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Population-wide restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic may create barriers to mental health diagnosis. This study aims to examine changes in the number of incident cases and the incidence rates of mental health diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
By using electronic health records from France, Germany, Italy, South Korea and the UK and claims data from the US, this study conducted interrupted time-series analyses to compare the monthly incident cases and the incidence of depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, alcohol misuse or dependence, substance misuse or dependence, bipolar disorders, personality disorders and psychoses diagnoses before (January 2017 to February 2020) and after (April 2020 to the latest available date of each database [up to November 2021]) the introduction of COVID-related restrictions.
Results
A total of 629,712,954 individuals were enrolled across nine databases. Following the introduction of restrictions, an immediate decline was observed in the number of incident cases of all mental health diagnoses in the US (rate ratios (RRs) ranged from 0.005 to 0.677) and in the incidence of all conditions in France, Germany, Italy and the US (RRs ranged from 0.002 to 0.422). In the UK, significant reductions were only observed in common mental illnesses. The number of incident cases and the incidence began to return to or exceed pre-pandemic levels in most countries from mid-2020 through 2021.
Conclusions
Healthcare providers should be prepared to deliver service adaptations to mitigate burdens directly or indirectly caused by delays in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions.
The radio signal transmitted by the Mars Express (MEX) spacecraft was observed regularly between the years 2013–2020 at X-band (8.42 GHz) using the European Very Long Baseline Interferometry (EVN) network and University of Tasmania’s telescopes. We present a method to describe the solar wind parameters by quantifying the effects of plasma on our radio signal. In doing so, we identify all the uncompensated effects on the radio signal and see which coronal processes drive them. From a technical standpoint, quantifying the effect of the plasma on the radio signal helps phase referencing for precision spacecraft tracking. The phase fluctuation of the signal was determined for Mars’ orbit for solar elongation angles from 0 to 180 deg. The calculated phase residuals allow determination of the phase power spectrum. The total electron content of the solar plasma along the line of sight is calculated by removing effects from mechanical and ionospheric noises. The spectral index was determined as $-2.43 \pm 0.11$ which is in agreement with Kolmogorov’s turbulence. The theoretical models are consistent with observations at lower solar elongations however at higher solar elongation ($>$160 deg) we see the observed values to be higher. This can be caused when the uplink and downlink signals are positively correlated as a result of passing through identical plasma sheets.
The microstructure contribution to the very low fracture toughness of freestanding metallic thin films was investigated by bulge fracture tests on 200-nm-thick {100} single-crystalline and polycrystalline silver films. The single-crystalline films exhibited a significantly lower fracture toughness value (KIC= 0.88 MPa m1/2) than their polycrystalline counterparts (KIC= 1.45 MPa m1/2), which was rationalized by the observation of an unusual crack initiation behavior—characterized by twinning in front of the notch tip—during in situ testing in the atomic force microscope. Twinning was also observed as a dominant deformation mechanism in atomistic simulations. This twinning tendency is explained by comparing the resolved shear stresses acting on the leading partial dislocation and the full dislocation, which allows to develop a size- and orientation-dependent twinning criterion. The fracture toughness of polycrystalline samples was found to be higher because of the energy dissipation associated with full dislocation plasticity and because of crack meandering along grain boundaries.
