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Background: Executive functions are multi-component and are based on large-scale brain networks. For patients undergoing brain surgery in the prefrontal cortex, resection in the anterior prefrontal sites is assisted by continuous monitoring of their performance on several tasks measuring components of executive functions. In this study, we did not test patients during direct cortical stimulation, but during resection itself. We chose tests routinely used to assess executive functions and included them in a protocol for left (LH) and right (RH) hemisphere prefrontal resections. This protocol is meant to be used during real-time neuropsychological testing (RTNT)—an already established monitoring technique. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a consecutive series of 29 adult patients with glioma in the superior and middle frontal areas who performed the RTNT sequence throughout the resection phase. The testing protocol comprised 10 tests for LH frontal resections and 9 tests for RH frontal resections. Results: RH patients showed a median performance on RTNT with significantly lower scores for visuo-spatial attention and emotion processing (95% Confidence Interval Lower bound of 66.55 and 82.57, respectively, χ2 (7) = 32.8, p < 0.001). LH patients showed a median performance on RTNT, with significantly lower scores for selective attention and working memory (95% Confidence Interval Lower bound of 51.12, χ2 (5) = 20.31 p < 0.001) and minimum scores for the same task and for the Stroop test (χ2 (5) = 17.86, p < 0.005). The delta for accuracy between the first and the last RTNT run was not statistically significant (RH patients: χ2 (7) = 10.49, p > 0.05, n.s.; LH patients: χ2 (5) = 3.35, p > 0.05, n.s.). Mean extent of resection was 95.33% ± 9.72 for the RH group and 94.64% ± 6.74 for the LH group. Patients showed good performance post- vs. pre-surgery. The greater difference in the number of LH patients scoring within the normal range was found for the symbol-digit modality test (83.3% to 62%), Stroop test (100% to 77%) and short-term memory (84.61% to 72.72%) and working memory (92.3% to 63.63%). For RH patients, the main changes were observed on the clock drawing test (100% to 77.7%) and cognitive estimation (100% to 72.7%). Conclusions: Frontal RTNT offers continuous and reliable feedback on the patients’ cognitive status during resection in frontal areas.

In awake surgery, the patient is sedated, but is also required to be sufficiently alert and collaborative during extensive neurocognitive testing. In the present preliminary report of a retrospective single-center study, a continuous series of 168 patients who underwent awake surgery for brain tumor located near eloquent areas, was investigated to observe the effect of dexmedetomidine (n = 58) compared with propofol (n = 110) on vigilance and collaboration required to perform extensive intra-operatory Real Time Neuropsychological Testing (RTNT).We assigned a score to each patient, by using a scale that combines vigilance and collaboration in a 5 levels score (the higher score denoting higher level).The median interquartile range was significantly lower (range 3-5) for the dexmedetomidine group compared to the propofol one (range 4-5, p = .044). Patients with intra-operative seizures (p = .014) and/or electrocorticographic slow/epileptiform activity (p = .042), and patients in the propofol group who showed increased heart rate (p = .032) were those who obtained the lower scores (lower vigilance and collaboration level).The study shows that the effect of dexmedetomidine or propofol -based conscious sedation on ability to perform Real Time Neuropsychological Testing during awake surgery for supratentorial tumor resection is different. Although both permit high mean levels of vigilance and collaboration, the patient who received dexmedetomidine was more likely to show lower vigilance and collaboration during RTNT.

Nowadays, the effects of global warming are becoming increasingly evident and dangerous at every latitude of the planet. In such a context, the Mediterranean basin turns out to be a "hotspot". Reductions in precipitation, especially in the summer season, and increases in the intensity and frequency of extreme events, such as droughts and heat waves, have been observed in regions bordering the Mediterranean Sea in recent decades. In particular, heat waves may have numerous negative impacts on human health, environment, agriculture, and the energy sectors. Indeed, consecutive days with extremely high temperatures, combined with high humidity, poses a high health risk to the population. Moreover, in combination with other extreme events such as drought, they can also promote the occurrence of forest fires causing further damage to ecosystems.The goal of this work is to analyze the characteristics of heat waves that have occurred in Sicily over the last two decades, from 2002 to 2021, to assess the existence of any trend over the period under consideration. For the identification and characterization of the heat waves, hourly data of air temperature and relative humidity have been collected from 101 stations of the Sicilian Agrometeorological Information Service (Servizio Informativo Agrometeorologico Siciliano - SIAS) network. Heat waves have been defined on the base of three variables at the daily scale: maximum air temperature, minimum air temperature, and daily maximum values of the Heat Index, which puts together temperature and relative humidity. A heat wave is detected when the daily maximum/minimum air temperature and the maximum daily Heat Index value exceed for at least two consecutive days the value of a threshold usually calculated as a function of the 90th percentile of the distribution of daily maximum/minimum temperatures and daily Heat Index. For each year, the number of events, number of days of heat waves, duration of the longest event, magnitude of the season (i.e., the number of days between the first day of the first heat wave and the last day of the last heat wave), and intensity (i.e., the average of the differences for each event between the mean temperature value and the threshold to define the occurrence of the heat waves) have been assessed. A trend analysis has been carried out by means of a simple linear regression on all the above-mentioned variables. Results reveal increasing trends for most of the Sicilian gauges, although not for all the above-mentioned variables, showing that in the last 20 years the frequencies of occurrence and magnitude of heat waves have increased, most likely as a climate change effect, and confirming what other studies have found out for other Mediterranean regions in the last years.

Symptomatic neuromata are a common indication for revision surgery following amputation. Previously described treatments, including traction neurectomy, nerve transposition, targeted muscle re-innervation, and nerve capping, have provided inconsistent results or are technically challenging. Prior research using acellular nerve allografts (ANA) has shown controlled termination of axonal regrowth in long grafts. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of a long ANA to prevent neuroma formation following transection of a peripheral nerve in a swine model.Twenty-two adult female Yucatan miniature swine (Sus scrofa; 4-6 months, 15-25 kg) were assigned to control (ulnar nerve transection only, n = 10), treatment (ulnar transection and coaptation of 50 mm ANA, n = 10), or donor (n = 2) groups. Nerves harvested from donor group animals were treated to create the ANA. After 20 weeks, the transected nerves including any neuroma or graft were harvested. Both qualitative (nerve architecture, axonal sprouting) and quantitative histologic analyses (myelinated axon number, cross sectional area of nerve tissue) were performed.Qualitative histologic analysis of control specimens revealed robust axon growth into dense scar tissue. In contrast, the treatment group revealed dwindling axons in the terminal tissue, consistent with attenuated neuroma formation. Quantitative analysis revealed a significantly decreased number of myelinated axons in the treatment group (1232 ± 540) compared to the control group (44,380 ± 7204) (p .0001). Cross sectional area of nerve tissue was significantly smaller in treatment group (2.83 ± 1.53 mmAberrant axonal growth is controlled to termination with coaptation of a 50 mm ANA in a swine model of nerve injury. These early results suggest further investigation of this technique to prevent and/or treat neuroma formation.

