Prediction of Short-Distance Aerial Movement of Phakopsora pachyrhizi Urediniospores Using Machine Learning.

Dispersal of urediniospores by wind is the primary means of spread for Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the cause of soybean rust. Our research focused on the short-distance movement of urediniospores from within the soybean canopy and up to 61 m from field-grown rust-infected soybean plants. Environmental variables were used to develop and compare models including the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, zero-inflated Poisson/regular Poisson regression, random forest, and neural network to describe deposition of urediniospores collected in passive and active traps.

Enhanced pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties of PZT with aligned porosity for energy harvesting applications.

This paper demonstrates the significant benefits of exploiting highly aligned porosity in piezoelectric and pyroelectric materials for improved energy harvesting performance. Porous lead zirconate (PZT) ceramics with aligned pore channels and varying fractions of porosity were manufactured in a water-based suspension using freeze-casting. The aligned porous PZT ceramics were characterized in detail for both piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties and their energy harvesting performance figures of merit were assessed parallel and perpendicular to the freezing direction.

N-cadherin regulates signaling mechanisms required for lens fiber cell elongation and lens morphogenesis.

Tissue development and regeneration involve high-ordered morphogenetic processes that are governed by elements of the cytoskeleton in conjunction with cell adhesion molecules. Such processes are particularly important in the lens whose structure dictates its function. Studies of our lens-specific N-cadherin conditional knockout mouse (N-cadcKO) revealed an essential role for N-cadherin in the migration of the apical tips of differentiating lens fiber cells along the apical surfaces of the epithelium, a region termed the Epithelial Fiber Interface (EFI), that is necessary for normal fiber cell elongation and the morphogenesis.

Metagenome-Wide Association Study and Machine Learning Prediction of Bulk Soil Microbiome and Crop Productivity.

Areas within an agricultural field in the same season often differ in crop productivity despite having the same cropping history, crop genotype, and management practices. One hypothesis is that abiotic or biotic factors in the soils differ between areas resulting in these productivity differences. In this study, bulk soil samples collected from a high and a low productivity area from within six agronomic fields in Illinois were quantified for abiotic and biotic characteristics.

Significantly Enhanced Energy Storage Density by Modulating the Aspect Ratio of BaTiO Nanofibers.

There is a growing need for high energy density capacitors in modern electric power supplies. The creation of nanocomposite systems based on one-dimensional nanofibers has shown great potential in achieving a high energy density since they can optimize the energy density by exploiting both the high permittivity of ceramic fillers and the high breakdown strength of the polymer matrix. In this paper, BaTiO nanofibers (NFs) with different aspect ratio were synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method and the permittivity and energy storage of the P(VDF-HFP) nanocomposites were investigated.

Experiences of mobility for people living with rheumatoid arthritis who are receiving biologic drug therapy: implications for podiatry services.

Background: Despite significant advancements in new treatment modalities for rheumatoid arthritis with biological therapies, foot complications remain a disabling and common feature of the disease In this study the aim was to explore and describe the personal experiences of people with rheumatoid arthritis in receipt of biologic treatments in a bid to understand the impact of this form of medication on their mobility.

Methods: An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was undertaken to explore in depth the individual experience of rheumatoid disease through personal accounts of the patient journey spanning both 'before' and 'after' the instigation of biologic therapy. A purposive sampling strategy was adopted and in-depth semi structured interviews used to facilitate rich, detailed interview data exploring the lived experiences of individuals undertaking biological therapy and the changes to mobility experienced as a result.

Important Treatment Outcomes for Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis: A Multisite Qualitative Study.

Background: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a variable and complex inflammatory condition. Symptoms can compromise physical function, reduce quality of life, and accrue significant health costs. Commonly used patient-reported outcomes largely reflect the professionals' perspective, however it is not known whether they capture what is important to patients.

Graphene Ink Laminate Structures on Poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) for Pyroelectric Thermal Energy Harvesting and Waste Heat Recovery.

