Although the Sensititre Yeast-One (SYO) and Etest methods are widely utilized, interpretive criteria are not available for triazole susceptibility testing of
or
species. We collected fluconazole, ...itraconazole, posaconazole, and voriconazole SYO and Etest MICs from 39 laboratories representing all continents for (method/agent-dependent) 11,171
, 215
, 4,418
species complex, 157
(
), 676
(
), 298
(
), 911
, 3,691
species complex, 36
, 110
, 1,854
, 244
, 1,409
, 389
, 130
, 233
, and 302
complex isolates. SYO/Etest MICs for 282 confirmed non-wild-type (non-WT) isolates were included:
(
),
and
(
),
(
), and
and
overexpression (
and
, respectively). Interlaboratory modal agreement was superior by SYO for yeast species and by the Etest for
spp. Distributions fulfilling CLSI criteria for epidemiological cutoff value (ECV) definition were pooled, and we proposed SYO ECVs for
and 9 yeast and 3
species and Etest ECVs for 5 yeast and 4
species. The posaconazole SYO ECV of 0.06 µg/ml for
and the Etest itraconazole ECV of 2 µg/ml for
were the best predictors of non-WT isolates. These findings support the need for method-dependent ECVs, as, overall, the SYO appears to perform better for susceptibility testing of yeast species and the Etest appears to perform better for susceptibility testing of
spp. Further evaluations should be conducted with more
mutants.
Context. Methanol is a common component of interstellar and circumstellar ice mantles and is often used as an evolution indicator in star-forming regions. The observations of gas-phase methanol in ...the interiors of dense molecular clouds at temperatures as low as 10 K suggest that non-thermal ice desorption must be active. Ice photodesorption has been proposed to explain the abundances of gas-phase molecules toward the coldest regions. Aims. Laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the potential photodesorption of methanol toward the coldest regions. Methods. Solid methanol was deposited at 8 K and UV-irradiated at various temperatures starting from 8 K. The irradiation of the ice was monitored by means of infrared spectroscopy and the molecules in the gas phase were detected using quadrupole mass spectroscopy. Fully deuterated methanol was used for confirmation of the results. Results. The photodesorption of methanol to the gas phase was not observed in the mass spectra at different irradiation temperatures. We estimate an upper limit of 3 × 10-5 molecules per incident photon. On the other hand, photon-induced desorption of the main photoproducts was clearly observed. Conclusions. The negligible photodesorption of methanol could be explained by the ability of UV-photons in the 114−180 nm (10.87−6.88 eV) range to dissociate this molecule efficiently. Therefore, the presence of gas-phase methanol in the absence of thermal desorption remains unexplained. On the other hand, we find CH4 to desorb from irradiated methanol ice, which was not found to desorb in the pure CH4 ice irradiation experiments.
The discoveries of intrinsically magnetic topological materials, including semimetals with a large anomalous Hall effect and axion insulators
, have directed fundamental research in solid-state ...materials. Topological quantum chemistry
has enabled the understanding of and the search for paramagnetic topological materials
. Using magnetic topological indices obtained from magnetic topological quantum chemistry (MTQC)
, here we perform a high-throughput search for magnetic topological materials based on first-principles calculations. We use as our starting point the Magnetic Materials Database on the Bilbao Crystallographic Server, which contains more than 549 magnetic compounds with magnetic structures deduced from neutron-scattering experiments, and identify 130 enforced semimetals (for which the band crossings are implied by symmetry eigenvalues), and topological insulators. For each compound, we perform complete electronic structure calculations, which include complete topological phase diagrams using different values of the Hubbard potential. Using a custom code to find the magnetic co-representations of all bands in all magnetic space groups, we generate data to be fed into the algorithm of MTQC to determine the topology of each magnetic material. Several of these materials display previously unknown topological phases, including symmetry-indicated magnetic semimetals, three-dimensional anomalous Hall insulators and higher-order magnetic semimetals. We analyse topological trends in the materials under varying interactions: 60 per cent of the 130 topological materials have topologies sensitive to interactions, and the others have stable topologies under varying interactions. We provide a materials database for future experimental studies and open-source code for diagnosing topologies of magnetic materials.
Plasma-liquid interaction is a critical area of plasma science and a knowledge bottleneck for many promising applications. In this paper, the interaction between a surface air discharge and its ...downstream sample of deionized water is studied with a system-level computational model, which has previously reached good agreement with experimental results. Our computational results reveal that the plasma-induced aqueous species are mainly H(+), nitrate, nitrite, H2O2 and O3. In addition, various short-lived aqueous species are also induced, regardless whether they are generated in the gas phase first. The production/loss pathways for aqueous species are quantified for an air gap width ranging from 0.1 to 2 cm, of which heterogeneous mass transfer and liquid chemistry are found to play a dominant role. The short-lived reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are strongly coupled in liquid-phase reactions: NO3 is an important precursor for short-lived ROS, and in turn OH, O2(-) and HO2 play a crucial role for the production of short-lived RNS. Also, heterogeneous mass transfer depends strongly on the air gap width, resulting in two distinct scenarios separated by a critical air gap of 0.5 cm. The liquid chemistry is significantly different in these two scenarios.
