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Despite the perception that e-cigarettes are safer than conventional cigarettes, numerous findings demonstrated that e-cigarette aerosol (EC) exposure induced compromised immune functionality, vascular changes even after acute exposure, and lung injury. Notably, altered neutrophil functionality and platelet hemodynamics have been observed post-EC exposure. It was hypothesized that EC exposure initiates an inflammatory response resulting in altered neutrophil behavior and increased neutrophil-platelet interaction in the pulmonary microvasculature. Neutrophil and platelet responses were examined up to 48 hrs following whole-body, short-term EC exposure without flavorants or nicotine in a murine model, which most closely modeled secondhand exposure. This study is the first to investigate the impact of EC exposure through lung intravital imaging. Compared to room air-exposed mice, EC-exposed mice displayed significantly increased 1.7‒1.9-fold number of neutrophils in the pulmonary microvasculature associated with no marked change in neutrophils within whole blood or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Neutrophil-platelet interactions were also significantly elevated 1.9‒2.5-fold in exposed mice. Plasma concentration of myeloperoxidase was markedly reduced 1.5-fold 48 hr following exposure cessation, suggesting suppressed neutrophil antimicrobial activity. Cytokine expression exhibited changes indicating vascular damage. Effects persisted for 48 hr post-EC exposure. Data demonstrated that EC exposure repeated for 3 consecutive days in 2.5 hr intervals in the absence of flavorants or nicotine resulted in modified pulmonary vasculature hemodynamics, altered immune functionality, and a pro-inflammatory state in female BALB/cJ mice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noncompliance is a central challenge for conservation, but in settings with limited access to behavioral data, it can be difficult to evaluate what drives compliance. Conservationists can measure and evaluate resource users' attitudes, and in so doing, leverage a complementary, nonbehavioral measure for evaluating compliance. In Greenland, wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fishers are under increasing regulatory pressure to report salmon catch because the majority of North Atlantic salmon stocks are classified as suffering. The objective of this study is to measure salmon catch reporting compliance, reporting behavior, and attitudes toward Greenland's salmon management. We surveyed Greenland's licensed salmon fishers, used an unmatched count technique to estimate the incidence of underreporting salmon catch, and linked salmon fishers' actual catch reports to their survey responses. In 2019, more than 84% of salmon fishers reported their catch and demonstrating high levels of compliance. We also found that salmon fishers did not indicate strong instrumental motivations for reporting, but exhibited moral obligations and normative, legitimacy‐based motivations to report catch. Salmon fishers found regulations to be fair, and that regulatory authorities were professional and acted honestly. Catch underreporting was also remarkably low, with 90–94% of respondents stating that they report all their catch. Joining together individuals' attitudinal and behavioral responses to conservation rules illustrates the benefits and limitations of expanding actor‐based theories of compliance. This case of already high levels of compliance offers empirical evidence for further improving fisheries compliance, and it also illustrates the limitations that fishery managers face when conserving a highly migratory species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishers reporting all of their catch is key to estimating population viabilities of vulnerable, highly migratory fish stocks. However, fishery managers find it difficult to ensure that this reporting behavior takes place consistently. Wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are a highly migratory and internationally contested species with a threatened conservation status. Greenland manages a fishery for Atlantic salmon, and its coastline serves as a key feeding ground in the life history of Atlantic salmon. However, salmon catch is underreported by fishers, even though they are required to report. Deterring noncompliant behavior with penalties and sending short message service (SMS) messages have been shown to increase compliance, but no known studies test their effect on compliance with catch reporting requirements. We evaluated two interventions for their effect on salmon catch reporting behavior among Greenland's salmon fishers. Salmon fishers were 41% more likely to report (p < 0.00) once a deterrence-based intervention was implemented. Fishers who received SMS reminders were 6% more likely to report salmon catch (p < 0.1). These results highlight the complementarity of nudges and command-and-control interventions to increase compliance with catch reporting requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) prognostic prediction models offer value to individualized treatment planning, systematic outcome assessments and clinical research design but require continuous external validation to ensure generalizability to different settings. The Corticosteroid Randomization After Significant Head Injury (CRASH) and International Mission on Prognosis and Analysis on Clinical Trials in TBI (IMPACT) models are widely available but lack robust assessments of performance in a current national sample of patients. The purpose of this study is to assess the performance of the CRASH-Basic and IMPACT-Core models in predicting in-hospital mortality using a nationwide retrospective cohort from the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB).Methods: The 2016 NTDB was used to analyze an adult cohort with moderate-severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] ≤ 12, head Abbreviated Injury Scale of 2-6). Observed in-hospital mortality or discharge to hospice was compared to the CRASH-Basic and IMPACT-Core models' predicted probability of 14-day or 6-month mortality, respectively. Performance measures included discrimination (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC]) and calibration (calibration plots and Brier scores). Further sensitivity analysis included patients with GCS ≤ 14 and considered patients discharged to hospice to be alive at 14-days.Results: A total of 26,228 patients were included in this study. Both models demonstrated good ability in differentiating between patients who died and those who survived, with IMPACT demonstrating a marginally greater AUC (0.863; 95% CI: 0.858 - 0.867) than CRASH (0.858; 0.854 - 0.863); p < 0.001. On calibration, IMPACT overpredicted at lower scores and underpredicted at higher scores but had good calibration-in-the-large (indicating no systemic over/underprediction), while CRASH consistently underpredicted mortality. Brier scores were similar (0.152 for IMPACT, 0.162 for CRASH; p < 0.001). Both models showed slight improvement in performance when including patients with GCS ≤ 14.Conclusion: Both CRASH-Basic and IMPACT-Core accurately predict in-hospital mortality following moderate-severe TBI, and IMPACT-Core performs well beyond its original GCS cut-off of 