New Constraint on the Local Relic Neutrino Background Overdensity with the First KATRIN Data Runs

We report on the direct search for cosmic relic neutrinos using data acquired during the first two science campaigns of the KATRIN experiment in 2019. Beta-decay electrons from a high-purity molecular tritium gas source are analyzed by a high-resolution MAC-E filter around the end point at 18.57 keV. The analysis is sensitive to a local relic neutrino overdensity ratio of η<9.7×10^{10}/α (1.1×10^{11}/α) at a 90% (95%) confidence level with α=1 (0.5) for Majorana (Dirac) neutrinos. A fit of the integrated electron spectrum over a narrow interval around the end point accounting for relic neutrino captures in the tritium source reveals no significant overdensity. This work improves the results obtained by the previous neutrino mass experiments at Los Alamos and Troitsk. We furthermore update the projected final sensitivity of the KATRIN experiment to η<1×10^{10}/α at 90% confidence level, by relying on updated operational conditions.

Stress and Molecular Drivers for Cancer Progression: A Longstanding Hypothesis

Stress management is becoming very important part of cancer patient care. Chronic stressors lead to boost tumorigenesis and promote cancer development, recurrence, and drug resistant leading to poor health outcomes. The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, which is activated by stress, also regulates Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Thyroid (HPT) axis. Stress related changes in immune function and inflammatory response also leads to reduced immune surveillance resulting in tumorigenesis. This article explores the hormonal axis impacted by stress and how chronic stress can lead to poor outcome of a cancer patient.

[Impact of prematurity on the optic nerve]

INTRODUCTION

Thanks to the progress made in the past few years in pediatric intensive care as well as the increased survival of preterm infants, the consequences of premature birth are increasingly well documented. With regard to ophthalmologic complications, retinopathy of prematurity is well described, but the optic nerve may also be affected. The goal of this study is to compare the optic nerves of preterm infants as a function of their gestational period with a control group of the same age.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a case-control study pairing a full-term infant with each preterm infant. Inclusion criteria were: any child from 5- to 10-years-old, separated into three sub-groups according to their degree of prematurity. Variables were: cup/disc ratio, ocular biometry, intraocular pressure and RNFL thickness.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven preterm infants and 37 controls were included in the study. The mean age at the time of inclusion was 7.05 years for the preterm group and 7.19 years for the control group. No significant difference was observed in axial length or spherical equivalent (P=0.31 and P=0.98, respectively). No significant difference was observed in pachymetry or intraocular pressure (P=0.28 and P=0.22, respectively). We observed a significant increase of 0.1 in the cup/disc ratio of the preterm group compared to the control group (P<0.05). The preterm group cup/disc ratio was 0.36 versus 0.27 for the control group. No significant difference was observed in the 7 quadrants of RNFL between the two groups. However, when comparing infants born before 28 weeks gestation with the control group, we observed a mean decrease of 14.5 microns in the superior temporal sector (P=0.04), a 9 micron decrease in the global thickness G (P=0.03) and a 12.7 micron decrease in the nasal sector (P=0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

In the case of the studied children (aged 5 to 10), the reduced RNFL fiber thickness is a phenomenon dependent essentially on the stage of prematurity. It would be useful to follow these preterm populations over the long term and to compare them to a matched control group to be able to obtain functional results.

Bound on 3+1 Active-Sterile Neutrino Mixing from the First Four-Week Science Run of KATRIN

We report on the light sterile neutrino search from the first four-week science run of the KATRIN experiment in 2019. Beta-decay electrons from a high-purity gaseous molecular tritium source are analyzed by a high-resolution MAC-E filter down to 40 eV below the endpoint at 18.57 keV. We consider the framework with three active neutrinos and one sterile neutrino. The analysis is sensitive to the mass, m_{4}, of the fourth mass state for m_{4}^{2}≲1000  eV^{2} and to active-to-sterile neutrino mixing down to |U_{e4}|^{2}≳2×10^{-2}. No significant spectral distortion is observed and exclusion bounds on the sterile mass and mixing are reported. These new limits supersede the Mainz results for m_{4}^{2}≲1000  eV^{2} and improve the Troitsk bound for m_{4}^{2}<30  eV^{2}. The reactor and gallium anomalies are constrained for 100<Δm_{41}^{2}<1000  eV^{2}.

