Metagenomic Detection of Bacterial Zoonotic Pathogens among Febrile Patients, Tanzania, 2007-2009.

Bacterial zoonoses are established causes of severe febrile illness in East Africa. Within a fever etiology study, we applied a high-throughput 16S rRNA metagenomic assay validated for detecting bacterial zoonotic pathogens. We enrolled febrile patients admitted to 2 referral hospitals in Moshi, Tanzania, during September 2007-April 2009.

The effects of simulated gastroesophageal reflux on infant pig oropharyngeal feeding physiology.

The neural connectivity among the oral cavity, pharynx, and esophagus is a critical component of infant feeding physiology. Central integration of oral and pharyngeal afferents alters motor outputs to structures that power swallowing, but the potential effects of esophageal afferents on preesophageal feeding physiology are unclear. These effects may explain the prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia in infants suffering from gastroesophageal reflux (GER), though the mechanism underlying this relationship remains unknown.

Quantum-enhanced Markov chain Monte Carlo.

Quantum computers promise to solve certain computational problems much faster than classical computers. However, current quantum processors are limited by their modest size and appreciable error rates. Recent efforts to demonstrate quantum speedups have therefore focused on problems that are both classically hard and naturally suited to current quantum hardware, such as sampling from complicated-although not explicitly useful-probability distributions.

Development and validation of a real-time PCR test to detect Bartonella quintana in clinical samples.

This study reports on the validation of a real-time polymerase chain reaction test targeting the vomp region of Bartonella quintana. The assay displayed 100% sensitivity and specificity for the 52 bloods and 159 cultures tested. Molecular diagnosis of Bartonella quintana can aid clinical treatment during acute infection.

Household Transmission of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Alpha Variant-United States, 2021.

Background: In Spring 2021, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) B.1.1.

To see, not to see or to see poorly: Perceptual quality and guess rate as a function of electroencephalography (EEG) brain activity in an orientation perception task.

Detection of visual stimuli fluctuates over time, and these fluctuations have been shown to correlate with time domain evoked activity and frequency-domain periodic activity. However, it is unclear if these fluctuations are related to a change in guess rate, perceptual quality or both. Here we determined whether the quality of perception randomly varies across trials or is fixed so that the variability is the same.

Simultaneous Detection and Differentiation of Clinically Relevant Relapsing Fever with Semimultiplex Real-Time PCR.

Bacterial vector-borne diseases, including species, present a significant diagnostic, clinical, and public health challenge due to their overlapping symptoms and the breadth of causative agents and arthropod vectors. The relapsing fever (RF) borreliae encompass both established and emerging pathogens and are transmitted to humans by soft ticks, hard ticks, or lice. We developed a real-time semimultiplex PCR assay that detects multiple RF borreliae causing human illness and classifies them into one of three groups.

Targeted Metagenomics for Clinical Detection and Discovery of Bacterial Tick-Borne Pathogens.

Tick-borne diseases, due to a diversity of bacterial pathogens, represent a significant and increasing public health threat throughout the Northern Hemisphere. A high-throughput 16S V1-V2 rRNA gene-based metagenomics assay was developed and evaluated using >13,000 residual samples from patients suspected of having tick-borne illness and >1,000 controls. Taxonomic predictions for tick-borne bacteria were exceptionally accurate, as independently validated by secondary testing.

The Effects of Hemianopia on Perception of Mutual Gaze.

Significance: Individuals with left hemianopic field loss (HFL), especially with neglect history, may have greater difficulties than individuals with right HFL in judging the direction of another person's gaze.

Purpose: Individuals with HFL often show a spatial bias in laboratory-based perceptual tasks. We investigated whether such biases also manifest in a more real-world task, perception of mutual gaze direction, an important, nonverbal communication cue in social interactions.

Three-Qubit Randomized Benchmarking.

As quantum circuits increase in size, it is critical to establish scalable multiqubit fidelity metrics. Here we investigate, for the first time, three-qubit randomized benchmarking (RB) on a quantum device consisting of three fixed-frequency transmon qubits with pairwise microwave-activated interactions (cross-resonance). We measure a three-qubit error per Clifford of 0.

People with Hemianopia Report Difficulty with TV, Computer, Cinema Use, and Photography.

Significance: Our survey found that participants with hemianopia report more difficulties watching video in various formats, including television (TV), on computers, and in a movie theater, compared with participants with normal vision (NV). These reported difficulties were not as marked as those reported by people with central vision loss.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to survey the viewing experience (e.

Does 10-Hz Cathodal Oscillating Current of the Parieto-Occipital Lobe Modulate Target Detection?