12, indicating potential utility for mild TBI (GCS 13-15). By demonstrating validity in the NTDB, these models appear generalizable to new data and offer value to current practice in diverse settings as well as to large-scale research design.Introduction: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scopoletin is highly fluorescent in water and acts as a photoacid exhibiting excited-state proton transfer, ESPT, competitive with fluorescence. Its absorbance and emission spectral characteristics yield ground-state and excited-state pKa values of 7.4 ± 0.1 and 1.4 ± 0.1, respectively. The pKa* implies an ESPT rate constant an order of magnitude smaller than that for umbelliferone. This report provides quantum yield measurements in water that are comparable to quinine sulfate, and fluorescence lifetime values that are on a par with other similar coumarins yet provide insight into the ESPT process. The scopoletin anion is observed in tetrahydrofuran by reaction with a strong base. The Stokes shift of aqueous scopoletin is >100 nm in the pH range 3 to 7 due in part to its action as a photoacid. Modeling by density functional theory methods provides reasonable support for the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sympathetic nervous system regulates numerous critical aspects of mitochondrial function in the heart through activation of adrenergic receptors (ARs) on cardiomyocytes. Mounting evidence suggests that α1-ARs, particularly the α1A subtype, are cardioprotective and may mitigate the deleterious effects of chronic β-AR activation by shared ligands. The mechanisms underlying these adaptive effects remain unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that α1A-ARs adaptively regulate cardiomyocyte oxidative metabolism in both the uninjured and infarcted heart. We used high resolution respirometry, fatty acid oxidation (FAO) enzyme assays, substrate-specific electron transport chain (ETC) enzyme assays, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and proteomics to characterize mitochondrial function comprehensively in the uninjured hearts of wild type and α1A-AR knockout mice and defined the effects of chronic β-AR activation and myocardial infarction on selected mitochondrial functions. We found that isolated cardiac mitochondria from α1A-KO mice had deficits in fatty acid-dependent respiration, FAO, and ETC enzyme activity. TEM revealed abnormalities of mitochondrial morphology characteristic of these functional deficits. The selective α1A-AR agonist A61603 enhanced fatty-acid dependent respiration, fatty acid oxidation, and ETC enzyme activity in isolated cardiac mitochondria. The β-AR agonist isoproterenol enhanced oxidative stress in vitro and this adverse effect was mitigated by A61603. A61603 enhanced ETC Complex I activity and protected contractile function following myocardial infarction. Collectively, these novel findings position α1A-ARs as critical regulators of cardiomyocyte metabolism in the basal state and suggest that metabolic mechanisms may underlie the protective effects of α1A-AR activation in the failing heart. [Display omitted] • Cardiac mitochondria from α 1A-AR knockout mice had deficits in basal oxidative metabolism. • A selective α 1A-AR agonist improved basal oxidative metabolism in the heart. • A selective α 1A-AR agonist mitigated metabolic injury due to isoproterenol. • A selective α 1A-AR agonist protected against myocardial infarction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our understanding of postpartum anxiety ( PPA) in fathers is limited, despite the negative consequences of anxiety on the father and child. Offspring contact reduces PPA in mothers; however, parallel investigations in fathers has gone unaddressed. Adult neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus ( DG) contributes to anxiety regulation and is altered during the postpartum period, yet the effects of fatherhood on the production, or survival, of newborn cells in the DG, and the role of adult neurogenesis in PPA regulation, have not been examined. Using the biparental California mouse ( Peromyscus californicus), we examined the relationships among postnatal day, anxiety-like behavior and adult neurogenesis in fathers. We hypothesized that attenuated anxiety-like behavior and enhanced adult neurogenesis would be observed when father-offspring contact was increased. We observed a reduction in anxiety-like behavior on the elevated plus-maze, but only at PND 16, a time of peak pup retrieval. Fatherhood reduced 1-week survival of newborn cells; however, surviving cells were maintained until 2 weeks postpartum. In contrast, non-fathers experienced a significant reduction in the survival of newborn cells between 1 and 2 weeks postpartum. Fatherhood also increased the numbers of newborn cells that expressed a neuronal phenotype. Collectively, these findings suggest that offspring interaction contributes to reductions in anxiety-like behavior and the maintenance of newborn neurons in the DG of fathers. These data contribute to our knowledge of the postpartum affective state in fathers, findings that may contribute to improved health of both the father and offspring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Bicycle use for commuting is being encouraged not only to address physical inactivity, but also vehicular congestion, air pollution and climate change. The current study aimed to ascertain the urban environmental correlates and determinants of bicycle use for commuting (bicycle commuting) among the working or studying population in Barcelona, Spain. Methods Adults ( n = 769; 52% females) recruited whilst commuting within Barcelona (Spain) responded to a comprehensive telephone survey concerning their travel behaviour. Based upon responses collected from June 2011 to May 2012, participants were categorised into four groups: frequent bicyclists, infrequent bicyclists, willing non-bicyclists, and unwilling non-bicyclists. The determinants of frequency and willingness (propensity) to commute by bicycle were assessed by multinomial logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounders and covariates. Results The number of public bicycle stations surrounding the home address and amount of greenness surrounding the work/study address were significant positive determinants of bicycle commuting propensity. On the other hand, the number of public transport stations surrounding the home address and elevation of the work/study address were significant negative determinants of bicycle commuting propensity. Individual age, education level, gender, nationality, physical activity level and commute distance significantly affected this propensity. Conclusion Greater availability of public bicycle stations and higher levels of urban greenness may increase bicycle use by adults commuting within a city such as Barcelona, Spain. Electrically-assisted public bicycles may address the challenge of elevation, making this system a more competitive mode against traditional motorised public transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

