bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Practicing and Rehearsing
Authors: Davidson Jane W.
Published: April 2022

This article, focusing largely on Western art music including jazz, explores the processes involved in bringing a performance to fruition through the work of practice and rehearsal: a creative ecology of musical action. Framed by sociology and psychology theory and empirical investigation, it considers how rules, structures, and exploration shape musical preparation. Practice, as a skills-focused activity, is shown to balance amassed hours of routine practice with exploratory engagement aided by instructional, role-model, and self-determined learning opportunities. Rehearsal is revealed as a process in which musicians are responsive, offering subtle expression and modification to develop their interpretations and manage evolving changes that unfurl in interaction with co-musicians. Case studies explore practice and rehearsal techniques such as conditioning, adaptation, and mental and imaginative enactment alongside the use of performance cues for memorization and expression outcomes.
Writing Jewishness in Dance
Authors: Kosstrin Hannah
Published: April 2022

This concluding chapter addresses how to write from dances’ movement instead of from pre-existing labels or limited preconceptions to discuss Jewishness in dance. Focusing on Yemenite-Israeli-American dancer Ze’eva Cohen’s performances of Mothers of Israel (1974) by Margalit Oved and Countdown (1966) by Rudy Perez, the chapter argues that writing from the movement and researching elements of Jewishness with which the writer may be unfamiliar works to dismantle the Ashkenormativity, or dominance of European Jewishness at the expense of African, Arabic, Asian, and Mediterranean Jewishnesses, in the Jewish Diaspora. The chapter introduces the term kinesthetic peoplehood, the ways people feel connected to a diaspora through dance practices, as a framework for analyzing dancing in the Jewish Diaspora that fosters diverse conceptions of Jewishness onstage.
Decolonizing Australian Settler-Colonial Masculinity
Authors: Prehn Jacob
Published: April 2022

This chapter argues that Australian settler-colonial masculinity needs to be decolonized for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men to freely express themselves and feel valued. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, settler-colonial masculinity is toxic. Generally, it subordinates or marginalizes those who do not possess particular traits and qualities, or who exhibit behaviors deemed other than ideal, and this is problematic. However, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men, even when these desirable characteristics are possessed, settler-colonial masculinity continues to alienate and disempower. By decolonizing Australian settler-colonial masculinity to incorporate Indigenous worldviews, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men will gain greater freedom to express masculinities that are valued. To begin this process, this chapter looks toward the challenges and successes of other social movements aiming to contest gender relations, and the power held by White heteropatriarchy. Based on their experiences, this chapter proposes that the decolonization of settler-colonial masculinity can be achieved by applying an intersectional approach, by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men using strategic essentialism, eliciting support from and working with allies to enhance social change, and educating about the marginalization of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identities.
Superdiversity in Comparative Perspective
Authors: Grillo Ralph D.
Published: April 2022

There are various was of engaging with comparison, but the principal concern of this chapter is with locating the socioeconomic and political conditions that shape (super)diversity. A key illustration of this is the process of “diversification” and its governance. The chapter approaches this topic by comparing the different contexts in which ethnic and cultural diversity has arisen, the form it has taken, and the responses to it. The chapter includes three brief case studies of cities at certain critical moments (Kampala in the 1960s, Lyon in the 1970s, and London in the 2000s) and compares their diversification, assessing similarities and differences.
The Three Hypostases in Origen
Authors: Hengstermann Christian
Published: April 2022

Divine and human freedom are explored and highlighted as foundational structures for Origen’s proto-trinitarian theology. In a novel attempt to capture the outlines of a proto-trinitarian theology, the author of this chapter turns to Origen’s exegesis of Isaiah’s vision. Using clues from Origen’s commentary on Isaiah’s vision, he discerns the outlines of a Trinitarian schema of three distinct hypostases unified by a single soteriological trajectory. The Father is both self-contemplating intellect and ‘Unbegotten Freedom’; the Son is both passive Wisdom (at rest) in contemplation of the Father and active Word (eternal motion) in the expressiveness of the comprehensive richness of the One in the Many. The Holy Spirit rests in the Epinoia of the Son and engenders these virtues in souls of the saints in a process of sanctification. The old question of Origen’s subordinationism is mitigated by new understandings of the dynamic element of will in Origen’s ontology and anthropology, in both divine and human freedom.
Utilizing 3D bioprinted platelet-rich fibrin-based materials to promote the regeneration of oral soft tissue
Authors: Yi Ke , Li Qing , Lian Xiaodong , Wang Yapei , Tang Zhihui
Published: April 2022