Introduction Medical trauma related to IBD (IBD-PTS) affects approximately 25% of patients and is associated with poor outcomes. Prior studies identify common hospitalization experiences as potentially traumatic but have not measured risk relationships for the development of IBD-PTS. We aim to investigate what aspects of hospitalizations may increase the chance of medical trauma and IBD-PTS development. Methods Adult patients with IBD enrolled in the IBD Partners database were recruited. Study specific questionnaires included PTSD checklist, 5th edition (PCL-5), patient experience questionnaire, and items about the patient’s most stressful hospitalization and nonhospital sources of medical trauma. Established criteria for the PCL-5 identified significant IBD-PTS symptoms (re-experiencing, avoidance, mood change, hyperarousal, global diagnosis). Select disease and treatment information was obtained from the main IBD Partners dataset. Univariate and multivariate statistics evaluated the relationships between hospitalization data and IBD-PTS. Results There were 639 participants with at least 1 hospitalization for IBD included. Approximately two-thirds had Crohn’s disease; most were White, non-Hispanic, female, middle-aged, and reported their IBD as being in remission. Forty percent of patients stated a hospitalization was a source of IBD-PTS. Frequent anxiety while hospitalized increased the odds of IBD-PTS 2 to 4 times; similar relationships existed for pain/pain control. Higher quality communication, information, and listening skills reduced the odds of IBD-PTS, albeit marginally. Conclusions Patients with IBD consistently cite hospitalizations as potential sources of medical trauma. Poorly managed anxiety and pain demonstrate the greatest chance for IBD-PTS development. Gender and racial/ethnic differences emerged for these risks. Positive interactions with the medical team may help mitigate in-hospital IBD-PTS development.

Monoterpenes are important characteristic compounds for aromatic white wines, including Riesling, but their enantiomer composition has been little explored in wine. Enantiomers can differ depending on region and style, as they are sensitive to environmental factors, and thus could be used for wine authentication. Thirteen monoterpene isomers were quantified by HS-SPME-MDGC-MS in fifty-four commercial Riesling wines from three wine styles (dry, medium dry and medium sweet) and four well-established wine-growing regions in Germany, France (Alsace) and the USA (New York and Oregon). Significant differences were found for nine out of the 13 enantiomers among different regions and eight enantiomers among styles. X-Y scatterplots of enantiomer pair concentrations, with excellent fitted lines, implies low variation of enantiomeric ratios from each region. The study suggests that wines from different regions and styles were differentiated by chiral monoterpene profiles. Chiral monoterpene analyses could provide supporting information in Riesling wine authentication by offering an objective measure of flavour quality, as these compounds are key compounds for Riesling aroma and flavor.

A gestão pesqueira no Brasil, a muito tem gerado muitos conflitos, que necessitam ser enfrentados para que se atinjam os objetivos das normatizações aplicadas. Dentro das pescarias existentes no país, a pesca com redes de emalhe é uma das mais importantes, sendo o aparelho mais utilizado nos últimos anos na região sudeste-sul. Porém, apesar disso, a pesca com redes de emalhe está entre a que mais sofre com os conflitos gerados pelas regulamentações. Assim o presente trabalho visou descrever a pesca de emalhe no litoral paulista, no periodo de 2009 a 2018, e analisou a legislação em vigor. As descargas oriundas da pesca com redes de emalhe representaram, em média 19,6% do volume desembarcado no estado, sendo o terceiro aparelho mais utilizado. Os municípios com os maiores volumes de descargas com uso do emalhe foram Cananéia Cananeia (41,8%), Iguape (18,1%), Ubatuba (16,7%) e Santos/Guarujá (11,2%). Os períodos mais produtivos para a pesca com rede de emalhe foram aqueles compreendidos entre outubro a dezembro. Os principais produtos desembarcados foram a corvina, a pescada-foguete, a manjuba-de-iguape, a mistura e a betara, sendo que a pesca artesanal representa 59% de todo o volume desembarcado pela frota de emalhe. O número de unidades produtivas (pescadores ou embarcações) que trabalharam com redes de emalhe no período analisado foi de 5.933 unidades que representaram 60% de todas as unidades pesqueiras do litoral. Diferentes métodos e modalidades de utilização das redes de emalhe e o fato das normas vigentes não abordarem as especificidades de cada uma delas acarretam em incompatibilidades com a realidade local e consequentemente, em dificuldades quanto ao cumprimento das normas vigentes pelos pescadores artesanais, o que acaba por marginalizar a pesca artesanal. Visando solucionar estes conflitos foram realizadas discussões e levantamentos de informações, resultando na elaboração de laudos técnicos, moções e deliberações dos Conselhos Gestores das APAs Marinhas de São Paulo, que subsidiaram propostas encaminhadas aos ministérios responsáveis pela pesca no âmbito federal. Durante o período analisado, duas normativas federais foram revistas para o estado de São Paulo em processos distintos, visando o ajuste das normas a realidade encontrada no litoral de São Paulo. A primeira em caráter definitivo e a segunda, dada a dificuldade encontrada, levou o setor pesqueiro buscar apoio junto à Defensoria Pública da União que mediante a audiência de conciliação promovida pelo poder judiciário, conquistou uma permissão temporária. Com todo este processo, observou-se a importância dos espaços de discussão sobre a pesca, porém, esses têm demorado a ser legitimados pelo ente federal, uma vez que as conexões entre as diversas escalas de gestão se dão de forma lenta e vem sofrendo modificações constantes, sem melhorias efetivas.

