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Aberrant activity in caudal subcallosal anterior cingulate cortex (scACC) is implicated in depression and anxiety symptomatology, with its normalisation a putative biomarker of successful treatment response. The function of scACC in emotion processing and mental health is not fully understood despite its known influence on stress-mediated processes through its rich expression of mineralocorticoid and glucocorticoid receptors. Here we examine the causal interaction between area 25 within scACC (scACC-25) and the stress hormone, cortisol, in the context of anhedonia and anxiety-like behaviour. In addition, the overall role of scACC-25 in hedonic capacity and motivation is investigated under transient pharmacological inactivation and overactivation. The results suggest that a local increase of cortisol in scACC-25 shows a rapid induction of anticipatory anhedonia and increased responsiveness to uncertain threat. Separate inactivation and overactivation of scACC-25 increased and decreased motivation and hedonic capacity, respectively, likely through different underlying mechanisms. Together, these data show that area scACC-25 has a causal role in consummatory and motivational behaviour and produces rapid responses to the stress hormone cortisol, that mediates anhedonia and anxiety-like behaviour.

Para el correcto desempeño de las losas compuestas, la interacción entre el hormigón y la placa de acero es crucial. La resistencia de adherencia al corte permite comprender el comportamiento y la capacidad del sistema frente a un modo de falla por deslizamiento longitudinal. No obstante, a nivel nacional, la evaluación del desempeño y la capacidad de adherencia de estas losas frente a fuerzas cortantes es escasa. En este contexto, se presenta un estudio experimental en losas compuestas con chapa metálica de 1 mm de espesor, cuyo objetivo es evaluar su comportamiento físico-mecánico. Mediante un análisis de regresión lineal aplicado a los datos obtenidos en ensayos de laboratorio, se determinan los parámetros "m" y "k". Para el desarrollo de los ensayos, se elaboraron ocho probetas, siguiendo estrictamente los lineamientos establecidos en las normativas internacionales. Estas probetas se dividieron en cuatro conjuntos, cada uno conformado por dos muestras, manteniendo una configuración similar y utilizando el espesor de la capa de hormigón como variable experimental. Los resultados obtenidos en los ensayos permiten determinar la capacidad de corte de las losas y compararla con los valores proporcionados por los fabricantes. Estos resultados buscan ser relevantes para ingenieros y fabricantes ante la escasez de información y estudios sobre el tema.

Abstract While blood clot formation has been relatively well studied, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the subsequent structural and mechanical clot remodeling called contraction or retraction. Impairment of the clot contraction process is associated with both life-threatening bleeding and thrombotic conditions, such as ischemic stroke, venous thromboembolism, and others. Recently, blood clot contraction was observed to be hindered in patients with COVID-19. A three-dimensional multiscale computational model is developed and used to quantify biomechanical mechanisms of the kinetics of clot contraction driven by platelet-fibrin pulling interactions. These results provide important biological insights into contraction of platelet filopodia, the mechanically active thin protrusions of the plasma membrane, described previously as performing mostly a sensory function. The biomechanical mechanisms and modeling approach described can potentially apply to studying other systems in which cells are embedded in a filamentous network and exert forces on the extracellular matrix modulated by the substrate stiffness.

Para realizar ensayos cuasi-estáticos en elementos estructurales se utilizan sistemas de reacción conformados por losas y muros. La presente investigación permitió conocer el estado actual de una estructura con un sistema de reacción compuesto por una losa y un muro en forma de “L”. Se emplearon programas computacionales para su revisión y las características mecánicas de los materiales colocados en el modelo matemático fueron obtenidos a través de ensayos experimentales. Los resultados obtenidos evidencian que la capacidad actual de la estructura es mayor a la demanda, adicionalmente para el sistema de reacción se determinó la carga máxima que resiste. A partir de la verificación de la estructura existente se propone el diseño de la ampliación del muro de reacción con una capacidad máxima de 490 [kN] y de la infraestructura del CIV con un área aproximada de 400[m²], lo cual generará un aporte científico al servicio de la sociedad.

