We report a proof-of-principle experimental demonstration of quantum lithography. Utilizing the entangled nature of a two-photon state, the experimental results have beaten the classical diffraction ...limit by a factor of 2. This is a quantum mechanical two-photon phenomenon but not a violation of the uncertainty principle.
The axonal forms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT2) disease are a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders. Mitofusin 2 gene (MFN2) mutations are the most common cause of CMT2. Complex ...phenotypes have been described in association with MFN2 gene mutations, including CMT2 with pyramidal features (hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy HSMN V) and CMT2 with optic atrophy (HMSN VI).
To report on the clinical, neurophysiologic, and neuropathologic features of an Italian family with a novel MFN2 gene mutation and investigate brain functional parameters using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).
Three family members, a father and his two sons, were affected by peripheral neuropathy, cognitive impairment, and poor nocturnal vision (also optic neuropathy in one case). A member of this family also showed spastic paraparesis. The MFN2 gene sequence was analyzed. A sural nerve biopsy as well as brain (1)H-MRS and (31)P-MRS were evaluated in two patients.
Affected family members carried a novel MFN2 missense mutation, namely R104W, located within the critical GTPase domain of the protein which affects a highly conserved amino acid position. Sural nerve biopsies showed a normal mitochondrial network, particularly at the nodes of Ranvier, upon electron microscopy examination. A significant defect of high energy phosphates (HEPs) in the visual cortex was observed at rest by (31)P-MRS in the adult proband, while his son showed a defective recovery of HEPs after stimulation of the visual cortex.
Cognitive impairment may be another feature of the MFN2-related phenotype. The widespread peripheral and CNS involvement, as well as the neurosensorial defects, underline the similarities among MFN2-related and primary mitochondrial disorders.
Listeriosis is a severe infection caused by Listeria monocytogenes. Since 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has requested that listeriosis patients be interviewed using a ...standardized Listeria Initiative (LI) questionnaire. In January 2009, states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began investigating a multistate outbreak of listeriosis among pregnant, Hispanic women. We defined a case as an illness occurring between October 2008 and March 2009 with an L. monocytogenes isolate indistinguishable from the outbreak strain by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. We conducted a multistate case-control study using controls that were selected from L. monocytogenes illnesses in non-outbreak-related pregnant, Hispanic women that were reported to the LI during 2004 to 2008. Eight cases in five states were identified. Seven of these were pregnant, Hispanic females aged 21 to 43 years, and one was a 3-year-old Hispanic girl, who was excluded from the study. Seven (100%) cases but only 26 (60%) of 43 controls had consumed Mexican-style cheese in the month before illness (odds ratio, 5.89; 95% confidence interval, 1.07 to ∞; P = 0.04). Cultures of asadero cheese made from pasteurized milk collected at a manufacturing facility during routine sampling by the Michigan Department of Agriculture on 23 February 2009 yielded the outbreak strain, leading to a recall of cheeses produced in the plant. Recalled product was traced to stores where at least three of the women had purchased cheese. This investigation highlights the usefulness of routine product sampling for identifying contaminated foods, of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis to detect multistate outbreaks, and of the LI for providing timely exposure information for case-control analyses. Recalls of contaminated cheeses likely prevented additional illnesses.
Research Summary
We used interviews with elite informants as a case study to illustrate the need to expand the discussion of transparency and replicability to qualitative methodology. An analysis of ...52 articles published in Strategic Management Journal revealed that none of them were sufficiently transparent to allow for exact replication, empirical replication, or conceptual replication. We offer 12 transparency criteria, and behaviorally‐anchored ratings scales to measure them, that can be used by authors as they plan and conduct qualitative research as well as by journal reviewers and editors when they evaluate the transparency of submitted manuscripts. We hope our article will serve as a catalyst for improving the degree of transparency and replicability of future qualitative research.
Managerial Summary
If organizations implement practices based on published research, will they produce results consistent with those reported in the articles? To answer this question, it is critical that published articles be transparent in terms of what has been done, why, and how. We investigated 52 articles published in Strategic Management Journal that reported interviewing elite informants (e.g., members of the top management team) and found that none of the articles were sufficiently transparent. These results lead to thorny questions about the trustworthiness of published research, but also important opportunities for future improvements about research transparency and replicability. We offer recommendations on 12 transparency criteria, and how to measure them, that can be used to evaluate past as well as future research using qualitative methods.
