Investigating Bacterial Volatilome for the Classification and Identification of Mycobacterial Species by HS-SPME-GC-MS and Machine Learning

Species of Mycobacteriaceae cause disease in animals and humans, including tuberculosis and leprosy. Individuals infected with organisms in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) or non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) may present identical symptoms, however the treatment for each can be different. Although the NTM infection is considered less vital due to the chronicity of the disease and the infrequency of occurrence in healthy populations, diagnosis and differentiation among Mycobacterium species currently require culture isolation, which can take several weeks. The use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is a promising approach for species identification and in recent years has shown promise for use in the rapid analysis of both in vitro cultures as well as ex vivo diagnosis using breath or sputum. The aim of this contribution is to analyze VOCs in the culture headspace of seven different species of mycobacteria and to define the volatilome profiles that are discriminant for each species. For the pre-concentration of VOCs, solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) was employed and samples were subsequently analyzed using gas chromatography–quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC-qMS). A machine learning approach was applied for the selection of the 13 discriminatory features, which might represent clinically translatable bacterial biomarkers.     

Observation of B0 meson decay to a 1 +/(1260)pi /+

We present a measurement of the branching fraction of the decay B(0)-->a1 (+/)(1260)pi(/+) with a1 (+/)(1260)-->pi(/+)pi(+/)pi(+/). The data sample corresponds to 218 x 10(6) BB[over ] pairs produced in e+e- annihilation through the Upsilon(4S) resonance. We measure the branching fraction Beta(B(0)-->a1(+/)(1260)pi(/+))Beta(a1(+/)(1260)-->pi(/+)pi(+/)pi(+/)) = (16.6+/1.9+/1.5) x 10(-6), where the first error quoted is statistical and the second is systematic.     

Measurement of the spin of the omega(-) hyperon

A measurement of the spin of the Omega(-) hyperon produced through the exclusive process Xi(c)(0)-->Omega(-)K(+) is presented using a total integrated luminosity of 116 fb(-1) recorded with the BABAR detector at the e(+)e(-) asymmetric-energy B factory at SLAC. Under the assumption that the Xi(c)(0) has spin 1/2, the angular distribution of the Lambda from Omega(-)-->LambdaK(-) decay is inconsistent with all half-integer Omega(-) spin values other than 3/2. Lower statistics data for the process Omega(c)(0)-->Omega(-)pi(+) from a 230 fb(-1) sample are also found to be consistent with Omega(-) spin 3/2. If the Xi(c)(0) spin were 3/2, an Omega(-) spin of 5/2 could not be excluded.     

Observation of Upsilon(4S) decays to pi(+)pi(-)Upsilon(1S) and pi(+)pi(-)Upsilon(2S)

Observation of Upsilon(4S) decays to pi(+)pi(-)C and pi(+)pi(-)Upsilon(2S)We present the first measurement of Upsilon(4S) decays to pi(+)pi(-)Upsilon(1S) based on a sample of 230 x 106(4S) mesons collected with the BABAR detector. We measure the product branching fractions Beta(Upsilon(4S) --> pi(+)pi(-)Upsilon(1S)) x BetaUpsilon(1S) --> mu(+)mu(-) = (2.23 +/- 0.25(stat) +/- 0.27(syst))x 10(-6) and Beta(Upsilon(4S) --> pi(+)pi(-)Upsilon(2S) x Beta(Upsilon(2S) --> mu(+)mu(-))=(1.69 +/-0.26(stat) +/- 0.20(syst)) x 10(-)6, from which we derive the partial widths Gamma(Upsilon(4S) --> pi(+)pi(-)Upsilon(1S))=(1.8 +/-0.4) keV and Gamma(Upsilon(4S) --> pi(+)pi(-)Upsilon(2S))=(2.7 +/- 0.8) keV.     

Mass synchronization: occurrence and its control with possible applications to brain dynamics

Occurrence of strong or mass synchronization of a large number of neuronal populations in the brain characterizes its pathological states. In order to establish an understanding of the mechanism underlying such pathological synchronization, we present a model of coupled populations of phase oscillators representing the interacting neuronal populations. Through numerical analysis, we discuss the occurrence of mass synchronization in the model, where a source population which gets strongly synchronized drives the target populations onto mass synchronization. We hypothesize and identify a possible cause for the occurrence of such a synchronization, which is so far unknown: Pathological synchronization is caused not just because of the increase in the strength of coupling between the populations but also because of the strength of the strong synchronization of the drive population. We propose a demand controlled method to control this pathological synchronization by providing a delayed feedback where the strength and frequency of the synchronization determine the strength and the time delay of the feedback. We provide an analytical explanation for the occurrence of pathological synchronization and its control in the thermodynamic limit.     

