At a distance of 1.295 parsecs, the red dwarf Proxima Centauri (α Centauri C, GL 551, HIP 70890 or simply Proxima) is the Sun's closest stellar neighbour and one of the best-studied low-mass stars. ...It has an effective temperature of only around 3,050 kelvin, a luminosity of 0.15 per cent of that of the Sun, a measured radius of 14 per cent of the radius of the Sun and a mass of about 12 per cent of the mass of the Sun. Although Proxima is considered a moderately active star, its rotation period is about 83 days (ref. 3) and its quiescent activity levels and X-ray luminosity are comparable to those of the Sun. Here we report observations that reveal the presence of a small planet with a minimum mass of about 1.3 Earth masses orbiting Proxima with a period of approximately 11.2 days at a semi-major-axis distance of around 0.05 astronomical units. Its equilibrium temperature is within the range where water could be liquid on its surface.
Ever since the first experimental evidence of the existence of endohedral metallofullerenes (EMFs) was obtained, the search for carbon cages with encapsulated metals and small molecules has become a ...very active field of research. EMFs exhibit unique electronic and structural features, with potential applications in many fields. Furthermore, functionalized EMFs offer additional potential applications because of their higher solubility and their ease of characterization by X-ray crystallography and other techniques. Herein we review the general field of EMFs, particularly of functionalized EMFs. We also address their structures and their (electrochemical) properties, as well as applications of these fascinating compounds.
This work presents the Transition-Aware Human Activity Recognition (TAHAR) system architecture for the recognition of physical activities using smartphones. It targets real-time classification with a ...collection of inertial sensors while addressing issues regarding the occurrence of transitions between activities and unknown activities to the learning algorithm. We propose two implementations of the architecture which differ in their prediction technique as they deal with transitions either by directly learning them or by considering them as unknown activities. This is accomplished by combining the probabilistic output of consecutive activity predictions of a Support Vector Machine (SVM) with a heuristic filtering approach. The architecture is validated over three case studies that involve data from people performing a broad spectrum of activities (up to 33), while carrying smartphones or wearable sensors. Results show that TAHAR outperforms state-of-the-art baseline works and reveal the main advantages of the architecture.
Summary
Cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas (CTCLs) have a chronic, relapsing course, and the most common subtypes are mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome. The disease causes visible skin alterations and ...can also cause alopecia, pruritus and pain, all of which can impact patients’ health‐related quality of life (HRQoL). The goal of treatment is to reduce symptoms and prevent disease progression. However, treatment recommendations are often based on low levels of evidence due to the lack of well‐designed randomised clinical trials and treatment guidelines, and approved drugs vary considerably across different countries and regions. Currently, available treatments rarely lead to durable remissions and eventually become less effective, meaning patients often require multiple therapy changes. Skin‐directed therapies (SDTs) are first‐line treatments for early‐stage CTCL, whereas systemic therapies may be needed for early‐stage disease that does not respond to SDT or for advanced‐stage disease. However, patients can experience significant side‐effects with these treatments or may be unable to tolerate them. Hence, there is an unmet need for effective therapies with good safety profiles for the treatment of early‐ and late‐stage CTCL. Here, we review current treatment guidelines, investigational and approved treatments, the impact of CTCL on patients’ HRQoL, and the treatment of pruritus.
Gene delivery vectors based on adeno-associated virus (AAV) have been utilized in a large number of gene therapy clinical trials, which have demonstrated their strong safety profile and increasingly ...their therapeutic efficacy for treating monogenic diseases. For cancer applications, AAV vectors have been harnessed for delivery of an extensive repertoire of transgenes to preclinical models and, more recently, clinical trials involving certain cancers. This review describes the applications of AAV vectors to cancer models and presents developments in vector engineering and payload design aimed at tailoring AAV vectors for transduction and treatment of cancer cells. We also discuss the current status of AAV clinical development in oncology and future directions for AAV in this field.
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The temperature dependence of the photochemical production of the hydroxyl radical (•OH) from dissolved organic matter (DOM) was investigated by measuring the apparent temperature dependence of the ...quantum yield (Φa) for this process. Temperature dependent Φa values were analyzed using the Arrhenius equation. Apparent activation energies obtained for DOM isolates purchased from the International Humic Substances Society ranged from 16 to 34 kJ mol–1. Addition of 40 units mL–1 catalase, used to hinder the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-dependent pathway to •OH, did not impact the observed activation energy. However, an increase in activation energy was observed in lower molecular weight DOM obtained by size fractionation. We also measured the temperature dependence of p-benzoquionone photolysis as a model compound for DOM and observed no temperature dependence (slope p = 0.41) for the formation of phenol from oxidation of benzene (the •OH probe used), but a value of about 10 kJ mol–1 for p-benzoquinone loss, which is consistent with formation of a quinone-water exciplex. These data provide insight into DOM photochemistry as well as provide parameters useful for modeling steady state •OH concentrations in natural systems.