This communication proposes a preliminary simplified kinetic model for the hydrogenation of 1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione that can render up to eight compounds, involving regioselectivity and ...enantioselectivity. The catalytic system comprises two functionalities; the heterogeneous catalyst (Ir/TiO
) plays the role for the hydrogenation, whereas the adsorption/binding to the active site is played by a chiral molecule (cinchonidine), added to the reaction mixture. The reaction occurs at room temperature and total pressure of 40 bar. The product distribution shows competitive parallel and series pathways with up to 12 possible reactions. Despite the complexity of both reaction and catalyst system, a simplified kinetic model was able to predict the concentrations profiles. The model assumes the reactions to be apparent first order in the concentrations of reactant and intermediate products, while the kinetic constants include all other effects (partial pressure of hydrogen, solvent and catalyst effects, and the concentration of the chiral additive). The concentration profiles were well-modeled with low residual values. The errors in the kinetic constants (
-values) were small for all relevant parameters of the main reaction pathways. Two
-values are nil, which is the lower bound imposed in the model, suggesting that these reaction pathways are likely negligible. The positive outcome from this simplified model suggests that the process can be formally treated as a first-order irreversible homogeneous catalyzed reaction, despite a heterogeneous catalyst was employed (with a modifier). Despite the promising results, the model must be extended for a more general applicability, or conditions where it is applicable.
This study investigates the potential of a digital game that overlays popular game-play mechanics with formal physics representations and terminology to support explicit learning and exploration of ...Newtonian mechanics. The analysis compares test data, survey data, and observational data collected during implementations in Taiwan and the United States with students in grades 7–9. Results demonstrate learning on some core disciplinary measures and high levels of learner engagement, indicating the potential benefits of this genre of conceptually-integrated games, but also suggesting that further research and development will be needed to more fully harness this potential. Encouragingly, striking similarities were observed across the two countries in terms of learning and engagement, suggesting that this genre of learning games may prove suitable for engaging students in active exploration of core science concepts across multiple countries.
► This study overlays popular game mechanics with formal physics representations. ► Participants include 280 students in grades 7–9 in the U.S. and Taiwan. ► The analysis compares test data, survey data, game-play data, and observational data. ► Results show learning on core disciplinary measures and high levels of engagement. ► Striking similarities observed between countries in terms of learning and engagement.
We analyze the behavior of air bubbles freely rising at high Reynolds numbers in a planar thin-gap cell filled with distilled water. The gap thickness of the cell is fixed to h≃2.8 mm (or h≃1 mm in ...additional experiments) and its in-plane width W is varied from 2.4 to 21 cm. This allows us to investigate the evolution from unconfined thin-gap situations (i.e., large W and h≪W) controlled by the bubble characteristic lengths (diameter in the cell plane d>h and thickness close to the gap size h) to doubly confined situations controlled by the channel dimensions. As the bubble size d increases, and beyond a critical value that depends on W, we observe a mean rise velocity of the bubble, Vb, lower than that for larger W, along with a modification of the bubble shape. The departure occurs for oscillating bubbles of approximate elliptical shape, which becomes closer to circular as the lateral confinement increases. We further investigate how the bubble oscillatory motion is impacted by the transverse confinement. Assuming that the wall effect is related to the strength of the downward flow generated by the bubble, we introduce the relative velocity Urel=Vb/ξ, where ξ=1−d/W is the confinement ratio and found Urel≃Vb,∞ for all the cell widths considered, where Vb,∞ is the mean rise velocity in the absence of the transverse confinement (i.e., for W sufficiently large). This provides an estimation, at leading order, of the bubble velocity, that generalizes the expression proposed by Filella et al. J. Fluid Mech. 778, 60 (2015) and accounts for the additional drag experienced by the bubble due to the lateral walls. We then show that, for given d and ξ, the frequency and amplitudes of the oscillatory motion can be predicted using the characteristic length and velocity scales, d and Urel. As the bubble size is increased further, the bubble behavior becomes fully dominated by the channel dimensions. Cylindrical-capped shapes emerge, corresponding to a radius of curvature Rc at the front of the bubble, Rc≃0.31W, independent of the bubble size and of the gap thickness. At the same time, the mean rise velocity of the bubble saturates at a constant value, corresponding to a constant Froude number, Fr=Vb/√gW, that depends on the gap thickness h of the cell.
