bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clonal micropropagation of Thymus vulgaris L.
Authors: Tevfik A Sh , Yegorova N. A.
Published: December 2020

Thymus vulgaris L. is one of the widely known spicy aromatic and medicinal plants. Thyme plant material is widely used in medicine, cooking and perfumery. To increase the efficiency of breeding and seed production, it is necessary to develop biotechnological techniques, in particular, clonal micropropagation. The aim of the research is to optimize the composition of culture media for the main stages of propagation in vitro and to select adaptation ex vitro conditions for the development of Thymus vulgaris. clonal micropropagation. The article presents the results of studies of explant morphometric parameters cultivated on 20 variants of culture media at firstsecond stages of micropropagation. It was found that the optimal culture medium at the introduction stage is MS medium with 1.0 mg/l Kin and 1.0 mg/l GA3, on which, on average, 2.2 microshoots per explant with a length of 1.9 cm were obtained. Both high vitrification rate of microshoots and formation of small shoots (0.6-0.9 cm) were observed on media supplemented with BAP or TDZ. The most effective culture medium at the proper propagation stage is MS with 1.0 mg/l Kin, on which 4.6 shoots per explant and the multiplication index 12.8 were obtained. It is advisable to root microshoots at the 3rd stage of micropropagation on MS culture medium supplemented with 1.0 mg/l IBA or 1.0 mg/l IAA. It has been shown that it is possible to obtain high plant survival rate (89.5%) during adaptation ex vitro, using a substrate consisting of peat and perlite (1:1).
Clonal micropropagation of essential oil rose cultivars and breeding samples at long-term subcultivationin vitro
Authors: Yegorova N. A. , Stavtzeva I V
Published: December 2020

The development of explants of 12 cultivars and breeding samples of essential oil rose (obtained with the participation ofRosa damascenaMill.,R. gallicaL.,R. albaL.) during long-term micropropagation was investigated. At the second multiplication stage 5 subcultures were carried out. Increase of the studied morphometric parameters of explants to 3-4thsubcultures was established. In some genotypes, the maximum multiplication index was in the third subculture (сultivars ‘Raduga’, ‘Zolushka’, ‘Lada’, ‘Krymskaya Krasnaya’, ‘Lany’, ‘Vesna’ and samples N37-24, M215), while in others (сultivar ‘Kazanlykskaya’ and samples N138, G2168, N37-2) – in the fourth. The largest increase of the multiplication index in 3-4th subcultures compared to the first (3.0-4.8 times) was found in the cultivars ‘Lada’, ‘Lany’, ‘Raduga’, ‘Krymskaya Krasnaya’ and sample N37-24. In the fifth subculture the multiplication index decreased. However, in most cultivars and breeding samples it was higher than in the first subculture. The best morphogenetic potential was noted for сultivar ‘Raduga’ and samples G2168, N37-2, in which the multiplication index reached 14.2, 14.4 and 11.8, respectively. The minimal ability to propagationin vitrowas in samples M215 and N138 – their multiplication index did not exceed 1.1 - 4.0.
Development of a descriptive monocultural model for creating an innovative organization
Authors: Polyakov Yuri , Savelyev Mikhail , Perevedentsev Denis , Titova Olga , Galiakhmetova Marina
Published: December 2020

A methodology for designing an innovative organization has been developed within the framework of a descriptive approach to draft design in monocultural environments of the organization as a whole and of individual managers. The definition of single design elements is proposed as a design tool. The design basis is the conceptual sketch of the organization’s activities, which includes the elements of resources, added value, product, its value and demand for it, defined as a single production operation. A classification of types of homogeneous products according to their purpose and resources used has been given. The classification of types of homogeneous products for industrial purposes includes tools, fixtures, machine and equipment, areas, structures and infrastructure. The problems of choosing a product and using the resource have been solved. This methodology is recommended for use by managers and professionals involved in the design of organizations.
Corporate volunteering as a form of social innovation
Authors: Kuznetsova Julia
Published: December 2020

Corporate volunteering (CV) is a new phenomenon in the activities of Russian companies. Based on the use of diachronic analysis, a comparative study of the transformation of the essence and content of corporate volunteering in the works of foreign and domestic scientists and specialists has been carried out. There has been revealed a shift in emphasis from CV as an element of corporate social responsibility, to CV as an independent business process. Due to the novelty of this phenomenon, as well as the complex of characteristics determined on the basis of the use of synchronous analysis, it has been proved that CV can be defined as one of the forms of social innovation.
Optimization of management control costs in the context of transaction expenses (in terms of an educational organization)
Authors: Chuvashlova M.V. , Pavlenkov M.N. , Ermishina O.F.
Published: December 2020

The article examines the importance of management control for optimizing the transaction expenses in an educational organization. The author highlighted the opinions of the economists from various theoretical positions. Examples of changes in the optimal control costs, the occurrence of losses from the organization of ineffective control nave been considered, possible ways of solving the problems that have arisen have been given. The extensive material has been structured, which made it possible to highlight the relevance of the study of transaction expenses. According to the authors, the minimum amount of control costs is determined at the point of equality of explicit and implicit transaction costs, that is, the losses of the organization and the costs of executing contracts. At the same time, the optimal amount of control costs will be in the area of relevance of the marginal costs of control and the marginal benefits from the implementation of control measures. Deviations from this zone in any direction are undesirable for the organization.
Eine Trendanalyse von über 190 000 Onlinebewertungen von Orthopäden über die letzten 11 Jahre
Authors: Meszmer Nina
Published: December 2020

Zielsetzung Die Zielsetzung dieser Studie bestand darin, Onlinebewertungen von Orthopäden über die letzten 11 Jahre am Beispiel des am häufigsten frequentierten Arztbewertungsportals jameda zu analysieren. Dabei sollte zudem ermittelt werden, ob ein Zusammenhang zwischen der Anzahl an abgegebenen Bewertungen und der Durchschnittsnote der Orthopäden besteht.