Online enrollments in public universities have soared, in part because of universities’ increasing reliance on for-profit online program managers (OPMs) for everything from instructional design to student recruitment. However, scholarship has indicated that OPMs may play a role in producing predatory forms of inclusion in higher education for marginalized students. To identify mechanisms through which this might occur, the authors conduct a mixed-methods analysis of 161 contracts between OPMs and two- and four-year public universities, an original database of third-party financing structure, and university webpages. The analysis identifies several contract features—targeting, extraction, opacity, and captivity—that may help concentrate marginalized students in extractive or exploitative online programs at public universities. The authors also show that OPMs funded by private equity or venture capital are most likely to include contract features that incentivize aggressive revenue production and promote the recruitment of marginalized students in online, but not in-person, programs.

Bolstering low-income students’ postsecondary participation is important to remediate these students’ disadvantages and to improve society’s overall level of education. Recent research has demonstrated that secondary schools vary considerably in their tendencies to send students to postsecondary education, but existing research has not systematically identified the school characteristics that explain this variation. Identifying these characteristics can help improve low-income students’ postsecondary outcomes. We identify relevant characteristics using population-level data from Wisconsin, a mid-size state in the United States. We first show that Wisconsin’s income-based disparities in postsecondary participation are wide, even net of academic achievement. Next, we show that several geographic characteristics of schools help explain between-secondary school variation in low-income students’ postsecondary outcomes. Finally, we test whether a dense set of school organisational features explain any remaining variation. We find that these features explain virtually no variation in secondary schools’ tendencies to send low-income students to postsecondary education.

There are increasing international efforts to tackle climate change by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. As such, the use of electrolytic hydrogen as an energy carrier in decentralised and centralised energy systems, and as a secondary energy carrier for a variety of applications, is projected to grow. Required green hydrogen can be obtained via water electrolysis using the surplus of renewable energy during low electricity demand periods. Electrolysis systems with alkaline and polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) technology are commercially available in different performance classes. The less mature solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) promises higher efficiencies, as well as co-electrolysis and reversibility functions. This work uses a bottom-up approach to develop a viable business model for a SOEC-based venture. The broader electrolysis market is analysed first, including conventional and emerging market segments. A further opportunity analysis ranks these segments in terms of business attractiveness. Subsequently, the current state and structure of the global electrolyser industry are reviewed, and a ten-year outlook is provided. Key industry players are identified and profiled, after which the major industry and competitor trends are summarised. Based on the outcomes of the previous assessments, a favourable business case is generated and used to develop the business model proposal. The main findings suggest that grid services are the most attractive business sector, followed by refineries and power-to-liquid processes. SOEC technology is particularly promising due to its co-electrolysis capabilities within the methanol production process. Consequently, an “engineering firm and operator” business model for a power-to-methanol plant is considered the most viable option.

Small and medium-sized fish salting enterprises are the focus of this study, which also looks at the benefits and challenges of halal certification and its relationship to business value. Applying the observation method and statistical and descriptive research approaches, the study identifies a lack of knowledge, budgetary constraints, and inadequate aid from stakeholders as the three main obstacles that these small and medium enterprises (SMEs) confront. Despite these limitations, the study highlights the potential of halal certification to improve product quality, boost customer confidence, and increase market competitiveness, particularly in relation to the growing Muslim consumer market. Halal certification can provide significant advantages; not only does it ensure compliance with Islamic dietary requirements and cater to the growing Muslim market, but it also improves product quality, instils consumer trust and loyalty, and boosts market competitiveness. The study’s theoretical value enhances the knowledge-attitude-behavior model paradigm. Realistically, it lays out the steps that local SMEs may take to become certified and reap the benefits of doing so. Despite the study’s regional emphasis, its suggestions are generalizable to other areas. Future studies should investigate the financial performance of halal-certified and non-certified fish-salting enterprises, for instance.

