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•Modification of titania nanotubes with gold clusters through anodization of TiAu alloys.•Electrochemical synthesis of quasi-spherical clusters composed of 49–189 atoms of ...gold.•Nanotubular, mesoporous or nanoporous anodic structures may be formed, depending on the Au content of the alloy.•Distribution of gold in the form of clusters and nanoparticles.
The effect of alloying sputter-deposited Ti with 2 at.% of Au on the growth of anodic nanotubes was studied in monoethylene glycol electrolyte containing 1.0 mol dm−3 of water and 0.1 mol dm−3 of ammonium fluoride. The classic shape of nanotubes modified with quasi-spherical clusters of Au48-198 was obtained on Ti-Au (2 at.%). The results were compared to the formation of a barrier-type anodic film which suggested that gold located at the alloy/anodic film interface is enriched as a consequence of the preferential oxidation of titanium during the prior anodizing period and transported to the cell boundary region of the nanotubular film in the form of quasi-spherical clusters of Au48-198. A consequence of the inclusion of Au48-198 in the structure of the nanotubes was a reduction in the rate of nanotubular film growth due to the generation of oxygen catalysed on the clusters. A further increase in gold content up to 8 at.% in the alloy resulted in the formation of sponge-like or nanoporous anodic layers, with the structure depending on electrolyte composition.
An effective prophylactic vaccine would help control the spread of genital herpes.
We conducted two double-blind, randomized trials of a herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) glycoprotein-D-subunit ...vaccine with alum and 3-O-deacylated-monophosphoryl lipid A in subjects whose regular sexual partners had a history of genital herpes. In Study 1, subjects were seronegative for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2; in Study 2, subjects were of any HSV serologic status. At months 0, 1, and 6, subjects received either vaccine or a control injection and were evaluated for 19 months. The primary end point was the occurrence of genital herpes disease in all subjects in Study 1 and in HSV-2-seronegative female subjects in Study 2.
A total of 847 subjects who were seronegative for both HSV-1 and HSV-2 (268 of them women, in Study 1) and 1867 subjects who were seronegative for HSV-2 (710 of them women, in Study 2) underwent randomization and received injections. Vaccination was well tolerated and elicited humoral and cellular responses. Overall, the efficacy of the vaccine was 38 percent in Study 1 (95 percent confidence interval, -18 to 68 percent; 15 cases occurred in the vaccine group and 24 in the control group), and efficacy in female subjects was 42 percent in Study 2 (95 percent confidence interval, -31 to 74 percent; 9 cases occurred in the vaccine group and 16 in the control group). In both studies, further analysis showed that the vaccine was efficacious in women who were seronegative for both HSV-1 and HSV-2: efficacy in Study 1 was 73 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 19 to 91 percent; P=0.01), and efficacy in Study 2 was 74 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 9 to 93 percent; P=0.02). It was not efficacious in women who were seropositive for HSV-1 and seronegative for HSV-2 at base line or in men.
These studies suggest that the glycoprotein D vaccine has efficacy against genital herpes in women who are seronegative for both HSV-1 and HSV-2 at base line but not in those who are seropositive for HSV-1 and seronegative for HSV-2. It had no efficacy in men, regardless of their HSV serologic status.
A triaxial high-temperature superconducting (HTS) cable for practical cable systems was installed in the chemical plant of a private company (BASF Japan), and a large-scale demonstration test was ...performed. An HTS (REBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-δ ) triaxial cable with a length of 200 m was used, and it was laid at a height of approximately 6 m above the ground and cooled using circulating liquid nitrogen. The test was performed from November 2020 to September 2021. In this paper, we report the results of the demonstration test and the energy-saving effects of the cable system.
► Nanoporous niobium oxide microcones were formed by anodizing in phosphate-glycerol electrolyte. ► The size and shape of microcones were independent of electrolyte temperature. ► However, the ...required anodizing time to form microcones became shorter at higher temperatures.