Methodik Es erfolgte eine Analyse aller Onlinebewertungen von Orthopäden auf jameda von 2008 bis 2018. Hierbei wurden in einem ersten Schritt deskriptive Auswertungen (z. B. zur Anzahl an Bewertungen) kumulativ und für die einzelnen Jahre durchgeführt. Im zweiten Schritt wurden die Orthopäden anhand der jeweiligen Anzahl an Bewertungen für jedes Jahr in 3 Gruppen (unterdurchschnittliche/durchschnittliche/überdurchschnittliche Anzahl) eingeteilt und untersucht, ob sich die Durchschnittsnoten der 3 Gruppen signifikant unterscheiden (Kruskal-Wallis-Test, Mann-Whitney-U-Test).

Ergebnisse Insgesamt wurden für 8126 Orthopäden 193 787 Bewertungen mit einer Durchschnittsnote von 1,97 (SD 1,62) abgegeben. Die Durchschnittsnote der bewerteten Orthopäden verbesserte sich im Laufe der letzten 11 Jahre von 2,38 (SD 1,60) auf 2,02 (SD 0,96). Die durchschnittliche Anzahl an abgegebenen Bewertungen je Arzt lag dabei bei 23,85 (SD 32,49). Die Anzahl an Neubewertungen stieg bis zum Jahr 2017 kontinuierlich an, wobei die hinzugekommenen Neubewertungen im Jahr 2018 unter dem Vorjahresniveau blieben (33 759 vs. 34 367). Bei Orthopäden mit einer überdurchschnittlichen Anzahl an Bewertungen zeigte sich in den einzelnen Jahren zumeist eine signifikant bessere Durchschnittsnote als bei Orthopäden mit einer niedrigeren Anzahl an Bewertungen. Beispielsweise wurden im Jahr 2018 Orthopäden mit einer überdurchschnittlichen Anzahl an Bewertungen signifikant besser bewertet als Orthopäden mit einer unter- oder durchschnittlichen Anzahl an Bewertungen (1,90 vs.
2,17 vs. 2,06; p < 0,001).

Schlussfolgerung Die aktive Nutzung des Arztbewertungsportals jameda, gemessen an der Anzahl an Neubewertungen und bewerteten Orthopäden, stieg in den letzten Jahren deutlich an, wobei die Anzahl an Neubewertungen im Jahr 2018 stagnierte. Die Durchschnittsnote der Orthopäden verbesserte sich zudem im Zeitablauf, wobei Orthopäden mit einer überdurchschnittlichen Anzahl an Bewertungen besser abschneiden als Orthopäden mit einer geringeren Anzahl an Bewertungen.
Impact of Obesity on Complication Rates, Clinical Outcomes, and Quality of Life after Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion
Authors: Goertz Lukas , Stavrinou Pantelis , Hamisch Christina , Perrech Moritz , Czybulka Dierk-Marko , Mehdiani Kaveh , Timmer Marco , Goldbrunner Roland , Krischek Boris
Published: December 2020

Background Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation in obese patients remains a surgical challenge. We aimed to compare patient-reported outcomes and complication rates between obese and nonobese patients who were treated by minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS-TLIF).

Methods The authors retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent MIS-TLIF at a single institution between 2011 and 2014. Patients were classified as obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m2) or nonobese (BMI < 30 kg/m2), according to their BMI. Outcomes assessed were complications, numerical rating scale (NRS) scores for back and leg pain, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and 36-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-36) scores.

Results The final study group consisted of 71 patients, 24 obese (33.8%, 34.8 ± 3.8 kg/m2) and 47 nonobese (66.2%, 25.4 ± 2.9 kg/m2). Instrumentation failures (13.6 vs. 17.0%), dural tears (17.2 vs. 4.0%), and revision rates (16.7 vs. 19.1%) were similar between both groups (p > 0.05). Perioperative improvements in back pain (4.3 vs. 5.4, p = 0.07), leg pain (3.8 vs. 4.2, p = 0.6), and ODI (13.3 vs. 22.5, p = 0.5) were comparable among the groups and persisted at long-term follow-up. Obese patients had worse postoperative physical component SF-36 scores than nonobese patients (36.4 vs. 42.7, p = 0.03), while the mental component scores were not statistically different (p = 0.09).

Conclusion Obese patients can achieve similar improvement of the pain intensity and functional status even at long-term follow-up. In patients with appropriate surgical indications, obesity should not be considered a contraindication for MIS-TLIF surgery.
Timing of Delivery in Women with Cardiac Disease
Authors: Rouse Caroline E. , Easter Sarah Rae , Duarte Valeria E. , Drakely Sheila , Wu Fred M. , Valente Anne Marie , Economy Katherine E.
Published: December 2020

Objective Guidelines do not exist to determine timing of delivery for women with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in pregnancy. The neonatal benefit of a term delivery as compared with an early term delivery is well described. We sought to examine maternal outcomes in women with CVD who delivered in the early term period (370/7 through 386/7 weeks) compared with those who delivered later.