This study is founded on the assumption that food safety must be ensured in all food products, including salted fish, particularly in terms of heavy metal levels. Salted fish, which poses considerable hazards to food safety during processing, is an attractive issue for investigation, especially when seen through the lens of economic value, which has not been well addressed in prior studies. This study used both experimental methods and literature reviews to examine the heavy metal content of raw salted fish and its link to economic value from the perspectives of both business actors and customers. This study utilized laboratory testing using the 18-13-14/MU/SMM-SIG (ICP MS) methodology. The factors examined in this study were arsenic, cadmium, mercury, lead, and tin. The analysed samples were raw salted fish from a fish salting company in Kali Baru Cilincing, North Jakarta. This study examines these findings in terms of economic value, combining methodologies from various earlier studies. The findings show that all measures of heavy metal level in raw salted fish examined were still within the required limits. This is an essential economic determinant, as is the selling value of salted fish produced by small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Purpose – The main focus of the study is to develop an asynchronous framework ready for online classes of Makati Public Elementary Schools with Academic Performance Report to help users identify students at academic risk and adjust educational strategies to meet student's academic needs.CLASSALI is equipped with five major features namely: (1) Virtual Classroom, (2) Online Quiz, (3) Grading System, (4) CLASSALI Forum, and (5) Data Analytics Reports. Method –Researchers conduct an online assessment that has been tested by fifteen IT Practitioners and fifteen Non-IT Participants including admin, teachers, students, and parents. The data collected during the evaluation were computed for the analysis and efficiency of the system. Results – The system gathered reviews mostly with “Excellent” remarks. Conclusion – The system was found relevant nowadays since a new normal setting (i.e., pure online classes) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recommendations – In the future analysis, some research points should be given more attention. First and foremost, the developed learning management system should be implemented in other schools in the Philippines. In the future to further examine the stability and generalization of the developed learning management system. Practical Implications– It helps significant users such as teachers, school administrators, and parents rapidly identify students at academic risk and adjust educational strategies to meet students' needs.

Background: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic significantly affected management of cardiovascular disease around the world. The effect of the pandemic on volume of cardiovascular diagnostic procedures is not known. Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the effects of the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiovascular diagnostic procedures and safety practices in Asia. Methods: The International Atomic Energy Agency conducted a worldwide survey to assess changes in cardiovascular procedure volume and safety practices caused by COVID-19. Testing volumes were reported for March 2020 and April 2020 and were compared to those from March 2019. Data from 180 centers across 33 Asian countries were grouped into 4 subregions for comparison. Results: Procedure volumes decreased by 47% from March 2019 to March 2020, showing recovery from March 2020 to April 2020 in Eastern Asia, particularly in China. The majority of centers cancelled outpatient activities and increased time per study. Practice changes included implementing physical distancing and restricting visitors. Although COVID testing was not commonly performed, it was conducted in one-third of facilities in Eastern Asia. The most severe reductions in procedure volumes were observed in lower-income countries, where volumes decreased 81% from March 2019 to April 2020. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic in Asia caused significant reductions in cardiovascular diagnostic procedures, particularly in low-income countries. Further studies on effects of COVID-19 on cardiovascular outcomes and changes in care delivery are warranted.

Stem cell maintenance in multilayered shoot apical meristems (SAMs) of plants requires strict regulation of cell growth and division. Exactly how the complex milieu of chemical and mechanical signals interact in the central region of the SAM to regulate cell division plane orientation is not well understood. In this paper, simulations using a newly developed multiscale computational model are combined with experimental studies to suggest and test three hypothesized mechanisms for the regulation of cell division plane orientation and the direction of anisotropic cell expansion in the corpus. Simulations predict that in the Apical corpus, WUSCHEL and cytokinin regulate the direction of anisotropic cell expansion, and cells divide according to tensile stress on the cell wall. In the Basal corpus, model simulations suggest dual roles for WUSCHEL and cytokinin in regulating both the direction of anisotropic cell expansion and cell division plane orientation. Simulation results are followed by a detailed analysis of changes in cell characteristics upon manipulation of WUSCHEL and cytokinin in experiments that support model predictions. Moreover, simulations predict that this layer-specific mechanism maintains both the experimentally observed shape and structure of the SAM as well as the distribution of WUSCHEL in the tissue. This provides an additional link between the roles of WUSCHEL, cytokinin, and mechanical stress in regulating SAM growth and proper stem cell maintenance in the SAM.