Levetiracetam attenuates hippocampal expression of synaptic plasticity-related immediate early and late response genes in amygdala-kindled rats

Background  

The amygdala-kindled rat is a model for human temporal lobe epilepsy and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. Hippocampal RNA isolated from amygdala-kindled rats at different kindling stages was analyzed to identify kindling-induced genes. Furthermore, effects of the anti-epileptic drug levetiracetam on kindling-induced gene expression were examined.     

Magnetite Nanorods Stabilized by Polyaniline/Reduced Graphene Oxide as a Sensing Platform for Selective and Sensitive Non‐enzymatic Hydrogen Peroxide Detection

In this study, magnetite nanorods stabilized on polyaniline/reduced graphene oxide (Fe₃O₄@PANI/rGO) was synthesized via a wet‐reflux strategy. The possible formation of Fe₃O₄@PANI/rGO was morphologically and structurally verified by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, the thermal stability of Fe₃O₄@PANI/rGO was measured by a thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA); the composite had good thermal stability owing to the ceramic nature of Fe₃O₄. The Fe₃O₄@PANI/rGO has been applied as a potential sensing platform for electrochemical detection of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). By the combined efforts of extended active surface area, active carbon support, more catalytic active sites and high electrical conductivity, the Fe₃O₄@PANI/rGO exhibited an improved performance toward the non‐enzymatic detection of H₂O₂ in 0.5 M KOH with a fast response time (5 s), high sensitivity (223.7 μA mM^?1 cm^?2), low limit of detection (4.45 μM) and wide linear range (100 μM–1.5 mM). Furthermore, the fabricated sensor exhibited excellent recovery rates (94.2–104.0 %) during real sample analysis.     

Association of Increased Sun Exposure Over the Life‐course with a Reduced Risk of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Cutaneous sun exposure is an important determinant of circulating vitamin D. Both sun exposure and vitamin D have been inversely associated with risk of autoimmune disease. In juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), low circulating vitamin D appears common, but disease‐related behavioral changes may have influenced sun exposure. We therefore aimed to determine whether predisease sun exposure is associated with JIA. Using validated questionnaires, we retrospectively measured sun exposure for 202 Caucasian JIA case–control pairs born in Victoria Australia, matched for birth year and time of recruitment. Measures included maternal sun exposure at 12 weeks of pregnancy and child sun exposure across the life‐course prediagnosis. We converted exposure to UVR dose and looked for case–control differences using logistic regression, adjusting for potential confounders. Higher cumulative prediagnosis UVR exposure was associated with reduced risk of JIA, with a clear dose–response relationship (trend P = 0.04). UVR exposure at 12 weeks of pregnancy was similarly inversely associated with JIA (trend P = 0.011). Associations were robust to sensitivity analyses for prediagnosis behavioral changes, disease duration and knowledge of the hypothesis. Our data indicate that lower UVR exposure may increase JIA risk. This may be through decreased circulating vitamin D, but prospective studies are required to confirm this.     

Rational Design of Polymers for Selective CO2 Reduction Catalysis

A series of copolymers comprising a terpyridine ligand and various functional groups were synthesized toward integrating a Co‐based molecular CO₂ reduction catalyst. Using porous metal oxide electrodes designed to host macromolecules, the Co‐coordinated polymers were readily immobilized via phosphonate anchoring groups. Within the polymeric matrix, the outer coordination sphere of the Co terpyridine catalyst was engineered using hydrophobic functional moieties to improve CO₂ reduction selectivity in the presence of water. Electrochemical and photoelectrochemical CO₂ reduction were demonstrated with the polymer‐immobilized hybrid cathodes, with a CO:H₂ product ratio of up to 6:1 compared to 2:1 for a corresponding “monomeric” Co terpyridine catalyst. This versatile platform of polymer design demonstrates promise in controlling the outer‐sphere environment of synthetic molecular catalysts, analogous to CO₂ reductases.