Thermal energy can be effectively converted into electricity using pyroelectrics, which act as small scale power generator and energy harvesters providing nanowatts to milliwatts of electrical power. In this paper, a novel pyroelectric harvester based on free-standing poly(vinylidene difluoride) (PVDF) was manufactured that exploits the high thermal radiation absorbance of a screen printed graphene ink electrode structure to facilitate the conversion of the available thermal radiation energy into electrical energy. The use of interconnected graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) as an electrode enable high thermal radiation absorbance and high electrical conductivity along with the ease of deposition using a screen print technique.

Bioequivalence Studies of a Reformulated Dutasteride and Tamsulosin Hydrochloride Combination Capsule and a Commercially Available Formulation.

A dutasteride 0.5 mg and tamsulosin hydrochloride 0.4 mg combination (DTC) capsule (Duodart ) was reformulated to reduce the capsule size and enhance product stability.

Characterisation and Modelling of Meshed Electrodes on Free Standing Polyvilylidene Difluoride (PVDF) Films for Enhanced Pyroelectric Energy Harvesting.

Flexible pyroelectric energy generators provide unique features for harvesting temperature fluctuations which can be effectively enhanced using meshed electrodes that improve thermal conduction, convection and radiation into the pyroelectric. In this paper, thermal radiation energy is continuously harvested with pyroelectric free standing Polyvilylidene Difluoride (PVDF) films over a large number of heat heat cycles using a novel micro-sized symmetrical patterned meshed electrode. It is shown that, for the meshed electrode geometries considered in this work, the polarisation-field (P-E), current-field (I-E) characteristics and device capacitance are unaffected since the fringing fields were generally small; this is verified using numerical simulations and comparison with experimental measurements.

Diffuse Urticarial Reaction Associated with Titanium Dioxide Following Laser Tattoo Removal Treatments.

Importance: Local and generalized allergic reactions following laser tattoo removal have been documented, but are rare. To our knowledge, this is the fourth documented case of widespread urticarial eruptions following laser tattoo removal treatment. Unlike previously documented cases, this patient's reaction was found to be associated with titanium dioxide within the tattoo and her symptoms were recalcitrant to medical therapy.

Do foot & ankle assessments assist the explanation of 1 year knee arthroplasty outcomes?

Objective: Whilst a number of risk factors for poor patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) following knee arthroplasty (KA) have been identified, unexplained variability still remains. The role of pre-operative foot and ankle status on such outcomes has not been investigated. The aim of this study was therefore to determine the association of clinical foot and ankle assessments with patient reported outcomes 1 year following KA.

Magnetic resonance fingerprinting based on realistic vasculature in mice.

Magnetic resonance fingerprinting (MRF) was recently proposed as a novel strategy for MR data acquisition and analysis. A variant of MRF called vascular MRF (vMRF) followed, that extracted maps of three parameters of physiological importance: cerebral oxygen saturation (SatO), mean vessel radius and cerebral blood volume (CBV). However, this estimation was based on idealized 2-dimensional simulations of vascular networks using random cylinders and the empirical Bloch equations convolved with a diffusion kernel.

Mechanical characterisation of polymer of intrinsic microporosity PIM-1 for hydrogen storage applications.

Polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) are currently attracting interest due to their unusual combination of high surface areas and capability to be processed into free-standing films. However, there has been little published work with regards to their physical and mechanical properties. In this paper, detailed characterisation of PIM-1 was performed by considering its chemical, gas adsorption and mechanical properties.

Hybrid Synthetic Receptors on MOSFET Devices for Detection of Prostate Specific Antigen in Human Plasma.

The study reports the use of extended gate field-effect transistors (FET) for the label-free and sensitive detection of prostate cancer (PCa) biomarkers in human plasma. The approach integrates for the first time hybrid synthetic receptors comprising of highly selective aptamer-lined pockets (apta-MIP) with FETs for sensitive detection of prostate specific antigen (PSA) at clinically relevant concentrations. The hybrid synthetic receptors were constructed by immobilizing an aptamer-PSA complex on gold and subjecting it to 13 cycles of dopamine electropolymerization.