The role of insulin in the brain is still not completely understood. In the periphery, insulin can decrease inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS); however, whether insulin can reduce ...inflammation within the brain is unknown. Experiments administrating intranasal insulin to young and aged adults have shown that insulin improves memory. In our animal model of chronic neuroinflammation, we administered insulin and/or LPS directly into the brain via the fourth ventricle for 4 weeks in young rats; we then analyzed their spatial memory and neuroinflammatory response. Additionally, we administered insulin or artificial cerebral spinal fluid (aCSF), in the same manner, to aged rats and then analyzed their spatial memory and neuroinflammatory response. Response to chronic neuroinflammation in young rats was analyzed in the presence or absence of insulin supplementation. Here, we show for the first time that insulin infused (i.c.v.) to young rats significantly attenuated the effects of LPS by decreasing the expression of neuroinflammatory markers in the hippocampus and by improving performance in the Morris water pool task. In young rats, insulin infusion alone significantly improved their performance as compared to all other groups. Unexpectedly, in aged rats, the responsiveness to insulin was completely absent, that is, spatial memory was still impaired suggesting that an age-dependent insulin resistance may contribute to the cognitive impairment observed in neurodegenerative diseases. Our data suggest a novel therapeutic effect of insulin on neuroinflammation in the young but not the aged brain.
Abstract Objectives Atrial arrhythmia (AA) after lung transplantation (LTx) is a potentially morbid event often associated with increased length of hospital stay. Predictors of postsurgical AA, ...however, are incompletely understood. We characterized the incidence and predisposing risk factors for AA in patients undergoing LTx. Methods A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data was conducted to identify LTx recipients between January 2008 and October 2013. Patients were divided into 2 groups on the basis of postoperative AA development. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to define differences between groups and identify factors associated with AA. Survival differences were assessed by the use of competing risks methodology. Results A total of 198 of 652 (30.4%) patients developed AA at a median onset of 5 days after transplant. Increasing age (hazard ratio HR 1.03 per additional year, P < .001) and previous coronary artery bypass grafting (HR 2.77, P = .002) were found to be independent risk factors. Counterintuitively, patients with a medical history of AA before LTx had a lower incidence of postoperative AA. Preoperative beta-blocker usage was not a significant predictor of postoperative AA. Postoperative AA was a significant predictor of long-term mortality (HR 1.63, P = .007) when we adjusted for other risk factors. Conclusions AA is a common occurrence after LTx, occurring with greatest frequency in the first postoperative week, and results in a significant reduction in long-term survival. Increasing age and before coronary artery bypass grafting were identified as independent risk factors for AA development. Better understanding of these risk factors may improve identification of patients at heightened risk after transplantation.
•Prioritization of transmission line projects in the prospection stage is studied.•Two-stage multicriteria georeferenced express analysis is proposed.•Generalization of Dijkstra’s algorithm is ...proposed for multicriteria path planning.•General scheme of multiobjective decision making under uncertainty is applied.•Techniques of preference modeling in a fuzzy environment are applied.
The objective of the present research is to develop methodological and computing tools to support the analysis and prioritization of new electric transmission line projects, in the prospection stage, aimed at greater efficiency and effectiveness of the advanced preparation of concessionaires and investors for participating in the auctions. These auctions are organized by the granting authorities (usually, regulatory agencies). The process of elaborating decisions on auction lots (possible “candidates”) is divided into two stages. The first one is associated with a study on relevant criteria modeled on the basis of applying Geographic Information Systems. The purpose of the first stage is to form the most rational multiobjective estimates of new transmission lines, which can be constructed and operated on analyzed lots. The included criteria are defined with a high level of uncertainty. Considering this, the general scheme of multiobjective decision making in conditions of uncertainty is applied to construct robust multiobjective estimates. This scheme presumes the building and analysis of payoff matrices. The solution of multiobjective problems for representative combinations of initial data, states of nature or scenarios is based on the use of a generalization of the well-known Dijkstra's algorithm (related to graph optimization, permitting the construction of transmission line routes) to analyze multiobjective problems. The second stage is directed at the definition, from the set of lots analyzed at the first stage, of a portfolio of the most appropriate and favorable areas for implanting transmission lines. This stage is based on applying techniques for preference modeling in a fuzzy environment within the framework of models of multiattribute decision making. Their use permits one to adequately consider criteria of quantitative character as well as criteria of qualitative character, whose estimates are based on knowledge, experience, and intuition of involved experts. The paper results are illustrated by a case study which demonstrates the rationality of their practical application, in addition to the strategic role that these results can play for concessionaires and investors, participating in auctions due to their ability to meet a wide range of criteria.
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