Sonographic Predictors of Antepartum Bleeding in Placenta Previa.

Objective: To evaluate the association between sonographic features of placenta previa and vaginal bleeding (VB).

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study of women with placenta previa identified on ultrasound between 16 and 27 weeks gestation. Placental distance past the cervical os (DPO), placental thickness, edge angle, and cervical length (CL) were measured.

Disruption of pollen tube homogalacturonan synthesis relieves pollen tube penetration defects in the Arabidopsis O-FUCOSYLTRANSFERASE1 mutant.

During angiosperm sexual reproduction, pollen tubes must penetrate through multiple cell types in the pistil to mediate successful fertilization. Although this process is highly choreographed and requires complex chemical and mechanical signaling to guide the pollen tube to its destination, aspects of our understanding of pollen tube penetration through the pistil are incomplete. Our previous work demonstrated that disruption of the Arabidopsis thaliana O-FUCOSYLTRANSFERASE1 (OFT1) gene resulted in decreased pollen tube penetration through the stigma-style interface.

Carbonate weathering, phosphate fertilizer, and hydrologic controls on dissolved uranium in rivers in the US Corn Belt: Disentangling seasonal geogenic- and fertilizer-derived sources.

Soil and bedrock weathering and phosphate (P) fertilizers may both contribute to the uranium (U) load of rivers in agricultural regions, but controls over their relative influence are not well known. This study investigates the U sources to rivers in Ohio, United States, part of the Eastern Corn Belt in the Mississippi River watershed. We present a regional picture of seasonal U sources to rivers based on four analyses: 1) a spatial analysis of legacy soil and water data, 2) new measurements of U and carbonate weathering products from rivers at 50 locations across the state collected seasonally over two years, 3) a weekly time series with additional U/U (n = 5) and Sr/Sr (n = 5) measurements from an agricultural river, and 4) a mass-balance approach to U addition to the landscape based on reported P fertilizer use.

Short single-frequency self-pulsing Brillouin-Raman distributed feedback fiber laser.

We demonstrate that the stimulated Brillouin scattering of a 250 mm long distributed feedback Raman fiber laser can self-pulse with repetition rates up to 7 MHz, pulse widths of 25 ns, and peak powers of 1.2 W. While both CW and pulsed lasing are produced from a bespoke grating at 1119 nm this laser design could be constructed at almost any wavelength, as the Raman and Brillouin gain regions are relative to the pump wavelength.

Evaluation of classification methods for identifying multiwalled carbon nanotubes collected on mixed cellulose ester filter media.

Enhanced darkfield microscopy (EDFM) and hyperspectral imaging (HSI) are being evaluated as a potential rapid screening modality to reduce the time-to-knowledge for direct visualisation and analysis of filter media used to sample nanoparticulate from work environments, as compared to the current analytical gold standard of transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Here, we compare accuracy, specificity, and sensitivity of several hyperspectral classification models and data preprocessing techniques to determine how to most effectively identify multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in hyperspectral images. Several classification schemes were identified that are capable of classifying pixels as MWCNT(+) or MWCNT(-) in hyperspectral images with specificity and sensitivity over 99% on the test dataset.

Thermodynamic Surface Analyses to Inform Biofilm Resistance.

Biofilms are the habitat of 95% of bacteria successfully protecting bacteria from many antibiotics. However, inhibiting biofilm formation is difficult in that it is a complex system involving the physical and chemical interaction of both substrate and bacteria. Focusing on the substrate surface and potential interactions with bacteria, we examined both physical and chemical properties of substrates coated with a series of phenyl acrylate monomer derivatives.

Effect of Fasting on Total Bile Acid Levels in Pregnancy.

Objective: To evaluate differences between fasting and nonfasting bile acid levels in asymptomatic and symptomatic pregnant women.

Methods: This is a report of two prospective cohort studies describing bile acid levels in the fasting and nonfasting state in pregnancy. The first cohort included asymptomatic women with singleton pregnancies.

The Importance of Clinical Presentation in Risk and Management of Recurrent Preterm Birth.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the risk of recurrent spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB), as well as cerclage efficacy, between groups stratified by phenotype of the index sPTB.

Study Design: This is a retrospective cohort study of women with a history of sPTB. Included were women with a history of singleton sPTB who received progesterone in a subsequent pregnancy.

The role of statins in the prevention of preeclampsia.

Preeclampsia is a common hypertensive disorder of pregnancy associated with considerable neonatal and maternal morbidities and mortalities. However, the exact cause of preeclampsia remains unknown; it is generally accepted that abnormal placentation resulting in the release of soluble antiangiogenic factors, coupled with increased oxidative stress and inflammation, leads to systemic endothelial dysfunction and the clinical manifestations of the disease. Statins have been found to correct similar pathophysiological pathways that underlie the development of preeclampsia.

Individual inscription of spectrally multiplexed Bragg gratings in optical multicore fibers using small spot direct UV writing.

We have demonstrated the inscription of Bragg gratings into five individual cores of a seven core fiber using small spot direct UV writing. With this technique, we defined spectrally multiplexed Bragg gratings consecutively in separate cores as well as spectrally multiplexed gratings at the same longitudinal location in different cores. The effect of bending on the optical spectrum was evaluated to allow the differentiation between cross-exposure and cross-talk, and an alignment process to reduce cross-exposure by 13 dB was found.