Atherosclerotic plaque quantification from coronary CT angiography (CCTA) enables accurate assessment of coronary artery disease burden and prognosis. We sought to develop and validate a deep learning system for CCTA-derived measures of plaque volume and stenosis severity.This international, multicentre study included nine cohorts of patients undergoing CCTA at 11 sites, who were assigned into training and test sets. Data were retrospectively collected on patients with a wide range of clinical presentations of coronary artery disease who underwent CCTA between Nov 18, 2010, and Jan 25, 2019. A novel deep learning convolutional neural network was trained to segment coronary plaque in 921 patients (5045 lesions). The deep learning network was then applied to an independent test set, which included an external validation cohort of 175 patients (1081 lesions) and 50 patients (84 lesions) assessed by intravascular ultrasound within 1 month of CCTA. We evaluated the prognostic value of deep learning-based plaque measurements for fatal or non-fatal myocardial infarction (our primary outcome) in 1611 patients from the prospective SCOT-HEART trial, assessed as dichotomous variables using multivariable Cox regression analysis, with adjustment for the ASSIGN clinical risk score.In the overall test set, there was excellent or good agreement, respectively, between deep learning and expert reader measurements of total plaque volume (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] 0·964) and percent diameter stenosis (ICC 0·879; both p0·0001). When compared with intravascular ultrasound, there was excellent agreement for deep learning total plaque volume (ICC 0·949) and minimal luminal area (ICC 0·904). The mean per-patient deep learning plaque analysis time was 5·65 s (SD 1·87) versus 25·66 min (6·79) taken by experts. Over a median follow-up of 4·7 years (IQR 4·0-5·7), myocardial infarction occurred in 41 (2·5%) of 1611 patients from the SCOT-HEART trial. A deep learning-based total plaque volume of 238·5 mmOur novel, externally validated deep learning system provides rapid measurements of plaque volume and stenosis severity from CCTA that agree closely with expert readers and intravascular ultrasound, and could have prognostic value for future myocardial infarction.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the MiriamSheldon G Adelson Medical Research Foundation.

Aromatic white wines contain monoterpenes that can alter aroma qualities based on their concentration and enantiomeric ratios. Limonene has been identified as a monoterpene that is used to differentiate monovarietal white wines. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of limonene on aroma perception at different enantiomeric ratios. Its interaction with linalool and α-terpineol compounds was also investigated. Eighteen model wines were created with different ratios and/or concentrations of limonene and diverse concentrations of linalool and α-terpineol. Triangle tests, check-all-that-apply (CATA) and descriptive analysis were used to evaluate the aroma of the wines. Results show that different limonene ratios had no influence on wine aroma. Descriptive analysis showed that the addition of only limonene influenced citrus characteristics depending on the concentration. Linalool addition did not alter aroma quality when the limonene was at low concentrations, but it did change aroma perception at high limonene levels. α-Terpineol only altered the aroma of the wine at medium and high concentrations. At high concentrations, linalool and α-terpineol presented tropical aromas with some floral notes, irrespective of limonene levels. Depending on the desired aroma qualities of the wine, altering the monoterpene content resulted in very different aromatic wines.

The monitoring of cities' wastewaters for the detection of potentially pathogenic viruses and bacteria has been considered a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic to monitor public health in urban environments. The methodological approaches frequently used for this purpose include deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)/Ribonucleic acid (RNA) isolation followed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and reverse transcription (RT)‒qPCR targeting pathogenic genes. More recently, the application of metatranscriptomic has opened opportunities to develop broad pathogenic monitoring workflows covering the entire pathogenic community within the sample. Nevertheless, the high amount of data generated in the process requires an appropriate analysis to detect the pathogenic community from the entire dataset. Here, an implementation of a bioinformatic workflow was developed to produce a map of the detected pathogenic bacteria and viruses in wastewater samples by analysing metatranscriptomic data. The main objectives of this work was the development of a computational methodology that can accurately detect both human pathogenic virus and bacteria in wastewater samples. This workflow can be easily reproducible with open-source software and uses efficient computational resources. The results showed that the used algorithms can predict potential human pathogens presence in the tested samples and that active forms of both bacteria and virus can be identified. By comparing the computational method implemented in this study to other state-of-the-art workflows, the implementation analysis was faster, while providing higher accuracy and sensitivity. Considering these results, the processes and methods to monitor wastewater for potential human pathogens can become faster and more accurate. The proposed workflow is available at https://github.com/waterpt/watermonitor and can be implemented in currently wastewater monitoring programs to ascertain the presence of potential human pathogenic species. published

Background Incidentally discovered low-grade gliomas (iLGGs) are poorly reported in the literature and little is still known about their effects on white-matter structure. In this study, we investigated whether iLLG growth in either hemisphere could affect main white-matter association tracts and cortico-spinal tract. Methods We retrospectively analyzed white-matter integrity in a group of 18 patients with iLGG having a mostly preserved cognitive status [1]. We identified two groups of patients, 13 having iLGG in left hemisphere (LH) five in right hemisphere (RH) and maximum lesion overlap in inferior frontal gyrus and in medial frontal areas, respectively. A group of healthy controls (n = 20) was included. We carried out a univariate analysis of variance to inspect potential effect of interaction between hemisphere harboring the lesion (i.e., LH or RH) and hemisphere taken into account on number of streamlines and fractional anisotropy (FA) of reconstructed white-matter tracts. Results The sole significant interaction concerned left arcuate fasciculus, with patients with iLGG in LH having a lower number of streamlines than healthy controls; interaction involving FA was not significant for any of the fascicles. Lack of any other significant findings indicates overall preserved white matter. Conclusions iLGG size and growth pattern could explain why white-matter status did not markedly differ with respect to the healthy controls. Findings therefore support evidence that iLGGs represent the earlier phase in natural history of LGGs and are discussed in a clinical perspective and in support to safe early surgery.

Functional imaging experimental designs measuring fatigue, defined as a subjective lack of physical and/or mental energy characterizing a wide range of neurologic conditions, are still under development. Nineteen right-handed healthy subjects (9 M and 10 F, mean age 43.15 ± 8.34 years) were evaluated by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), asking them to perform explicit, first-person, mental imagery of fatigue-related multisensory sensations. Short sentences designed to assess the principal manifestations of fatigue from the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory were presented. Participants were asked to imagine the corresponding sensations (Sensory Imagery, SI). As a control, they had to imagine the visual scenes (Visual Imagery, VI) described in short phrases. The SI task (vs. VI task) differentially activated three areas: (i) the precuneus, which is involved in first-person perspective taking; (ii) the left superior temporal sulcus, which is a multisensory integration area; and (iii) the left inferior frontal gyrus, known to be involved in mental imagery network. The SI fMRI task can be used to measure processing involved in mental imagery of fatigue-related multisensory sensations.

The study of dynamic features of the ocean, in which complex physical, chemical, and biological interactions evolve on multiple time scales, poses significant sampling challenges because the required spatial and temporal resolutions are not possible by ship or satellite studies alone. Satellite remote sensing captures only surface effects while expensive research vessels can only make discrete observations in finite periods of time. Our work with networked marine robotics in the aerial, surface, and underwater domains is at the vanguard of a new approach to scientific exploration and observation, which brings together several technologies to enable oceanographic vessels and robots to work in tandem, thus expanding the observational footprint of these vessels. We describe a scientific cruise in the Spring of 2018 in the open waters of the Pacific where we deployed a fleet of autonomous robots to demonstrate this approach for the synoptic observation of mesoscale and sub-mesoscale features of a frontal zone. We articulate the elements and methods to multi-vehicle coordination and challenges that lie ahead in ocean observation.