The phase of alpha (8-12 Hz) brain oscillations have been associated with moment to moment changes in visual attention and awareness. Previous work has demonstrated that endogenous oscillations and subsequent behavior can be modulated by oscillating transcranial current stimulation (otCS). The purpose of the current study is to establish the efficacy of cathodal otCS for modulation of the ongoing alpha brain oscillations, allowing for modulation of individual's visual perception.

THE EFFECTS OF GUIDANCE METHOD ON DETECTION AND SCANNING AT INTERSECTIONS - A PILOT STUDY.

Older drivers are frequently involved in collisions at intersections. One reason may be inadequate head and eye scanning when approaching the intersection. Prior driving simulator research on scanning at intersections has employed two main methods to guide subjects through the simulated world: auditory instructions similar to GPS navigation and following a lead vehicle.

Surveillance for and Discovery of Borrelia Species in US Patients Suspected of Tickborne Illness.

Background: Tick-transmitted Borrelia fall into 2 heterogeneous bacterial complexes comprised of multiple species, the relapsing fever (RF) group and the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato group, which are the causative agents of Lyme borreliosis (LB), the most common tickborne disease in the Northern Hemisphere. Geographic expansion of LB in the United States and discovery of emerging Borrelia pathogens underscores the importance of surveillance for disease-causing Borrelia.

Methods: De-identified clinical specimens, submitted by providers throughout the United States, for patients suspected of LB, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, or babesiosis were screened using a Borrelia genus-level TaqMan polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

A molecular algorithm to detect and differentiate human pathogens infecting Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae).

The incidence and geographic range of tick-borne illness associated with Ixodes scapularis and Ixodes pacificus have dramatically increased in recent decades. Anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and Borrelia spirochete infections, including Lyme borreliosis, account for tens of thousands of reported cases of tick-borne disease every year. Assays that reliably detect pathogens in ticks allow investigators and public health agencies to estimate the geographic distribution of human pathogens, assess geographic variation in their prevalence, and evaluate the effectiveness of prevention strategies.

Bioptic Telescope Use and Driving Patterns of Drivers with Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To investigate the telescope use and driving patterns of bioptic drivers with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Methods: A questionnaire addressing telescope use and driving patterns was administered by telephone interview to three groups of bioptic drivers: AMD ( = 31; median 76 years); non-AMD first licensed with a bioptic ( = 38; 53 years); and non-AMD first licensed without a bioptic ( = 47; 37 years). Driving patterns of bioptic AMD drivers were also compared with those of normal vision (NV) drivers ( = 36; 74 years) and nonbioptic AMD drivers ( = 34; 79 years).

The effects of simulated vision impairments on the cone of gaze.

Detecting the gaze direction of others is critical for many social interactions. We explored factors that may make the perception of mutual gaze more difficult, including the degradation of the stimulus and simulated vision impairment. To what extent do these factors affect the complex assessment of mutual gaze? Using an interactive virtual head whose eye direction could be manipulated by the subject, we conducted two experiments to assess the effects of simulated vision impairments on mutual gaze.

The effect of central vision loss on perception of mutual gaze.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of central vision loss (CVL) on mutual gaze perception (knowing whether somebody else is looking at you), an important nonverbal visual cue in social interactions.

Methods: Twenty-three persons with CVL (visual acuity 20/50 to 20/200), 16 with a bilateral central scotoma and 7 without, and 23 age-matched control subjects completed a gaze perception task and a brief questionnaire. They adjusted the eyes of a life-size virtual head on a monitor at a 1-m distance until they either appeared to be looking straight at them or were at the extreme left/right or up/down positions at which the eyes still appeared to be looking toward them (defining the range of mutual gaze in the horizontal and vertical planes).

Can we improve clinical prediction of at-risk older drivers?

Objectives: To conduct a pilot study to evaluate the predictive value of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment test (MoCA) and a brief test of multiple object tracking (MOT) relative to other tests of cognition and attention in identifying at-risk older drivers, and to determine which combination of tests provided the best overall prediction.

Methods: Forty-seven currently licensed drivers (58-95 years), primarily from a clinical driving evaluation program, participated. Their performance was measured on: (1) a screening test battery, comprising MoCA, MOT, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Trail-Making Test, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, and Useful Field of View (UFOV) and (2) a standardized road test.

Basal ganglia atrophy in prodromal Huntington's disease is detectable over one year using automated segmentation.

Future clinical trials of neuroprotection in prodromal Huntington's (known as preHD) will require sensitive in vivo imaging biomarkers to track disease progression over the shortest period. Since basal ganglia atrophy is the most prominent structural characteristic of Huntington's pathology, systematic assessment of longitudinal subcortical atrophy holds great potential for future biomarker development. We studied 36 preHD and 22 age-matched controls using a novel method to quantify regional change from T(1) -weighted structural images acquired 1 year apart.