XUV Frequency Combs via Femtosecond Enhancement Cavities

We review the current state of tabletop extreme ultraviolet (XUV) sources based on high harmonic generation (HHG) in femtosecond enhancement cavities (fsEC). Recent developments have enabled generation of high photon flux (1014 photons/sec) in the XUV, at high repetition rates (>50 MHz) and spanning the spectral region from 40 nm - 120 nm. This level of performance has enabled precision spectroscopy with XUV frequency combs and promises further applications in XUV spectroscopic and photoemission studies. We discuss the theory of operation and experimental details of the fsEC and XUV generation based on HHG, including current technical challenges to increasing the photon flux and maximum photon energy produced by this type of system. Current and future applications for these sources are also discussed.Comment: invited review article, 38 page

Evaluation of Serum Adipokines in Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease

Aim. Out study aimed to assess the serum levels of adipokines in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) caused by atherosclerosis. Methods. Serum samples were obtained from 221 patients. One hundred and forty patients, (26 females and 114 males) met the inclusion criteria and were assigned into the case group. Eighty one patients (17 females and 64 males), were included in the control group. Circulating plasma levels of adiponectin, leptin, resistin, and TNF-α were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results. Significant lower levels of adiponectin were present (P = 0.0061) in PAOD patients (2380.23 ± 1634.42 pg/mL) compared to the control group (3065.06 ± 1901.2 pg/mL). The mean value of leptin (2844.42 ± 3301.08 pg/mL) and resistin (2047.81±3301.08 pg/mL) patients included in the PAOD group was higher, as compared to the control group. Statistically significant difference was found between the two groups for leptin (P = 0.0332) and for resistin (P = 0.0352). No statistically significant difference for TNF-α was found between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion. The markers of inflammation secreted by the adipose tissue (adiponectin, leptin, resistin) showed significant differences in patients from the case group (with PAOD) compared to the control group

A calibration method for broad-bandwidth cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy performed with supercontinuum radiation

An efficient calibration method has been developed for broad-bandwidth cavity enhanced absorption spectroscopy. The calibration is performed using phase shift cavity ring-down spectroscopy, which is conveniently implemented through use of an acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF). The AOTF permits a narrowband portion of the SC spectrum to be scanned over the full high-reflectivity bandwidth of the cavity mirrors. After calibration the AOTF is switched off and broad-bandwidth CEAS can be performed with the same light source without any loss of alignment to the set-up. We demonstrate the merits of the method by probing transitions of oxygen molecules O-2 and collisional pairs of oxygen molecules (O-2)(2) in the visible spectral range

Structure functions for the three nucleon system

The spectral functions and light-cone momentum distributions of protons and neutrons in 3He and 3H are given in terms of the three-nucleon wave function for realistic nucleon-nucleon interactions. To reduce computational complexity, separable expansions are employed for the nucleon-nucleon potentials. The results for the light-cone momentum distributions suggest that they are not very sensitive to the details of the two-body interaction, as long as it has reasonable short-range repulsion. The unpolarised and polarised structure functions are examined for both 3He and 3H in order to test the usefulness of 3He as a neutron target. It is found that the measurement of the spin structure function of polarised 3H would provide a very clear test of the predicted change in the polarised parton distributions of a bound proton.Comment: 30 pages, REVTeX, 11 figure

Combined exome and whole-genome sequencing identifies mutations in ARMC4 as a cause of primary ciliary dyskinesia with defects in the outer dynein arm

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare, genetically heterogeneous ciliopathy disorder affecting cilia and sperm motility. A range of ultrastructural defects of the axoneme underlie the disease, which is characterised by chronic respiratory symptoms and obstructive lung disease, infertility and body axis laterality defects. We applied a next-generation sequencing approach to identify the gene responsible for this phenotype in two consanguineous families

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the forearm with radius involvement. Case report

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare, well-differentiated endothelial tumor with intermediate malignancy which develops more frequently from the peripheral veins, generally in the lower limb. Bone EHE comprises less than 1% of the bone neoplasms. We present the case of a young man, 24-year-old, with EHE of the forearm with secondary involvement of the distal radius. The location and the extension of the tumor allowed a wide excision, without the reconstruction of radius, followed by adjuvant radiotherapy, with a subsequent favorable evolution. Based on the clinical, radiographic, and pathological features of the EHE review, we concluded that it is difficult to adopt a standardized therapeutic approach due to the extremely low incidence of the bone involvement in EHE and the variable tendencies towards malignancy of this tumor. To our knowledge this is the third case of EHE with the involvement of the radius

Behavioural evidence for self-medication in bumblebees?