Study Design This is a prospective cohort study examining cardiac and obstetric outcomes in women with CVD delivering between September 2011 and December 2016. The associations between gestational age at delivery and maternal, fetal, and obstetric characteristics were evaluated.

Results Two-hundred twenty-five women with CVD were included, 83 (37%) delivered in the early term period and 142 (63%) delivered at term. While the early term group had significantly higher rates of any hypertension during pregnancy (18.1 vs. 7%, p = 0.01) and intrauterine growth restriction (22.9 vs. 2.8%, p < 0.001), there was no difference in high-risk cardiac or obstetric characteristics. No difference in composite cardiac morbidity was found (4.8 vs. 3.5%, p = 0.24). Women in the early term group were more likely to undergo cesarean delivery than women in the term group (43.4 vs. 24.7%, p = 0.004).

Conclusion There is no maternal benefit of an early term delivery in otherwise healthy women with CVD. Given the known fetal consequences of early term delivery, this study offers support to existing literature suggesting term delivery in these women.

Key Points
3D-printed biomimetic water-repellant surfaces can be tiled to cover larger areas
Authors: McConnon Aili
Published: December 2020

Replicating the texture of banana peels and daffodil petals with water repellant or low friction properties in scalable tiles may help realize practical applications.
First experimental study of freestanding graphene foam skeleton
Authors: Larter Raima
Published: December 2020

Investigation reveals the role of heat dissipation from a network of graphene flakes that form the backbone of graphene foams used in nanocomposite materials.
Polyethersulfone/MWCNT nanocomposite scaffold for endometrial cell culture: preparation, characterization, and in vitro investigation
Authors: Alavije Ali Alirezaei , Barati Farid , Barati Mohammad , Nazari Hasan , Karimi Iraj
Published: December 2020

Endometrial cell culture is a method for investigating physiological or pathological conditions or simulating in vivo conditions for embryo culture. The natural function of the endometrium depends on a polarized epithelium and 3D stromal compartments. The polymer-based scaffolds of simple polyethersulfone (PES), laser scratched PES (PES-LS), and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) composited PES (PES-MWCNT) were prepared and used for bovine endometrial cells (bECs) culture. For better investigation of the relationship between physical structure and cell growth behavior, the surface morphologies of the scaffolds were evaluated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) techniques. Three synthesized membranes (PES, PES-LS, and PES-MWCNT) were evaluated for the cell morphology, viability and, doubling time. Results showed acceptable physical and chemical fabrication of the polymers with no significant differences in the proportions of live cells to primary cultured cells, dead to live cells, and the cell doubling time among groups during the experiment (P > 0.05). Total cell count (live and dead cells) was significantly different on Day 2 among types of polymers. The results showed the comparable potential of the PES-MWCNT membrane for the bECs culture.
A combined density functional theory and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of the aromatic amino acids
Authors: Regoutz Anna , Wolinska Marta S , Fernando Nathalie K , Ratcliff Laura E
Published: December 2020

Amino acids are essential to all life. However, our understanding of some aspects of their intrinsic structure, molecular chemistry, and electronic structure is still limited. In particular the nature of amino acids in their crystalline form, often essential to biological and medical processes, faces a lack of knowledge both from experimental and theoretical approaches. An important experimental technique that has provided a multitude of crucial insights into the chemistry and electronic structure of materials is x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. While the interpretation of spectra of simple bulk inorganic materials is often routine, interpreting core level spectra of complex molecular systems is complicated to impossible without the help of theory. We have previously demonstrated the ability of density functional theory to calculate binding energies of simple amino acids, using ΔSCF implemented in a systematic basis set for both gas phase (multiwavelets) and solid state (plane waves) calculations. In this study, we use the same approach to successfully predict and rationalise the experimental core level spectra of phenylalanine (Phe), tyrosine (Tyr), tryptophan (Trp), and histidine (His) and gain an in-depth understanding of their chemistry and electronic structure within the broader context of more than 20 related molecular systems. The insights gained from this study provide significant information on the nature of the aromatic amino acids and their conjugated side chains.
Diamond: a multi-modal DIA mass spectrometry data processing pipeline
Authors: Li Chenxin , Gao Mingxuan , Yang Wenxian , Zhong Chuanqi , Yu Rongshan
Published: December 2020

Currently, various software tools are used to support two mainstream workflows for data-independent acquisition (DIA) mass spectrometry (MS) data processing, namely, spectrum-centric scoring (SCS) and peptide-centric scoring (PCS). However, a fully automatic, easily reproducible and freely accessible pipeline that simultaneously integrates SCS and PCS strategies and supports both library-free and library-based modes is absent. We developed Diamond, a Nextflow-based, containerized, multi-modal DIA-MS data processing pipeline for peptide identification and quantification. Diamond integrated two mainstream workflows for DIA data analysis, namely, SCS and PCS, for use cases both with and without assay libraries. This multi-modal pipeline serves as a versatile, easy-to-use and easily extendable toolbox for large-scale DIA data processing.