Cyanobacteria populate most water environments, and their ability to effectively exploit light and nutrients provide them with a competitive advantage over other life forms. In particular conditions, ...cyanobacteria may experience considerable growth and give rise to the so-called harmful algal blooms (HABs). HABs are often characterized by the production of cyanotoxins, which cause adverse effects to both aquatic organisms and humans and even threaten drinking water supplies. The concentration of cyanotoxins in surface waters results from the budget between production by cyanobacteria and transformation, including photodegradation under sunlight exposure. Climate change will likely provide favorable conditions for HABs, which are expected to increase in frequency over both space and time. Moreover, climate change could modify the ability of some surface waters to induce phototransformation reactions. Photochemical modeling is here carried out for two cyanotoxins of known photoreaction kinetics (microcystin-LR and cylindrospermopsin), which follow different phototransformation pathways and for particular freshwater scenarios (summertime stratification in lakes, water browning, and evaporative water concentration). On this basis, it is possible to quantitatively predict that the expected changes in water-column conditions under a changing climate would enhance photodegradation of those cyanotoxins that are significantly transformed by reaction with the triplet states of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (3CDOM*). This is known to be the case for microcystin-LR, for which faster photodegradation in some environments would at least partially offset enhanced occurrence. Unfortunately, very few data are currently available for the role of 3CDOM* in the degradation of other cyanotoxins, which is a major knowledge gap in understanding the link between cyanotoxin photodegradation and changing climate.
Objective
As in other health sciences, a career in dentistry is associated with numerous stressors in practitioners. The main objective of this research was to examine the prevalence of emotional ...exhaustion, burnout, and perceived stress among dental students in Mexico.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted among 73 dental students attending a private university in Northern Mexico. Three scales were administered to students to identify emotional exhaustion, burnout, and perceived stress, and parametric data analysis was performed.
Results
Among participants (mean age 19.7 years), the proportion with emotional exhaustion, perceived high stress, and burnout was 52.0%, 42.3%, and 17.8%, respectively. All students with perceived stress also had burnout.
Conclusions
We found that emotional exhaustion and perceived stress are experienced by a large proportion of dentistry students enrolled in the third semester at this private university in Northern Mexico. The proportions were independent of age and sex.
The photochemical formation of hydroxyl radical (HO•) from effluent organic matter (EfOM) was evaluated using three bulk wastewater samples collected at different treatment facilities under simulated ...sunlight. For the samples studied, the formation rates of HO• (R HO• ) were obtained from the formation rate of phenol following the hydroxylation of benzene. The values of R HO• ranged from 2.3 to 3.8 × 10–10 M s–1 for the samples studied. The formation rate of HO• from nitrate photolysis (R NO3 HO• ) was determined to be 3.0 × 10–7 MHO• MNO3 –1 s–1. The HO• production rate from EfOM (R EfOM HO• ) ranged from 0.76 to 1.3 × 10–10 M s–1. For the wastewater samples studied, R EfOM HO• varied from 1.5 to 2.4 × 10–7 MHO• MC –1 s–1 on molar carbon basis, which was close to HO• production from nitrate photolysis. The apparent quantum yield for the formation of HO• from nitrate (ΦNO3–HO• a ) was determined as 0.010 ± 0.001 for the wavelength range 290–400 nm in ultrapure water. The apparent quantum yield for HO• formation in EfOM (ΦEfOM–HO• a ) ranged from 6.1 to 9.8 × 10–5, compared to 2.99 to 4.56 × 10–5 for organic matter (OM) isolates. The results indicate that wastewater effluents could produce significant concentrations of HO•, as shown by potential higher nitrate levels and relatively higher quantum yields of HO• formation from EfOM.
Apathy is a very common behavioural and psychological symptom across brain disorders. In the last decade, there have been considerable advances in research on apathy and motivation. It is thus ...important to revise the apathy diagnostic criteria published in 2009. The main objectives were to: a) revise the definition of apathy; b) update the list of apathy dimensions; c) operationalise the diagnostic criteria; and d) suggest appropriate assessment tools including new technologies.
The expert panel (N = 23) included researchers and health care professionals working on brain disorders and apathy, a representative of a regulatory body, and a representative of the pharmaceutical industry. The revised diagnostic criteria for apathy were developed in a two-step process. First, following the standard Delphi methodology, the experts were asked to answer questions via web-survey in two rounds. Second, all the collected information was discussed on the occasion of the 26th European Congress of Psychiatry held in Nice (France).
Apathy was defined as a quantitative reduction of goal-directed activity in comparison to the patient’s previous level of functioning (criterion A). Symptoms must persist for at least four weeks, and affect at least two of the three apathy dimensions (behaviour/cognition; emotion; social interaction; criterion B). Apathy should cause identifiable functional impairments (criterion C), and should not be fully explained by other factors, such as effects of a substance or major changes in the patient’s environment (Criterion D).
The new diagnostic criteria for apathy provide a clinical and scientific framework to increase the validity of apathy as a clinical construct. This should also help to pave the path for apathy in brain disorders to be an interventional target.
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