The deep-sea covers over 70% of the Earth’s surface and harbors predominantly uncharacterized bacterial communities. Actinobacteria are the major prokaryotic source of bioactive natural products that find their way into drug discovery programs, and the deep-sea is a promising source of biotechnologically relevant actinobacteria. Previous studies on actinobacteria in deep-sea sediments were either regionally restricted or did not combine a community characterization with the analysis of their bioactive potential. Here we characterized the actinobacterial communities of upper layers of deep-sea sediments from the Arctic and the Atlantic (Azores and Madeira) ocean basins, employing 16S rRNA metabarcoding, and studied the biosynthetic potential of cultivable actinobacteria retrieved from those samples. Metabarcoding analysis showed that the actinobacterial composition varied between the sampled regions, with higher abundance in the Arctic samples but higher diversity in the Atlantic ones. Twenty actinobacterial genera were detected using metabarcoding, as a culture-independent method, while culture-dependent methods only allowed the identification of nine genera. Isolation of actinobacteria resulted on the retrieval of 44 isolates, mainly associated with Brachybacterium, Microbacterium, and Brevibacterium genera. Some of these isolates were only identified on a specific sampled region. Chemical extracts of the actinobacterial isolates were subsequently screened for their antimicrobial, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities. Extracts from two Streptomyces strains demonstrated activity against Candida albicans. Additionally, eight extracts (obtained from Brachybacterium, Brevibacterium, Microbacterium, Rhodococcus, and Streptomyces isolates) showed significant activity against at least one of the tested cancer cell lines (HepG2 and T-47D). Furthermore, 15 actinobacterial extracts showed anti-inflammatory potential in the RAW 264.4 cell model assay, with no concomitant cytotoxic response. Dereplication and molecular networking analysis of the bioactive actinobacterial extracts showed the presence of some metabolites associated with known natural products, but one of the analyzed clusters did not show any match with the natural products described as responsible for these bioactivities. Overall, we were able to recover taxonomically diverse actinobacteria with different bioactivities from the studied deep-sea samples. The conjugation of culture-dependent and -independent methods allows a better understanding of the actinobacterial diversity of deep-sea environments, which is important for the optimization of approaches to obtain novel chemically-rich isolates.

Multidimensional imaging of transient events has proven pivotal in unveiling many fundamental mechanisms in physics, chemistry, and biology. In particular, real-time imaging modalities with ultrahigh temporal resolutions are required for capturing ultrashort events on picosecond timescales. Despite recent approaches witnessing a dramatic boost in high-speed photography, current single-shot ultrafast imaging schemes operate only at conventional optical wavelengths, being suitable solely within an optically-transparent framework. Here, leveraging on the unique penetration capability of terahertz radiation, we demonstrate a single-shot ultrafast terahertz photography system that can capture multiple frames of a complex ultrafast scene in non-transparent media with sub-picosecond temporal resolution. By multiplexing an optical probe beam in both the time and spatial-frequency domains, we encode the terahertz-captured three-dimensional dynamics into distinct spatial-frequency regions of a superimposed optical image, which is then computationally decoded and reconstructed. Our approach opens up the investigation of non-repeatable or destructive events that occur in optically-opaque scenarios.

con_0001 hdr and img files are the contrast image SPARED vs IMPAIRED spm t test map con_0004 hdr and img files are the contrast image IMPAIRED vs SPARED spm t test map IMP_sum is the lesion VOI overlay of the impaired patient group SPARED_sum is the lesion VOI overlay of the spared patient group

Background: Positron emission tomography (PET) is the clinical gold standard for quantifying myocardial blood flow (MBF). Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) attenuation may detect vascular inflammation indirectly. We examined the relationship between MBF by PET and plaque burden and PCAT on coronary CT angiography (CCTA). Methods: This post hoc analysis of the PACIFIC trial included 208 patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) who underwent [15O]H2O PET and CCTA. Low-attenuation plaque (LAP, < 30HU), non-calcified plaque (NCP), and PCAT attenuation were measured by CCTA. Results: In 582 vessels, 211 (36.3%) had impaired per-vessel hyperemic MBF (≤ 2.30 mL/min/g). In multivariable analysis, LAP burden was independently and consistently associated with impaired hyperemic MBF (P = 0.016); over NCP burden (P = 0.997). Addition of LAP burden improved predictive performance for impaired hyperemic MBF from a model with CAD severity and calcified plaque burden (P < 0.001). There was no correlation between PCAT attenuation and hyperemic MBF (r = − 0.11), and PCAT attenuation was not associated with impaired hyperemic MBF in univariable or multivariable analysis of all vessels (P > 0.1). Conclusion: In patients with stable CAD, LAP burden was independently associated with impaired hyperemic MBF and a stronger predictor of impaired hyperemic MBF than NCP burden. There was no association between PCAT attenuation and hyperemic MBF.

We report the coherent generation and detection of terahertz (THz) pulses featuring a spectral bandwidth in the range of 0.1-9 THz achieved via the use of a high repetition rate (250 kHz), low pulse energy (6.2 µJ) laser system. More specifically, we test and evaluate a solid-state biased coherent detection device in combination with a spintronic emitter. We demonstrate the use of this combination of techniques to measure the ultra-broadband THz frequency optical properties of bulk crystalline materials with time-domain spectroscopy.

The frequency and intensity of wildfires have been increasing over the last 50 years and negatively impacted the wine industry. Previous methods of smoke mitigation during grape processing have shown little impact in reducing smoke taint in wines. Therefore, a novel method of using edible spray coatings for vineyard application was developed to help prevent volatile smoke phenol uptake in wine grapes. Four cellulose nanofiber-based coating suspensions incorporated with chitosan and/or β-cyclodextrin were evaluated. Films derived from the coating suspensions were exposed to volatile phenols found in wildfire smoke (guaiacol, 4-methyl guaiacol, m-cresol, o-cresol, p-cresol, syringol, and 4-methyl syringol) and evaluated with ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy where the results indicated that the coatings could uptake smoke phenols in varying degrees. The coatings were also applied in a vineyard at three different application times during grape growth: pea-sized, pre-bunch closure, and both at pea-sized and pre-bunch closure. The results showed that the application time did not have a significant (p0.05) effect on berry size, weight, °Brix, pH, or titratable acidity. The type of coating, time of application and washing were found to impact the number of volatile phenols in the grapes after a smoke event. Results from this study indicated that edible coatings could help mitigate smoke uptake in wine grapes without sacrificing the growth and key composition parameters of wine grapes. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This research provides a novel spray coating that can be applied to wine grapes in the vineyard to potentially mitigate volatile smoke compounds in wine grapes without impacting fruit growth and key compositional parameters of wine grapes, thus maintaining high quality of wines for consumers. Results from this study can also be potentially applied to other agricultural commodities to solve the issues caused by the wildfire smoke.