STUDY QUESTION: Is in vitro maturation (IVM) as successful as standard in vitro fertilization (IVF) for the treatment of patients with polycystic ovaries (PCO) in terms of fresh, frozen and cumulative pregnancy outcomes? SUMMARY ANSWER: There was no difference in clinical pregnancy rates in fresh or frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles between the two treatment groups however, the IVM group showed a lower clinical pregnancy rate cumulatively. There was significantly fewer live births resulting from IVM treatment for both fresh and cumulative cycle outcomes however, there was no difference in live birth rates resulting from FETs between IVM and IVF treatment. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: IVM is well recognized as the only treatment option to eliminate completely the incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. However, historically IVM has been less successful than standard IVF in terms of clinical pregnancy, implantation and live birth rates. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, AND DURATION: This paper represents a retrospective case-control study. The study involved 121 participants who underwent 178 treatment cycles. Cycles were completed between March 2007 and December 2012. All fresh cycles and subsequent FET cycles were included in the analysis to calculate cumulative outcomes. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, AND METHODS: All participants were prospectively diagnosed with PCO morphology or polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and underwent either IVM or standard IVF treatment. Their treatment outcomes were analysed with regard to embryological data, and the rate of biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy and live birth, in addition maternal and neonatal outcomes were assessed. Fifty-six patients underwent 80 cycles of IVM treatment and 65 patients underwent 98 cycles of standard IVF treatment. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: For fresh cycles, the differences in the biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy or miscarriage rates between the two treatment groups were not statistically significant. The IVM group showed significantly lower live birth rates in fresh cycles in comparison to standard IVF treatment (18.8 versus 31.0%, P = 0.021). For frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles the differences in biochemical pregnancy, clinical pregnancy, live birth or miscarriage rates between the two treatments groups were not statistically significant. The cumulative biochemical pregnancy (67.5 versus 83.7%, P = 0.018), clinical pregnancy (51.3 versus 65.3%, P = 0.021) and live birth rates (41.3 versus 55.1%, P = 0.005) were significantly lower in the IVM group in comparison to the standard IVF treatment group. There was no overall difference in the cumulative miscarriage rates between the two treatment groups. There was no difference between treatment methods with regard to the neonatal outcomes, and the IVM group had a significantly lower rate of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (0 versus 7.1%, P < 0.001). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: This was an observational study and further randomized clinical trials are required to clarify the difference in outcomes between standard IVF and IVM for patients with PCO/PCOS. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: This is the first study to compare IVM with standard IVF in PCO/PCOS patients using blastocyst development and single embryo transfer. Furthermore, it is the first study to show the results of fresh, frozen and cumulative treatment cycle outcomes between the two groups. Our results show similar success rates to those reported from other groups, particularly in relation to the incidence of miscarriage in fresh IVM cycles and improved success from FET cycles. Maternal and neonatal outcomes are consistent with the limited literature available. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) : The study was supported by the Women's and Infant's Research Foundation of Western Australia. Professor Hart is Medical Director of Fertility Specialists of Western Australia (FSWA) and a shareholder Western IVF. He has received educational sponsorship from MSD, Merck-Serono and Ferring Pharmaceuticals. T.H. is a consultant with FSWA and a shareholder in Western IVF. She has received educational sponsorship from MSD, Merck-Serono and Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The other authors have no competing interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Substance use disorder (SUD) is associatedwith a cluster of cognitive disturbances that engender vulnerability to ongoing drug seeking and relapse. Two of these endophenotypes--risky decision-making and impulsivity--are amplified in individuals with SUD and are augmented by repeated exposure to illicit drugs. Identifying genetic factors underlying variability in these behavioral patterns is critical for early identification, prevention, and treatment of SUD-vulnerable individuals. Here, we compared risky decision-making and different facets of impulsivity between two fully inbred substrains of Lewis rats--LEW/NCrl and LEW/NHsd. We performed whole genome sequencing of both substrains to identify almost all relevant variants. We observed substantial differences in risky decision-making and impulsive behaviors. Relative to LEW/NHsd, the LEW/NCrl substrain accepts higher risk options in a decision-making task and higher rates of premature responses in the differential reinforcement of low rates of responding task. These phenotypic differences were more pronounced in females than males. We defined a total of ~9,000 polymorphisms between these substrains at 40× whole genome short-read coverage. Roughly half of variants are located within a single 1.5 Mb region of Chromosome 8, but none impact protein-coding regions. In contrast, other variants are widely distributed, and of these, 38 are predicted to cause protein-coding variants. In conclusion, Lewis rat substrains differ significantly in risk-taking and impulsivity and only a small number of easily mapped variants are likely to be causal. Sequencing combined with a reduced complexity cross should enable identification of one or more variants underlying multiple complex addiction-relevant behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethical theory espoused by a philosopher is often dominated by certain implicit epistemological assumptions. These "ways of knowing" may in turn be dominated by personality preferences that give rise to certain preferred worldviews that undergird various philosophies. Such preferred worldviews are seen in We believe positions, stated or unstated. The meaning of these claims about the interconnections of unexamined assumptions and their philosophical implications may be seen through an example. This paper will examine certain crucial aspects of the thought of John Doris, who promotes a form of situationist ethics. This example is intended to be suggestive rather than conclusive. It points to the need for an openness to other epistemological assumptions that might permit a more comprehensive appreciation of what moral agency involves, beyond what arises from the restricted methods of analytical philosophy and a positivist worldview. There have been other efforts to meet the situationist challenge to classical Aristotelian ethics, yet surprisingly little attention has been given to the role of implicit epistemologies and unexamined psychologies. This paper offers a critical