Oral soft tissue defects remain difficult to treat owing to the limited efficacy of available treatment materials. Although the injectable platelet-rich fibrin (i-PRF) is a safe, autologous source of high levels of growth factors that is often employed to promote the regeneration of oral soft tissue, its effectiveness is restrained by difficulties in intraoperative shaping together with the burst-like release of growth factors. We herein sought to develop a bioactive bioink composed of i-PRF, alginate and gelatin capable of promoting the regeneration of the oral soft tissue. This bioink was successfully applied in 3D bioprinting and exhibited its ability to be shaped to individual patient needs. Importantly, we were also able to significantly prolong the duration of multiple growth factors release as compared to that observed for i-PRF. The growth factor bioavailability was further confirmed by the enhanced proliferation and viability of printed gingival fibroblasts. When deployed in vivo in nude mice, this bioink was further confirmed to be biocompatible and to drive enhanced angiogenic activity. Together, these data thus confirm the successful production of an i-PRF-containing bioink, which is suitable for the individualized promotion of the regeneration of oral soft tissue.
Xer recombination for the automatic deletion of selectable marker genes from plasmids in enteric bacteria
Authors: Salerno Paola , Leckenby Matthew W , Humphrey Bruce , Cranenburgh Rocky M
Published: April 2022

Antibiotic resistance genes are widely used to select bacteria transformed with plasmids and to prevent plasmid loss from cultures, yet antibiotics represent contaminants in the biopharmaceutical manufacturing process, and retaining antibiotic resistance genes in vaccines and biological therapies is discouraged by regulatory agencies. To overcome these limitations, we have developed X-mark™, a novel technology that leverages Xer recombination to generate selectable marker gene-free plasmids for downstream therapeutic applications. Using this technique, X-mark plasmids with antibiotic resistance genes flanked by XerC/D target sites are generated in Escherichia coli cytosol aminopeptidase (E. coli pepA) mutants, which are deficient in Xer recombination on plasmids, and subsequently transformed into enteric bacteria with a functional Xer system. This results in rapid deletion of the resistance gene at high resolution (100%) and stable replication of resolved plasmids for more than 40 generations in the absence of antibiotic selective pressure. This technology is effective in both Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica bacteria due to the high degree of homology between accessory sequences, including strains that have been developed as oral vaccines for clinical use. X-mark effectively eliminates any regulatory and safety concerns around antibiotic resistance carryover in biopharmaceutical products, such as vaccines and therapeutic proteins.

Graphical Abstract
Replacing cottonseed meal and sorghum with dried distillers’ grains with solubles enhances the growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of feedlot lambs
Authors: Quadros Danilo G , Kerth Chris R
Published: April 2022

We evaluated the impacts of substituting cottonseed meal (CSM) and sorghum grain (SG) with dried distillers` grains with solubles (DDGS) in lamb feedlot diets on the dry matter intake (DMI), the growth performance, blood serum analysis, feces phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N), wool production and quality, carcass traits, adipose tissue fatty acid (FA) profiles, and sensory panel tests. For 72 d, Rambouillet wether lambs (n = 44, initial body weight, BW = 28.8 ± 3.3 kg) were individually fed ad libitum pelleted diets containing DDGS that replaced 0% (0DDGS), 25% (25DDGS), 50% (50DDGS), or 75% (75DDGS) of the CSM and SG in a completely randomized design trial. Linear and quadratic effects of DDGS levels on the response variables were analyzed. Treatment × day interactions (P < 0.001) were observed for BW and DMI. As the DDGS level was increased, DMI (from days 21 to 70), lamb BW (from days 56 to 70), average daily gain, blood urea nitrogen and P, and fecal P linearly increased (P ≤ 0.05). Fecal N quadratically increased (P = 0.01), but no effects were found for gain:feed, blood insulin-like growth factor-1, or calcium. No differences in wool production or most of the wool quality parameters were detected. Adipose tissue stearic acid linearly increased (P = 0.02), linoleic acid quadratically increased (P = 0.01), and oleic acid tended to quadratically decrease (P = 0.08) as the DDGS increased in the diets. Increasing the DDGS level in the diets quadratically increased the hot carcass weight (P = 0.02), backfat thickness (P = 0.04), and body wall thickness (P < 0.001) while having no impact on the longissimus muscle area. As the DDGS increased in the diet, juiciness, tenderness, and overall acceptability linearly increased (P ≤ 0.05), while having no effect on the cook-loss, flavor intensity, or off-flavor detectability. Replacing 50% of CSM and SG with DDGS improved growth performance and enhanced the carcass and meat quality.
Comparative Analysis of the Rhizospheric Bacterial Communities of Flue-Cured Tobacco Affected by Granville Wilt
Authors: García-Rodríguez Raymond O'danny , Thiessen Lindsey D.
Published: April 2022

Ralstonia solanacearum is a yield-limiting disease in flue-cured tobacco production in the Southeast United States and other major producing countries worldwide. Studies determining the association between the rhizospheric bacterial community composition, R. solanacearum distribution in the field, and soil physicochemical properties have not been conducted. In this study, the 16S rRNA gene of 144 rhizosphere samples, collected from three different fields (A, B, and C) in North Carolina, were sequenced using Illumina MiSeq v3 chemistry to (i) compare the rhizospheric bacterial community of healthy and diseased plants inside and outside “hot-spots”; (ii) identify potential bacterial indicators for Granville wilt suppression; and (iii) examine edaphic factors associated with rhizospheric bacterial composition and disease distribution in flue-cured tobacco fields. The phylum Proteobacteria was the most abundant in all fields and sampled locations within fields. Eighteen genera, including Bacillus and Pantoea, which are known antagonists of R. solanacearum, were consistently found in the rhizosphere samples from healthy plants in only one of the fields. Organic matter, Mn, and Ca contents were descriptive of the rhizosphere community structure found in healthy samples. In conclusion, the results obtained from the present study suggest that disease outcome and distribution could be associated with variation on community composition driven by edaphic factors and the presence of an antagonist. This study provides evidence of naturally occurring antagonists that could be exploited in novel management strategies for R. solanacearum suppression in modern flue-cured production systems.