SUCHIMED 2021 est la 10ème campagne de surveillance de la contamination chimique et de son évolution en Méditerranée. Elle a été bâtie comme une plateforme, support de différentes activités de surveillance et de recherche avec comme pilier principal le réseau RINBIO, qui consiste à réaliser une biosurveillance active par caging de moules. Sur le plan de la contamination chimique, les principaux résultats de cette campagne indiquent : · En Occitanie, o la présence chronique de DDT depuis 20 ans ; o la détection de marqueurs terrigènes (Mn, As) entre les embouchures de l’Aude et de l’Hérault à laquelle s’ajoute une contamination en HAP et TCE (Pt) des sédiments aux abords de Port-La-Nouvelle. · En PACA, o un marquage en PCB entre le Rhône et Marseille (dans toutes les matrices) issus de sources multiples et sans évolution significative sur les 20 dernières années ; o une contamination en HAP des sédiments de la zone industrialo-portuaire de Fos ; o la présence de TBT à la station Carry-le-Rouet à une valeur supérieure à la concentration écologiquement acceptable (EAC) qui devra être confirmée lors de la prochaine campagne ; o la détection aux abords de l’agglomération marseillaise d’éléments métalliques et de HAP dans les sédiments, et en partie dans le plancton, auxquels s’ajoutent les TCE au niveau du rejet de la STEP de Cortiou ; o un marquage chronique en rade de Toulon de la colonne d’eau et des sédiments en PCB, HAP, métaux (Hg, Pb, Cu, TCE), PBDE et/ou composés organostanniques (TBT), sans tendance temporelle significative sur deux décennies pour les cinq premiers composés ; o la détection aux abords du fleuve Var de Cr, Mn et Ni dans la colonne d’eau et de HAP dans les sédiments, une différence de contamination entre les matrices qui interroge sur l’origine de la matière organique ; o un marquage en métaux (dont le Pb) et HAP en rade de Villefranche dans la colonne d’eau et le sédiment. · En Corse, o une forte influence du fond géochimique de l’île (i.e. fortes teneur en Cr et Ni) sur les concentrations obtenues ; o un marquage chronique de la colonne d’eau en Cu dans les ports de Porto-Vecchio et Bonifacio, qui apparait stable dans le temps, auquel s’ajoute pour ce dernier site la détection dans le sédiment de HAP, métaux (Hg, Pb, Zn) et dans une moindre mesure de PCB ; o un marquage du sédiment du littoral bastiais en HAP et en TCE ; o la détection de Pb et de TCE à l’embouchure du Golo ; la contamination du site de Canari en métaux (Cr et Ni dans la colonne d’eau, Cu dans le sédiment), et surtout une écotoxicité avérée qui semble être liée à ces éléments. La campagne 2021 a été l’occasion de mettre en évidence la faisabilité de la recherche d’effets sur les moules encagées à l’aide de biomarqueurs. Les marqueurs lysosomaux, moins sensibles aux différences de conditions trophiques, se sont avérés les plus à même de refléter l’état de stress général des organismes en lien avec leur contamination. L’étude des transferts trophiques semble confirmer la diminution de la plupart des éléments métalliques (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, le Pb) et des HAP, la bioamplification du Hg et des PCB, et enfin la bioaccumulation spécifique de certains éléments par certains organismes (e.g. As ou Zn par les moules, HAP par le plancton). Enfin, la campagne a mis en évidence la présence de micro et mésoplastiques sur la quasi-totalité des sites échantillonnés. Les valeurs de microplastiques mesurées sont concordantes avec la gamme des concentrations relevées en Méditerranée occidentale, avec une tendance à la réduction qui semble se dessiner au regard des données disponibles sur 10 ans.

In this work, we introduce a versatile metal-wire waveguide geometry, namely a four-wire waveguide, which is capable of sustaining two independent and orthogonally polarized fundamental modes, thus acting as a broadband polarization-division multiplexer. By integrating multiscale-structured grooves into the wires of such a waveguide, we demonstrate the independent manipulation of polarization-division terahertz signals.

We demonstrate a new metal-wire waveguide topology, namely a four-wire waveguide, which simultaneously acts as a broadband terahertz polarization-division multiplexer and as a novel platform to realize the independent manipulation of polarization-division multiplexed terahertz signals.

Background The role of surgery for incidentally discovered diffuse incidental low-grade gliomas (iLGGs) is debatable and poorly documented in current literature. Objective The aim was to identify factors that influence survival for patients that underwent surgical resection of iLGGs in a large multicenter population. Methods Clinical, radiological, and surgical data were retrospectively analyzed in 267 patients operated for iLGG from 4 neurosurgical Centers. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of overall survival (OS) and tumor recurrence (TR). Results The OS rate was 92.41%. The 5- and 10-year estimated OS rates were 98.09% and 93.2%, respectively. OS was significantly longer for patients with a lower preoperative tumor volume (P = .001) and higher extent of resection (EOR) (P = .037), regardless the WHO-defined molecular class (P = .2). In the final model, OS was influenced only by the preoperative tumor volume (P = .006), while TR by early surgery (P = .028). A negative association was found between preoperative tumor volumes and EOR (rs = −0.44, P < .001). The median preoperative tumor volume was 15 cm3. The median EOR was 95%. Total or supratotal resection of T2-FLAIR abnormality was achieved in 61.62% of cases. Second surgery was performed in 26.22%. The median time between surgeries was 5.5 years. Histological evolution to high-grade glioma was detected in 22.85% of cases (16/70). Permanent mild deficits were observed in 3.08% of cases. Conclusions This multicenter study confirms the results of previous studies investigating surgical management of iLGGs and thereby strengthens the evidence in favor of early surgery for these lesions.