Availability

Diamond is hosted on GitHub (https://github.com/xmuyulab/Diamond) and is released under the highly permissive MIT license to encourage further customization and modification. The Docker image for Diamond is freely accessible at https://hub.docker.com/r/zeroli/diamond.
Surgery following neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy in clinical N3 esophageal cancer results in improved survival: a propensity-matched analysis
Authors: Alvarado Christine E , Worrell Stephanie G , Bachman Katelynn C , Gray Kelsey , Perry Yaron , Linden Philip A , Towe Christopher W
Published: December 2020

Esophageal cancer patients with extensive nodal metastases have poor survival, and benefit of surgery in this population is unclear. The aim of this study is to determine if surgery after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) improves overall survival (OS) in patients with clinical N3 (cN3) esophageal cancer relative to chemoradiation therapy (CRT) alone. The National Cancer Database was queried for all patients with cN3 esophageal cancer between 2010 and 2016. Patients who met inclusion criteria (received multiagent chemotherapy and radiation dose ≥30 Gy) were divided into two cohorts: CRT alone and nCRT + surgery. 769 patients met inclusion criteria, including 560 patients who received CRT alone, and 209 patients who received nCRT + surgery. The overall 5-year survival was significantly lower in the CRT alone group compared to the nCRT + surgery group (11.8% vs 18.0%, P < 0.001). A 1:1 propensity matched cohort of CRT alone and nCRT + surgery patients also demonstrated improved survival associated with surgery (13.11 mo vs 23.1 mo, P < 0.001). Predictors of survival were analyzed in the surgery cohort, and demonstrated that lymphovascular invasion was associated with worse survival (HR 2.07, P = 0.004). Despite poor outcomes of patients with advanced nodal metastases, nCRT + surgery is associated with improved OS. Of those with cN3 disease, only 27% underwent esophagectomy. Given the improved OS, patients with advanced nodal disease should be considered for surgery. Further investigation is warranted to determine which patients with cN3 disease would benefit most from esophagectomy, as 5-year survival remains low (18.0%).
Short- and long-term effects of perinatal phthalate exposures on metabolic pathways in the mouse liver
Authors: Neier Kari , Montrose Luke , Chen Kathleen , Malloy Maureen A , Jones Tamara R , Svoboda Laurie K , Harris Craig , Song Peter X K , Pennathur Subramaniam , Sartor Maureen A , Dolinoy Dana C
Published: December 2020

Phthalates have been demonstrated to interfere with metabolism, presumably by interacting with peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). However, mechanisms linking developmental phthalate exposures to long-term metabolic effects have not yet been elucidated. We investigated the hypothesis that developmental phthalate exposure has long-lasting impacts on PPAR target gene expression and DNA methylation to influence hepatic metabolic profiles across the life course. We utilized an established longitudinal mouse model of perinatal exposures to diethylhexyl phthalate and diisononyl phthalate, and a mixture of diethylhexyl phthalate+diisononyl phthalate. Exposure was through the diet and spanned from 2 weeks before mating until weaning at postnatal day 21 (PND21). Liver tissue was analyzed from the offspring of exposed and control mice at PND21 and in another cohort of exposed and control mice at 10 months of age. RNA-seq and pathway enrichment analyses indicated that acetyl-CoA metabolic processes were altered in diisononyl phthalate-exposed female livers at both PND21 and 10 months (FDR = 0.0018). Within the pathway, all 13 significant genes were potential PPAR target genes. Promoter DNA methylation was altered at three candidate genes, but persistent effects were only observed for Fasn. Targeted metabolomics indicated that phthalate-exposed females had decreased acetyl-CoA at PND21 and increased acetyl-CoA and acylcarnitines at 10 months. Together, our data suggested that perinatal phthalate exposures were associated with short- and long-term activation of PPAR target genes, which manifested as increased fatty acid production in early postnatal life and increased fatty acid oxidation in adulthood. This presents a novel molecular pathway linking developmental phthalate exposures and metabolic health outcomes.
Maximal Differentiability for a General Class of Quasilinear Elliptic Equations with Right-hand Side Measures
Authors: Byun Sun-Sig , Cho Namkyeong , Lee Ho-Sik
Published: December 2020

We prove maximal differentiability for the gradient of solutions to a certain type of nonlinear elliptic equations with a measure on the right-hand side. Our results generalize the limiting case of Calderón–Zygmund theory for an elliptic equation with $p$-growth to the case of Orlicz growth.
Host-Plant Induced Shifts in Microbial Community Structure in Small Brown Planthopper, Laodelphax striatellus (Homoptera: Delphacidae)
Authors: Pan Hai-Bo , Li Mu-Yu , Wu Wei , Wang Zheng-Liang , Yu Xiao-Ping
Published: December 2020