The presence of antimicrobial secondary metabolites in nectar suggests that pollinators, which are threatened globally by emergent disease, may benefit from the consumption of nectars rich in these metabolites. We tested whether nicotine, a nectar secondary metabolite common in Solanaceae and Tilia species, is used by parasitized bumblebees as a source of self-medication , using a series of toxicological, microbiological and behavioural experiments. Caged bees infected with Crithidia bombi had a slight preference for sucrose solution laced with the alkaloid and behavioural tests showed that the parasite infection induced an increased consumption of nicotine during foraging activity, though nicotine had an appetite-reducing effect overall. When ingested, nicotine delayed the progression of a gut infection in bumblebees by a few days, but dietary nicotine did not clear the infection, and after 10 days the parasite load approached that of control bees. Moreover, when pathogens were exposed to the alkaloid prior to host ingestion, the protozoan's viability was not directly affected, suggesting that anti-parasite effects were relatively weak. Nicotine consumption in a single dose did not impose any cost even in starved bees but the alkaloid had detrimental effects on healthy bees if consistently consumed for weeks. These toxic effects disappeared in infected bees, suggesting that detoxification costs might have been counterbalanced by the advantages in slowing the progression of the infection. Nicotine consumption did not affect bee lifespan but the reduction in the parasite load may have other likely unexplored subtle benefits both for individual bees and their colony.  Potential evidence for self-medication is discussed. The contention that secondary metabolites in nectar may be under selection from pollinators, or used by plants to enhance their own reproductive success, remains to be confirmed.D.B. was supported by a Marie Curie Intra European Fellowship within the 7th European Community Framework Programm

Clinical Study Evaluation of Serum Adipokines in Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease

Aim. Out study aimed to assess the serum levels of adipokines in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) caused by atherosclerosis. Methods. Serum samples were obtained from 221 patients. One hundred and forty patients, (26 females and 114 males) met the inclusion criteria and were assigned into the case group. Eighty one patients (17 females and 64 males), were included in the control group. Circulating plasma levels of adiponectin, leptin, resistin, and TNF-α were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Results. Significant lower levels of adiponectin were present (P = 0.0061) in PAOD patients (2380.23 ± 1634.42 pg/mL) compared to the control group (3065.06 ± 1901.2 pg/mL). The mean value of leptin (2844.42 ± 3301.08 pg/mL) and resistin (2047.81±3301.08 pg/mL) patients included in the PAOD group was higher, as compared to the control group. Statistically significant difference was found between the two groups for leptin (P = 0.0332) and for resistin (P = 0.0352). No statistically significant difference for TNF-α was found between the two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion. The markers of inflammation secreted by the adipose tissue (adiponectin, leptin, resistin) showed significant differences in patients from the case group (with PAOD) compared to the control group

Targeted NGS gene panel identifies mutations in RSPH1 causing primary ciliary dyskinesia and a common mechanism for ciliary central pair agenesis due to radial spoke defects.

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is an inherited chronic respiratory obstructive disease with randomized body laterality and infertility, resulting from cilia and sperm dysmotility. PCD is characterized by clinical variability and extensive genetic heterogeneity, associated with different cilia ultrastructural defects and mutations identified in >20 genes. Next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies therefore present a promising approach for genetic diagnosis which is not yet in routine use. We developed a targeted panel-based NGS pipeline to identify mutations by sequencing of selected candidate genes in 70 genetically undefined PCD patients. This detected loss-of-function RSPH1 mutations in four individuals with isolated central pair (CP) agenesis and normal body laterality, from two unrelated families. Ultrastructural analysis in RSPH1-mutated cilia revealed transposition of peripheral outer microtubules into the 'empty' CP space, accompanied by a distinctive intermittent loss of the central pair microtubules. We find that mutations in RSPH1, RSPH4A and RSPH9, which all encode homologs of components of the 'head' structure of ciliary radial spoke complexes identified in Chlamydomonas, cause clinical phenotypes that appear to be indistinguishable except at the gene level. By high-resolution immunofluorescence we identified a loss of RSPH4A and RSPH9 along with RSPH1 from RSPH1-mutated cilia, suggesting RSPH1 mutations may result in loss of the entire spoke head structure. CP loss is seen in up to 28% of PCD cases, in whom laterality determination specified by CP-less embryonic node cilia remains undisturbed. We propose this defect could arise from instability or agenesis of the ciliary central microtubules due to loss of their normal radial spoke head tethering

Gene Expression Changes Associated with the Airway Wall Response to Injury

Understanding the way in which the airway heals in response to injury is fundamental to dissecting the mechanisms underlying airway disease pathology. As only limited data is available in relation to the in vivo characterisation of the molecular features of repair in the airway we sought to characterise the dynamic changes in gene expression that are associated with the early response to physical injury in the airway wall.We profiled gene expression changes in the airway wall using a large animal model of physical injury comprising bronchial brush biopsy in anaesthetised sheep. The experimental design featured sequential studies in the same animals over the course of a week and yielded data relating to the response at 6 hours, and 1, 3 and 7 days after injury. Notable features of the transcriptional response included the early and sustained preponderance of down-regulated genes associated with angiogenesis and immune cell activation, selection and differentiation. Later features of the response included the up-regulation of cell cycle genes at d1 and d3, and the latter pronounced up-regulation of extracellular matrix-related genes at d3 and d7.It is possible to follow the airway wall response to physical injury in the same animal over the course of time. Transcriptional changes featured coordinate expression of functionally related genes in a reproducible manner both within and between animals. This characterisation will provide a foundation against which to assess the perturbations that accompany airway disease pathologies of comparative relevance