In 1978, Bracewell suggested the technique of nulling interferometry to directly image exoplanets which would enable characterisation of their surfaces, atmospheres, weather, and possibly determine their capacity to host life. The contrast needed to discriminate starlight reflected by a terrestrial-type planet from the glare of its host star lies at or beyond a forbidding $10^{-10}$ for an exo-Earth in the habitable zone around a Sun-like star at near-infrared wavelengths, necessitating instrumentation with extremely precise control of the light. Guided Light Interferometric Nulling Technology (GLINT) is a testbed for new photonic devices conceived to overcome the challenges posed by nulling interferometry. At its heart, GLINT employs a single-mode nulling photonic chip fabricated by direct-write technology to coherently combine starlight from an arbitrarily large telescope at 1 550 nm. It operates in combination with an actuated segmented mirror in a closed-loop control system, to produce and sustain a deep null throughout observations. The GLINT South prototype interfaces the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope and was tested on a sample of bright Mira variable stars. Successful and continuous starlight injection into the photonic chip was achieved. A statistical model of the data was constructed, enabling a data reduction algorithm to retrieve contrast ratios of about $10^{-3}$. As a byproduct of this analysis, stellar angular diameters that were below the telescope diffraction limit ($\sim$100 mas) were recovered with 1 $\sigma$ accuracy and shown to be in agreement with literature values despite working in the seeing-limited regime. GLINT South serves as a demonstration of the capability of direct-write photonic technology for achieving coherent, stable nulling of starlight, which will encourage further technological developments towards the goal of directly imaging exoplanets with future large ground based and space telescopes.

Background: Infection prevention surveillance for cross transmission is often performed by manual review of microbiologic culture results to identify geotemporally related clusters. However, the sensitivity and specificity of this approach remains uncertain. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis can help provide a gold-standard for identifying cross-transmission events. Objective: We employed a published WGS program, the Philips IntelliSpace Epidemiology platform, to compare accuracy of two surveillance methods: (i.) a virtual infection practitioner (VIP) with perfect recall and automated analysis of antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST), sample collection timing, and patient location data and (ii) a novel clinical matching (CM) algorithm that provides cluster suggestions based on a nuanced weighted analysis of AST data, timing of sample collection, and shared location stays between patients. Methods: WGS was performed routinely on inpatient and emergency department isolates of Enterobacter cloacae, Enterococcus faecium, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at an academic medical center. Single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) were compared within core genome regions on a per-species basis to determine cross-transmission clusters. Moreover, one unique strain per patient was included within each analysis, and duplicates were excluded from the final results. Results: Between May 2018 and April 2019, clinical data from 121 patients were paired with WGS data from 28 E. cloacae, 21 E. faecium, 61 K. pneumoniae, and 46 P. aeruginosa isolates. Previously published SNV relatedness thresholds were applied to define genomically related isolates. Mapping of genomic relatedness defined clusters as follows: 4 patients in 2 E. faecium clusters and 2 patients in 1 P. aeruginosa cluster. The VIP method identified 12 potential clusters involving 28 patients, all of which were “pseudoclusters.” Importantly, the CM method identified 7 clusters consisting of 27 patients, which included 1 true E. faecium cluster of 2 patients with genomically related isolates. Conclusions: In light of the WGS data, all of the potential clusters identified by the VIP were pseudoclusters, lacking sufficient genomic relatedness. In contrast, the CM method showed increased sensitivity and specificity: it decreased the percentage of pseudoclusters by 14% and it identified a related genomic cluster of E. faecium. These findings suggest that integrating clinical data analytics and WGS is likely to benefit institutions in limiting expenditure of resources on pseudoclusters. Therefore, WGS combined with more sophisticated surveillance approaches, over standard methods as modeled by the VIP, are needed to better identify and address true cross-transmission events.

Funding: This study was supported by Philips Healthcare.

Disclosures: None

Patients’expectancies have long been considered to contribute to treatment outcome. Whereas research has concentrated on different types of expectancies in predicting outcome, it has not examined their interactive contribution, therapist factors, nor the development of expectancies over time. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the independent as well as the interactive contributions of outcome expectancies (OE) and negative mood regulation expectancies (NMRE) to outcome. One hundred and fourty depressed outpatients in cognitive-behavior psychotherapy completed measures of OE and NMRE at pretreatment and midtreatment, as well as outcome measures at midtreatment and posttreatment. Patients’ OE were assessed using the Patients’ Therapy Expectation and Evaluation Questionnaire (PATHEV; Schulte, 2005), and the short form of the Negative Mood Regulation Scale (NMR; Backenstrass et al., 2010). Outcome was measured using the German version of the Beck Depression Inventory – II (BDI-II; Hautzinger, Keller, & Kühner, 2006), and the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology - Clinician Rated 30-item version (IDS-C; Rush, Carmody, & Reimitz, 2000). We will perform three-level multiple longitudinal hierarchical analysis, with different assessment time points as the first level, nested in patients (second level), which are nested in therapists (third level), controlling for comorbidities. We expect OE and NMRE to change significantly during therapy, and these changes to be related to outcome, both at midtreatment and posttreatment. We also expect to find a significant interaction between OE and NMRE in predicting outcome, as well as a significant influence of therapists on patients's expectancies. Theoretical and clinical implications of the results will be discussed.