examination of these prior We believe positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subtle behavioral and cognitive deficits have been documented in patient cohorts with orofacial clefts (OFCs). Recent neuroimaging studies argue that these traits are associated with structural brain abnormalities but have been limited to adolescent and adult populations where brain plasticity during infancy and childhood may be a confounding factor. Here, we employed high resolution magnetic resonance microscopy to examine primary brain morphology in a mouse model of OFCs. Transient in utero exposure to the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway antagonist cyclopamine resulted in a spectrum of facial dysmorphology, including unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate, cleft of the secondary palate only, and a non-cleft phenotype marked by midfacial hypoplasia. Relative to controls, cyclopamine-exposed fetuses exhibited volumetric differences in several brain regions, including hypoplasia of the pituitary gland and olfactory bulbs, hyperplasia of the forebrain septal region, and expansion of the third ventricle. However, in affected fetuses the corpus callosum was intact and normal division of the forebrain was observed. This argues that temporally-specific Hh signaling perturbation can result in typical appearing OFCs in the absence of holoprosencephaly—a condition classically associated with Hh pathway inhibition and frequently co-occurring with OFCs. Supporting the premise that some forms of OFCs co-occur with subtle brain malformations, these results provide a possible ontological basis for traits identified in clinical populations. They also argue in favor of future investigations into genetic and/or environmental modulation of the Hh pathway in the etiopathogenesis of orofacial clefting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new tool to identify possible Zeeman pairs is presented here: the right circularly polarized (RCP) and left circularly polarized (LCP) components of a pair with velocity drift at the same rate. Long-term monitoring of hydroxyl transitions towards NGC 6334I-MM3 has resulted in the identification of three possible Zeeman pairs, one each at the 1.667, 6.030, and 6.035 GHz transitions, where the rate of drift of the RCP feature equals that of the LCP component. Historical observations suggest that their drift has been occurring over 40 yr. A fourth pair in the 1.720 GHz OH transition may indicate magnetic field variation over 50 yr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Animal model-based studies have shown that ethanol exposure during early gestation induces developmental stage-specific abnormalities of the face and brain. The exposure time-dependent variability in ethanol's teratogenic outcomes is expected to contribute significantly to the wide spectrum of effects observed in humans with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). The work presented here employs a mouse FASD model and magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM; high resolution magnetic resonance imaging) in studies designed to further our understanding of the developmental stage-specific defects of the brain that are induced by ethanol. At neurulation stages, i.e. at the beginning of gestational day (GD) 9 and again 4hours later, time-mated C57Bl/6J dams were intraperitoneally administered 2.9g/kg ethanol or vehicle. Ethanol-exposed fetuses were collected on GD 17, processed for MRM analysis, and results compared to comparably staged controls. Linear and volume measurements as well as shape changes for numerous individual brain regions were determined. GD 9 ethanol exposure resulted in significantly increased septal region width, reduction of cerebellar volume, and enlargement of all of the ventricles. Additionally, the results of shape analyses showed that many areas of the ethanol-exposed brains including the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and right striatum were significantly misshapen. These data demonstrate that ethanol can induce dysmorphology that may not be obvious based on volumetric analyses alone, highlight the asymmetric aspects of ethanol-induced defects, and add to our understanding of ethanol’s developmental stage-dependent neuroteratogenesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We describe results from recent Submillimeter Array observations of massive protostellar objects (CepheusA-East, NGC7538 IRS1, and G5.89-0.39) with resolutions ranging from 0.8″ to 2″. A wide range of spectral and continuum properties are observed, with one unifying theme: at these resolutions all of the studied sources reveal multiple submillimeter cores. Some are observed to have cm-wavelength counterparts, and others not, suggesting a range of evolutionary stages coexisting in close proximity. In the presence of such complexity and multiplicity of sources, these data suggest that the interpretation of diagnostics such as kinematic velocity gradients and temperatures that are strongly dependent on spatial resolution should be approached cautiously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CD40-mediated interactions play an important role in the response to a variety of diseases, including cancer. Engagement of CD40 on antigen-presenting cells, namely dendritic cells (DC), by CD40L leads to maturation and up-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules B7.1 and B7.2 (CD80 and CD86). These molecules are requisite to subsequent antigen-specific activation of T cells. T-cell activation is a critical aspect of specific anti-tumour immune responses that have become the focus of a variety of cancer immunotherapy approaches. Clinical trials involving immunologic interventions have shown clinical responses confirming that the immune system can be harnessed for the treatment of cancer. However, the clinical response rate has been low, signifying the need for new immunotherapeutic strategies. To this end, an agonist antibody specific for CD40, CP-870,893, has been developed. A fully autologous mixed tumour cell/lymph node cell model was utilized to demonstrate that CP-870,893 promotes the responsiveness of lymph node-derived T cells to autologous tumour. Specifically, T cells from the tumour-draining lymph nodes are not responsive to autologous tumour cells; however, in the presence of CP-870,893, this unresponsiveness is reversed, as indicated by lymph node cell proliferation and cytokine secretion. Monocyte-derived DC treated with CP-870,893 consistently display a mature phenotype: up-regulation of CD80, CD83, CD86 and HLA-DR expression, increased Mip1 α and IL-12 secretion, and the loss of exogenous antigen-presenting capability subsequent to treatment with the antibody. These data indicate that CP-870,893 binds to and activates DC, ultimately driving a specific anti-tumour T-cell response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information on the development of surrounding the meetings related to oncogenes. The first several meetings with the conference logistics being handled by Margaret Fanning, conference coordinator, were run out of the Frederick Cancer Research Facility. Furthermore, in 1988, the Foundation for Advanced Cancer Studies (FACS) was set up to oversee the organization and sponsorship of the Oncogene Meeting.

