On the forces that cable webs under tension can support and how to design cable webs to channel stresses.

In many applications of structural engineering, the following question arises: given a set of forces ,  , …,  applied at prescribed points ,  , …,  , under what constraints on the forces does there exist a truss structure (or wire web) with all elements under tension that supports these forces? Here we provide answer to such a question for any configuration of the terminal points ,  , …,  in the two- and three-dimensional cases. Specifically, the existence of a web is guaranteed by a necessary and sufficient condition on the loading which corresponds to a finite dimensional linear programming problem. In two dimensions, we show that any such web can be replaced by one in which there are at most elementary loops, where elementary means that the loop cannot be subdivided into subloops, and where is the number of forces ,  , …,  applied at points strictly within the convex hull of ,  , …,  .

A phase Ib dose-finding, pharmacokinetic study of the focal adhesion kinase inhibitor GSK2256098 and trametinib in patients with advanced solid tumours.

Background: Combined focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and MEK inhibition may provide greater anticancer effect than FAK monotherapy.

Methods: This dose-finding phase Ib study (adaptive 3 + 3 design) determined the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of trametinib and the FAK inhibitor GSK2256098 in combination. Eligible patients had mesothelioma or other solid tumours with probable mitogen activated protein kinase pathway activation.

Pregnancy-Adapted YEARS Algorithm for Diagnosis of Suspected Pulmonary Embolism.

Background: Pulmonary embolism is one of the leading causes of maternal death in the Western world. Because of the low specificity and sensitivity of the d-dimer test, all pregnant women with suspected pulmonary embolism undergo computed tomographic (CT) pulmonary angiography or ventilation-perfusion scanning, both of which involve radiation exposure to the mother and fetus. Whether a pregnancy-adapted algorithm could be used to safely avoid diagnostic imaging in pregnant women with suspected pulmonary embolism is unknown.

Unusual winter Saharan dust intrusions at Northwest Spain: Air quality, radiative and health impacts.

Saharan air masses can transport high amounts of mineral dust particles and biological material to the Iberian Peninsula. During winter, this kind of events is not very frequent and usually does not reach the northwest of the Peninsula. However, between 21 and 22 February 2016 and between 22 and 23 February 2017, two exceptional events were registered in León (Spain), which severely affected air quality.

Exploring the Dual Interaction of Natural Rhamnolipids with Plant and Fungal Biomimetic Plasma Membranes through Biophysical Studies.

Rhamnolipids (RLs) are potential biocontrol agents for crop culture protection. Their mode of action has been proposed as dual, combining plant protection activation and antifungal activities. The present work focuses on the interaction of natural RLs with plant and fungi membrane models at the molecular scale.

High subclonal fraction of 17p deletion is associated with poor prognosis in multiple myeloma.

Deletions of chromosome 17p (del17p) that span the gene are associated with poor outcome in multiple myeloma (MM), but the prognostic value of del17p cancer clonal fraction (CCF) remains unclear. We applied uniform cytogenetic assessments in a large cohort of newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients carrying varying levels of del17p. Incremental CCF change was associated with shorter survival, and a robust CCF threshold of 0.

Interobserver Variability in Applying American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging 2016 Guidelines for Estimation of Left Ventricular Filling Pressure.

Background: Assessment of left ventricular (LV) filling pressure is among the important components of a comprehensive echocardiographic report. Previous studies noted wide limits of agreement using 2009 American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Echocardiography guidelines, but reproducibility of 2016 guidelines update in estimating LV filling pressure is unknown.

Methods: Echocardiographic and hemodynamic data were obtained from 50 patients undergoing cardiac catheterization for clinical indications.

Impact of Preexisting Left Bundle Branch Block in Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Recipients.

Background: The impact of preexisting left bundle branch block (LBBB) in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) recipients is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of preexisting LBBB on clinical outcomes after TAVR.

Methods And Results: This multicenter study evaluated 3404 TAVR candidates according to the presence or absence of LBBB on baseline ECG.

S29434, a Quinone Reductase 2 Inhibitor: Main Biochemical and Cellular Characterization.

Quinone reductase 2 (QR2, E.C. 1.

Swall-E: A robotic in-vitro simulation of human swallowing.

Swallowing is a complex physiological function that can be studied through medical imagery techniques such as videofluoroscopy (VFS), dynamic magnetic resonance imagery (MRI) and fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES). VFS is the gold standard although it exposes the subjects to radiations. In-vitro modeling of human swallowing has been conducted with limited results so far.

π-Bond Character in Metal-Alkyl Compounds for C-H Activation: How, When, and Why?

C-H bond activation via σ-bond metathesis is typically observed with transition-metal alkyl compounds in d or df electron configurations, e.g., biscyclopentadienyl metal alkyls.

Concurrent processes set cell division.

A cell can divide only upon completion of chromosome segregation; otherwise, its daughters would lose genetic material. However, we do not know whether the partitioning of chromosomes is the key event for the decision to divide. We show how key trends in single-cell data reject the classic idea of replication-segregation as the rate-limiting process for cell division.