Urban Living Labs: how to enable inclusive transdisciplinary research?

The Urban Living Lab (ULL) approach has the potential to create enabling environments for social learning and to be a successful arena for innovative local collaboration in knowledge co-creation and experimentation in the context of research and practice in sustainability transitions. Nevertheless, complex issues such as the urban Food-Water-Energy (FWE) Nexus present a challenge to the realization of such ULL, especially regarding their inclusiveness. We present ULL as a frame for a local knowledge co-creation and participation approach based on the project "Creating Interfaces - Building capacity for integrated governance at the Food-Water-Energy-nexus in cities on the water". This project aims at making FWE Nexus linkages better understandable to the stakeholders (citizens and associations, city government, science, businesses), and to facilitate cooperation and knowledge exchange among them. This paper focuses on and discusses inclusiveness as a key aspect and challenge of ULLs and on what literature and our experiences in this regard suggest for the advancement of the concept of ULL towards ULL 2.0. These findings often also relate to framing transdisciplinary research in a wider sense.

We Need to Know: A Call for Interdisciplinary Education on COVID-19

COVID-19 disrupted numerous disciplines which led to widespread misinformation on the virus. Thirteen students from across the USA designed a web-based conference, or "webinar," to minimize the misinformation among student populations. Professionals presented the current and possible future impacts of COVID-19 in their respective fields. Pre- and post-conference surveys were administered to the attendees to gauge the impact of the conference. Survey results demonstrated increased knowledge and a lower degree of feeling overwhelmed by COVID-19 information overall, indicating a niche use for webinars during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Improved Upper Limit on the Neutrino Mass from a Direct Kinematic Method by KATRIN

We report on the neutrino mass measurement result from the first four-week science run of the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino experiment KATRIN in spring 2019. Beta-decay electrons from a high-purity gaseous molecular tritium source are energy analyzed by a high-resolution MAC-E filter. A fit of the integrated electron spectrum over a narrow interval around the kinematic end point at 18.57 keV gives an effective neutrino mass square value of (-1.0_{-1.1}^{+0.9})  eV^{2}. From this, we derive an upper limit of 1.1 eV (90% confidence level) on the absolute mass scale of neutrinos. This value coincides with the KATRIN sensitivity. It improves upon previous mass limits from kinematic measurements by almost a factor of 2 and provides model-independent input to cosmological studies of structure formation.

Strategic interaction among hospitals and nursing facilities: the efficiency effects of payment systems and vertical integration

Rising post-acute care expenditures for Medicare transfer patients and increasing vertical integration between hospitals and nursing facilities raise questions about the links between payment system structure, the incentive for vertical integration and the impact on efficiency. In the United States, policy-makers are responding to these concerns by initiating prospective payments to nursing facilities, and are exploring the bundling of payments to hospitals. This paper develops a static profit-maximization model of the strategic interaction between the transferring hospital and a receiving nursing facility. This model suggests that the post-1984 system of prospective payment for hospital care, coupled with nursing facility payments that reimburse for services performed, induces inefficient under-provision of hospital services and encourages vertical integration. It further indicates that the extension of prospective payment to nursing facilities will not eliminate the incentive to vertically integrate, and will not result in efficient production unless such integration takes place. Bundling prospective payments for hospitals and nursing facilities will neither remove the incentive for vertical integration nor induce production efficiency without such vertical integration. However, bundled payment will induce efficient production, with or without vertical integration, if nursing facilities are reimbursed for services performed.