Recent analysis of satellite data obtained during the 9 October 2012 geomagnetic storm identified the development of peaks in electron phase space density, which are compelling evidence for local ...electron acceleration in the heart of the outer radiation belt, but are inconsistent with acceleration by inward radial diffusive transport. However, the precise physical mechanism responsible for the acceleration on 9 October was not identified. Previous modelling has indicated that a magnetospheric electromagnetic emission known as chorus could be a potential candidate for local electron acceleration, but a definitive resolution of the importance of chorus for radiation-belt acceleration was not possible because of limitations in the energy range and resolution of previous electron observations and the lack of a dynamic global wave model. Here we report high-resolution electron observations obtained during the 9 October storm and demonstrate, using a two-dimensional simulation performed with a recently developed time-varying data-driven model, that chorus scattering explains the temporal evolution of both the energy and angular distribution of the observed relativistic electron flux increase. Our detailed modelling demonstrates the remarkable efficiency of wave acceleration in the Earth's outer radiation belt, and the results presented have potential application to Jupiter, Saturn and other magnetized astrophysical objects.
One of the most central scientific questions for plasma applications in healthcare and environmental remediation is the chemical identity and the dose profile of plasma-induced reactive oxygen and ...nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) that can act on an object inside a liquid. A logical focus is on aqueous physicochemical processes near a sample with a direct link to their upstream gaseous processes in the plasma region and a separation gap from the liquid bulk. Here, a system-level modeling framework is developed for indirect interactions of surface air plasma and a deionized water bulk and its predictions are found to be in good agreement with the measurement of gas-phase ozone and aqueous long-living ROS/RNS concentrations. The plasma region is described with a global model, whereas the air gap and the liquid region are simulated with a 1D fluid model. All three regions are treated as one integrated entity and computed simultaneously. With experimental validation, the system-level modeling shows that the dominant aqueous ROS/RNS are long-living species (e.g. H2O2aq, O3aq, nitrite/nitrate, H+aq). While most short-living gaseous species could hardly survive their passage to the liquid, aqueous short-living ROS/RNS are generated in situ through reactions among long-living plasma species and with water molecules. This plasma-mediated remote production of aqueous ROS/RNS is important for the abundance of aqueous HO2aq, HO3aq, OHaq and aq as well as NO2aq and NO3aq. Aqueous plasma chemistry offers a novel and significant pathway to activate a given biological outcome, as exemplified here for bacterial deactivation in plasma-activated water. Additional factors that may synergistically broaden the usefulness of aqueous plasma chemistry include an electric field by aqueous ions and liquid acidification. The system-modeling framework will be useful in assisting designs and analyses of future investigations of plasma-liquid and plasma-cell interactions.
Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) was identified in 3.2% of 21 463 residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, 50 years of age or older. The risk of progression to multiple ...myeloma, Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, AL amyloidosis or a lymphoproliferative disorder is approximately 1% per year. Low-risk MGUS is characterized by having an M protein <15 g/l, IgG type and a normal free light chain (FLC) ratio. Patients should be followed with serum protein electrophoresis at six months and, if stable, can be followed every 2-3 years or when symptoms suggestive of a plasma cell malignancy arise. Patients with intermediate and high-risk MGUS should be followed in 6 months and then annually for life. The risk of smoldering (asymptomatic) multiple myeloma (SMM) progressing to multiple myeloma or a related disorder is 10% per year for the first 5 years, 3% per year for the next 5 years and 1-2% per year for the next 10 years. Testing should be done 2-3 months after the initial recognition of SMM. If the results are stable, the patient should be followed every 4-6 months for 1 year and, if stable, every 6-12 months.
We report, for the first time, the long-awaited detection of diffuse gamma rays with energies between 100 TeV and 1 PeV in the Galactic disk. Particularly, all gamma rays above 398 TeV are observed ...apart from known TeV gamma-ray sources and compatible with expectations from the hadronic emission scenario in which gamma rays originate from the decay of π^{0}'s produced through the interaction of protons with the interstellar medium in the Galaxy. This is strong evidence that cosmic rays are accelerated beyond PeV energies in our Galaxy and spread over the Galactic disk.
The emergence of the H7N9 influenza virus in humans in Eastern China has raised concerns that a new influenza pandemic could occur. Here, we used a ferret model to evaluate the infectivity and ...transmissibility of A/Shanghai/2/2013 (SH2), a human H7N9 virus isolate. This virus replicated in the upper and lower respiratory tracts of the ferrets and was shed at high titers for 6 to 7 days, with ferrets showing relatively mild clinical signs. SH2 was efficiently transmitted between ferrets via direct contact, but less efficiently by airborne exposure. Pigs were productively infected by SH2 and shed virus for 6 days but were unable to transmit the virus to naïve pigs or ferrets. Under appropriate conditions, human-to-human transmission of the H7N9 virus may be possible.
AbstractConcrete cover separation is a common failure mode of RC beams strengthened with a fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) plate externally bonded to the tension face (FRP-plated RC beams). This ...failure mode initiates at the critical plate end and then propagates at the level of steel tension reinforcement in the direction of increasing moment. Plate-end anchorage by FRP U-jackets has been specified in some design guidelines as a mitigation measure to delay or suppress concrete cover separation, although its effectiveness is far from clear. This mitigation method is more attractive than other options because the same strengthening material is used and the installation procedure is simple. This paper presents the first systematic experimental study on the use of FRP U-jackets for mitigating plate-end concrete cover separation failure, with particular attention to the effect of inclination angle between the U-jacket and the beam axis. A total of 10 full-scale FRP-plated RC beams were tested. The test results show that both the load-carrying capacity and the ductility of an FRP-plated RC beam can be significantly enhanced by FRP U-jacketing at the critical plate end. Inclined U-jacketing at 45° to the beam axis was found to be much more effective than vertical U-jacketing (i.e., at 90° to the beam axis) in mitigating plate-end cover separation failure.
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