Background:Amygdalae play a central role in emotional processing by interconnecting frontal cortex and other brain structures. Unilateral amygdala enlargement (AE) is associated with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE). In a relatively large sample of patients with mTLE and AE, we aimed to evaluate functional integration of AE in emotion processing and to determine possible associations between fMRI activation patterns in amygdala and deficits in emotion recognition as assessed by neuropsychological testing.Methods:Twenty-two patients with drug resistant unilateral mTLE due to ipsilateral AE were prospectively recruited in a large epilepsy unit and compared with 17 healthy control subjects in terms of amygdala volume, fMRI activation patterns and performance in emotion recognition as assessed by comprehensive affect testing system (CATS) and Ekman faces. All patients underwent structural and functional 1.5 Tesla MRI, electro-clinical assessment and neuropsychological testing.Results:We observed BOLD signal ipsilateral to AE (n = 7; group PAT1); contralateral to AE (n = 6; group PAT2) and no activation (n = 9; group PAT3). In the region of interest (ROI) analysis, beta estimates for fearful face > landscape contrast in the left amygdala region did not differ significantly in patients with left TLE vs. patients with right TLE [T(16) = −1.481; p = 0.158]. However, beta estimates for fearful face > landscape contrast in the right amygdala region were significantly reduced in patients with right TLE vs. patients with left TLE [T(16) = −2,922; p = 0.010]. Patients showed significantly lower total scores in CATS and Ekman faces compared to healthy controls.Conclusion:In our cohort, patients with unilateral mesial TLE and ipsilateral AE, an amygdala could display either functional integration in emotion recognition or dysfunction as demonstrated by fMRI. Perception and recognition of emotions were impaired more in right-sided mTLE as compared to left-sided mTLE. Neuropsychological tests showed deficits in emotion recognition in patients as compared to healthy controls.

Durante años se ha venido construyendo losas de hormigón sobre vigas de acero, sin embargo, el no considerar la trasmisión de esfuerzos de corte entre ellas, ocasiona que los elementos trabajen por separado. Para asegurar la transmisión de esfuerzos, la carga debe transmitirse mediante conectores mecánicos. En la construcción comúnmente se utilizan pernos stud, perfiles angulares y tornillos como conectores, aunque no todos se encuentren normados. El presente trabajo analiza el comportamiento de conectores de corte tipo ángulo, cuando están localizados de diferente manera a la expuesta en códigos de diseño. Para ello, se consideraron conectores de corte tipo ángulo, colocados de manera perpendicular respecto a la cara del patín de la viga de acero, analizando dos tipos de posiciones (45 y 90° referente al eje longitudinal del patín). Para comprobar cuál tiene un comportamiento y resistencia adecuada, se realizaron ensayos push-out, con un total de 6 probetas por posición. Las curvas fuerza vs. deslizamiento obtenidas del conector a 45°, presentaron un comportamiento más homogéneo en todos los parámetros analizados, en comparación con las curvas obtenidas para el conector a 90°. Su óptimo rendimiento hace que el conector a 45° sea el más adecuado para implementación.