Microbiome associated with insects play vital roles in host ecology and physiology. The small brown planthopper (SBPH), Laodelphax striatellus, is a polyphagous insect pest that caused enormous damage to a wide range of cereal crops. Previous studies have assessed the effects of environmental factors, such as antibiotics, insecticide, and geographical habitat on the bacterial composition of SBPH. However, the influence of host plants on the microbial community in SBPH still unclear. Here, we characterized and compared the microbial community in three SBPH populations feeding on rice, barley, and wheat, respectively, using high-throughput amplicon sequencing. Our observations revealed that the microbiome harbored by SBPH was abundant and diverse. Ten phyla comprising 141 genera of bacteria were annotated, and four fungal phyla consisting of 47 genera were assigned. The bacteria belonging to the phylum Proteobacteria were the most prevalent and the fungi with the highest abundance were from the order Hypocreales. Comparative analysis showed that host plants could significantly induce structural changes of SBPH microbiome. Significant differences in abundance were observed in two main bacterial orders (Rickettsiales and Rhodospirillales) and three fungal classes (Sordariomycetes, an unclassified class in Ascomycota and Eurotiomycetes) among three host-adapted SBPH populations. Our results could broaden our understanding of interactions among SBPH, its microbial associates and host plants, and also represented the basis of future SBPH biological management.
The Association Between Mushroom Sciarid Flies, Cultural Techniques, and Green Mold Disease Incidence on Commercial Mushroom Farms
Authors: Coles Phillip S , Mazin Maria , Nogin Galina
Published: December 2020

Many growers on mushroom farms producing white and brown varieties of Agaricus bisporus have noticed a potential association between sciarid fly (Lycoriella ingenua) pest populations and green mold (Trichoderma aggressivum) disease expression, and suspect that in addition to other preventative measures, controlling flies may be important to controlling green mold spread. In this study, we examined the association between L. ingenua populations and green mold disease incidence in commercial mushroom farms. In addition, we studied how relevant variables related to farming practices and farm characteristics may affect fly and disease incidence. Our data show that L. ingenua and green mold incidence are associated and that preventative measures such as sanitation and new technologies to reduce human-substrate contact are correlated with reduced green mold incidence. In addition, data indicated farm characteristics such as the proximity to neighboring farms as well as an organic mushroom growing regime are associated with fly incidence.
The Arecibo Ultra-Deep Survey
Authors: Xi Hongwei , Staveley-Smith Lister , For Bi-Qing , Freudling Wolfram , Zwaan Martin , Hoppmann Laura , Liang Fu-Heng , Peng Bo
Published: December 2020

The Arecibo Ultra-Deep Survey (AUDS) is a blind H i survey aimed at detecting galaxies beyond the local Universe in the 21-cm emission line of neutral hydrogen (H i). The Arecibo L-band Feed Array (ALFA) was used to image an area of 1.35 deg2 to a redshift depth of 0.16, using a total on-source integration time of over 700 h. The long integration time and small observation area makes it one of the most sensitive H i surveys, with a noise level of ∼75 μJy per 21.4 kHz (equivalent to 4.5 km s−1 at redshift z = 0). We detect 247 galaxies in the survey, more than doubling the number already detected in AUDS60. The mass range of detected galaxies is $\log (M_{\rm H\,{\small I}}~[h_{70}^{-2}\, {\rm M}_\odot ]) = 6.32\!-\!10.76$. A modified maximum likelihood method is employed to construct an H i mass function (HIMF). The best fitting Schechter parameters are low-mass slope α = −1.37 ± 0.05, characteristic mass $\log (M^*~[h_{70}^{-2}\, {\rm M}_\odot ]) = 10.15 \pm 0.09$, and density $\Phi _* = (2.41 \pm 0.57) \times 10^{-3} h_{70}^3$ Mpc−3 dex−1. The sample was divided into low- and high-redshift bins to investigate the evolution of the HIMF. No change in low-mass slope α was measured, but an increased characteristic mass M*, was noted in the higher redshift sample. Using Sloan Digital Sky Survey data to define relative galaxy number density, the dependence of the HIMF with environment was also investigated in the two AUDS regions. We find no significant variation in α or M*. In the surveyed region, we measured a cosmic H i density $\Omega _{\rm H\,{\small I}} = (3.55 \pm 0.30) \times 10^{-4}\, h_{70}^{-1}$. There appears to be no evolutionary trend in $\Omega _{\rm H\,{\small I}}$ above 2σ significance between redshifts of 0 and 0.16.
Reconfiguring confined magnetic colloids with tunable fluid transport behavior
Authors: Sheng Zhizhi , Zhang Mengchuang , Liu Jing , Malgaretti Paolo , Li Jianyu , Wang Shuli , Lv Wei , Zhang Rongrong , Fan Yi , Zhang Yunmao , Chen Xinyu , Hou Xu
Published: December 2020

Collective dynamics of confined colloids are crucial in diverse scenarios such as self-assembly and phase behavior in materials science, microrobot swarms for drug delivery and microfluidic control. Yet, fine-tuning the dynamics of colloids in microscale confined spaces is still a formidable task due to the complexity of the dynamics of colloidal suspension and to the lack of methodology to probe colloids in confinement. Here, we show that the collective dynamics of confined magnetic colloids can be finely tuned by external magnetic fields. In particular, the mechanical properties of the confined colloidal suspension can be probed in real time and this strategy can be also used to tune microscale fluid transport. Our experimental and theoretical investigations reveal that the collective configuration characterized by the colloidal entropy is controlled by the colloidal concentration, confining ratio and external field strength and direction. Indeed, our results show that mechanical properties of the colloidal suspension as well as the transport of the solvent in microfluidic devices can be controlled upon tuning the entropy of the colloidal suspension. Our approach opens new avenues for the design and application of drug delivery, microfluidic logic, dynamic fluid control, chemical reaction and beyond.
Mycobacterium abscessus Gastric Band Infection Complicated by Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome and Cured in the Context of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Authors: An Noralfazita , Purtill Duncan , Boan Peter
Published: December 2020