We addressed both brain pre-surgical functional and neurophysiological aspects of the hand representation in 18 right-handed patients harboring a highly malignant brain tumor in the sensorimotor (SM) cortex (10 in the left hemisphere, LH, and 8 in the right hemisphere, RH) and 10 healthy controls, who performed an fMRI hand-clenching task with both hands alternatively. We extracted the main ROI in the SM cortex and compared ROI values and volumes between hemispheres and groups, in addition to their motor neurophysiological measures. Hemispheric asymmetry in the fMRI signal was observed for healthy controls, namely higher signal for the left-hand movements, but not for either patients’ groups. ROI values, although altered in patients vs. controls, did not differ significantly between groups. ROI volumes associated with right-hand movement were lower for both patients’ groups vs. controls, and those associated with left-hand movement were lower in the RH group vs. all groups. These results are relevant to interpret potential preoperative plasticity and make inferences about postoperative plasticity and can be integrated in the surgical planning to increase surgery success and postoperative prognosis and quality of life.

An atomistic level study of a single monomer of polyamine interacting with water molecules and hydroxide anions (OH

The scientific objective of the first Edition (2017) of EMOSE is to review methods in marine plankton metagenomic analysis, essentially comparing the different filtration, sequencing and analysis pipelines used by recent initiatives, i.e. Tara Oceans, Malaspina and the Ocean Sampling Day. Already published data from these projects will be complemented by a new set of data obtained from a comparative experiment of protocols used in the three initiatives. The bulk of the analyses will be done during a 5‐day hands‐on session in Porto, and a virtual research environment will be used to plan the analysis and to work‐up a review paper.

The Gemini North Adaptive Optics (GNAO) facility is the upcoming AO facility for Gemini North providing a state-of-the-art AO system for surveys and time domain science in the era of JWST and Rubin operations. GNAO will be optimized to feed the Gemini infrared Multi Object Spectrograph (GIRMOS). While GIRMOS is the primary science driver for defining the capabilities of GNAO, any instrument operating with an f/32 beam can be deployed using GNAO. The GNAO project includes the development of a new laser guide star facility which will consist of four side-launched laser beams supporting the two primary AO modes of GNAO: a wide-field mode providing an improved image quality over natural seeing for a 2-arcminute circular field-of-view and a narrow-field mode providing near diffraction-limited performance over a 20x20 arcsecond square field-of-view. The GNAO wide field mode will enable GIRMOS's multi-IFU configuration in which the science beam to each individual IFU will be additionally corrected using multi-object AO within GIRMOS. The GNAO narrow field mode will feed the GIRMOS tiled IFU configuration in which all IFUs are combined into a "super"-IFU in the center of the field. GNAO also includes the development of a new Real Time Controller, a new GNAO Facility System Controller and finally the development of a new AO Bench. We present in this paper an overview of the GNAO facility and provide a status update of each product., SPIE conference 2022 Montreal

We propose an innovative design for an integrated, low-loss on-chip terahertz (THz) field detector based on hybrid silicon-organic slot waveguides and THz antennas. We perform a numerical study of the dependency of electro-optic interaction on geometrical parameters to maximize the detector sensitivity. We benchmark it against previously employed plasmonic waveguides which were contended with high plasmonic losses. Our configuration leads to a reduction in the propagation losses of the probe signal by a factor of 5.64, ultimately enabling longer interaction lengths.

Plasmodium, the malaria parasite, undergoes a complex life cycle alternating between a vertebrate host and a mosquito vector of the genus Anopheles. In red blood cells of the vertebrate host, Plasmodium multiplies asexually or differentiates into gamete precursors, the male and female gametocytes, responsible for parasite transmission. Sexual stage maturation occurs in the midgut of the mosquito vector, where male and female gametes egress from the host erythrocytes to fuse and form a zygote. Gamete egress entails the successive rupture of two membranes surrounding the parasite, the parasitophorous vacuole membrane and the erythrocyte plasma membrane. In this study, we used the rodent model parasite Plasmodium berghei to design a label-free quantitative proteomic approach aimed at identifying gender-related proteins differentially released/secreted by purified mature gametocytes when activated to form gametes. We compared the abundance of molecules secreted by wild type gametocytes of both genders with that of a transgenic line defective in male gamete maturation and egress. This enabled us to provide a comprehensive data set of egress-related molecules and their gender specificity. Using specific antibodies, we validated eleven candidate molecules, predicted as either gender-specific or common to both male and female gametocytes. All of them localize to punctuate, vesicle-like structures that relocate to cell periphery upon activation, but only three of them localize to the gametocyte-specific secretory vesicles named osmiophilic bodies. Our results confirm that the egress process involves a tightly coordinated secretory apparatus that includes different types of vesicles and may put the basis for functional studies aimed at designing novel transmission-blocking molecules.

At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was identified as the cause of a cluster of pneumonia cases, with high needs of mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients. It is still unclear whether different types of COVID-19 pneumonia require different ventilator strategies. With electrical impedance tomography (EIT) we evaluated, in real time and bedside, the distribution of ventilation in the different pulmonary regions before, during, and after pronation in COVID-19 respiratory failure. We present a brief literature review of EIT in non-COVID-19 patients and a report of 2 COVID-19 patients: one that did not respond well and another one that improved during and after pronation. EIT might be a useful tool to decide whether prone positioning should or should not be used in COVID-19 pneumonia.

Background Alzheimer disease (AD) is a common complex disorder with a high genetic component. Loss-of-function (LoF) SORL1 variants are one of the strongest AD genetic risk factors. Estimating their age-related penetrance is essential before putative use for genetic counseling or preventive trials. However, relative rarity and co-occurrence with the main AD risk factor, APOE-ε4, make such estimations difficult. Methods We proposed to estimate the age-related penetrance of SORL1-LoF variants through a survival framework by estimating the conditional instantaneous risk combining (i) a baseline for non-carriers of SORL1-LoF variants, stratified by APOE-ε4, derived from the Rotterdam study (N = 12,255), and (ii) an age-dependent proportional hazard effect for SORL1-LoF variants estimated from 27 extended pedigrees (including 307 relatives ≥ 40 years old, 45 of them having genotyping information) recruited from the French reference center for young Alzheimer patients. We embedded this model into an expectation-maximization algorithm to accommodate for missing genotypes. To correct for ascertainment bias, proband phenotypes were omitted. Then, we assessed if our penetrance curves were concordant with age distributions of APOE-ε4-stratified SORL1-LoF variant carriers detected among sequencing data of 13,007 cases and 10,182 controls from European and American case-control study consortia. Results SORL1-LoF variants penetrance curves reached 100% (95% confidence interval [99–100%]) by age 70 among APOE-ε4ε4 carriers only, compared with 56% [40–72%] and 37% [26–51%] in ε4 heterozygous carriers and ε4 non-carriers, respectively. These estimates were fully consistent with observed age distributions of SORL1-LoF variant carriers in case-control study data. Conclusions We conclude that SORL1-LoF variants should be interpreted in light of APOE genotypes for future clinical applications.