Experiences of food insufficiencies, inadequate access to health care, and housing-related hardships represent how financial strain negatively impacts the entire family. The purpose of this study was to examine experiences of material hardships by TANF leavers and to understand factors that are associated with experiences of material hardship. This study examined the material hardships of TANF leavers using the 1999 National Survey of America's Families. Data for 220 families who exited TANF in 1997 were extracted. The majority of TANF leavers (53.2%) reported worrying about food, which was ranked as the number one hardship. Voluntary leavers tended to experience housingrelated hardships more than involuntary leavers did. When compared to White leavers, other ethnic groups experienced a higher percentage of housing and healthcare-related hardships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Batches of two winter wheat cultivars (Riband and Apollo) were inoculated with conidia of Mycosphaerella graminicola at weekly intervals over a 2 year period. Following 72 h incubation, plants were placed in ambient temperatures ranging between -7 and 32°C with mean batch temperatures of 2.9–20.2°C. Latent period until the first visible symptoms ranged between 11 and 42 days. The relationship between development of lesions and accumulated thermal time was described using a shifted cumulative gamma distribution model. The model provided good estimates of lesion development with r2 > 0·92 for both cultivars. Base temperatures, below which the pathogen did not develop, were estimated from the model as approximately -2.4°C for the two cultivars. Latent period was estimated as being 250 and 301 degree-days above the estimated base temperature, when defined as time from inoculation to first lesion and time to 50% of maximal lesions, respectively, for cv. Riband. The values for cv. Apollo were similar, but with estimates of thermal time periods c. 5% higher. The relationship between mean temperature and inverse latent period, expressed as days either to first lesion or to 50% of maximal lesions, was best described by a linear regression with r2 > 0·96 for both cultivars. The opportunity for plants to outgrow disease was reduced when prolonged periods of cold temperature occurred, because the base temperature for growth of the pathogen was less than that for the crop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planting of genotype mixtures is a major strategy for the non-chemical control of willow rust in short-rotation coppice willows grown for biomass. In 1997 and 1998, the relative severity and spatiotemporal distribution of stem canker damage by Melampsora spp. on Salix viminalis `Bowles Hybrid' in a field trial containing monocultures and two design mixtures (random or regular) of three or five genotypes were assessed. Sphaerellopsis filum , a hyperparasite of Melampsora spp. was detected in all plots during the summer (1998) between the time of the two canker assessments. The percentage of rust pustules with this hyperparasite was initially greater in monoculture plantings than in mixtures in June, but by July, more than 92% of pustules were parasitized, irrespective of plantation design. The stem rust assessments showed that, in general, there were fewer cankers per stool in plots containing mixtures of willow genotypes compared with monoculture plantings. The distribution of rust cankers was different between monocultures and willow mixture designs, with differences between years for monocultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary1.Planting of willow genotype mixtures for biomass production has been suggested as a non-chemical strategy for pest management. Basic information on spatial dynamics of important insects and pathogens is necessary for the effective deployment of host genotypes in a plantation. In 1998 and 1999 the degree and spatial distribution of damage by Melampsora spp. and Phratora vulgatissima were studied concurrently in a field trial containing monocultures of willow Salix genotypes with different willow rust and beetle susceptibilities, and two design mixtures (random or regular) of three or five genotypes. 2.For both years, there was more rust and beetle damage on plants in monocultures than in mixtures. There were significant differences in the vertical distribution of beetle damage along stems between plantation designs for the 2 years, yet only in 1999 for rust. Rust severity along stems was significantly correlated between leaves, indicating localized spread of disease. In contrast, beetle damage severity along stems was weakly correlated between alternate leaves and leaves farther apart, suggesting beetle movement from tree to tree. 3.In 1998, spatial distribution of rust was aggregated in 67% of plots studied and in 40% for beetles. There was no significant difference in the distribution of beetle damage between planting design, but rust was aggregated in 75% of mixtures and 33% of monocultures. While beetle damage distribution was similar between years, rust was aggregated in all monoculture plots but in only 8% of mixtures in 1999. The difference between years and design for rust was probably because of the later stage of rust development in 1999 and the delaying effect of mixtures on this development. 4.In 1998, there were significant negative correlations between the extent of rust and beetle damage on individual trees. However, only 20% of plots showed a significant spatial dissociation between these two types of damage. There were fewer discernible... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic cigarettes are frequently viewed as a safer alternative to conventional cigarettes; however, evidence to support this perspective has not materialized. Indeed, the current literature reports that electronic cigarette use is associated with both acute lung injury and subclinical dysfunction to the lung and vasculature that may result in pathology following chronic use. E-cigarettes can alter vascular dynamics, polarize innate immune populations towards a proinflammatory state, compromise barrier function in the pulmonary endothelium and epithelium, and promote pre-oncogenic phenomena. This review will summarize the variety of e-cigarette products available to users, discuss current challenges in e-cigarette study design, outline the range of pathologies occurring in cases of e-cigarette associated acute lung injury, highlight disease supporting tissue- and cellular-level changes resulting from e-cigarette exposure, and briefly examine how these changes may promote tumorigenesis. Continued research of the mechanisms by which e-cigarettes induce pathology benefit users and clinicians by resulting in increased regulation of vaping devices, informing treatments for emerging diseases e-cigarettes produce, and increasing public awareness to reduce e-cigarette use and the onset of preventable disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present deep, sub-arcsecond (⁠|$\sim$| 2000 au) resolution ALMA 0.82-mm observations of the former high-mass prestellar core candidate G11.92–0.61 MM2, recently shown to be an |$\sim$| 500 au-separation protobinary. Our observations show that G11.92–0.61 MM2, located in the G11.92–0.61 protocluster, lies on a filamentary structure traced by 0.82-mm continuum and N |$_2$| H |$^+$| (4-3) emission. The N |$_2$| H |$^+$| (4-3) spectra are multipeaked, indicative of multiple velocity components along the line of sight. To analyse the gas kinematics, we performed pixel-by-pixel Gaussian decomposition of the N |$_2$| H |$^+$| spectra using scousepy and hierarchical clustering of the extracted velocity components using acorns. Seventy velocity- and position-coherent clusters (called 'trees') are identified in the N |$_2$| H |$^+$| -emitting gas, with the eight largest trees accounting for |$\gt $| 60 per cent of the fitted velocity components. The primary tree, with |$\sim$| 20 per cent of the fitted velocity components, displays a roughly north–south velocity gradient along the filamentary structure traced by the 0.82-mm continuum. Analysing an |$\sim$| 0.17 pc-long substructure, we interpret its velocity gradient of |$\sim$| 10.5 km s |$^{-1}$|  pc |$^{-1}$| as tracing filamentary accretion towards MM2 and estimate a mass inflow rate of |$\sim 1.8\times 10^{-4}$| to 1.2 |$\times 10^{-3}$|  M |$_\odot$| yr |$^{-1}$|⁠. Based on the recent detection of a bipolar molecular outflow associated with MM2, accretion on to the protobinary is ongoing, likely fed by the larger scale filamentary accretion flows. If 50 per cent of the filamentary inflow reaches the protostars, each member of the protobinary would attain a mass of 8 M |$_\odot$| within |$\sim 1.6\times 10^5$| yr, comparable to the combined time-scale of the 70- μ m- and mid-infrared-weak phases derived for ATLASGAL-TOP100 massive clumps using chemical clocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between willow (Salix) and rust (Melampsora) is highly specific. Willows named Salix burjatica, S. dasyclados (S. × dasyclados) and S. × calodendron are important in renewable-energy plantations in the UK and western Europe. There has been much controversy over their origin, species status and nomenclature. It has been suggested that they have originated from hybridization between. S. caprea, S. viminalis and S. cinerea. In the present work, 59 willow clones were investigated through morphological examination and detached leaf inoculation using willow differentials, for their association, in southwest England, with M. capraearum and three pathotypes of Melampsora epitea (Me-A, B and C). M. capraearum was found on all clones of S. caprea and its hybrids with S. aurita; Me-A on all S. viminalis clones; Me-B on wild S. cinerea, S. × calodendron, S. × dasyclados'De Biardii 445' and S. 'Spaethii'; Me-C on all S. burjatica clones and most S. × dasyclados clones. Both M. caprearum and Me-A infected all S. × sericans (S. caprea × viminalis) clones and S. × dasyclados'LA041/03'. We suggest that S. × dasyclados'LA041/03' should be treated as S. × sericans (S. caprea × S. viminalis); S. burjatica, S. dasyclados and S. × dasyclados as synonyms; S. × dasyclados 'De Biardii 445' as S. × calodendron 'De Biardii 445'; and S. 'Spaethii' as S. × calodendron 'Spaethii'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Loss of attachment to an extracellular matrix substrate arrests the growth of untransformed cells in the G1 phase. This anchorage-dependent cell cycle arrest is linked to increased expression of the p21Cip1 (p21) and p27Kip1 (p27) cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors. The result is a loss of cdk2-associated kinase activity, especially that of cyclin E-cdk2. The levels of p21 and p27 are also upregulated in unattached transformed cells, but cyclin E-cdk2 activity remains high, and the cells are able to grow in an anchorage-independent manner. Increased expression of cyclin E and cdk2 appears to be partially responsible for the maintenance of cyclin E-cdk2 activity in transformed cells. To explore further the regulation of cyclin E-cdk2 in transformed cells, we have analysed the subcellular distribution of cyclin-cdk complexes and their inhibitors in normal human fibroblasts, their transformed counterparts, and in various human tumor cell lines. In substrate-attached normal fibroblasts, cyclin E and cdk2 were exclusively in the nuclear fraction, associated with one another. When normal fibroblasts were detached and held in suspension, cyclin E-cdk2 complexes remained nuclear, but were now found associated with the p21 and p27 cdk inhibitors and lacked histone H1 phosphorylating activity. In contrast, the transformed fibroblasts and tumor cells, which are anchorage-independent, had more than half of their cyclin E, cdk2, p21 and p27 in the cytoplasmic fraction, both in attached and suspended cultures. The cytoplasmic p21 and p27 were bound to cyclin E-cdk2, as well as to complexes containing cyclin A and cyclin D. The nuclear cyclin E-cdk2 complexes from the transformed cells grown in suspension contained only low levels of p21 and p27 and had histone H1 kinase activity. Thus, at least three mechanisms contribute to keeping cyclin E-cdk2 complexes active in suspended anchorage-independent cells: cyclin E and cdk2 are upregulated, as reported... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the characteristics and behavior of human cyclin A messenger RNA. Behavior of cyclin B; Changes of human cyclin A in advance of cyclin B levels; Description of associated protein; Identical to p60 protein.