Members of an emergency department (ED) staff need to be prepared for mass casualty incidents (MCIs) at all times. Didactic sessions, drills, and functional exercises have shown to be effective, but it is challenging to find time and resources for appropriate training. We conducted brief, task-specific drills (deemed “disaster huddles”) in a pediatric ED (PED) to examine if such an approach could be an alternative or supplement to traditional MCI training paradigms. Over the course of the study, we observed an improving trend in the overall score for administrative disaster preparedness. Disaster huddles may be an effective way to improve administrative disaster preparedness in the PED. Low-effort, low-time commitment education could be an attractive way for further disaster preparedness efforts. Further studies are indicated to show a potential impact on lasting behavior and patient outcomes.

Uranium–35 wt.% zirconium (U–35 wt.% Zr) alloy was annealed for 1 h and 24 h at 650 °C and characterized to understand the early-stage microstructure evolution. Dendritic microstructure with fine (∼300 nm in length) α-U precipitates clustered between dendrite branches were observed in the 1-h annealed sample. After 24-h annealing at 650 °C, the α-U precipitates coarsened, and the dendritic microstructure disappeared because of microstructure homogenization. Furthermore, microchemical homogenization observed with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis suggests that α-U precipitates are approaching thermodynamic equilibrium in the 24-h annealed sample. The findings from this study have potential impacts on the manufacturing and computer modeling of metallic nuclear fuel.

Investigations about the role of nuclei and nucleation for the inception and formation of cavitation have been part of cavitation research since Harvey et al. (J. Cell. Physiol., vol. 24 (1), 1944, pp. 1–22) postulated the existence of gas filled crevices on surfaces and particles in liquids. In a supersaturated liquid, surface nuclei produce small gas bubbles due to mass transfer of gas or themselves work as weak spots in the liquid that are necessary for a phase change under technically relevant static pressures. Although various theories and models about nuclei and nucleation have found their way into standard literature, there is a lack of experimentally validated theories that describe the process of diffusion-driven nucleation in hydrodynamic cavitation. In order to close this gap we give new theoretical insights into the physics of this nucleation mechanism at technically relevant low supersaturations validated with extensive experimental results. The nucleation rate, the number of produced bubbles per second, is proportional to the supersaturation of the liquid and shows a nonlinear dependence on the shear rate at the surface nucleus. A model for the Strouhal number as dimensionless nucleation rate is derived allowing the estimation of nucleation rates from surface nuclei in hydrodynamic cavitation. The model provides three asymptotes, being a function of Péclet number, Weber number, the supersaturation of the liquid $\unicode[STIX]{x1D701}$ and gas solubility $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6EC}$ for three different detachment mechanisms, $Sr\propto \unicode[STIX]{x1D701}\unicode[STIX]{x1D6EC}We^{n}Pe^{1/3}$ with $n=1/3,3/4,1$ . The theoretical findings are in good agreement with experimental results, leading to a new assessment of the role of diffusion in cavitating flows.

Although evidence shows that attachment insecurity and disorganization increase risk for the development of psychopathology (Fearon, Bakermans-Kranenburg, van IJzendoorn, Lapsley, & Roisman, 2010; Groh, Roisman, van IJzendoorn, Bakermans-Kranenburg, & Fearon, 2012), implementation challenges have precluded dissemination of attachment interventions on the broad scale at which they are needed. The Circle of Security–Parenting Intervention (COS-P; Cooper, Hoffman, & Powell, 2009), designed with broad implementation in mind, addresses this gap by training community service providers to use a manualized, video-based program to help caregivers provide a secure base and a safe haven for their children. The present study is a randomized controlled trial of COS-P in a low-income sample of Head Start enrolled children and their mothers. Mothers (N = 141; 75 intervention, 66 waitlist control) completed a baseline assessment and returned with their children after the 10-week intervention for the outcome assessment, which included the Strange Situation. Intent to treat analyses revealed a main effect for maternal response to child distress, with mothers assigned to COS-P reporting fewer unsupportive (but not more supportive) responses to distress than control group mothers, and a main effect for one dimension of child executive functioning (inhibitory control but not cognitive flexibility when maternal age and marital status were controlled), with intervention group children showing greater control. There were, however, no main effects of intervention for child attachment or behavior problems. Exploratory follow-up analyses suggested intervention effects were moderated by maternal attachment style or depressive symptoms, with moderated intervention effects emerging for child attachment security and disorganization, but not avoidance; for inhibitory control but not cognitive flexibility; and for child internalizing but not externalizing behavior problems. This initial randomized controlled trial of the efficacy of COS-P sets the stage for further exploration of “what works for whom” in attachment intervention.