[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .
Side-by-Side: A One-on-One Peer Support Program for Medical Students
Authors: Mongrain Kelsey , Simmons Alexander , Shore Isabel , Prinja Xavier , Reaume Michael
Published: April 2022

Problem

Medical students experience high levels of burnout and face barriers to accessing support services. However, few studies have considered the feasibility and/or effectiveness of one-on-one peer support programs for medical students. This report aims to describe the development and implementation of such a program, the Side-by-Side Peer Support Program, at the University of Ottawa (August 2018–June 2020).

Approach

Thirty-five medical students enrolled at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine were selected to participate in a training course aimed at developing the skills necessary to provide one-on-one support to their peers. The main responsibilities of peer supporters were to reach out to classmates, particularly those displaying changes in their usual behavior that might be indicative of mental illness, to provide basic counseling, and to refer at-risk students to professional services. Peer supporters offered weekly hours during which classmates could contact them for support. Information on interactions between students and peer supporters was recorded in an electronic database. An end-of-year survey collected information on barriers to seeking help perceived by medical students.

Outcomes

A total of 303 interactions were recorded. Interactions took place in various formats, including in-person, via telephone or video call, or via texting or online messaging. Interactions were initiated by both students and peer supporters. Survey respondents identified more barriers to seeking help from Faculty of Medicine services than Side-by-Side, including fear of impact on career (22.2% vs 2.5%; P < .01) and belief that the services would not be helpful (42.0% vs 23.5%; P = .02).

Next Steps

The authors plan to quantify well-being through academic engagement metrics as well as mental health outcome metrics in future studies. Future studies should also consider whether peer support increases help-seeking behaviors and/or the use of professional services.
Neoadjuvant Hormonal Therapy for Prostate Cancer: Morphologic Features and Predictive Parameters of Therapy Response
Authors: Wang Xueli , Zhang Jing , Han Bo
Published: April 2022

The primary goals of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (NHT) in prostate cancer (PCa) are to reduce the size of the tumor, lower positive surgical margin rate, attempt to reach pathologic remission, and improve survival. Although NHT has not been recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network as a primary treatment option for patients with localized PCa, NHT is increasingly used in clinical trials for locally advanced PCa. More importantly, with the development of novel androgen signaling inhibitors, such as abiraterone and enzalutamide, there has been renewed interests in revisiting the role of such treatment in the neoadjuvant setting. Following NHT, the PCa tissues shows characteristic morphologic alterations. Of note, the collapse of malignant glands most likely leads to an artificial increase of Gleason score in the residual disease. Communicating these changes to the clinician in a way that can help assess the tumor’s response poses a challenge for pathologists. In addition, little is known of morphologic features and predictive makers both in pretreated and posttreated specimens that can be of value in predicting tumor response to NHT. In the current review, we summarize the morphologic changes associated with neoadjuvant-treated PCa, focusing on the predictive value of pathologic parameters to therapy response. We also describe the evaluation system in the stratification of pathologic response to NHT in PCa management.
Diffuse Midline Gliomas With Histone H3 K27M Mutation in Adults and Children
Authors: Zheng Linmao , Gong Jing , Yu Tianping , Zou Yan , Zhang Mengni , Nie Ling , Chen Xueqin , Yue Qiang , Liu Yanhui , Mao Qing , Zhou Qiao , Chen Ni
Published: April 2022

Diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27M-mutant (H3 K27M-mt DMG), is a rare and highly aggressive tumor that is more common in children than in adults. Few studies have compared the differences between pediatric and adult patients with this rare tumor. We here report our retrospective study of 94 adult and 70 pediatric cases of diffuse midline glioma. Surgical tumor samples were analyzed by routine histopathology and immunohistochemistry for H3 K27M, IDH1 R132H, ATRX, p53, OLIG2, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and Ki-67; Sanger sequencing for hot mutation spots in genes including H3F3A, HIST1H3B, IDH1, IDH2, TERT, and BRAF; and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction for O

6

-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase promoter methylation. The most frequent anatomic locations in adult and pediatric patients were the thalamus and brainstem, respectively. Molecular profiling revealed higher frequencies of ATRX loss and H3.3 mutation in adult than in pediatric H3 K27M-mt DMGs. TERT promoter mutations and O

