flash monitoring (p<0.001), and male gender (p=0.013) were associated with a fall in HbA1c of ≥5 (0.5) mmol/mol (%). Socioeconomic deprivation (p=0.009) and collecting fewer than 2 sensors per month (p=0.002) were associated with lack of response. Overall, hospital admissions did not change but an increase in admissions for hypoglycemia was observed (1.1% vs 0.3%, p=0.026).Conclusions Flash monitoring is associated with reduction in HbA1c in individuals with HbA1c >58 mmol/mol. Numerous clinical features are independently associated with HbA1c response. An increase in hypoglycemia admissions occurred following flash monitoring

ABCC1 modulates negative feedback control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in vivo in humans

BACKGROUND: Cortisol and corticosterone both circulate in human plasma and, due to differing export by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, may exert differential cellular effects. ABCB1 (expressed in brain) exports cortisol not corticosterone while ABCC1 (expressed in adipose and skeletal muscle) exports corticosterone not cortisol. We hypothesised that ABCC1 inhibition increases corticosteroid receptor occupancy by corticosterone but not cortisol in humans. METHODS: A randomised double-blind crossover study was conducted in 14 healthy men comparing placebo and ABCC1 inhibitor probenecid. Blood sampling, including from veins draining adipose and muscle, was undertaken before and after administration of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist potassium canrenoate and glucocorticoid receptor antagonist mifepristone (RU486). RESULTS: During placebo, systemic plasma cortisol and corticosterone concentrations increased promptly after canrenoate. Cortisol uptake was detected from adipose but not muscle following canrenoate + RU486. Probenecid significantly increased systemic cortisol concentrations, and tended to increase corticosterone and ACTH concentrations, after combined receptor antagonism but had no effects on net glucocorticoid balance in either adipose or muscle. Using quantitative PCR in brain bank tissue, ABCC1 expression was 5-fold higher in human pituitary than hypothalamus and hippocampus. ABCB1 was more highly expressed in hypothalamus compared to pituitary. CONCLUSIONS: Although displacement of corticosterone and/or cortisol from receptors in adipose and skeletal muscle could not be measured with sufficient precision to detect effects of probenecid, ABCC1 inhibition induced a greater incremental activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis after combined receptor blockade, consistent with ABCC1 exporting corticosterone from the pituitary and adding to the evidence that ABC transporters modulate tissue glucocorticoid sensitivity

A systems-level analysis of total-body PET data reveals complex skeletal metabolism networks in vivo

Bone is now regarded to be a key regulator of a number of metabolic processes, in addition to the regulation of mineral metabolism. However, our understanding of complex bone metabolic interactions at a systems level remains rudimentary. in vitro molecular biology and bioinformatics approaches have frequently been used to understand the mechanistic changes underlying disease at the cell level, however, these approaches lack the capability to interrogate dynamic multi-bone metabolic interactions in vivo. Here we present a novel and integrative approach to understand complex bone metabolic interactions in vivo using total-body positron emission tomography (PET) network analysis of murine 18F-FDG scans, as a biomarker of glucose metabolism in bones. In this report we show that different bones within the skeleton have a unique glucose metabolism and form a complex metabolic network, which could not be identified using single tissue simplistic PET standard uptake values analysis. The application of our approach could reveal new physiological and pathological tissue interactions beyond skeletal metabolism, due to PET radiotracers diversity and the advent of clinical total-body PET systems

A unique, large-sized stem Odonata (Insecta) found in the early Pennsylvanian of New Brunswick (Canada)

A stem relative of dragon- and damselflies, Brunellopteron norradi Béthoux, Deregnaucourt and Norrad gen. et sp. nov., is documented based on a specimen found at Robertson Point (Grand Lake, New Brunswick, Canada; Sunbury Creek Formation; early Moscovian, Pennsylvanian) and preserving the basal half of a hindwing. A comparative analysis of the evolution of wing venation in early odonates demonstrates that it belongs to a still poorly documented subset of species. Specifically, it displays a MP + CuA fusion, a CuA + CuP fusion, and a CuP + AA fusion, but it lacks the “extended” MP + Cu / CuA fusion and the “extended” (CuP / CuA + CuP) + AA fusion, the occurrence of which is typical of most Odonata, including Meganeura-like species. The occurrence of intercalary veins suggests that its closest relative might be Gallotypus oudardi Nel, Garrouste and Roques, 2008, from the Moscovian of northern France.</p