Velocity Profiling, Turbulence, and Chlorophyll Concentrations in the Bottom Boundary Layer of Lake Michigan near Muskegon, Michigan

The characterization of water flow and turbulence near lake beds is important for modelling environmental and ecological effects throughout a lake. In Lake Michigan, where invasive filter-feeding Quagga mussels dominate the lake bed, turbulence plays an important role in determining how much of chlorophyll is mixed down to the Quagga Mussels. Deep in Lake Michigan (44m) near Muskegon, MI, a large tripod was deployed, attached with an Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter, a fluorometer to measure chlorophyll concentrations, and a temperature sensor. Measurements were recorded from late May until early August by sampling velocities every hour in ten-minute bursts at 4 Hz, and sampling temperature and concentration approximately every minute, continuously. Several important turbulent parameters were calculated using the data collected. Chlorophyll data from the site showed that the water column here displayed a Concentration Boundary Layer (CBL), in which the chlorophyll concentration increases as distance from the lake floor increases. The median speed (U = 2.85cm/s) and Turbulent Kinetic Energy (TKE = 2.1 x 10-5 m2/s2) were also calculated. All of these results have previously had very little documentation in such deep waters. The observation of a CBL shows that the invasive Quagga Mussels are able to drastically alter chlorophyll concentrations near the lake floor, an important result for future modeling efforts. The quantification of turbulence parameters will be useful in further studies to find causation between various turbulence levels and concentrations

We don’t do Google, we do massive attacks: Notes on creative R&D collaborations

The article presents findings from an exploratory study investigating the nature of collaborative research and development in creative industries. Participants in the study are two creative SMEs with extensive experience of participating in collaborative projects. A collective case study approach is adopted with data collected on the factors impinging on the effectiveness of such collaborations. Findings are presented at the macro and micro levels of such collaborations. The paper concludes with a summary of some of the challenges faced by small creative SMEs when collaborating with other organizations during the research and development process

Global utilization of low-dose corticosteroids in severe sepsis and septic shock: a report from the PROGRESS registry

The benefits and use of low-dose corticosteroids (LDCs) in severe sepsis and septic shock remain controversial. Surviving sepsis campaign guidelines suggest LDC use for septic shock patients poorly responsive to fluid resuscitation and vasopressor therapy. Their use is suspected to be wide-spread, but paucity of data regarding global practice exists. The purpose of this study was to compare baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of patients treated or not treated with LDC from the international PROGRESS (PROmoting Global Research Excellence in Severe Sepsis) cohort study of severe sepsis.Journal ArticleMulticenter StudyResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Hybrid GaN LED with capillary-bonded II–VI MQW color-converting membrane for visible light communications

The rapid emergence of gallium-nitride (GaN) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for solid-state lighting has created a timely opportunity for optical communications using visible light. One important challenge to address this opportunity is to extend the wavelength coverage of GaN LEDs without compromising their modulation properties. Here, a hybrid source for emission at 540 nm consisting of a 450 nm GaN micro-sized LED (micro-LED) with a micron-thick ZnCdSe/ZnCdMgSe multi-quantum-well color-converting membrane is reported. The membrane is liquid-capillary-bonded directly onto the sapphire window of the micro-LED for full hybridization. At an injection current of 100 mA, the color-converted power was found to be 37 μW. At this same current, the −3 dB optical modulation bandwidth of the bare GaN and hybrid micro-LEDs were 79 and 51 MHz, respectively. The intrinsic bandwidth of the color-converting membrane was found to be power-density independent over the range of the micro-LED operation at 145 MHz, which corresponds to a mean carrier lifetime of 1.9 ns

New functional families (FunFams) in CATH to improve the mapping of conserved functional sites to 3D structures.

CATH version 3.5 (Class, Architecture, Topology, Homology, available at http://www.cathdb.info/) contains 173 536 domains, 2626 homologous superfamilies and 1313 fold groups. When focusing on structural genomics (SG) structures, we observe that the number of new folds for CATH v3.5 is slightly less than for previous releases, and this observation suggests that we may now know the majority of folds that are easily accessible to structure determination. We have improved the accuracy of our functional family (FunFams) sub-classification method and the CATH sequence domain search facility has been extended to provide FunFam annotations for each domain. The CATH website has been redesigned. We have improved the display of functional data and of conserved sequence features associated with FunFams within each CATH superfamily

Resting state functional connectivity in patients with remitted psychotic depression: A multi-centre STOP-PD study