6

-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase promoter methylation were not detected in pediatric patients but were present in a few adult patients. During the follow-up period, 93/122 patients (70.1%) died from the disease, with a median survival time of 10.5 months (range: 1 to 104 mo). Kaplan-Meier analyses demonstrated that the prognosis was better for adult patients than the pediatric cohort (P=0.0003). Multivariate analyses indicated that patient age, primary tumor size, status of ATRX expression, and Ki-67 index were independent prognosticators. The present study showed that there were differences between adult and pediatric H3 K27M-mt DMGs in terms of the anatomic location of tumor, molecular changes, and prognosis.
Calcifications in Chromophobe Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Potential Pitfall in Diagnosis
Authors: Legesse Teklu , Burke Allen
Published: April 2022

We report a case of chromophobe renal cell carcinoma (ChRCC) with extensive calcifications, which on biopsy was initially interpreted as a possible MiT translocation carcinoma, in part because of the young age of the patient. Upon resection, the tumor was typical for ChRCC. The tumor illustrates that calcifications may be prominent in ChRCC and that the most common tumors in young patients are sporadic and of the classic morphologic types.
Pleomorphic Carcinoid: A Pitfall in Diagnosis on Small Biopsy Specimens
Authors: Hardy Naomi , Jacobs Jonathan , Staats Paul , Burke Allen , Stashek Kristen , Malone Laura
Published: April 2022

Typical and atypical carcinoids account for 2% of all pulmonary neoplasms and are usually diagnosed based on characteristic neuroendocrine granules, architecture, and overall bland cytomorphology. However, there are rare carcinoids with unusual morphology mimicking features seen in non–small cell lung carcinoma, which can be a significant challenge on small biopsy or cytology specimens with major therapeutic implications. We report a case of a transbronchial needle aspirate that was initially misinterpreted as non–small cell lung carcinoma due to the presence of cohesive clusters of tumor cells showing striking pleomorphism and prominent nucleoli in a background of necrosis. In addition, tumor cells showed multifocal brown cytoplasmic melanin pigment that has rarely been reported in carcinoids. The diagnostic pitfalls of a pleomorphic carcinoid and the possible limitations of reaching this diagnosis on small biopsy specimens are discussed.
A Case of Benign Breast Inclusions in an Axillary Sentinel Lymph Node Mimicking a Low-Grade Carcinoma
Authors: Rytych Jennifer , LaBoy Carissa
Published: April 2022

Benign inclusions in lymph nodes are a rare phenomenon that has been described throughout the body. These foci of nonneoplastic, ectopic tissue in the axillary lymph nodes can mimic low-grade metastatic breast carcinomas and result in a diagnosis of false-positive nodes that would lead to unnecessary treatment. We present a challenging case of a patient with a left breast grade 1 invasive ductal carcinoma undergoing an intraoperative axillary sentinel lymph node frozen-section consultation that contained numerous small tubules in the subcapsular space. The lymph node was interpreted as positive for carcinoma, and the patient underwent an axillary lymph node dissection. On permanent sections, myoepithelial cells and surrounding basement membranes were identified around some of the tubules, and a large, squamous inclusion cyst became visible. Immunohistochemical stains were performed that showed that p63 and smooth muscle myosin heavy chain highlighted myoepithelial cells around the tubules, whereas cytokeratin 5/6 and estrogen receptor stains showed a mosaic pattern of positivity. Combined, these findings supported a revised diagnosis of benign glandular and benign squamous inclusions. This case underscores the importance of thoroughly examining the location and histologic and cytologic features of a low-grade–appearing epithelium before determining lymph node positivity and, if it is unclear, deferring the diagnosis to permanent sections where immunohistochemical stains can be performed. Knowledge of this uncommon finding is important to avoid false-positive results, unnecessary treatments, and their associated comorbidities.
In vitro
reconstitution of substrate S-acylation by the zDHHC family of protein acyltransferases
Authors: Elliot Murphy R. , Banerjee Anirban
Published: April 2022

Protein S-acylation, more commonly known as protein palmitoylation, is a biological process defined by the covalent attachment of long chain fatty acids onto cysteine residues of a protein, effectively altering the local hydrophobicity and influencing its stability, localization and overall function. Observed ubiquitously in all eukaryotes, this post translational modification is mediated by the 23-member family of zDHHC protein acyltransferases in mammals. There are thousands of proteins that are S-acylated and multiple zDHHC enzymes can potentially act on a single substrate. Since its discovery, numerous methods have been developed for the identification of zDHHC substrates and the individual members of the family that catalyse their acylation. Despite these recent advances in assay development, there is a persistent gap in knowledge relating to zDHHC substrate specificity and recognition, that can only be thoroughly addressed through
in vitro
reconstitution. Herein, we will review the various methods currently available for reconstitution of protein S-acylation for the purposes of identifying enzyme–substrate pairs with a particular emphasis on the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.
Repo-Man/protein phosphatase 1 SUMOylation mediates binding to lamin A and serine 22 dephosphorylation
Authors: Huguet Florentin , Gokhan Ezgi , Foster Helen A. , Amin Hasnat A. , Vagnarelli Paola
Published: April 2022