We present a case of abdominal gastric band–associated Mycobacterium abscessus infection, manifesting after the onset of acute myeloid leukemia, complicated by immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), and cured while receiving an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. IRIS should be considered in less classical situations where there is unexplained clinical deterioration.
Safety of Irradiated Homologous Costal Cartilage Graft in Cleft Rhinoplasty
Authors: Jenny Hillary E. , Siegel Nicholas , Yang Robin , Redett Richard J.
Published: December 2020

Background:

Autologous cartilage grafts have a low risk of infection and extrusion in cleft rhinoplasty. However, harvesting autologous cartilage involves donor-site morbidity and increased time under anesthesia. Irradiated homologous costal cartilage grafts may be an effective alternative.

Methods:

A retrospective study was performed on patients with a history of cleft lip who underwent rhinoplasty for cleft nasal deformity at Johns Hopkins Hospital from 2009 to 2018. Patients were excluded if their rhinoplasty did not involve a cartilage graft.

Results:

One hundred sixty-five cleft rhinoplasties (patient age, 2 to 72 years; 52 percent female) were performed. Median follow-up time was 256 days; 30 percent were revision operations. Ninety-six procedures (58 percent) used irradiated homologous costal cartilage grafts, with the remaining using autologous cartilage. Complications resulted from 18 procedures (11 percent), seven (10 percent) involving autologous cartilage and 11 (12 percent) involving irradiated homologous costal cartilage. Most autologous cartilage complications (86 percent) required operative intervention, versus seven of 11 (64 percent) for irradiated homologous costal cartilage. Complications associated with irradiated homologous costal cartilage included infection (n = 5), warping (n = 2), and extrusion (n = 1), while two patients with autologous cartilage experienced collapse and one each experienced resorption, warping, and hypertrophic donor-site scarring. There was no difference between groups regarding complication rate or complications requiring operative intervention (p = 0.3 and p = 0.5, respectively).

Conclusions:

Irradiated homologous costal cartilage grafts are equally safe and effective as autologous cartilage for use in cleft rhinoplasty. These grafts are readily available and eliminate donor-site morbidity.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Therapeutic, III.
Richard Dickinson Chambers. 16 March 1935—18 April 2019
Authors: Sandford Graham
Published: December 2020

Richard (Dick) Chambers was one of the most creative and distinguished organofluorine chemists of his generation. He synthesized a range of perfluorinated heteroaromatic systems, including pentafluoropyridine and tetrafluoropyrimidine, by halogen exchange processes, and established their chemistry and associated reaction mechanisms. Notably, ‘mirror image’ negative Friedel–Crafts reactions led to perfluoroalkyl heteroaromatic derivatives that could be transformed into unusual valence bond isomers by irradiation. New ranges of stable, observable perfluorinated carbanions, alkenes and dienes were synthesized and their fundamental chemistry established. Dick was an excellent experimental scientist whose career was marked by his unique skill-set in being able to perform reactions at high pressure under vacuum, using γ-ray irradiation, photochemistry, continuous flow processes and a variety of fluorinating reagents. His research into the use of elemental fluorine gas, which established the key role of solvent in reaction control, established fluorine as a viable reagent for organic synthesis. Several of his new synthetic processes, including syntheses of perfluorocarbon iodides, highly fluorinated heteroaromatic derivatives and α-fluoro-β-ketoester systems, were adopted for scale-up by industry. But Dick was more than a talented and innovative scientist. He was also an outgoing and fun-loving man, who always made time to offer support, guidance and advice to all his colleagues, research group members and scores of scientific friends within the fluorine science community around the world. As a result, he forged strong personal bonds throughout his life and a legacy that has lasted through generations of chemists.
Alzheimer's disease-like perturbations in HIV-mediated neuronal dysfunctions: understanding mechanisms and developing therapeutic strategies
Authors: Jha Niraj Kumar , Sharma Ankur , Jha Saurabh Kumar , Ojha Shreesh , Chellappan Dinesh Kumar , Gupta Gaurav , Kesari Kavindra Kumar , Bhardwaj Shanu , Shukla Shakti D. , Tambuwala Murtaza M. , Ruokolainen Janne , Dua Kamal , Singh Sandeep Kumar
Published: December 2020

Excessive exposure to toxic substances or chemicals in the environment and various pathogens, including viruses and bacteria, is associated with the onset of numerous brain abnormalities. Among them, pathogens, specifically viruses, elicit persistent inflammation that plays a major role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) as well as dementia. AD is the most common brain disorder that affects thought, speech, memory and ability to execute daily routines. It is also manifested by progressive synaptic impairment and neurodegeneration, which eventually leads to dementia following the accumulation of Aβ and hyperphosphorylated Tau. Numerous factors contribute to the pathogenesis of AD, including neuroinflammation associated with pathogens, and specifically viruses. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is often linked with HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) following permeation through the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and induction of persistent neuroinflammation. Further, HIV infections also exhibited the ability to modulate numerous AD-associated factors such as BBB regulators, members of stress-related pathways as well as the amyloid and Tau pathways that lead to the formation of amyloid plaques or neurofibrillary tangles accumulation. Studies regarding the role of HIV in HAND and AD are still in infancy, and potential link or mechanism between both is not yet established. Thus, in the present article, we attempt to discuss various molecular mechanisms that contribute to the basic understanding of the role of HIV-associated neuroinflammation in AD and HAND. Further, using numerous growth factors and drugs, we also present possible therapeutic strategies to curb the neuroinflammatory changes and its associated sequels.
Sex differences in vocalizations to familiar or unfamiliar females in mice
Authors: Sasaki Eri , Tomita Yuiri , Kanno Kouta
Published: December 2020