Objective We investigated the diagnostic performance of semi-quantitative hyperintensity on T2-weighted short-tau-inversion-recovery black-blood (T2W-STIR-BB) images in identifying active cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) in patients, and compared it with that of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET).Methods This retrospective study included 40 steroid-naive patients (age 63.1±12.9 years, 20 men) diagnosed with CS who underwent both cardiac MRI and FDG-PET imaging. Active CS cases were defined as satisfying at least one of the following criteria for conventional indices: exacerbation of ventricular arrhythmia, newly identified advanced atrioventricular block, greater than 5% decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction on echocardiography, positive finding on gallium-scintigraphy or elevated levels of sarcoidosis-related serum biomarkers. T2W-STIR-BB images were semi-quantitatively analysed using a myocardium-to-spleen ratio (MSR). The diagnostic performance of T2W-STIR-BB and FDG-PET imaging for detecting active CS was investigated.Results Thirty-three patients satisfied at least one criterion and were considered as having active CS. Thirty patients (75%) tested positive with T2W-STIR-BB imaging, and 25 patients (63%) tested positive with FDG-PET. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive and negative predictive values for identifying active CS by semi-quantitative MSR on T2W-STIR-BB images were 79%, 43%, 73%, 87% and 30%, respectively. These results were statistically comparable to those of FDG-PET (70%, 71%, 70%, 92% and 33%, respectively).Conclusions When using conventional diagnostic indices for active CS as the gold standard, T2W-STIR-BB imaging demonstrated comparable diagnostic performance to that of FDG-PET. The semi-quantitative analysis of high signal intensity on T2W-STIR-BB images using MSR was useful for detection of active CS.

Studies in social stratification have used siblings as a tool to learn about the intergenerational transmission of advantage but less often have asked how siblings impact one another’s life chances. The author draws on social capital theory and hypothesizes that when youths attend college, they increase the probability that their siblings attend college. The author further hypothesizes that this effect is strongest among youths whose parents do not have college degrees. Findings from a U.S. national probability sample support both hypotheses. Although it is possible that confounding factors drive the estimates, the author conducts robustness checks that show that confounding would need to be very atypically strong to invalidate a causal interpretation. The positive main effect suggests that an intragenerational transmission of educational advantage exists alongside the intergenerational transmission that receives more attention. Effect heterogeneity points to the potential redundancy of college-educated siblings’ benefits when youths already receive similar benefits from college-educated parents.

Abstract In an increasingly data-driven age of medicine, do companies that offer genetic testing directly to patients represent an important part of personalising care, or a dangerous threat to privacy? Should we celebrate this new mechanism of patient involvement, or fear its implications? The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge addressed these issues in the 10th annual Medical Ethics Varsity Debate, through the motion: “This House Regrets the Rise of Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing”. This article summarises and extends key arguments made in the debate, exploring the impacts of such genetic testing on both the individual patient and broader society, with special consideration as to whether companies can ever truly guarantee anonymity of genetic data.

Flexible circuits: anodization makes them all! A simple concept of scanning head-guided anodization is shown to be highly expandable to fabricate various electronic components. A team led by Professor Siegfried Bauer from Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria develops a universal and patternable printing protocol of anodic oxides for a full range of circuit components for flexible devices. The researchers employ a scanning droplet cell microscope to anodize the pre-deposited thin metal films to form dielectric layers with good control in both lateral dimension and vertical thickness. They demonstrate the versatility of the on-site anodization methods by fabricating oxides-based resistors, diodes, transistors and memristors, and multilayer capacitors with a record-high areal capacity of 4 µF cm−2. The approach is cheap, adaptable, and thus ideal for rapid-prototyping of metal oxides circuits for various applications.

In its December 2019 edition, the Notices of the American Mathematical Society published an essay critical of the use of diversity statements in academic hiring. The publication of this essay prompted many responses, including three public letters circulated within the mathematical sciences community. Each letter was signed by hundreds of people and was published online, also by the American Mathematical Society. We report on a study of the signatories' demographics, which we infer using a crowdsourcing approach. Letter A highlights diversity and social justice. The pool of signatories contains relatively more individuals inferred to be women and/or members of underrepresented ethnic groups. Moreover, this pool is diverse with respect to the levels of professional security and types of academic institutions represented. Letter B does not comment on diversity, but rather, asks for discussion and debate. This letter was signed by a strong majority of individuals inferred to be white men in professionally secure positions at highly research intensive universities. Letter C speaks out specifically against diversity statements, calling them "a mistake," and claiming that their usage during early stages of faculty hiring "diminishes mathematical achievement." Individuals who signed both Letters B and C, that is, signatories who both privilege debate and oppose diversity statements, are overwhelmingly inferred to be tenured white men at highly research intensive universities. Our empirical results are consistent with theories of power drawn from the social sciences.