Lamin A phosphorylation/de-phosphorylation is an important process during cells division as it allows for nuclear envelope (NE) disassembly at mitotic entry and its re-assembly during mitotic exit. Several kinases have been identified as responsible for these phosphorylations, but no protein phosphatase has been implicated in their reversal. One of the mitotic phosphosites in lamin A responsible for its dynamic behaviour is serine 22 (S22) which is de-phosphorylated during mitotic exit. Recent evidence has also linked the nuclear pool of lamin A S22ph in interphase to gene expression regulation. Previous work suggested that the phosphatase responsible for lamin A S22 de-phosphorylation is chromatin bound and interacts with lamin A via SUMO-SIM motives. We have previously reported that Repo-Man/protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is a chromatin-associated phosphatase that regulates NE reformation. Here we propose that Repo-Man/PP1 phosphatase mediates lamin A S22 de-phosphorylation. We indeed show that depletion of Repo-Man leads to NE defects, causes hyperphosphorylation of lamin A S22 that can be rescued by a wild-type but not a SUMOylation-deficient mutant. Lamin A and Repo-Man interact
in vivo
and
in vitro
, and the interaction is mediated by SUMOylation. Moreover, the localization of Repo-Man/PP1 to the chromatin is essential for lamin A S22 de-phosphorylation.
Existence and location of internal resonance of two-mode nonlinear conservative oscillators
Authors: Hong Dongxiao , Hill Thomas L. , Neild Simon A.
Published: April 2022

Internal resonances can be widely observed in nonlinear systems; even a simple nonlinear system can exhibit intricate internal resonances when vibrating at large amplitudes. In this study, the existence and locations of internal resonances of a general two-mode system with an arbitrary eigenfrequency ratio are considered. This is achieved by first considering the symmetric case, where the internal resonances are found to be approximately captured by the Mathieu equation. It is shown that the bifurcations can exist in pairs; and, for each pair, the bifurcated solution branches capture modal interactions with the same commensurate frequency relationship but different phase relationships. To determine the existence and locations of internal resonances, the divergence and convergence for correlated bifurcation pairs are then considered. Lastly, the internal resonances in asymmetric cases are analytically derived, where the asymmetry induced bifurcation splitting is captured by a non-homogeneous extended Mathieu equation. This work explores the mechanism underpinning internal resonances, and explains their topological features, such as which internal resonances are observed as amplitude increases. A graphical method is also proposed for efficient determination of the existence and locations of internal resonances.
Variational analysis of inextensible elastic curves
Authors: Bevilacqua G. , Lussardi L. , Marzocchi A.
Published: April 2022

We minimize elastic energies on framed curves which penalize both curvature and torsion. We also discuss critical points using the infinite dimensional version of the Lagrange multipliers’ method. Finally, some examples arising from the applications are discussed and also numerical experiments are presented.
A generic approach to the quantum mechanical transition probability
Authors: Niestegge Gerd
Published: April 2022

In quantum theory, the modulus-square of the inner product of two normalized Hilbert space elements is to be interpreted as the transition probability between the pure states represented by these elements. A probabilistically motivated and more general definition of this transition probability was introduced in a preceding paper and is extended here to a general type of quantum logics: the orthomodular partially ordered sets. A very general version of the quantum no-cloning theorem, creating promising new opportunities for quantum cryptography, is presented and an interesting relationship between the transition probability and Jordan algebras is highlighted.
Kernel learning for robust dynamic mode decomposition: linear and nonlinear disambiguation optimization
Authors: Baddoo Peter J. , Herrmann Benjamin , McKeon Beverley J. , Brunton Steven L.
Published: April 2022

Research in modern data-driven dynamical systems is typically focused on the three key challenges of high dimensionality, unknown dynamics and nonlinearity. The dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) has emerged as a cornerstone for modelling high-dimensional systems from data. However, the quality of the linear DMD model is known to be fragile with respect to strong nonlinearity, which contaminates the model estimate. By contrast, sparse identification of nonlinear dynamics learns fully nonlinear models, disambiguating the linear and nonlinear effects, but is restricted to low-dimensional systems. In this work, we present a kernel method that learns interpretable data-driven models for high-dimensional, nonlinear systems. Our method performs kernel regression on a sparse dictionary of samples that appreciably contribute to the dynamics. We show that this kernel method efficiently handles high-dimensional data and is flexible enough to incorporate partial knowledge of system physics. It is possible to recover the linear model contribution with this approach, thus separating the effects of the implicitly defined nonlinear terms. We demonstrate our approach on data from a range of nonlinear ordinary and partial differential equations. This framework can be used for many practical engineering tasks such as model order reduction, diagnostics, prediction, control and discovery of governing laws.
The megaherbivore gap after the non-avian dinosaur extinctions modified trait evolution and diversification of tropical palms
Authors: Onstein Renske E. , Kissling W. Daniel , Linder H. Peter
Published: April 2022

The Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K-Pg) extinction of the non-avian dinosaurs (66 Ma) led to a 25 million year gap of megaherbivores (>1000 kg) before the evolution of megaherbivorous mammals in the Late Eocene (40 Ma). The botanical consequences of this ‘Palaeocene megaherbivore gap’ (PMHG) remain poorly explored. We hypothesize that the absence of megaherbivores should result in changes in the diversification and trait evolution of associated plant lineages. We used phylogenetic time- and trait-dependent diversification models with palms (Arecaceae) and show that the PMHG was characterized by speciation slowdowns, decreased evolution of armature and increased evolution of megafaunal (≥4 cm) fruits. This suggests that the absence of browsing by megaherbivores during the PMHG may have led to a loss of defence traits, but the absence of megaherbivorous seed dispersers did not lead to a loss of megafaunal fruits. Instead, increases in PMHG fruit sizes may be explained by simultaneously rising temperatures, rainforest expansion, and the subsequent radiation of seed-dispersing birds and mammals. We show that the profound impact of the PMHG on plant diversification can be detected even with the overwriting of adaptations by the subsequent Late Eocene opening up of megaherbivore-associated ecological opportunities. Our study provides a quantitative, comparative framework to assess diversification and adaptation during one of the most enigmatic periods in angiosperm history.
Many bee species, including rare species, are important for function of entire plant–pollinator networks
Authors: Simpson Dylan T. , Weinman Lucia R. , Genung Mark A. , Roswell Michael , MacLeod Molly , Winfree Rachael
Published: April 2022

It is important to understand how biodiversity, including that of rare species, affects ecosystem function. Here, we consider this question with regard to pollination. Studies of pollination function have typically focused on pollination of single plant species, or average pollination across plants, and typically find that pollination depends on a few common species. Here, we used data from 11 plant–bee visitation networks in New Jersey, USA, to ask whether the number of functionally important bee species changes as we consider function separately for each plant species in increasingly diverse plant communities. Using rarefaction analysis, we found the number of important bee species increased with the number of plant species. Overall, 2.5 to 7.6 times more bee species were important at the community scale, relative to the average plant species in the same community. This effect did not asymptote in any of our datasets, suggesting that even greater bee biodiversity is needed in real-world systems. Lastly, on average across plant communities, 25% of bee species that were important at the community scale were also numerically rare within their network, making this study one of the strongest empirical demonstrations to date of the functional importance of rare species.
Costs and benefits of predator-induced defence in a toxic diatom
Authors: Olesen Anna J. , Ryderheim Fredrik , Krock Bernd , Lundholm Nina , Kiørboe Thomas
Published: April 2022

Phytoplankton employ a variety of defence mechanisms against predation, including production of toxins. Domoic acid (DA) production by the diatom
Pseudo-nitzschia
spp. is induced by the presence of predators and is considered to provide defence benefits, but the evidence is circumstantial. We exposed eight different strains of
P. seriata
to chemical cues from copepods and examined the costs and the benefits of toxin production. The magnitude of the induced toxin response was highly variable among strains, while the costs in terms of growth reduction per DA cell quota were similar and the trade-off thus consistent. We found two components of the defence in induced cells: (i) a ‘private good’ in terms of elevated rejection of captured cells and (ii) a ‘public good’ facilitated by a reduction in copepod feeding activity. Induced cells were more frequently rejected by copepods and rejections were directly correlated with DA cell quota and independent of access to other food items. By contrast, the public-good effect was diminished by the presence of alternative prey suggesting that it does not play a major role in bloom formation and that its evolution is closely associated with the grazing-deterrent private good.
Brain size, gut size and cognitive abilities: the energy trade-offs tested in artificial selection experiment
Authors: Goncerzewicz Anna , Górkiewicz Tomasz , Dzik Jakub M. , Jędrzejewska-Szmek Joanna , Knapska Ewelina , Konarzewski Marek
Published: April 2022

The enlarged brains of homeotherms bring behavioural advantages, but also incur high energy expenditures. The ‘expensive brain’ (EB) hypothesis posits that the energetic costs of the enlarged brain and the resulting increased cognitive abilities (CA) were met by either increased energy turnover or reduced allocation to other expensive organs, such as the gut. We tested the EB hypothesis by analysing correlated responses to selection in an experimental evolution model system, which comprises line types of laboratory mice selected for high or low basal metabolic rate (BMR), maximum (VO2max) metabolic rates and random-bred (unselected) lines. The traits are implicated in the evolution of homeothermy, having been pre-requisites for the encephalization and exceptional CA of mammals, including humans. High-BMR mice had bigger guts, but not brains, than mice of other line types. Yet, they were superior in the cognitive tasks carried out in both reward and avoidance learning contexts and had higher neuronal plasticity (indexed as the long-term potentiation) than their counterparts. Our data indicate that the evolutionary increase of CA in mammals was initially associated with increased BMR and brain plasticity. It was also fuelled by an enlarged gut, which was not traded off for brain size.
Distinct body-size responses to warming climate in three rodent species
Authors: Li Ke , Sommer Stefan , Yang Zaixue , Guo Yongwang , Yue Yaxian , Ozgul Arpat , Wang Deng
Published: April 2022