Divergent evolution of plant NBS-LRR resistance gene homologues in dicot and cereal genomes

The majority of plant disease resistance genes are members of very large multigene families. They encode structurally related proteins containing nucleotide binding site domains (NBS) and C-terminal leucine rich repeats (LRR). The N-terminal region of some resistance genes contain a short sequence called TIR with homology to the animal innate immunity factors, Toll and interleukin receptor-like genes. Only a few plant resistance genes have been functionally analyzed and the origin and evolution of plant resistance genes remain obscure. We have reconstructed gene phylogeny by exhaustive analysis of available genome and amplified NBS domain sequences. Our study shows that NBS domains faithfully predict whole gene structure and can be divided into two major groups. Group I NBS domains contain group-specific motifs that are always linked with the TIR sequence in the N terminus. Significantly, Group I NBS domains and their associated TIR domains are widely distributed in dicot species but were not detected in cereal databases. Furthermore, Group I specific NBS sequences were readily amplified from dicot genomic DNA but could not be amplified from cereal genomic DNA. In contrast, Group II NBS domains are always associated with putative coiled-coil domains in their N terminus and appear to be present throughout the angiosperms. These results suggest that the two main groups of resistance genes underwent divergent evolution in cereal and dicot genomes and imply that their cognate signaling pathways have diverged as well.

Quality improvement--boon or boondoggle?

Is quality improvement (QI) reducing healthcare costs while improving patient care? Researchers find that QI has improved employee satisfaction and morale, but it was designed to do more. One solution is to use problem-solving techniques to help teams identify the level at which they want to address a problem, whether that be the subinstitutional, institutional, or system level. If QI is to fulfill its promise, skilled managers must create effective teams capable of defining and solving complex problems.

Social anxiety, alcohol expectancies, and drinking-game participation

Few studies have investigated factors contributing to college student participation in drinking games. The extent to which drinking games contribute to negative alcohol-related consequences is uncertain. The current study attempted to (a) clarify the risks posed by drinking-game participation, (b) identify characteristics of heavy drinkers who play frequently and those who seldom play, and (c) determine if students participated in drinking games to reduce anxiety in social situations. Tension reduction alcohol expectancies were examined as a potential moderator variable for the relationship between social anxiety and frequency of play. Drinking games accounted for high proportions of all negative alcohol-related consequences and appeared to be strongly associated with instances of sexual victimization. Contrary to predictions based on the tension reduction hypothesis, greater frequency of play was associated with lower social anxiety, and no moderating effect was found for tension reduction expectancies. Frequent players also had more environmental exposure to drinking games. In men, heavy-drinking players may resemble Clonninger's Type 1 alcoholic, whereas heavy-drinking nonplayers resemble the Type 2 pattern. A full understanding of college student drinking behavior may not be possible without greater understanding of drinking games.

Uncompensated hospital care: charitable mission or profitable business decision?

Provision of hospital uncompensated care is generally assumed to be adversely affected as increased healthcare competition decreases demand for compensated hospital services. Economic theory, however, suggests the question is more complex. Non-profit hospitals are assumed in this paper to maximize utility as a function of uncompensated care, subject to the constraint that revenues cover costs. For-profit hospitals, in contrast, are assumed to maximize profit while recognizing that failure to meet community expectations regarding provision of uncompensated care could negatively impact profits. Therefore, for-profit hospital supply of uncompensated care focuses on balancing the hospital's marginal costs and marginal benefits. These models predict that non-profit hospitals will respond to increased competition by reducing the supply of uncompensated care. In contrast, for-profit hospitals will increase the supply of uncompensated care when market demand decreases since the concurrent decrease in compensated care reduces the marginal cost of producing uncompensated care. The models also predict that for-profit hospitals will respond to changes in community expectations regarding the provision of uncompensated care.

Uncompensated hospital care: charitable mission or profitable business decision?

Provision of hospital uncompensated care is generally assumed to be adversely affected as increased healthcare competition decreases demand for compensated hospital services. Economic theory, however, suggests the question is more complex. Non-profit hospitals are assumed in this paper to maximize utility as a function of uncompensated care, subject to the constraint that revenues cover costs. For-profit hospitals, in contrast, are assumed to maximize profit while recognizing that failure to meet community expectations regarding provision of uncompensated care could negatively impact profits. Therefore, for-profit hospital supply of uncompensated care focuses on balancing the hospital's marginal costs and marginal benefits. These models predict that non-profit hospitals will respond to increased competition by reducing the supply of uncompensated care. In contrast, for-profit hospitals will increase the supply of uncompensated care when market demand decreases since the concurrent decrease in compensated care reduces the marginal cost of producing uncompensated care. The models also predict that for-profit hospitals will respond to changes in community expectations regarding the provision of uncompensated care.