Metal chalcogenides have attracted great attention because of their broad applications. It has been well acknowledged that microstructure can alter the intrinsic properties and performance of metal chalcogenides. The structure–property–performance relationships can be investigated at atomic scale with scanning transmission and transmission electron microscopy (STEM and TEM). Nevertheless, careful specimen preparation is paramount for accurate analyses and interpretations. In this work, we compare the effects of a variety of well-established TEM specimen preparation methods on the observed microstructure of an ingot stoichiometric lead telluride (PbTe). Most importantly, from aberration corrected STEM and first principles calculations, we discovered that argon (Ar) ion milling can lead to surface irradiation damage in the form of Pb vacancy clusters and self-interstitial atom (SIA) clusters. The SIA clusters appear as orthogonal nanoscale features when characterized along the <001> crystal orientation of the rock salt structured PbTe. This obfuscates the interpretation of the intrinsic microstructure of metal chalcogenides, especially lead chalcogenides. We demonstrate that with sufficiently low energy (300 eV) Ar ion cleaning or appropriate high-temperature annealing, the surface damage layer can be properly cleaned and the orthogonal nanoscale features are significantly reduced. This reveals the materials’ intrinsic structure and can be used as the standard protocol for future TEM specimen preparation of lead-based chalcogenide materials.
With the rapid development of telescopes, both temporal cadence and the spatial resolution of observations are increasing. This in turn generates vast amount of data, which can be efficiently searched only with automated detections in order to derive the features of interest in the observations. A number of automated detection methods and algorithms have been developed for solar activities, based on the image processing and machine learning techniques. In this paper, after briefly reviewing some automated detection methods, we describe our efficient and versatile automated detection method for solar filaments. It is able not only to recognize filaments, determine the features such as the position, area, spine, and other relevant parameters, but also to trace the daily evolution of the filaments. It is applied to process the full disk Hα data observed in nearly three solar cycles, and some statistic results are presented.
There is no consensus or theoretical explanation regarding the optimal location for the fenestration during the Fontan operation. We investigated the impact of the location of the fenestration on Fontan haemodynamics using a three-dimensional Fontan model in various physiological conditions.
Methods
A three-dimensional Fontan model was constructed on the basis of CT images, and a 4-mm-diameter fenestration was located between the extracardiac Fontan conduit and the right atrium at three positions: superior, middle, and inferior part of the conduit. Haemodynamics in the Fontan route were analysed using a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamic model in realistic physiological conditions, which were predicted using a lumped parameter model of the cardiovascular system. The respiratory effect of the caval flow was taken into account. The flow rate through the fenestration, the effect of lowering the central venous pressure, and wall shear stress in the Fontan circuit were evaluated under central venous pressures of 10, 15, and 20 mmHg. The pulse power index and pulsatile energy loss index were calculated as energy loss indices.
Results
Under all central venous pressures, the middle-part fenestration demonstrated the most significant effect on enhancing the flow rate through the fenestration while lowering the central venous pressure. The middle-part fenestration produced the highest time-averaged wall shear stress, pressure pulse index, and pulsatile energy loss index.
Conclusions
Despite slightly elevated energy loss, the middle-part fenestration most significantly increased cardiac output and lowered central venous pressure under respiration in the Fontan circulation.
Introduction: The Circle of Willis (CoW) is the most effective collateral
circulation to the brain during internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion.
Carotid stump pressure (CSP) is an established surrogate measure of the
cerebral collateral circulation. This study aims to use hemodynamic and
computed tomography angiography measurements to determine the strongest
influences upon the dependent variable, CSP. These findings could help
clinicians noninvasively assess the adequacy of the collateral circulation
and facilitate surgical risk assessment in an outpatient setting. Methods: CSP and mean arterial pressure were measured during carotid
endarterectomy or during carotid balloon test occlusion in 92 patients.
Intracranial arterial diameters were measured on computed tomography
angiography at 16 different locations. Univariate and multivariate analyses
were used to determine the key factors associated with CSP. In a subgroup of
individuals (n=27) with severe (>70% North American Symptomatic Carotid
Endarterectomy Trial) contralateral stenosis or occlusion, the same analysis
was performed. Results: The contralateral anterior cerebral artery proximal to anterior
communicating artery (A1) of the CoW had the strongest influence upon CSP,
followed by the mean arterial pressure, the contralateral ICA diameter, and
the anterior communicating artery diameter (R2=0.364). In the subgroup with high-grade contralateral ICA
stenosis, the ipsilateral posterior communicating artery exerted the
strongest influence (R2=0.620). Conclusions: During ICA occlusion, the anterior CoW dominates in preserving
collateral flow, especially the contralateral A1 segment. In individuals
with high-grade contralateral carotid stenosis, the posterior communicating
artery calibre becomes a dominant influence. The most favourable anatomy
consists of large contralateral A1 and anterior communicating arteries, and
no contralateral carotid stenosis.