Nanoporous niobium oxide films with microcone-type surface morphology were formed by anodizing at 10
V in glycerol electrolyte containing 0.6
mol
dm
−3 K
2HPO
4 and 0.2
mol
dm
−3 K
3PO
4 in a temperature range of 428–453
K. The microcones appeared after prolonged anodizing, but the required time was largely reduced by increasing electrolyte temperature. The anodic oxide was initially amorphous at all temperatures, but crystalline oxide nucleated during anodizing. The anodic oxide microcones, which were crystalline, appeared on surface as a consequence of preferential chemical dissolution of initially formed amorphous oxide. The chemical dissolution of an initially formed amorphous layer was accelerated by increasing the electrolyte temperature, with negligible influence of the temperature on the morphology of microcones up to 448
K.
Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have high rates of co-occurrence and share atypical behavioral characteristics, including sensory ...symptoms. The present diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study was conducted to examine whether and how white matter alterations are observed in adult populations with developmental disorders (DD) and to determine how brain-sensory relationships are either shared between or distinct to ASD and ADHD. Methods We collected DTI data from adult population with DD (a primary diagnosis of ASD: n = 105, ADHD: n = 55) as well as age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD) participants (n = 58). Voxel-wise fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity (RD) were analyzed using tract-based spatial statistics. The severities of sensory symptoms were assessed using the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP). Results Categorical analyses identified voxel clusters showing significant effects of DD on FA and RD in the posterior portion of the corpus callosum and its extension in the right hemisphere. Furthermore, regression analyses using the AASP scores revealed that slopes in relationships of FA or RD with the degree of sensory symptoms were parallel between the two DDs in large parts of the affected corpus callosum regions. A small but significant cluster did exist showing difference in association between an AASP subscale score and RD across ASD and ADHD. Limitations Wide age range of the participants may be oversimplified. Conclusions These results indicate that white matter alteration and their relationships to sensory symptoms are largely shared between ASD and ADHD, with localized abnormalities showing significant between-diagnosis differences within DD. Keywords: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Autism spectrum disorder, Developmental disorder, Diffusion tensor imaging, Sensory problem
Summary To prevent dissemination of norovirus in semiclosed environments such as aged-care facilities, it is important to know the period of infectivity in norovirus-infected individuals. We ...recruited 13 elderly patients aged 60–98 years with norovirus gastroenteritis (11 residents in aged-care facilities and two healthy adults) for this study, and measured the viral loads for norovirus in a total of 63 follow-up faecal samples using a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay. The average period of norovirus excretion was 14.3 days (range: 9–32 days; median: 13 days). All of the follow-up samples collected between 7 and 10 days after the onset of symptoms tested positive. Viral loads in samples collected between 14 and 18 days after the onset of symptoms were divided into three groups: those testing negative, those with <104 copies/g stool, and those with >104 copies/g stool. Stools from the group with <104 copies/g stool were found to be negative for norovirus up to 21–24 days after the onset of symptoms; however, the group with >104 copies/g stool showed prolonged norovirus excretion (up to 32 days) in stools. Although the period of infectivity of excreted viruses has not yet been clarified, these results suggest that careful attention should be taken for at least 14 days after the onset of symptoms and that the measurement of viral load in stools around 16 days after onset might be a useful method for following the course of viral shedding for each patient infected with norovirus.
Aim
Prior structural magnetic resonance imaging studies demonstrated atypical gray matter characteristics in siblings of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, they did not clarify ...which aspect of gray matter is related to the endophenotype (i.e., genetic vulnerability) of ASD. Further, because they did not enroll siblings of typically developing (TD) people, they may have underestimated the difference between individuals with ASD and their unaffected siblings. The current study aimed to address these gaps.
Methods
We recruited 30 pairs of adult male siblings (15 pairs with an ASD endophenotype and 15 pairs without) and focused on four gray matter parameters: cortical volume and three surface‐based parameters (cortical thickness, fractal dimension, and sulcal depth SD). First, we sought to identify a pattern of an ASD endophenotype, comparing the four parameters. Then, we compared individuals with ASD and their unaffected siblings in the cortical parameters to identify neural correlates for the clinical diagnosis accounting for the difference between TD siblings.