Recent studies indicate that the transition from sheet to cloud cavitation depends on both cavitation number and Reynolds number. In the present paper this transition is investigated analytically and a physical model is introduced. In order to include the entire process, the model consists of two parts, a model for the growth of the sheet cavity and a viscous film flow model for the so-called re-entrant jet. The models allow the calculation of the length of the sheet cavity for given nucleation rates and initial nuclei radii and the spreading history of the viscous film. By definition, the transition occurs when the re-entrant jet reaches the point of origin of the sheet cavity, implying that the cavity length and the penetration length of the re-entrant jet are equal. Following this criterion, a stability map is derived showing that the transition depends on a critical Reynolds number which is a function of cavitation number and relative surface roughness. A good agreement was found between the model-based calculations and the experimental measurements. In conclusion, the presented research shows the evidence of nucleation and bubble collapse for the growth of the sheet cavity and underlines the role of wall friction for the evolution of the re-entrant jet.

This study aimed to examine the association between vitamin B6, folate and vitamin B12 biomarkers and plasma fatty acids in European adolescents. A subsample from the Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence study with valid data on B-vitamins and fatty acid blood parameters, and all the other covariates used in the analyses such as BMI, Diet Quality Index, education of the mother and physical activity assessed by a questionnaire, was selected resulting in 674 cases (43 % males). B-vitamin biomarkers were measured by chromatography and immunoassay and fatty acids by enzymatic analyses. Linear mixed models elucidated the association between B-vitamins and fatty acid blood parameters (changes in fatty acid profiles according to change in 10 units of vitamin B biomarkers). DHA, EPA) and n-3 fatty acids showed positive associations with B-vitamin biomarkers, mainly with those corresponding to folate and vitamin B12. Contrarily, negative associations were found with n-6:n-3 ratio, trans-fatty acids and oleic:stearic ratio. With total homocysteine (tHcy), all the associations found with these parameters were opposite (for instance, an increase of 10 nmol/l in red blood cell folate or holotranscobalamin in females produces an increase of 15·85 µmol/l of EPA (P value <0·01), whereas an increase of 10 nmol/l of tHcy in males produces a decrease of 2·06 µmol/l of DHA (P value <0·05). Positive associations between B-vitamins and specific fatty acids might suggest underlying mechanisms between B-vitamins and CVD and it is worth the attention of public health policies.

The central theme of complex systems research is to understand the emergent macroscopic properties of a system from the interplay of its microscopic constituents. The emergence of macroscopic properties is often intimately related to the structure of the microscopic interactions. Here, we present an analytical approach for deriving necessary conditions that an interaction network has to obey in order to support a given type of macroscopic behaviour. The approach is based on a graphical notation, which allows rewriting Jacobi's signature criterion in an interpretable form and which can be applied to many systems of symmetrically coupled units. The derived conditions pertain to structures on all scales, ranging from individual nodes to the interaction network as a whole. For the purpose of illustration, we consider the example of synchronization, specifically the (heterogeneous) Kuramoto model and an adaptive variant. The results complete and extend the previous analysis of Do et al. (2012Phys. Rev. Lett.108, 194102).

What drives candidates to “go negative” and against which opponents? Using a unique dataset consisting of all inter-candidate tweets by the 17 Republican presidential candidates in the 2016 primaries, we assess predictors of negative affect online. Twitter is a free platform, and candidates therefore face no resource limitations when using it; this makes Twitter a wellspring of information about campaign messaging, given a level playing-field. Moreover, Twitter’s 140-character limit acts as a liberating constraint, leading candidates to issue sound bites ready for potential distribution not only online, but also through conventional media, as tweets become news. We find tweet negativity and overall rate of tweeting increases as the campaign season progresses. Unsurprisingly, the front-runner and eventual nominee, Donald Trump, sends and receives the most negative tweets and is more likely than his opponents to strike out against even those opponents who are polling poorly. However, candidates overwhelmingly “punch upwards” against those ahead of them in the polls, and this pattern goes beyond attacks against those near the top. Sixty of 136 dyads are characterized by lopsided negativity in one direction and only one of these 60 involves a clearly higher status candidate on the offensive.

Background: It remains difficult to predict which patients will experience ongoing seizures or neuropsychological deficits following Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) surgery. MRI allows measurement of brain structures, such as the contralateral (non-resected) hippocampus (cHC) after TLE surgery. Preliminary evidence suggests that the cHC atrophies following surgery, however, the time course of this atrophy, relation to cognitive deficits and seizure outcome remains unclear. Methods: T1-weighted MR imaging and hippocampal volumetry in 26 TLE patients pre- and post-TLE surgery (and 12 controls) as: 1) two-scan group (TSG) (pre- and post-operatively at 5.4 years) and 2) longitudinal group (LG; pre- and on post-operatively on day 1,2,3,6,60,120 and at an average 2.4 years. Seizure outcome and pre- and post-operative neuropsychological assessment was performed. Results: The TSG had significant atrophy by 12% of the unresected cHC (p<0.0001) most pronounced (27%) in the hippocampal body alone. The LG revealed that this atrophy occured rapidly over the first week (1.3%/day; 3%/day cHC body). Significantly greater cHC atrophy was observed in those with ongoing seizures versus the seizure free (p=0.048). Conclusions: Significant cHC atrophy following TLE surgery that begins immediately, progresses over the first week, and remains signficantly depressed. The severity postoperative cHC atrophy may represent an early biomarker of the propensity for delayed seizure recurrence.