In mammals, body-size responses to warming climates are diverse, and the mechanisms underlying these different responses have been little investigated. Using temporal and spatial datasets of three rodent species distributed across different climatic zones in China, we investigated temporal and spatial trends of body size (length and mass), identified the critical drivers of these trends, and inferred the potential causes underlying the distinct body-size responses to the critical drivers. We found that body mass of all species remained stable over time and across space. Body length, however, increased in one species over time and in two species across space. Generally, body-length variation was predicted best by minimum ambient temperature. Moreover, in two species, body length changed linearly with temperature differences between ancestral and colonization areas. These distinct temperature–length patterns may jointly be caused by species-specific temperature sensitivities and experienced magnitudes of warming. We hypothesize that species or populations distributed across distinct temperature gradients evolved different intrinsic temperature sensitivities, which affect how their body sizes respond to warming climates. Our results suggest that size trends associated with climate change should be explored at higher temporal and spatial resolutions, and include clades of species with similar distributions.
Female reproductive skew exacerbates the extinction risk from poaching in the eastern black rhino
Authors: Harvey Sky Nick , Jackson John , Chege Geoffrey , Gaymer Jamie , Kimiti David , Mutisya Samuel , Nakito Simon , Shultz Susanne
Published: April 2022

Variation in individual demographic rates can have large consequences for populations. Female reproductive skew is an example of structured demographic heterogeneity where females have intrinsic qualities that make them more or less likely to breed. The consequences of reproductive skew for population dynamics are poorly understood in non-cooperatively breeding mammals, especially when coupled with other drivers such as poaching. We address this knowledge gap with population viability analyses using an age-specific, female-only, individual-based, stochastic population model built with long-term data for three Kenyan populations of the Critically Endangered eastern black rhino (Diceros bicornis michaeli).There was substantial reproductive skew, with a high proportion of females not breeding or doing so at very low rates. This had a large impact on the projected population growth rate for the smaller population on Ol Jogi. Moreover, including female reproductive skew exacerbates the effects of poaching, increasing the probability of extinction by approximately 70% under a simulated poaching pressure of 5% offtake per year. Tackling the effects of reproductive skew depends on whether it is mediated by habitat or social factors, with potential strategies including habitat and biological management respectively. Investigating and tackling reproductive skew in other species requires long-term, individual-level data collection.
The biological significance of lipogenesis in
Nasonia vitripennis
Authors: Multerer Marie-Theres , Wendler Martina , Ruther Joachim
Published: April 2022

Parasitic wasps have long been thought to be unable to synthesize fatty acids de novo, but recent
13
C-labelling studies have challenged this view. It remained unclear, however, whether the reported biosynthesis rates are of biological relevance. Here, we show in
Nasonia vitripennis
that ageing females with partly depleted lipid reserves produce biologically relevant amounts of fatty acids de novo. Females with varying oviposition history (0–48 h) prior to feeding 20%
13
C-labelled glucose solution showed
13
C-incorporation rates of (mean ± SEM) 30 ± 2%, 50 ± 2%, 49 ± 3% and 21 ± 2% in palmitic, stearic, oleic and linoleic acid, respectively. The absolute amounts of fatty acids synthesized de novo across treatments corresponded to 28 ± 3 egg lipid equivalents. Females incorporated de novo synthesized fatty acids into their eggs, and glucose-fed females laid more eggs than water-fed control females. The number of eggs laid prior to glucose feeding did not correlate with the degree of lipogenesis, but the amounts of de novo synthesized fatty acids correlated with constitutive (not synthesized de novo) fatty acids. Hence, glucose feeding has a twofold effect on the fatty acid status of
N. vitripennis
females by decelerating the catabolism of existing fat reserves and partially replenishing ebbing fat reserves by lipogenesis.
Modelling homing suppression gene drive in haplodiploid organisms
Authors: Liu Yiran , Champer Jackson
Published: April 2022

Gene drives have shown great promise for suppression of pest populations. These engineered alleles can function by a variety of mechanisms, but the most common is the CRISPR homing drive, which converts wild-type alleles to drive alleles in the germline of heterozygotes. Some potential target species are haplodiploid, in which males develop from unfertilized eggs and thus have only one copy of each chromosome. This prevents drive conversion, a substantial disadvantage compared to diploids where drive conversion can take place in both sexes. Here, we study homing suppression gene drives in haplodiploids and find that a drive targeting a female fertility gene could still be successful. However, such drives are less powerful than in diploids and suffer more from functional resistance alleles. They are substantially more vulnerable to high resistance allele formation in the embryo owing to maternally deposited Cas9 and guide RNA and also to somatic cleavage activity. Examining spatial models where organisms move over a continuous landscape, we find that haplodiploid suppression drives surprisingly perform nearly as well as in diploids, possibly owing to their ability to spread further before inducing strong suppression. Together, these results indicate that gene drive can potentially be used to effectively suppress haplodiploid populations.
Should I stay or should I go? Observation post-vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic and the law of unintended consequences
Authors: Ingham Gerard , Kippen Rebecca
Published: April 2022

Background
Standard practice after all vaccinations in Australia is to observe patients for 15 minutes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, could the risk of contracting and dying from COVID-19 acquired in the waiting room be greater than the risk of dying from post-vaccine anaphylaxis when leaving immediately?

Methods
The risks are modelled for a patient aged 70+ years attending for annual influenza vaccination in a typical Australian general practice clinic. The risk of death from anaphylaxis is estimated based on known rates of anaphylaxis shortly after influenza vaccination. The risk of acquiring COVID-19 during a 15-minute wait and then dying from that infection is estimated using the COVID-19 Aerosol Transmission Estimator and COVID-19 Risk Calculator.

Results
Other than at times of extremely low COVID-19 prevalence, the risk of death from anaphylaxis for a patient aged 70+ years leaving immediately after influenza vaccine is less than the risk of death from COVID-19 acquired via aerosol transmission during a 15-minute wait. The risk of death from COVID-19 is greatest for the unimmunised and when masks are not worn.

Conclusions
A more nuanced approach to advice post-vaccination is recommended that considers current COVID-19 prevalence and virulence, the characteristics of the waiting room, the risk of anaphylaxis, and the patients susceptibility to death from COVID-19. There are many circumstances where it would be safer for a patient to leave immediately after vaccination
Individual cardiorespiratory fitness exercise prescription in elderly based on BP neural network
Authors: Xiao Yiran , Xu Chunyan , Zhang Lantian , Ding Xiaozhen
Published: April 2022

Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) declines as age increases in elderly. An individualized CRF exercise prescription can maintain the CRF level and delay aging process. Traditional exercise prescriptions are general and lack of individualization. In this paper, a new study based on back-propagation (BP) neural network, is investigated to predict the individualized CRF exercise prescriptions for elderly by correlate variables (age, sex, BMI, VO2maxinitial value, improvement etc.). The raw data are split to two parts, 90% for training the machine and the remaining 10% for testing the performance. Based on a database with 2078 people, the exercise prescription prediction model’s MAE, RMSE and R2are1.5206,1.4383 and 0.9944. 26 female subjects aged 60-79 years are recruited to test the model’s validity. The VO2max’s expected improvement was set at 10%. Based on the basic information of these elder women, we get personalized exercise prescription (frequency, intensity, time and volume) of each subject. All of them finished their own exercise intervention. The results show that the post VO2maxwas significantly different from the pre VO2maxand improved by 10.1%, and a total of 20 subjects(74.1%) improved within one standard deviation and 25 subjects(92.6%)improved within 1.96 times standard deviations. Our study shows that a high degree of accuracy in exercise suggestions for elderly was achieved by applying the BP neural network model.
Risk and severity of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections during 2020-2022 in Vojvodina, Serbia: a population-level study
Authors: Medić Snežana , Anastassopoulou Cleo , Lozanov-Crvenković Zagorka , Vuković Vladimir , Dragnić Nataša , Petrović Vladimir , Ristić Mioljub , Pustahija Tatjana , Gojković Zoran , Tsakris Athanasios , Ioannidis John P. A.
Published: April 2022

Background

Data on the rate and severity of SARS-CoV-2 reinfections in real-world settings are scarce and the effects of vaccine boosters on reinfection risk are unknown.

Methods

In a retrospective cohort study, registered SARS-CoV-2 laboratory-confirmed Vojvodina residents, between March 6, 2020 and October 31, 2021, were followed for reinfection ≥90 days after primary infection. Data were censored at the end of follow-up (January 31, 2022) or death. The reinfection risk was visualized with Kaplan-Meier plots. To examine the protective effect of vaccination, the subset of individuals with primary infection in 2020 (March 6-December 31) were matched (1:2) with controls without reinfection.

Findings

Until January 31, 2022, 13,792 reinfections were recorded among 251,104 COVID-19 primary infections (5.49%). Most reinfections (86.8%) were recorded in January 2022. Reinfections were mostly mild (99.2%). Hospitalizations were uncommon (1.8%vs. 3.70% in primary infection) and COVID-19 deaths were very rare (n=20, case fatality rate 0.15%). The overall incidence rate of reinfections was 5.99 (95% CI 5.89-6.09) per 1,000 person-months. The reinfection risk was estimated as 0.76% at six months, 1.36% at nine months, 4.96% at 12 months, 16.7% at 15 months, and 18.9% at 18 months. Unvaccinated (OR=1.23; 95%CI=1.14-1.33), incompletely (OR=1.33; 95%CI=1.08-1.64) or completely vaccinated (OR=1.50; 95%CI=1.37-1.63), were modestly more likely to be reinfected compared with recipients of a third (booster) vaccine dose.

Interpretation

SARS-CoV-2 reinfections were uncommon until the end of 2021 but became common with the advent of Omicron. Very few reinfections were severe. Boosters may modestly reduce reinfection risk.