In the United States, the public has a constitutional right to access criminal trial proceedings. In practice, it can be difficult or impossible for the public to exercise this right. We present JUSTFAIR: Judicial System Transparency through Federal Archive Inferred Records, a database of criminal sentencing decisions made in federal district courts. We have compiled this data set from public sources including the United States Sentencing Commission, the Federal Judicial Center, the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system, and Wikipedia. With nearly 600,000 records from the years 2001-2018, JUSTFAIR is the first large scale, free, public database that links information about defendants and their demographic characteristics with information about their federal crimes, their sentences, and, crucially, the identity of the sentencing judge.

Current injection circuit breakers consist of a mechanical interrupter (MI) with a current injection and an energy dissipation branch in parallel. The performance of the complete device is largely determined by mechanical operation time and interruption performance of the MI. In the standard configuration, current injection is realised using a pre-charged inductor–capacitor circuit. A higher interruption performance of the MI makes it possible to scale down the resonant injection circuit, and thus have a more economical design. Additionally, the implementation of more complex injection circuits that quickly create zero crossings, while maintaining favourable conditions for interruption, can lead to economic benefits. In this study, the interruption performance of a model gas interrupter as part of a current injection topology is investigated. The results are used to verify a corresponding simulation model and two-dimensional upgrade circuits that influence the injection current to increase the range of interruptible fault currents. On the basis of experimental results, the simulation model is used to investigate the performance of upgrade circuits for the use in high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems. The results indicate that using improved injection circuits can considerably increase the economic advantage of current injection circuit breakers compared with other topologies.

Obesity is a major risk factor driving the global type II diabetes pandemic. However, the molecular factors linking obesity to disease remain to be elucidated. Gender differences are apparent in humans and are also observed in murine models. Here, we link these differences to expression of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), which, upon HFD feeding, becomes significantly reduced in the skeletal muscle and adipose tissue of male but not female mice. Strikingly, restoring 4E-BP1 expression in male mice protects them against HFD-induced obesity and insulin resistance. Male 4E-BP1 transgenic mice also exhibit reduced white adipose tissue accumulation accompanied by decreased circulating levels of leptin and triglycerides. Importantly, transgenic 4E-BP1 male mice are also protected from aging-induced obesity and metabolic decline on a normal diet. These results demonstrate that 4E-BP1 is a gender-specific suppressor of obesity that regulates insulin sensitivity and energy metabolism.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a mixture of direct-fed microbials (DFM), yeast, and digestive enzymes on animal performance in feedlot cattle, as well as digestibility when finishing feedlot cattle. Thirty crossbreed (Charolais × Beefmaster) steers averaging 15 months old and 321.83±3.73 kg of initial body weight were used. Animals were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: control (basal diet) and a mixture of DFM, yeast, and digestive enzymes (basal diet + 30 g of the mixture). Each group contained fifteen experimental units. Animals were fed individually twice a day, and dry matter intake (DMI) was recorded daily. Body weights were recorded initially and subsequently at 28-day intervals for a total of 140 days to evaluate average daily gain (ADG). The gain:feed ratio (G:F) was also calculated per period. Dry matter digestibility, crude protein (CPD), and neutral detergent fiber (NDFD) were evaluated in the finishing phase. Ten steers per treatment were randomly selected for digestibility evaluations. Insoluble acid detergent fiber was used to calculate apparent digestibility. A completely randomized design with measurements repeated over time was used to evaluate animal performance, and a completely randomized design was used to evaluate apparent digestibility. No effect of treatment was observed for DMI. At the end of the trial, differences for ADG were found between treatments, with higher values in control than the treatment group. However, no effect for G:F was found. Dry matter digestibility, CPD, and NDFD were similar between treatments. The addition of the mixture of DFM, yeast, and digestive enzymes as a feed supplement in the diet of feedlot cattle does not improve animal performance and nutrient digestibility.

ObjectivesChronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO), the most severe form of chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO), is an autoinflammatory bone disorder. In the absence of diagnostic criteria or biomarkers, CNO/CRMO remains a diagnosis of exclusion. The aim of this study was to identify biomarkers for diagnosing multifocal disease (CRMO).Study designSera from 71 pediatric CRMO patients, 11 patients with osteoarticular infections, 62 patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), 7 patients with para-infectious or reactive arthritis, and 43 patients with acute leukemia or lymphoma, as well as 59 healthy individuals were collected. Multiplex analysis of 18 inflammation- and/or bone remodeling-associated serum proteins was performed. Statistical analysis included univariate ANOVA, discriminant analysis, univariate receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, and logistic regression analyses.ResultsFor 14 of 18 blood serum proteins, significant differences were determined between CRMO patients, at least one alternative diagnosis, or healthy controls. Multi-component discriminant analysis delivered five biomarkers (IL-6, CCL11/eotaxin, CCL5/RANTES, collagen Iα, sIL-2R) for the diagnosis of CRMO. ROC analysis allowed further reduction to a core set of 2 biomarkers (CCL11/eotaxin, IL-6) that are sufficient to discern between CRMO, healthy controls, and alternative diagnoses.ConclusionSerum biomarkers CCL11/eotaxin and IL-6 differentiate between patients with CRMO, healthy controls, and alternative diagnoses (leukemia and lymphoma, osteoarticular infections, para-infectious arthritis, and JIA). Easily accessible biomarkers may aid in diagnosing CRMO. Further studies testing biomarkers in larger unrelated cohorts are warranted.

Objetivo Determinar el nivel de contaminación fecal en hortalizas expendidas en los mercados de Huánuco y su relación en el riego con aguas residuales no tratadas. Métodos Se diseñó un estudio correlacional, con 84 muestras de hortalizas pertenecientes a los mercados de Huánuco y también 84 muestras de agua de riego de las hortalizas en estudio, durante el 2014. Los datos se obtuvieron mediante exámenes de laboratorio y guías de observación. La determinación de E. coli fue hecha por el método de filtros de membrana. Se realizó un análisis bivariado mediante la prueba Chi-cuadrada. Resultados La prevalencia de E. coli fue del 34.5% (29/84). El cebollino chino mostró mayor prevalencia de contaminación, seguido de culantro, perejil y rabanito. Se encontraron asociaciones estadísticas significativas (P≤0.05) entre la contaminación de agua de riego y la prevalencia de E. coli en las hortalizas de tipo cebollino chino, culantro, perejil y rabanito. Conclusiones La prevalencia de E. coli en las hortalizas fueron altas y se relacionan con la contaminación fecal de agua de riego.

Previous studies have shown that in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) multiple motor and extra-motor regions display structural and functional alterations. However, their temporal dynamics during disease-progression are unknown. To address this question we employed a longitudinal design assessing motor- and novelty-related brain activity in two fMRI sessions separated by a 3-month interval. In each session, patients and controls executed a Go/NoGo-task, in which additional presentation of novel stimuli served to elicit hippocampal activity. We observed a decline in the patients' movement-related activity during the 3-month interval. Importantly, in comparison to controls, the patients' motor activations were higher during the initial measurement. Thus, the relative decrease seems to reflect a breakdown of compensatory mechanisms due to progressive neural loss within the motor-system. In contrast, the patients' novelty-evoked hippocampal activity increased across 3 months, most likely reflecting the build-up of compensatory processes typically observed at the beginning of lesions. Consistent with a stage-dependent emergence of hippocampal and motor-system lesions, we observed a positive correlation between the ALSFRS-R or MRC-Megascores and the decline in motor activity, but a negative one with the hippocampal activation-increase. Finally, to determine whether the observed functional changes co-occur with structural alterations, we performed voxel-based volumetric analyses on magnetization transfer images in a separate patient cohort studied cross-sectionally at another scanning site. Therein, we observed a close overlap between the structural changes in this cohort, and the functional alterations in the other. Thus, our results provide important insights into the temporal dynamics of functional alterations during disease-progression, and provide support for an anatomical relationship between functional and structural cerebral changes in ALS.