Rumination is an important cognitive risk factor for onset and relapse of depression. However, no studies have employed a dimensional approach in investigating the neural correlates of rumination and the relationship with depression.
Method.
Non-clinical healthy subjects (n = 306), who completed the classical rumination and depression scales, were studied using voxel-based morphometry and regional homogeneity (ReHo). Subsequently, mediation analysis was conducted to examine the influence of rumination on the relationship between brain structure and depression. Moreover, depressive patients (n = 60) and a control group (n = 63) of comparable age and education were studied with regions of interest that were identified in the healthy individuals.
Results.
For healthy individuals, regional grey-matter volume (rGMV) of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and parahippocampal gyrus (PHG) were positively correlated with rumination. In addition, rumination had a mediating effect on the relationship between the DLPFC and PHG and depression. Moreover, ReHo analysis showed that rumination had a significantly negative correlation with functional homogeneity of DLPFC. However, compared to the control group, depressed patients showed significant decrease of rGMV in the DLPFC and PHG and there was a significant negative correlation between DLPFC volume and depressive rumination.
Conclusions.
Increased DLPFC volume (decreased ReHo) in healthy individuals while decreased in depression indicated the trend of DLPFC from inefficient inhibition (‘overload state’) to impaired regulatory mechanism (‘paralysis state’). This finding might elucidate when and why healthy individuals would develop sustained negative mood and depression eventually.
Chemical nano-tomography of microbial cells in their natural, hydrated state provides direct evidence of metabolic and chemical processes. Cells of the nitrate-reducing Acidovorax sp. strain BoFeN1 were cultured in the presence of ferrous iron. Bacterial reduction of nitrate causes precipitation of Fe(III)-(oxyhydr)oxides in the periplasm and in direct vicinity of the cells. Nanoliter aliquots of cell-suspension were injected into custom-designed sample holders wherein polyimide membranes collapse around the cells by capillary forces. The immobilized, hydrated cells were analyzed by synchrotron-based scanning transmission X-ray microscopy in combination with angle-scan tomography. This approach provides three-dimensional (3D) maps of the chemical species in the sample by employing their intrinsic near-edge X-ray absorption properties. The cells were scanned through the focus of a monochromatic soft X-ray beam at different, chemically specific X-ray energies to acquire projection images of their corresponding X-ray absorbance. Based on these images, chemical composition maps were then calculated. Acquiring projections at different tilt angles allowed for 3D reconstruction of the chemical composition. Our approach allows for 3D chemical mapping of hydrated samples and thus provides direct evidence for the localization of metabolic and chemical processes in situ.
4-arm poly(ethylene glycol) end-capped with mimics of adhesive moiety found in mussel adhesive protein, dopamine, was combined with a biocompatible nano-silicate, Laponite, in creating a nanocomposite hydrogel with improved materials and adhesive properties. Dopamine’s ability to form both irreversible covalent (cohesive and interfacial) and reversible physical (with Laponite) crosslinks was exploited in creating an injectable tissue adhesive. Incorporation of Laponite did not interfere with the curing of the adhesive. In some instances, increasing Laponite content reduced gelation time as dopamine-Laponite bond reduced the required number of covalent bonds needed for network formation. Incorporation of Laponite also increased compressive materials properties (e.g., max strength, energy to failure, etc.) of the nanocomposite without compromising its compliance as strain at failure was also increased. From lap shear adhesion test using wetted pericardium as the substrate, incorporating Laponite increased work of adhesion by 5 fold over that of control. Strong, physical bonds formed between dopamine and Laponite increased bulk materials properties, which contributed to the enhanced adhesive properties.