Highly-chirped Bragg gratings for integrated silica spectrometers.

A blazed chirped Bragg grating in a planar silica waveguide device was used to create an integrated diffractive element for a spectrometer. The grating diffracts light from a waveguide and creates a wavelength dependent focus in a manner similar to a bulk diffraction grating spectrometer. An external imaging system is used to analyse the light, later device iterations plan to integrate detectors to make a fully integrated spectrometer.

Physical controls and ENSO event influence on weathering in the Panama Canal Watershed.

Recent empirical studies have documented the importance of tropical mountainous rivers on global silicate weathering and suspended sediment transport. Such field studies are typically based on limited temporal data, leaving uncertainty in the strength of observed relationships with controlling parameters over the long term. A deficiency of long-term data also prevents determination of the impact that multi-year or decadal climate patterns, such as the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), might have on weathering fluxes.

Internally Controlled Methods to Quantify Pollen Tube Growth and Penetration Defects in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Double-fertilization in angiosperms requires precise communication between the male gametophyte (pollen), the female tissues, and the associated female gametophyte (embryo sac) to facilitate efficient fertilization. Numerous small molecules, proteins, and peptides have been shown to impact double-fertilization through the disruption of pollen germination, pollen tube growth, pollen tube guidance, or pollen tube penetration of the female tissues. The genetic basis of signaling events that lead to successful double-fertilization has been greatly facilitated by studies in the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana, which possesses a relatively simple reproductive physiology and a widely available T-DNA mutant seed collection.

Exclusion of Pregnant Women from Clinical Trials during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic: A Review of International Registries.

Objective: Pregnant women have been historically excluded from clinical trials for nonobstetric conditions, even during prior epidemics. The objective of this review is to describe the current state of research for pregnant women during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Study Design: We conducted a search of international trial registries for trials relating to the novel coronavirus.

Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is a common disorder of pregnancy manifested by pruritus and elevated bile acids. The etiology of cholestasis is poorly understood and management is difficult due to the paucity of data regarding its diagnosis, treatment, and related adverse outcomes. In this article, we review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, laboratory findings, complications, treatment, management, and current evidence surrounding intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy.

Integrated polarizer based on 45° tilted gratings.

We report the first integrated implementation of a polarizer based on the use of 45° tilted gratings in planar waveguides. The waveguides and gratings are fabricated by direct UV writing in a hydrogenated germanium-doped silica-on-silicon chip. We experimentally demonstrate a polarization extinction ratio per unit length of 0.

Interspecies Bombolitins Exhibit Structural Diversity upon Membrane Binding, Leading to Cell Specificity.

Bombolitins, a class of peptides produced by bees of the genus Bombus, target and disrupt cellular membranes, leading to lysis. Antimicrobial peptides exhibit various mechanisms of action resulting from the interplay between peptide structure, lipid composition, and cellular target membrane selectivity. Herein, two bombolitins displaying significant amino-acid-sequence similarity, BII and BL6, were assessed for antimicrobial activity as well as correlated dodecylphosphocholine (DPC) micelle binding and membrane-induced peptide conformational changes.

Obesity and laboratory aspirin resistance in high-risk pregnant women treated with low-dose aspirin.

Background: Low-dose aspirin is used for preeclampsia prevention in high-risk women, but the precise mechanism and optimal dose are unknown. Evidence suggests that an imbalance in prostacyclin and thromboxane A (TXA) plays a key role in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. Aspirin has a dose-dependent effect blocking production of TXA, a potent stimulator of platelet aggregation and promoter of vasoconstriction.

Thermal approach to classifying sequentially written fiber Bragg gratings.

We demonstrate thermal classification of sequentially written fiber Bragg gratings. This Letter presents a process to determine the type of fiber Bragg grating written in SMF28 and GF4A by introducing the gratings to thermal treatment. This technique can be applied to several approaches based on sequential writing, including the small spot direct ultraviolet writing technique.

High-birefringence direct UV-written waveguides for use as heralded single-photon sources at telecommunication wavelengths.

Direct UV-written waveguides are fabricated in silica-on-silicon with birefringence of (4.9 ± 0.2) × 10, much greater than previously reported in this platform.

Risk of cerebral palsy by gestational age among pregnancies at-risk for preterm birth.

Our objective was to describe cerebral palsy (CP) incidence stratified by gestational age (GA) groups within a group at risk for spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB). This is a secondary analysis of a large study of magnesium for neuroprotection. Nonanomalous, singleton gestations complicated by preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) or preterm labor (PTL) were included.

Cost Analysis of Azithromycin versus Erythromycin in Pregnancies Complicated by Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes.

Objective: To quantify the potential cost savings if azithromycin is substituted for erythromycin in women with preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM).

Study Design: Secondary analysis of a multicentered study investigating magnesium sulfate for the prevention of cerebral palsy in premature infants. All patients with PPROM who received antibiotics for prophylaxis were included in the analysis.

Leaky mode integrated optical fibre refractometer.

A route to monitor external refractive indices greater than the core index of the waveguide is presented. Initial application utilizes an integrated optical fibre (IOF) platform due to its potential for use in harsh environment sensing. IOF is fabricated using a bespoke flame hydrolysis deposition process to fuse an optical fibre to a planar substrate achieving an optical quality, ruggedized glass layer between the fibre and substrate was fabricated.