Theory of Mind (ToM) is involved in experiencing the mental states and/or emotions of others. A further distinction can be drawn between emotion and perception/sensation. We investigated the mechanisms engaged when participants’ attention is driven toward specific states. Accordingly, 21 right-handed healthy individuals performed a modified ToM task in which they reflected about someone’s emotion or someone’s body sensation, while they were in a functional magnetic resonance imaging scanner. The analysis of brain activity evoked by this task suggests that the two conditions engage a widespread common network previously found involved in affective ToM (temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), parietal cortex, dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), medial- prefrontal cortex (MPFC), Insula). Critically, the key brain result is that body sensation implicates selectively ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). The current findings suggest that only paying attention to the other’s body sensations modulates a self-related representation (VMPFC).

The present multimodal diffusion tensor imaging and neuropsychological study investigated the integrity of the white matter fascicles in a 17 years-old patient diagnosed with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). A brief neuropsychological testing showed that word and pseudoword repetition, naming, semantic and phonological fluency, long-term memory, working memory were impaired. A review of the literature on Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) evidenced that, studies investigating the integrity of white matter in this condition being a rare disease, are very few. Significant differences (p 0.05) were found between the fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the controls and the patient in the Superior Longitudinal fasciculus, the Inferior Longitudinal Fasciculus, the Inferior Fronto-Occipital Fasciculus, the Uncinate Fasciculus, and the Arcuate Fasciculus with lower values in the patient. No differences were found for the corticospinal tract. The number of streamlines was significantly lower in the patient, compared to controls, for the left Superior Longitudinal fasciculus, and for the left Uncinate fasciculus while for all the other fascicles, the number did not significantly differ from controls. DTI results were consistent with the patient's cognitive profile showing impairments at repetition, at tasks tapping lexical-semantics and long-term memory / retrieval. Diffusion tensor imaging results indicate that there were diffuse alterations of the degree of anisotropic diffusion along the white matter tracts distributed in posterior-anterior direction. Differently, a selective sparing of this measure was observed along the white matter tract distributed in inferior-superior direction (the corticospinal fascicle).

Gustatory (GD) and olfactory (OD) dysfunctions are the most frequent neurological manifestations of COVID-19. We used mental imagery as an experimental psychological paradigm to access olfactory and gustatory brain representations in 80 Italian COVID-19 adult patients (68.75% reported both OD and GD). COVID-19 patients with OD + GD have a significantly and selectively decreased vividness of odor and taste imagery, indicating that COVID-19 has an effect on their chemosensory mental representations. OD + GD length and type influenced the status of mental chemosensory representations. OD + GD were become all COVID-19 negative at the time of testing. Data suggest that patients are not explicitly aware of long-term altered chemosensory processing. However, differences emerge when their chemosensory function is implicitly assessed using self-ratings. Among patients developing OD + GD, self-ratings of chemosensory function (taste, flavor) were significantly lower as compared to those who did not. At the level of mental representation, such differences can be further detected, in terms of a reduced ability to mentally activate an odor or taste mental image. Our study shows that COVID-19 infection not only frequently causes hyposmia and dysgeusia, but that may also alter the mental representations responsible for olfactory and gustatory perception.

Mental imagery is part of people's own internal processing and plays an important role in everyday life, cognition and pathology. The neural network supporting mental imagery is bottom-up modulated by the imagery content. Here, we examined the complex associations of gender and age with the neural mechanisms underlying emotion imagery. We assessed the brain circuits involved in emotion mental imagery (vs. action imagery), controlled by a letter detection task on the same stimuli, chosen to ensure attention to the stimuli and to discourage imagery, in 91 men and women aged 14-65 years using fMRI. In women, compared with men, emotion imagery significantly increased activation within the right putamen, which is involved in emotional processing. Increasing age, significantly decreased mental imagery-related activation in the left insula and cingulate cortex, areas involved in awareness of ones' internal states, and it significantly decreased emotion verbs-related activation in the left putamen, which is part of the limbic system. This finding suggests a top-down mechanism by which gender and age, in interaction with bottom-up effect of type of stimulus, or directly, can modulate the brain mechanisms underlying mental imagery.

The wide use of brain MRI has led to an increased diagnosis of incidental low-grade gliomas (LGGs). There is no consensus regarding the surgical treatment of incidental LGGs, nor even when we deal with a young woman who wants to plan a pregnancy. We performed a literature review on the topic of cognitive testing and pregnancy in LGGs. Results on the patients' cognitive status are poorly addressed: if, after surgery, neuropsychological deficits were to arise, this would greatly complicate the management of a child by a mother who is an oncological patient, and, moreover, has developed cognitive alterations that may compromise the abilities to look after a baby. We also report the case of a 30-years old woman with a diagnosis of incidental LGG who underwent a first surgery for a right-frontal oligodendroglioma METHODS: The patient underwent two awake surgeries and in both performed the Real Time Neuropsychological Testing (RTNT). We acquired clinical and MRI data. This paper also reports a literature review on the topic of cognitive testing and pregnancy in LGGs highlighting a lack of adequate data about this issue.No deterioration of neuropsychological performances was documented during surgery. During the follow-up, she became pregnant and, despite an increased growth rate of the lesion, she did not accuse any symptom or sign of evolution in high-grade glioma (HGG). She underwent a second awake surgery with RTNT. Performance was maintained within the normal range.We concluded that, in our experience, pregnancy could induce an increased growth rate of LGG, not influencing the prognosis.

Wildfires produce smoke, which can then encounter wine grapes, causing the fruit to absorb smoke-related volatile organic compounds. These compounds impact the sensorial profiles of the resulting wines, introducing an uncharacteristic smokey flavor and ashy finish. Since these off-flavor attributes are observed to have longer-lasting perception, a proper inter-stimulus protocol is necessary to ensure an accurate sensory analysis. Previous work has indicated that a 1 g/L pectin rinse with 120 s of separation is effective for clearing the smoke flavor to mitigate potential carryover effects. The purpose of this work was to determine if there was a more efficient rinsing protocol to lessen the time taken between samples. By using wines with various levels of smoke exposure (high, moderate, and none), the efficacy of four different rinse systems were evaluated with a fixed-time-point evaluation system. These results indicate that a 4 g/L glucose solution is more efficient than pectin, requiring only 90 s of separation to clear smoke flavor perception. Additionally, this work identified appropriate references for the retronasal attributes associated with smoke taint in wine. These results can be used to guide a sensory analysis of wildfire-affected wines to ensure effective and accurate results.