Dynamic modelling of the binding of substances to the conserved membrane-adjacent heptapeptide of the 15-residue C-terminal cytoplasmic fragment of mammalian dopamine D2 receptors

Dynamic modelling was carried out on the binding in water of several substances to the conserved membrane-adjacent heptapeptide of the 15-residue C-terminal cytoplasmic fragment (C-tail) of mammalian dopamine D2 receptors, PheAsnIleGluPheArgLys. Particularly important in the establishment of binding pockets for ligands were the carboxyl, phenyl, guanidino, and epsilon-amino groups of the last 4 residues. A broad array of chemical structures was found to be potentially capable of binding to this site, among which were dopamine, dopamine D2 receptor agonists and antagonists, GABA, muscimol, GABA(B) receptor agonists and antagonists, homocamosine, and carnosine. Since the C-tail is critical for G protein binding, it is suggested that many naturally-occurring and synthetic substances may be modulators of activation of G proteins by G-coupled receptors.

Induction of labor with pulsatile oxytocin by a computer-controlled pump

OBJECTIVE

The objective was to test the safety and efficacy of a pulsatile oxytocin infusion protocol in which a computer-controlled pump adjusts the oxytocin dose rate on the basis of uterine activity.

STUDY DESIGN

A total of 358 women were enrolled in, and 310 completed, a prospective, randomized clinical trial comparing three protocols for the induction of labor with oxytocin: aggressively managed continuous infusion, conservatively managed continuous infusion, and computer-controlled pulsatile infusion. Results were analyzed with Student t and chi 2 "goodness-of-fit" tests.

RESULTS

Mean doses of oxytocin in the group receiving pulsed oxytocin were approximately 20% of the dose rates in the continuous infusion protocols. All protocols effectively established labor in the majority of patients, although nulliparous women with unfavorable Bishop scores were more likely to fail to establish labor within a 24-hour period when treated with the aggressive continuous protocol. There were no differences in the rates of cesarean section, hyperstimulation, blood gases, or Apgar scores among the three treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Oxytocin dosage was minimized by use of a computer-controlled pump. With the exception of aggressively managed nulliparous women, there were no differences in the percentages of patients with successful inductions among the three protocols. The percentage of successful inductions was lower for aggressively managed nulliparous women than for other patient and protocol groups.

205Bi/206Bi cyclotron production from Pb-isotopes for absorption studies in humans

Pb(p, xn) thick target excitation functions were measured in the energy range 10-38 MeV in order to optimize the production of isotopically pure radiobismuth from natPb, 206Pb, and 207Pb. Additionally, the decay of Po-isotopes from deuteron irradiation of natural bismuth (209Bi) was exploited for radiobismuth production. 205Bi was produced from 206Pb at 20 MeV with only 2% of 206Bi at 4 weeks post irradiation. Bismuth compounds as used in the treatment of peptic ulcer were labeled with 205Bi for absorption studies in animals and subjects.

Bismuth absorption from 205Bi-labelled pharmaceutical bismuth compounds used in the treatment of peptic ulcer disease

The absorption of bismuth from five 205Bi-labelled pharmaceutically used bismuth compounds was studied in man. From single oral doses of all compounds under investigation only less than 0.1% bismuth was absorbed and excreted with the urine. A significantly higher absorption was observed from the colloidal bismuth subcitrate (0.042% of the dose) and the basic bismuth gallate (0.038%) than from the basic bismuth salicylate, nitrate, and aluminate (0.005-0.002%). No retention of bismuth in the whole body was found from the single dose experiment. The biologic fast-term half-lives of absorbed bismuth were calculated to be 0.12 and 1.5 days.