Apothecia of Tapesia yallundae are reported for the first time in the UK. They were observed on decaying stems and leaf sheaths of unharvested wheat near Bristol in January 1989. Isolates from single ascospores produced cultures typical of the W-type form of the anamorph, Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides. Pathogenicity on wheat was confirmed by inoculation and re-isolation from glasshouse-grown wheat seedlings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A site with no known history of cereal growing or carbendazim fungicide use was inoculated in 1983 with an equal mixture of spores on R-type and W-type isolates o Pseudocercosporella herpotrichoides, all sensitive to carbendazim. Following three consecutive years of carbendazim sprays more than 90% of isolates recovered were carbendazim-resistant. A majority of R-types isolates was recovered after 3 years and resistance was found to be more frequent in R-type than in W-type isolates. A mixture of carbendazim with prochloraz initially delayed the development of carbendazim resistance, but after 3 years the incidence of resistance was similar to that where carbendazim alone was applied. The best control of eyespot was given by the mixture and by a split application of prochloraz in the first year, by the mixture in the second year, and by the split prochloraz application in the final year. A greater proportion of R-type isolates was recovered from prochloraz-treated plots than from unsprayed plots: the proportion of these that were resistant carbendazim was lower than that from carbendazim treatments. Throughout this study isolates resistant to prochloraz were not detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sporulation from sclerotia of Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Pers. on grape- vine canes was suppressed for 14 days in laboratory trials by tar/ petroleum oil, but not by other materials tested. Dichlofluanid gave the most effective control of B. cinerea during the growing season, but benomyl and the substituted hydantoin fungicide, iprodione, reduced fruit infection significantly. Completion of fermentation was delayed in juice extracted from fruit harvested eight days after the final spray of dichlofluanid or chlorothalonil had been applied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the study that determined potential risk of unnecessary radiation exposure for orthopaedic registrars, and trauma theatre staff, as no mandatory training in Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R) training for them is required. Findings discussed include poor uptake in formal ionising radiation training, and potential of deficiency in basic fluoroscopy knowledge of registrars to lead to inappropriate ionising radiation exposure.

Aims: The objective of this study was comparing medium-term outcomes between comparable minor and major amputations in adults with diabetes.Methods: We used data from the 2016-2017 National Readmissions Database to construct a representative cohort of 15,581 adults with diabetes with lower extremity amputations. Patients were categorized by level of index amputation (major/minor), and propensity score matched to compare outcomes in candidates for either level of amputation. Readmission and reamputations were assessed at 1, 3, and 6 months following index amputation.Results: In the 6 months following index amputation, large proportions of patients were readmitted (n = 7597, 48.8%) or had reamputations (n = 1990, 12.8%). Patients with minor amputations had greater odds of readmission (OR = 1.25; 95% CI 1.18-1.31), reamputation (OR = 3.71; 95% CI 3.34-4.12), and more proximal reamputation (OR = 2.61; 95% 2.33-2.93) (all P < 0.001). Further, minor amputation patients had higher and lower odds of readmission for postoperative infection (OR = 4.45; 95% CI 3.27-6.05), or sepsis (OR = 0.79; 95% CI 0.68-0.93), respectively.Conclusion: Patients desire to save as much limb as possible and should be counseled on higher risk for reamputation, readmission, and infection with minor amputations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data-driven models are rising as an auspicious method for the geometrical design of materials and structural systems. Nevertheless, existing data-driven models customarily address the optimization of structural designs rather than metamaterial designs. Metamaterials are emerging as promising materials exhibiting tailorable and unprecedented properties for a wide spectrum of applications. In this paper, we develop a deep learning (DL) model based on a convolutional neural network (CNN) that predicts optimal metamaterial designs. The developed DL model non-iteratively optimizes metamaterials for either maximizing the bulk modulus, maximizing the shear modulus, or minimizing the Poisson's ratio (including negative values). The data are generated by solving a large set of inverse homogenization boundary values problems, with randomly generated geometrical features from a specific distribution. Such s data-driven model can play a vital role in accelerating more computationally expensive design problems, such as multiscale metamaterial systems. Unlabelled Image • A deep learning (DL) model is developed for obtaining optimized metamaterials. • The DL model optimizes for bulk modulus, shear modulus, or Poisson's ratio. • Parallel computing on the HPC system is used to generate the data needed for the DL model training. • The developed DL model shows high accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofilms exist in complex environments, including the intestinal tract, as a part of the gastrointestinal microbiota. The interaction of planktonic bacteria with biofilms can be influenced by material properties of the biofilm. During previous confocal studies, we observed that amyloid curli-containing Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium and Escherichia coli biofilms appeared rigid. In these studies, Enterococcus faecalis, which lacks curli-like protein, showed more fluid movement. To better characterize the material properties of the biofilms, a four-dimensional (4D) model was designed to track the movement of 1-µm glyoxylate beads in 10- to 20-µm-thick biofilms over approximately 20 min using laser-scanning confocal microscopy. Software was developed to analyze the bead trajectories, the amount of time they could be followed (trajectory life span), the velocity of movement, the surface area covered (bounding boxes), and cellular density around each bead. Bead movement was found to be predominantly Brownian motion. Curli-containing biofilms had very little bead movement throughout the low- and high-density regions of the biofilm compared to E. faecalis and isogenic curli mutants. Curli-containing biofilms tended to have more stable bead interactions (longer trajectory life spans) than biofilms lacking curli. In biofilms lacking curli, neither the velocity of bead movement nor the bounding box volume was strictly dependent on cell density, suggesting that other material properties of the biofilms were influencing the movement of the beads and flexibility of the material. Taken together, these studies present a 4D method to analyze bead movement over time in a 3D biofilm and suggest curli confers rigidity to the extracellular matrix of biofilms. IMPORTANCE Mathematical models are necessary to understand how the material composition of biofilms can influence their physical properties. Here, we developed a 4D computational toolchain for the analysis of bead trajectories, which laid the groundwork for establishing critical parameters for mathematical models of particle movement in biofilms. Using this open-source trajectory analyzer, we determined that the presence of bacterial amyloid curli changes the material properties of a biofilm, making the biofilm matrix rigid. This software is a powerful tool to analyze treatment- and environment-induced changes in biofilm structure and cell movement in biofilms. The open-source analyzer is fully adaptable and extendable in a modular fashion using VRL-Studio to further enhance and extend its functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To conduct a cross-walk analysis of the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society Health Index (ASAS HI) to the Ankylosing Spondylitis Quality of Life (ASQoL) in patients with physician confirmed ankylosing spondylitis (AS) or non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (nr-axSpA) in the United States. Data were collected from Jun-Aug 2018 via physician-completed patient record forms and patient self-completed forms. Results Data from 63 rheumatologists, 283 AS patients, and 274 nr-axSpA patients were included in this analysis. [Extracted from the article]

Reports on the bacterial disease of cricket bat willow caused by Erwinia salicis. Production of diffuse watery purplish brown stain on the infected wood; Symptoms of watermark; Observation of twig and branch dieback with leaf browning and wilting.