Results
A sparse logistic regression with a leave‐one‐pair‐out cross‐validation showed the SD as having the highest accuracy for the identification of an ASD endophenotype (73.3%) compared with the other three parameters. A bootstrapping analysis accounting for the difference in the SD between TD siblings showed a significantly large difference between individuals with ASD and their unaffected siblings in six out of 68 regions of interest.
Conclusion
This proof‐of‐concept study suggests that an ASD endophenotype emerges in the SD and that neural bases for ASD diagnosis can be discerned from the endophenotype when accounting for the difference between TD siblings.
We use 2007–2011 Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) data to perform an arc‐wide interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) time series survey of the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB) and ...to study time‐dependent ground deformation of four Indonesian volcanoes selected following the 2007–2009 study of Chaussard and Amelung (2012). Our objectives are to examine whether arc volcanoes exhibit long‐term edifice‐wide cyclic deformation patterns that can be used to characterize open and closed volcanic systems and to better constrain in which cases precursory inflation is expected. We reveal deformation cycles at both regularly active and previously inactive Indonesian volcanoes, but we do not detect deformation in the TMVB, reflecting a lower activity level. We identify three types of relationships between deformation and activity: inflation prior to eruption and associated with or followed by deflation (Kerinci and Sinabung), inflation without eruption and followed by slow deflation (Agung), and eruption without precursory deformation (Merapi, Colima, and Popocatépetl; at Merapi, no significant deformation is detected even during eruption). The first two cases correspond to closed volcanic systems and suggest that the traditional model of magmatic systems and eruptive cycles do apply to andesitic volcanoes (i.e., inflation and deflation episodes associated with magma accumulation or volatile exsolution in a crustal reservoir followed by eruptions or in situ cooling). In contrast, the last case corresponds to open volcanic systems where no significant pressurization of the magmatic reservoirs is taking place prior to eruptions and thus no long‐term edifice‐wide ground deformation can be detected. We discuss these results in terms of InSAR's potential for forecasting volcanic unrest.
Key Points
Detect long‐term edifice‐wide cyclic deformation patterns at arcs volcanoes
Deformation‐activity relationships characterize closed and open volcanic systems
Arc‐wide time‐series show potential and limits of InSAR for forecasting unrest
Herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) can cause a variety of infections, including genital herpes. Despite effective antiviral therapy, HSV infections remain a significant worldwide public health problem. ...Vaccines offer the best hope for controlling spread and limiting HSV disease. This article discusses the pathogenesis and immunobiology of mucocutaneous HSV infections, summarizes the spectrum of diseases caused by HSV, and provides a review of the field of HSV vaccine research. This article also discusses what might be realistically expected of a vaccine intended for control of genital herpes and explores the question of whether a vaccine that is effective in controlling genital HSV disease might also be effective in controlling nongenital HSV disease. The efficacy of such vaccines for the full spectrum of HSV disease will eventually determine the timing and targeting of immunization, ranging from selective immunization in preadolescence to universal childhood immunization as part of the routine childhood regimen.
In this study, we investigated the effect of the addition of silica (SiO2) nanospheres on the mechanical properties of clay/PAAS hydrogels. Consequently, the addition of SiO2 nanospheres to the ...clay/PAAS hydrogels remarkably enhanced mechanical performance such as tensile strength and extensibility. Interestingly, quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) measurements reveal that SiO2 nanospheres do not adhere to any other constituents despite the improvement of mechanical performance. Additionally, synchrotron small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analysis reveals that clay platelets comparatively disperse in the clay/SiO2/PAAS hydrogels. We conclude from these results that the mechanical performance enhanced by the addition of SiO2 nanospheres may come from the increase in the number of PAAS molecules adsorbed on clay particles arising from the electrostatic repulsion between SiO2 and PAAS.
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•The addition of SiO2 nanospheres to clay/PAAS gels enhances mechanical performance.•SiO2 nanospheres do not crosslink with any other constituents.•The crosslinking density between clay and PAAS increases by the addition of SiO2 nanospheres.•Clay platelets comparatively disperse in the clay/SiO2/PAAS hydrogels.
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