Two-Dimensional Radial or Ring-Banded Nonbirefringent Spherulites of Semifluorinated Alkanes Coexistent with Close-Packed Self-Assembled Surface Nanodomains.

A series of semifluorinated alkanes (C FC H diblocks, F n H m, n = 6, 8, 10; m = 16, 18, 20), when cast as films onto solid substrates, were found to form ring-banded or radial spherulites when heated above their isotropic temperature and subsequently cooled down to room temperature, demonstrating that the formation of two-dimensional (2D) spherulites is a general feature of molecular fluorocarbon-hydrocarbon diblocks. These spherulites are not birefringent, a seldom encountered feature for such structures (never, so far, for spherulites made of small molecules). They also provide examples of fluorinated 2D spherulites.

Immunological environment in colorectal cancer: a computer-aided morphometric study of whole slide digital images derived from tissue microarray.

Cancer research has moved from investigating tumour cells to including analysis of the tumour microenvironment as well. The aim of this study was to assess the cellular infiltrate of colorectal cancer (CRC) using computer-aided analysis of whole slide digital image derived from tissue microarray (TMA). TMA slides from 31 CRC patients were immunostained for forkhead box protein 3 (FOXP3) and immunomodulatory enzyme indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) at four sites: centre (C) and invasive front (F) of the tumour, proximal non-metastatic draining lymph node (N-), tumour-draining lymph node with metastasis (N+) and healthy mucosa at 10 cm from the cancer (M).

Synthesis and characterization of fluorinated anatase nanoparticles and subsequent N-doping for efficient visible light activated photocatalysis.

Fluorinated-titanium dioxide (TiO-F) nanoparticles in a pure anatase polymorph was precipitated from solution by hydrolysis of titanium oxychloride, using urea and ammonia as precipitation agents and potassium fluoride as a source of fluorine anion. A further wet attrition milling in presence of glycine completed by a heat treatment allowed an additional nitrogen doping of TiO (TiO-F&N-HT). The morphology and crystalline structure of the as-synthesized powder was determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and showed that TiO powder was composed of nanoparticles with narrow size distribution which crystallized in the anatase phase.

Circumferential Thick Enhancement at Vessel Wall MRI Has High Specificity for Intracranial Aneurysm Instability.

Purpose To identify wall enhancement patterns on vessel wall MRI that discriminate between stable and unstable unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA). Materials and Methods Patients were included from November 2012 through January 2016. Vessel wall MR images were acquired at 3 T in patients with stable (incidental and nonchanging over 6 months) or unstable (symptomatic or changing over 6 months) UIA.

Effect of Dengue Serostatus on Dengue Vaccine Safety and Efficacy.

Background: In efficacy trials of a tetravalent dengue vaccine (CYD-TDV), excess hospitalizations for dengue were observed among vaccine recipients 2 to 5 years of age. Precise risk estimates according to observed dengue serostatus could not be ascertained because of the limited numbers of samples collected at baseline. We developed a dengue anti-nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and used samples from month 13 to infer serostatus for a post hoc analysis of safety and efficacy.

Emerging resistance mutations in PI-naive patients failing an atazanavir-based regimen (ANRS multicentre observational study).

Background: Atazanavir is a PI widely used as a third agent in combination ART. We aimed to determine the prevalence and the patterns of resistance in PI-naive patients failing on an atazanavir-based regimen.

Methods: We analysed patients failing on an atazanavir-containing regimen used as a first line of PI therapy.

Nivolumab plus Ipilimumab in Lung Cancer with a High Tumor Mutational Burden.

Background: Nivolumab plus ipilimumab showed promising efficacy for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in a phase 1 trial, and tumor mutational burden has emerged as a potential biomarker of benefit. In this part of an open-label, multipart, phase 3 trial, we examined progression-free survival with nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus chemotherapy among patients with a high tumor mutational burden (≥10 mutations per megabase).

Methods: We enrolled patients with stage IV or recurrent NSCLC that was not previously treated with chemotherapy.

Placental function and structure at term is altered in broodmares fed with cereals from mid-gestation.

Introduction: Feeding pregnant broodmares with cereal concentrates has been shown to increase maternal insulin resistance and affect foal metabolism in the short and long-term. These effects are likely to be mediated by the placenta. Here, we investigated feto-placental biometry and placental structure and function at term in mares fed with or without cereals concentrates.

Pregnancy Outcomes after ZIKV Infection in French Territories in the Americas.

Background: The risk of congenital neurologic defects related to Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has ranged from 6 to 42% in various reports. The aim of this study was to estimate this risk among pregnant women with symptomatic ZIKV infection in French territories in the Americas.

Methods: From March 2016 through November 2016, we enrolled in this prospective cohort study pregnant women with symptomatic ZIKV infection that was confirmed by polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR) assay.