BACKGROUND: There is paucity of neurobiological knowledge about major depressive disorder with psychotic features ( psychotic depression ). This study addresses this knowledge gap by using resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (R-fMRI) to compare functional connectivity in patients with psychotic depression and healthy controls. METHODS: We scanned patients who participated in a randomized controlled trial as well as healthy controls. All patients achieved remission from depressive and psychotic symptoms with sertraline and olanzapine. We employed Independent Component Analysis in independent samples to isolate the default mode network (DMN) and compared patients and controls. FINDINGS: The Toronto sample included 28 patients (mean [SD], age 56.2 [13.7]) and 39 controls (age 55.1 [13.5]). The Replication sample included 29 patients (age 56.1 [17.7]) and 36 controls (age 48.3 [17.9]). Patients in the Toronto sample demonstrated decreased between-network functional connectivity between the DMN and bilateral insular, somatosensory/motor, and auditory cortices with peak activity in the right planum polare (t=4.831; p=0.001, Family Wise Error (FWE) corrected). A similar pattern of between-network functional connectivity was present in our Replication sample with peak activity in the right precentral gyrus (t=4.144; p=0.003, FWE corrected). INTERPRETATION: Remission from psychotic depression is consistently associated with an absence of increased DMN-related functional connectivity and presence of decreased between-network functional connectivity. Future research will evaluate this abnormal DMN-related functional connectivity as a potential biomarker for treatment trajectories. FUNDING: National Institute of Mental Health

Terpene polyacrylate TPA5 shows favorable molecular hydrodynamic properties as a potential bioinspired archaeological wood consolidant

There is currently a pressing need for the development of novel bioinspired consolidants for waterlogged, archaeological wood. Bioinspired materials possess many advantages, such as biocompatibility and sustainability, which makes them ideal to use in this capacity. Based on this, a polyhydroxylated monomer was synthesised from α-pinene, a sustainable terpene feedstock derived from pine trees, and used to prepare a low molar mass polymer TPA5 through free radical polymerisation. This polymer was extensively characterised by NMR spectroscopy (chemical composition) and molecular hydrodynamics, primarily using analytical ultracentrifugation reinforced by gel filtration chromatography and viscometry, in order to investigate whether it would be suitable for wood consolidation purposes. Sedimentation equilibrium indicated a weight average molar mass Mw of (4.3 ± 0.2) kDa, with minimal concentration dependence. Further analysis with MULTISIG revealed a broad distribution of molar masses and this heterogeneity was further confirmed by sedimentation velocity. Conformation analyses with the Perrin P and viscosity increment ν universal hydrodynamic parameters indicated that the polymer had an elongated shape, with both factors giving consistent results and a consensus axial ratio of ~ 4.5. These collective properties—hydrogen bonding potential enhanced by an elongated shape, together with a small injectable molar mass—suggest this polymer is worthy of further consideration as a potential consolidant

Deliberative Mini-Publics: Core Design Features

This working paper identifies core design features of a deliberative mini-public (DMP). It aims to provide clarity on what distinguishes a DMP from other forms of citizen engagement and participation by characterising its normative foundations and setting out its key features under a series of discrete headings that can be used as a resource by anyone designing, implementing, or studying DMPs. </p

Unlocking the diagnostic power of plasma extracellular vesicle miR-200 family in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Background: Distinguishing benign from malignant pancreaticobiliary disease is challenging because of the absence of reliable biomarkers. Circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as functional mediators between cells. Their cargos, including microRNAs (miRNAs), are increasingly acknowledged as an important source of potential biomarkers. This multicentric, prospective study aimed to establish a diagnostic plasma EV-derived miRNA signature to discriminate pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) from benign pancreaticobiliary disease. Methods: Plasma EVs were isolated using size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and characterised using nanoparticle tracking analysis, electron microscopy and Western blotting. EV-RNAs underwent small RNA sequencing to discover differentially expressed markers for PDAC (n = 10 benign vs. 10 PDAC). Candidate EV-miRNAs were then validated in a cohort of 61 patients (n = 31 benign vs. 30 PDAC) by RT-qPCR. Logistic regression and optimal thresholds (Youden Index) were used to develop an EV-miR-200 family model to detect cancer. This model was tested in an independent cohort of 95 patients (n = 30 benign, 33 PDAC, and 32 cholangiocarcinoma). Results: Small RNA sequencing and RT-qPCR showed that EV-miR-200 family members were significantly overexpressed in PDAC vs. benign disease. Combined expression of the EV-miR-200 family showed an AUC of 0.823. In an independent validation cohort, application of this model showed a sensitivity, specificity and AUC of 100%, 88%, and 0.97, respectively, for diagnosing PDAC. Conclusions: This is the first study to validate plasma EV-miR-200 members as a clinically-useful diagnostic biomarker for PDAC. Further validation in larger cohorts and clinical trials is essential. These findings also suggest the potential utility in monitoring response and/or recurrence. Graphical Abstract