Bioavailability of bismuth from 205Bi-labelled pharmaceutical oral Bi-preparations in rats

The bioavailability of 205Bi from various 205Bi-labelled pharmaceutical oral bismuth preparations was studied in rats. The intestinal absorption, calculated from 205Bi whole body retention and accumulated 205Bi urinary excretion, was small in general, but significantly higher (0.26-0.33% of dose) from oral bismuth citrates (basic bismuth citrate, colloidal bismuth subcitrate) as compared to basic bismuth nitrate, salicylate, gallate, and bismuth aluminate (0.04-0.11% of dose). After oral administration, the retained bismuth was mainly accumulated in the kidney, followed by bone, red blood cells and the lung. The whole body retention, faecal and urinary excretions of 205Bi were described by a three-compartment model. Biological 205Bi half-lives of 10, 36 and 295 h were derived in rats.

Genetic and morphological analysis of a maize-teosinte F2 population: implications for the origin of maize

Genes controlling the dramatic morphological differences between maize and its presumed progenitor (teosinte) were investigated in a maize-teosinte F2 population through the use of molecular markers. Results indicate that the key traits differentiating maize and teosinte are each under multigenic control, although for some traits, such as the number of ranks of cupules, the data are consistent with a mode of inheritance that would involve a single major locus plus several modifiers. For other traits, such as the presence/absence of the pedicellate spikelet, the data indicate multigenic inheritance with no single locus having a dramatically larger effect than the others. Results also indicate that the tunicate locus (Tu) had no major role in the origin of maize, despite previous opinion that it was involved. The major loci affecting the morphological differences between maize and teosinte are located on the first four chromosomes. The data suggest that the differences between teosinte and maize involve, in part, developmental modifications that enable (i) primary lateral inflorescences, which are programmed to develop into tassels (male) in teosinte, to become ears (female) in maize, and (ii) the expression of male secondary sex traits on a female background in maize. Similar changes were likely involved in the origin of maize.

[Methods of diagnostic bone biopsy and its complications]

By the end of 1986 559 assessable biopsies had been taken at 3rd internal department. The authors continue the previous study performed at the department and suggest further methods for bioptic sampling enabling sampling of larger bone cylinders. They suggest several ways of bone trepan composition adjustment. The authors discuss and compare the incidence of complications associated with bone biopsy performance. They conclude that in inpatients bone biopsy performed in short-term general anaesthesia is a safe intervention.

[Methodology of diagnostic bone biopsy and its complications]

By the end of 1986 559 assessable biopsies had been taken at 3rd internal department. The authors continue the previous study performed at the department and suggest further methods for bioptic sampling enabling sampling of larger bone cylinders. They suggest several ways of bone trepan composition adjustment. The authors discuss and compare the incidence of complications associated with bone biopsy performance. They conclude that in inpatients bone biopsy performed in short-term general anaesthesia is a safe intervention.

Major proteolytic fragments of the murine band 3 protein as obtained after in situ proteolysis

Proteolytic fragments of murine band 3 were produced by exposure to extracellular chymotrypsin and intracellular trypsin. The ensuing proteolytic fragments were isolated, their N-terminal sequences were determined and their locations in the known amino acid sequence of murine band 3 established. Equivalents of the human 60, 35 and 17 kDa fragments were obtained through the cleavage sites were situated at locations that are not strictly homologous to the corresponding cleavage sites in human band 3, although all of them were near such sites. Exposure of the intact murine red cell to chymotrypsin leads to the formation of two fragments of 67 kDa and 41 kDa, which are equivalent to the 60 kDa and the 35 kDa fragments of the human band 3. Internal trypsin cleaves the chymotryptic 67 kDa fragment while the 41 kDa fragment appears essentially unaffected. The 67 kDa fragment is first degraded to 64 kDa, then further to 22 kDa and finally to 19 kDa. The anion transport inhibitor H2DIDS (4,4'-diisothiocyanodihydrostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate) combines with murine band 3 protein as it does with human band 3. Anion transport is maximally inhibited when 5.10(5) H2DIDS molecules per cell are bound to band 3. As in the human red cell, after exposure to high pH (9.0-9.5) of the H2DIDS-labeled, chymotryptically cleaved band 3 intramolecular cross-linking takes place. This joins the 67 and 41 kDa chymotryptic pieces together to form a peptide of the original molecular mass of band 3 of 108 kDa. If cross-linking is performed after additional tryptic cleavage, the 19 and 22 kDa pieces join together with 41 kDa pieces to form overlapping bands that cover the molecular weight range from 60 to 63 kDa.