Low-grade gliomas (LGGs) are frequently associated with epilepsy. There are few studies addressing the impact of seizures, antiseizure medications (ASMs), and lesion localization on presurgery cognitive functioning.We tested the relation between the above-mentioned variables in a continuous series of 73 young patients (mean age 38.3 years ± 11.7) affected by LGGs and epilepsy. The anatomical areas, involved in this sample, were the left insula with surrounding cortical and subcortical areas, the right precentral gyrus/rolandic operculum, and the white matter and cortical regions beneath.Patients' presurgery cognitive status was within the normal range, with borderline performance for some tasks. We tested whether lower scores were related with lesion or with epilepsy-related factors. Multiple regression identified variables that predict test scores. The Token test score was predicted by a model (p = .0078) containing the DT2T1 MRI, corrected for seizure features. Object naming performance was predicted by a model (p = .0113) containing the localization, the DT2T1 MRI, corrected for sex, EEG, and onset. Verbal fluency score was predicted by a model (p = .0056) containing the localization and the DT2T1 MRI, corrected for AEDs and EEG. Working memory score was predicted by a model (p = .0117) containing Engel class, the DT2T1 MRI, corrected for sex. Clock drawing score was predicted by a model (p.0001) containing the Engel class, AEDs, and EEG. TMT A score was predicted by a model (p = .0022) containing localization, corrected for EEG. TMT B-A score was predicted by a model (p = .0373) containing localization. Voxel Lesion Symptom Mapping analyses carried out on patients' lesion volumes confirmed that patients' level of performance correlated with lesion-related variables.This preliminary study indicates that the presurgical level of performance for language tasks and for cognitive flexibility and shifting is mainly predicted by lesion-related variables, working memory by both lesion and epilepsy-related variables. Epilepsy clinical and instrumental characteristics predicted performance for visuospatial planning.

INTRODUCTION Heart Rate Variability (HRV), the variation in time between each heartbeat, is a proxy for vagus nerve function and validated indicator of cardiovascular health. Lower HRV is associated with increased risk of cardiac events and greater vulnerability to psychological stress. Fatigue is a common, frustrating and persistent symptom for IBD patients, with multifaceted mechanisms including nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, and poor sleep. Lower HRV is associated with higher fatigue in patients with cancer and myalgic encephalomyelitis. We postulate lower HRV could be associated with fatigue in IBD patients. METHODS Adults recruited from an outpatient IBD clinic wore a FitBit Inspire 2.0 for 14 days to monitor nighttime total time asleep, restlessness (# of ~30 second awakenings), and HRV (RMSSD in milliseconds (ms)). At baseline, weeks 1 and 2, participants completed the IBD Fatigue Scale and Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI) or Simple Colitis Clinical Activity Index (SCCAI). Baseline laboratory testing for c-reactive protein (CRP), vitamins B12 and D, and ferritin was done. Averages for HRV and sleep metrics were computed for the 14-day period. Pearson’s correlations assessed relationships between all study variables (any p < .10). Then, partial correlations calculated the relationship between HRV and fatigue scores while controlling for identified confounding variables. We report an interim analysis. RESULTS 41 participants (63% female, 72.5% White, 92.7% non-Hispanic, 61% Crohn’s, 40.02 (SD=14.18) yrs old). Most (>75%) were in remission (HBI/SCCAI< 4). 34% had B12< 400 pg/mL, 20% vitamin D< 30 ng/mL, 54% ferritin< 50 ng/mL. Participants slept an average of 6.6 hours with 24.1(5.48) awakenings per night. All reported fatigue, with 43.9% having severe levels. Fatigue severity and impact remained consistent over the study (p=.106). Average HRV was 31.79(19.0) ms (Range: 11 - 92). Older patients had lower HRV (r= -0.34, p=.025) with no gender differences. Patients who reported more fatigue had higher CRP (r= 0.29), more active IBD symptoms (r= 0.62), and spent more time asleep (r= 0.20). When controlling for these variables and age, IBD patients with lower HRV reported significantly more global fatigue (r= -0.38, p=.041). The relationship between HRV and fatigue was larger for lower HRV and fatigue impact (r= -0.37, p=.047) than fatigue severity (r= -0.30, p=.11). No relationships existed for restlessness, vitamins B12 or D, or ferritin and fatigue. CONCLUSIONS When controlling for other contributors, patients with IBD and lower HRV reported more significant global fatigue and impact of fatigue on daily functioning. Findings may suggest lower HRV increases physical feelings of fatigue and reduces ability to manage fatigue impacts. Increasing HRV, e.g., with biofeedback training, may be a way to improve fatigue symptoms and management in IBD.

Waveguides play a pivotal role in the full deployment of terahertz communication systems. Besides signal transporting, innovative terahertz waveguides are required to provide versatile signal-processing functionalities. Despite fundamental components, such as Bragg gratings, have been recently realized, they typically rely on complex hybridization, in turn making it extremely challenging to go beyond the most elementary functions. Here, we propose a universal approach, in which multiscale-structured Bragg gratings can be directly etched on metal-wires. Such an approach, in combination with diverse waveguide designs, allows for the realization of a unique platform with remarkable structural simplicity, yet featuring unprecedented signal-processing capabilities. As an example, we introduce a four-wire waveguide geometry, amenable to support the low-loss and low-dispersion propagation of polarization-division multiplexed terahertz signals. Furthermore, by engraving on the wires judiciously designed Bragg gratings based on multiscale structures, it is possible to independently manipulate two polarization-division multiplexed terahertz signals. This platform opens up new exciting perspectives for exploiting the polarization degree of freedom and ultimately boosting the capacity and spectral efficiency of future terahertz networks.

Plasmonic polymeric nanoassemblies offer valuable opportunities in photoconversion applications. Localized surface plasmon mechanisms behind such nanoassemblies govern their functionalities under light illumination. However, an in-depth investigation at the single nanoparticle (NP) level is still challenging, especially when the buried interface is involved, due to the availability of suitable techniques. Here, we synthesized an anisotropic heterodimer composed of a self-assembled polymer vesicle (THPG) capped with a single gold NP, enabling an 8-fold enhancement in hydrogen generation compared to the nonplasmonic THPG vesicle. We explored the anisotropic heterodimer at the single particle level by employing advanced transmission electron microscopes, including one equipped with a femtosecond pulsed laser, which allows us to visualize the polarization- and frequency-dependent distribution of the enhanced electric near fields at the vicinity of Au cap and Au–polymer interface. These elaborated fundamental findings may guide designing new hybrid nanostructures tailored for plasmon-related applications.