Mice, both wild and laboratory strains, emit ultrasound to communicate. The sex differences between male to female (male–female) and female to female (female–female) ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) have been discussed for decades. In the present study, we compared the number of USVs emitted to familiar and unfamiliar females by both males (male–female USVs) and females (female–female USVs). We found that females vocalized more to unfamiliar than to familiar females. By contrast, males exhibited more USVs to familiar partners. This sexually dimorphic behaviour suggests that mice change their vocal behaviour in response to the social context, and their perception of the context is based on social cognition and memory. In addition, because males vocalized more to familiar females, USVs appear to be not only a response to novel objects or individuals, but also a social response.
Computational animal welfare: towards cognitive architecture models of animal sentience, emotion and wellbeing
Authors: Budaev Sergey , Kristiansen Tore S. , Giske Jarl , Eliassen Sigrunn
Published: December 2020

To understand animal wellbeing, we need to consider subjective phenomena and sentience. This is challenging, since these properties are private and cannot be observed directly. Certain motivations, emotions and related internal states can be inferred in animals through experiments that involve choice, learning, generalization and decision-making. Yet, even though there is significant progress in elucidating the neurobiology of human consciousness, animal consciousness is still a mystery. We propose that computational animal welfare science emerges at the intersection of animal behaviour, welfare and computational cognition. By using ideas from cognitive science, we develop a functional and generic definition of subjective phenomena as any process or state of the organism that exists from the first-person perspective and cannot be isolated from the animal subject. We then outline a general cognitive architecture to model simple forms of subjective processes and sentience. This includes evolutionary adaptation which contains top-down attention modulation, predictive processing and subjective simulation by re-entrant (recursive) computations. Thereafter, we show how this approach uses major characteristics of the subjective experience: elementary self-awareness, global workspace and qualia with unity and continuity. This provides a formal framework for process-based modelling of animal needs, subjective states, sentience and wellbeing.
Absence of diagonal force constants in cubic Coulomb crystals
Authors: Andrews Bartholomew , Conduit Gareth
Published: December 2020

The quasi-harmonic model proposes that a crystal can be modelled as atoms connected by springs. We demonstrate how this viewpoint can be misleading: a simple application of Gauss’s law shows that the ion–ion potential for a cubic Coulomb system can have no diagonal harmonic contribution and so cannot necessarily be modelled by springs. We investigate the repercussions of this observation by examining three illustrative regimes: the bare ionic, density tight-binding and density nearly-free electron models. For the bare ionic model, we demonstrate the zero elements in the force constants matrix and explain this phenomenon as a natural consequence of Poisson’s law. In the density tight-binding model, we confirm that the inclusion of localized electrons stabilizes all major crystal structures at harmonic order and we construct a phase diagram of preferred structures with respect to core and valence electron radii. In the density nearly-free electron model, we verify that the inclusion of delocalized electrons, in the form of a background jellium, is enough to counterbalance the diagonal force constants matrix from the ion–ion potential in all cases and we show that a first-order perturbation to the jellium does not have a destabilizing effect. We discuss our results in connection to Wigner crystals in condensed matter, Yukawa crystals in plasma physics, as well as the elemental solids.
Response theory and phase transitions for the thermodynamic limit of interacting identical systems
Authors: Lucarini Valerio , Pavliotis Grigorios A. , Zagli Niccolò
Published: December 2020

We study the response to perturbations in the thermodynamic limit of a network of coupled identical agents undergoing a stochastic evolution which, in general, describes non-equilibrium conditions. All systems are nudged towards the common centre of mass. We derive Kramers–Kronig relations and sum rules for the linear susceptibilities obtained through mean field Fokker–Planck equations and then propose corrections relevant for the macroscopic case, which incorporates in a self-consistent way the effect of the mutual interaction between the systems. Such an interaction creates a memory effect. We are able to derive conditions determining the occurrence of phase transitions specifically due to system-to-system interactions. Such phase transitions exist in the thermodynamic limit and are associated with the divergence of the linear response but are not accompanied by the divergence in the integrated autocorrelation time for a suitably defined observable. We clarify that such endogenous phase transitions are fundamentally different from other pathologies in the linear response that can be framed in the context of critical transitions. Finally, we show how our results can elucidate the properties of the Desai–Zwanzig model and of the Bonilla–Casado–Morillo model, which feature paradigmatic equilibrium and non-equilibrium phase transitions, respectively.
Prolonged recovery time after eruptive disturbance of a deep-sea hydrothermal vent community
Authors: Mullineaux L. S. , Mills S. W. , Le Bris N. , Beaulieu S. E. , Sievert S. M. , Dykman L. N.
Published: December 2020