We have obtained new Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) observations at X, K, and Ka bands (3 cm, 1.3 cm, and 0.9 cm) which have resolved the continuum emission from the most promising candidate for a massive pre-stellar core discovered to date: G11.92-0.61 MM2. As described in Cyganowski et al. (2014), this bright dust continuum source (190 mJy at 1.1mm) exhibits no spectral line emission in sub-arcsecond-resolution Submillimeter Array (SMA) images across 24 GHz of bandwidth, including the typical tracers CO, HCN, HCO+, and N2H+.Astrochemical models require high density (>109 cm-³) and low temperature (<20 K) to explain the rare chemistry of this massive (M = 30Mʘ) object, which may exist in a fleeting evolutionary state. This source is well detected and elongated in VLA Ka-band (9 mm) continuum image with a 0.25" beam (800AU), is marginally detected in poorer resolution (1) K-band (1.3 cm) data, and is undetected at Xband (3 cm) with 0.25" resolution. In combination with existing SMA millimeter wavelength data, our results provide an accurate spectral energy distribution of this source, constraining the dust grain emissivity index to 1.0-1.6 and the luminosity to 3-37 Lʘ. Preliminary results from ALMA Band 7 images confirm that the dust emission from MM2 is resolved in an east-west direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the detection of new 12.178, 12.229, 20.347, and 23.121 GHz methanol masers in the massive star-forming region G358.93−0.03, which are flaring on similarly short time-scales (days) as the 6.668 GHz methanol masers also associated with this source. The brightest 12.178 GHz channel increased by a factor of over 700 in just 50 d. The masers found in the 12.229 and 20.347 GHz methanol transitions are the first ever reported and this is only the fourth object to exhibit associated 23.121 GHz methanol masers. The 12.178 GHz methanol maser emission appears to have a higher flux density than that of the 6.668 GHz emission, which is unusual. No associated near-infrared flare counterpart was found, suggesting that the energy source of the flare is deeply embedded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a study of the physical and chemical properties of the Extended Green Object (EGO) G19.01−0.03 using sub-arcsecond angular resolution Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) 1.05 mm and Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) 1.21 cm data. G19.01−0.03 MM1, the millimetre source associated with the central massive young stellar object (MYSO), appeared isolated and potentially chemically young in previous Submillimetre Array observations. In our ∼0.4 arcsec-resolution ALMA data, MM1 has four low-mass millimetre companions within 0.12 pc, all lacking maser or outflow emission, indicating they may be pre-stellar cores. With a rich ALMA spectrum full of complex organic molecules, MM1 does not appear chemically young, but has molecular abundances typical of high-mass hot cores in the literature. At the 1.05 mm continuum peak of MM1, N(CH3OH) = (2.22 ± 0.01) × 1018 cm−2 and |$T_{\mathrm{ex}} = 162.7\substack{+0.3 \\ -0.5}$|  K based on pixel-by-pixel Bayesian analysis of LTE synthetic methanol spectra across MM1. Intriguingly, the peak CH3OH T ex = 165.5 ± 0.6 K is offset from MM1's millimetre continuum peak by 0.22 arcsec ∼ 880 au, and a region of elevated CH3OH T ex coincides with free–free VLA 5.01 cm continuum, adding to the tentative evidence for a possible unresolved high-mass binary in MM1. In our VLA 1.21 cm data, we report the first NH3(3,3) maser detections towards G19.01−0.03, along with candidate 25 GHz CH3OH 5(2, 3) − 5(1, 4) maser emission; both are spatially and kinematically coincident with 44 GHz Class I CH3OH masers in the MM1 outflow. We also report the ALMA detection of candidate 278.3 GHz Class I CH3OH maser emission towards this outflow, strengthening the connection of these three maser types to MYSO outflows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reacts to the article "Routine chest radiography after permanent pacemaker implantation: Is it necessary?" Retrospective analysis of pacemaker placement and post-procedure chest radiographs; Their conclusion that the need for patient intervention was governed by malfunction of the pacemaker system, and was not influenced by the findings on routine and subsequent radiography; Differences in patient population.

Comments on new data from Yew, et al in the February 13, 1992 issue of `Nature' which focuses on the ability of c-mos protein to promote oocyte maturation and sheds light on its interaction with progesterone. Recent attention that has focuses onthe surprising evidence that c-mos protein is a component of cytostatic factor (CSF), the entity that stabilizes maturation-promoting factor (MPF) and maintains meisosis II metaphase arrest in frogs until the sperm arrives; More.