Observing galaxies in the radio and submillimeter continuum has the advantage of being unaffected by dust extinction, which is a major drawback of studying galaxy evolution using optical data. Submillimeter single-dish surveys have made tremendous progress in understanding the high-redshift dusty population, but the low angular resolution of single-dish telescopes has also hampered these studies. Our recent JCMT and SMA imaging of high-redshift submillimeter sources revealed z > 4 objects that are radio and optically faint. Such objects cannot be easily identified with the combination of submillimeter single-dish and radio imaging. We also found a large fraction of multiple objects that are blended in single-dish images. Such objects may be early-stage mergers, or dusty starbursts in group environments. Since our work, larger surveys with PdBI and ALMA have been carried out to further address these issues. Additional to submillimeter imaging, future ultradeep EVLA imaging at 20 cm can also detect large samples of ultraluminous star forming galaxies at z ≳ 2. Sensitivities in radio and submillimeter observations have different redshift and dust temperature dependencies. Radio observations are also less affected by confusion. It will be necessary to combine deep surveys in both wavebands in order to achieve a more complete picture of the evolution of high-redshift star forming galaxies.
Immune mapped protein 1 (IMP1) is a newly discovered protein in Eimeria maxima. It is recognized as a potential vaccine candidate against E. maxima and a highly conserved protein in apicomplexan parasites. Although the Neospora caninum IMP1 (NcIMP1) orthologue of E. maxima IMP1 was predicted in the N. caninum genome, it was still not identified and characterized. In this study, cDNA sequence encoding NcIMP1 was cloned by RT-PCR from RNA isolated from Nc1 tachyzoites. NcIMP1 was encoded by an open reading frame of 1182 bp, which encoded a protein of 393 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 42·9 kDa. Sequence analysis showed that there was neither a signal peptide nor a transmembrane region present in the NcIMP1 amino acid sequence. However, several kinds of functional protein motifs, including an N-myristoylation site and a palmitoylation site were predicted. Recombinant NcIMP1 (rNcIMP1) was expressed in Escherichia coli and then purified rNcIMP1 was used to prepare specific antisera in mice. Mouse polyclonal antibodies raised against the rNcIMP1 recognized an approximate 43 kDa native IMP1 protein. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that NcIMP1 was localized on the membrane of N. caninum tachyzoites. The N-myristoylation site and the palmitoylation site were found to contribute to the localization of NcIMP1. Furthermore, the rNcIMP1-specific antibodies could inhibit cell invasion by N. caninum tachyzoites in vitro. All the results indicate that NcIMP1 is likely to be a membrane protein of N. caninum and may be involved in parasite invasion.
We report on the optical and charge transport properties of novel alkali metal chalcogenides, Cs2Hg6S7 and Cs2Cd3Te4, pertaining to their use in radiation detection. Optical absorption, photoconductivity, and gamma ray response measurements for undoped crystals were measured. The band gap energies of the Cs2Hg6S7 and Cs2Cd3Te4 compounds are 1.63 eV and 2.45 eV, respectively. The mobility-lifetime products for charge carriers are of the order of ~10-3 cm2/V for electrons and ~10-4 cm2/V for holes. Detectors fabricated from the ternary compound Cs2Hg6S7 shows well-resolved spectroscopic features at room temperature in response to ϒ -rays at 122 keV from a 57Co source, indicating its potential as a radiation detector.
Lagos, Padilla & Cora (2009) show that if alignments between the galaxy kinematics and the AGN system were to occur, massive galaxies should host BHs with high spin values, regardless of the detailed physics of the BH. Since the BH spin regulates the mass-to-energy conversion (Marconi et al. 2004) and possibly the existence of radio jets (Sikora et al. 2007), this study has a strong impact in our understanding of galaxy formation.