QUESTIONS UNDER STUDY: Transcutaneous measurement of carbon dioxide (PtCO2) has been suggested as an alternative to invasively obtained PaCO2 for the monitoring of patients with hypercapnic respiratory failure during noninvasive ventilation (NIV). Current data on monitoring in hypoxaemic respiratory failure are scarce and show conflicting results in hypercapnic patients in the emergency department. METHODS AND SETTING: We performed a retrospective comparison of real-time PtCO2 (SenTec Digital Monitor) and arterial/venous carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2/PvCO2) measurements in patients with severe hypoxaemic and/or hypercapnic respiratory failure during NIV. Agreement between PtCO2 and PaCO2/PvCO2 was the primary endpoint. Bland-Altman analysis and linear regression were used. RESULTS: 102 patients had at least one matched measurement of PtCO2 and PaCO2/PvCO2. For patients with arterial blood gas analysis, the mean difference was 0.46 kPa at baseline (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.23 to 0.60, limits of agreement 95% CI –0.54 to 1.45) and 0.12 kPa after NIV (95% CI –0.04 to 0.29, limits of agreement 95% CI: –0.61 to 0.86). The linear regression analysis found a correlation R 2 of 0.88 (p 8 kPa was associated with a lesser degree of agreement between the levels of PtCO2 and PaCO2/PvCO2 (p

Bolstering low-income students' postsecondary participation is important to remediate these students' disadvantages and to improve society's overall level of education. Recent research has demonstrated that secondary schools vary considerably in their tendencies to send students to postsecondary education, but existing research has not systematically identified the school characteristics that explain this variation. Identifying these characteristics can help improve low-income students' postsecondary outcomes. We identify relevant characteristics using population-level data from Wisconsin, a mid-size state in the United States. We first show that Wisconsin's income-based disparities in postsecondary participation are wide, even net of academic achievement. Next, we show that several geographic characteristics of schools help explain between-secondary school variation in low-income students' postsecondary outcomes. Finally, we test whether a dense set of school organisational features explain any remaining variation. We find that these features explain virtually no variation in secondary schools' tendencies to send low-income students to postsecondary education. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED623645.]

OBJECTIVE:Vitamin D supplementation may be a simple preventive measure against respiratory tract infections (RTIs) but evidence from randomized controlled trials is inconclusive. We aimed to systematically summarize results from interventions studying the protective effect of vitamin D supplementation on clinical and laboratory confirmed RTIs in healthy adults and children. METHODS:Medline, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and CINAHL were screened from inception until present (last updated in January 2016) completed by a search of the grey literature, clinical trial registers and conference abstracts. We included randomized trials comparing vitamin D versus placebo or no treatment. Two independent reviewers were responsible for study selection and data extraction. Cochrane's risk of bias tool and the GRADE approach were used for quality assessment. Estimates were pooled with random-effects models. Heterogeneity was explored by sub-group and meta-regression analyses. RESULTS:Of 2627 original hits, 15 trials including 7053 individuals were ultimately eligible. All used oral cholecalciferol. We found a 6% risk reduction with vitamin D3 supplementation on clinical RTIs, but the result was not statistically significant (RR 0.94; 95% CI 0.88 to 1.00). Heterogeneity was large (I-square 57%) and overall study quality was low. There were too few studies to reliably assess a potential risk reduction of laboratory confirmed RTI. Evidence was insufficient to demonstrate an association between vitamin D supplementation and risk of clinical RTI in sub-groups with vitamin D deficiency. CONCLUSIONS:In previously healthy individuals vitamin D supplementation does not reduce the risk of clinical RTIs. However, this conclusion is based on a meta-analysis where the included studies differed with respect to population, baseline vitamin D levels and study length. This needs to be considered when interpreting the results. Future trials should focus on vitamin D deficient individuals and apply more objective and standardized outcome measurements.