Understanding the peculiarities of the piezoelectric effect in macro-porous BaTiO.

This work demonstrates the potential of porous BaTiO for piezoelectric sensor and energy-harvesting applications by manufacture of materials, detailed characterisation and application of new models. Ferroelectric macro-porous BaTiO ceramics for piezoelectric applications are manufactured for a range of relative densities,  = 0.30-0.

A survey exploring self-reported indoor and outdoor footwear habits, foot problems and fall status in people with stroke and Parkinson's.

Background: Ill-fitting shoes have been implicated as a risk factor for falls but research to date has focused on people with arthritis, diabetes and the general older population; little is known about people with neurological conditions. This survey for people with stroke and Parkinson's explored people's choice of indoor and outdoor footwear, foot problems and fall history.

Methods: Following ethical approval, 1000 anonymous postal questionnaires were distributed to health professionals, leads of Parkinson's UK groups and stroke clubs in the wider Southampton area, UK.

Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing to Increase Vocalizations in Children with Language Delays: a Review.

Stimulus-stimulus pairing (SSP) is a procedure used to increase vocalizations in children with significant language delays. However, results from studies that have examined the effectiveness of SSP have been discrepant. The following review of the literature summarizes the results from 13 experiments published between 1996 and 2014 that used this procedure with children with language delays.

3D single point imaging with compressed sensing provides high temporal resolution R * mapping for in vivo preclinical applications.

Objective: Purely phase-encoded techniques such as single point imaging (SPI) are generally unsuitable for in vivo imaging due to lengthy acquisition times. Reconstruction of highly undersampled data using compressed sensing allows SPI data to be quickly obtained from animal models, enabling applications in preclinical cellular and molecular imaging.

Materials And Methods: TurboSPI is a multi-echo single point technique that acquires hundreds of images with microsecond spacing, enabling high temporal resolution relaxometry of large-R * systems such as iron-loaded cells.

A pilot investigation of the prevalence of US-detectable forefoot joint pathology and reported foot-related disability in participants with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: The main aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of US-detectable forefoot bursae, metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint and metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint synovial hypertrophy (SH), Power Doppler (PD) signal or erosion in participants with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A secondary aim was to determine the strength of potential association between patient reported foot-related disability and US-detected forefoot bursae, MTP joint SH, PD signal or erosion in participants with SLE.

Method: A cross-sectional observational study of 20 participants with SLE was completed to determine the prevalence of US-detected forefoot bursal, MTP and MCP joint pathology.

In-silico optimisation of two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography for the determination of Australian methamphetamine seizure samples.

In-silico optimisation of a two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography (2D-HPLC) separation protocol has been developed for the interrogation of methamphetamine samples including model, real world seizure, and laboratory synthesised samples. The protocol used Drylab(®) software to rapidly identify the optimum separation conditions from a library of chromatography columns. The optimum separation space was provided by the Phenomonex Kinetex PFP column (first dimension) and an Agilent Poroshell 120 EC-C18 column (second dimension).

Cadherin-11 Overexpression Induces Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and Calcification in Mature Aortic Valves.

Objective: Calcific aortic valve (AoV) disease is a significant clinical problem for which the regulatory mechanisms are poorly understood. Enhanced cell-cell adhesion is a common mechanism of cellular aggregation, but its role in calcific lesion formation is not known. Cadherin-11 (Cad-11) has been associated with lesion formation in vitro, but its function during adult valve homeostasis and pathogenesis is not known.

Using lymph node swelling as a potential biomarker for successful vaccination.

There is currently a lack of biomarkers to help properly assess novel immunotherapies at both the preclinical and clinical stages of development. Recent work done by our group indicated significant volume changes in the vaccine draining right lymph node (RLN) volumes of mice that had been vaccinated with DepoVaxTM, a lipid-based vaccine platform that was developed to enhance the potency of peptide-based vaccines. These changes in lymph node (LN) volume were unique to vaccinated mice.