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents are associated with seafloor tectonic and magmatic activity, and the communities living there are subject to disturbance. Eruptions can be frequent and catastrophic, raising questions about how these communities persist and maintain regional biodiversity. Prior studies of frequently disturbed vents have led to suggestions that faunal recovery can occur within 2–4 years. We use an unprecedented long-term (11-year) series of colonization data following a catastrophic 2006 seafloor eruption on the East Pacific Rise to show that faunal successional changes continue beyond a decade following the disturbance. Species composition at nine months post-eruption was conspicuously different than the pre-eruption ‘baseline' state, which had been characterized in 1998 (85 months after disturbance by the previous 1991 eruption). By 96 months post-eruption, species composition was approaching the pre-eruption state, but continued to change up through to the end of our measurements at 135 months, indicating that the ‘baseline' state was not a climax community. The strong variation observed in species composition across environmental gradients and successional stages highlights the importance of long-term, distributed sampling in order to understand the consequences of disturbance for maintenance of a diverse regional species pool. This perspective is critical for characterizing the resilience of vent species to both natural disturbance and human impacts such as deep-sea mining.
The complexity of co-limitation: nutrigenomics reveal non-additive interactions of calcium and phosphorus on gene expression in
Daphnia pulex
Authors: Jones Catriona L. C. , Shafer Aaron B. A. , Kim William D. , Prater Clay , Wagner Nicole D. , Frost Paul C.
Published: December 2020

Many lakes across Canada and northern Europe have experienced declines in ambient phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) supply for over 20 years. While these declines might create or exacerbate nutrient limitation in aquatic food webs, our ability to detect and quantify different types of nutrient stress on zooplankton remains rudimentary. Here, we used growth bioassay experiments and whole transcriptome RNAseq, collectively nutrigenomics, to examine the nutritional phenotypes produced by low supplies of P and Ca separately and together in the freshwater zooplankter
Daphnia pulex
. We found that daphniids in all three nutrient-deficient categories grew slower and differed in their elemental composition. Our RNAseq results show distinct responses in singly limited treatments (Ca or P) and largely a mix of these responses in animals under low Ca and P conditions. Deeper investigation of effect magnitude and gene functional annotations reveals this patchwork of responses to cumulatively represent a co-limited nutritional phenotype. Linear discriminant analysis identified a significant separation between nutritional treatments based upon gene expression patterns with the expression patterns of just five genes needed to predict animal nutritional status with 99% accuracy. These data reveal how nutritional phenotypes are altered by individual and co-limitation of two highly important nutritional elements (Ca and P) and provide evidence that aquatic consumers can respond to limitation by more than one nutrient at a time by differentially altering their metabolism. This use of nutrigenomics demonstrates its potential to address many of the inherent complexities in studying interactions between multiple nutritional stressors in ecology and beyond.
Darwin's vexing contrivance: a new hypothesis for why some flowers have two kinds of anther
Authors: Kay Kathleen M. , Jogesh Tania , Tataru Diana , Akiba Sami
Published: December 2020

Heteranthery, the presence of two or more anther types in the same flower, is taxonomically widespread among bee-pollinated angiosperms, yet has puzzled botanists since Darwin. We test two competing hypotheses for its evolution: the long-standing ‘division of labour' hypothesis, which posits that some anthers are specialized as food rewards for bees whereas others are specialized for surreptitious pollination, and our new hypothesis that heteranthery is a way to gradually release pollen that maximizes pollen delivery. We examine the evolution of heteranthery and associated traits across the genus
Clarkia
(Onagraceae) and study plant–pollinator interactions in two heterantherous
Clarkia
species. Across species, heteranthery is associated with bee pollination, delayed dehiscence and colour crypsis of one anther whorl, and movement of that anther whorl upon dehiscence. Our mechanistic studies in heterantherous species show that bees notice, forage on and export pollen from each anther whorl when it is dehiscing, and that heteranthery promotes pollen export. We find no support for division of labour, but multifarious evidence that heteranthery is a mechanism for gradual pollen presentation that probably evolved through indirect male–male competition for siring success.
Expression, purification and crystallization of the N-terminal Solanaceae domain of the Sw-5b NLR immune receptor
Authors: Li Jia , Xin Jian , Zhao Xinyan , Zhao Yaqian , Wang Tongkai , Xing Weiman , Tao Xiaorong
Published: December 2020

Plant nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat receptors (NLRs) play crucial roles in recognizing pathogen effectors and activating plant immunity. The tomato NLR Sw-5b is a coiled-coil NLR (CC-NLR) immune receptor that confers resistance against tospoviruses, which cause serious economic losses in agronomic crops worldwide. Compared with other CC-NLRs, Sw-5b possesses an extended N-terminal Solanaceae domain (SD). The SD of Sw-5b is critical for recognition of the tospovirus viral movement protein NSm. An SD is also frequently detected in many NLRs from Solanaceae plants. However, no sequences homologous to the SD have been detected in animals or in plants other than Solanaceae. The properties of the SD protein are largely unknown, and thus 3D structural information is vital in order to better understand its role in pathogen perception and the activation of immune receptors. Here, the expression, purification and crystallization of Sw-5b SD (amino acids 1–245) are reported. Native and selenomethionine-substituted crystals of the SD protein belonged to space group P3112, with unit-cell parameters a = 81.53, b = 81.53, c = 98.44 Å and a = 81.63, b = 81.63, c = 98.80 Å, respectively. This is the first report of a structural study of the noncanonical SD domain of the NLR proteins from Solanaceae plants.