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Background: Access to liver transplantation (LT) is affected by geographic disparities. Higher waitlist mortality is observed in patients residing farther from LT centres, but the impact of distance on post-LT outcomes is unclear., Aims: To evaluate whether the distance LT recipients reside from their LT centre affects graft and patient outcomes., Methods: We retrospectively studied consecutive adult patients who received deceased donor LT at a statewide LT referral centre, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH), 2006-2021. The primary outcome was overall patient survival., Results: A total of 973 patients who underwent LT during the study period were analysed. The median distance from patient residence to RPAH was 44.9 km (interquartile range 21.9-168.0). Of these, 64.2% lived ≤100 km from RPAH. Compared to patients living ≤100 km from RPAH, those living >100 km away were less likely to be male, have chronic hepatitis B as their cause of liver disease or have hepatocellular carcinoma as their primary indication for LT. Living >100 km from RPAH was associated with fewer face-to-face clinic visits in the first year after LT (10 vs 11 visits, P < 0.001) and fewer readmissions to RPAH (32.4% vs 67.6%, P < 0.001). Distance from RPAH, regional code and socioeconomic code did not affect long-term graft or patient survival based on Kaplan-Meier survival analysis (log-rank P > 0.1)., Conclusion: In our single-centre Australian study, patients living farther from their LT centre had different demographics. Distance from the LT centre was not associated with long-term inferior graft or patient survival after LT., (© 2025 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.)

Introduction: Poor retention in clinical trials can impact on statistical power, reliability, validity, and generalizability of findings and is a particular challenge in smoking cessation studies. In online trials with automated follow-up mechanisms, poor response also increases the resource need for manual follow-up. This study compared two financial incentives on response rates at 6 months follow up, in an online, automated smoking cessation feasibility trial of a cessation smartphone app (Quit Sense)., Aims and Methods: A study within a trial (SWAT), embedded within a host randomized controlled trial. Host trial participants were randomized 1:1 to receive either a £10 or £20 voucher incentive, for completing the 6-month questionnaire. Stratification for randomization to the SWAT was by minimization to ensure an even split of host trial arm participants and by 6-week response rate. Outcome measures were: Questionnaire completion rate, time to completion, number of completers requiring manual follow-up, and completeness of responses., Results: Two hundred and four participants were randomized to the SWAT. The £20 and £10 incentives did not differ in completion rate at 6 months (79% vs. 74%; p = .362) but did reduce the proportion of participants requiring manual follow-up (46% vs. 62%; p = .018) and the median completion time (7 days vs. 15 days; p = .008). Measure response completeness rates were higher among £20 incentive participants, though differences were small for the host trial's primary smoking outcome., Conclusions: Benefits to using relatively modest increases in incentive for online smoking cessation trials include more rapid completion of follow-up questionnaires and reduced manual follow-up., Implications: A modest increase in incentive (from £10 to £20) to promote the completion of follow-up questionnaires in online smoking cessation trials may not increase overall response rates but could lead to more rapid data collection, a reduced need for manual follow-up and reduced missing data among those who initiate completing a questionnaire. Such an improvement may help to reduce bias, increase validity and generalizability, and improve statistical power in smoking cessation trials., Trial Registration: Host trial ISRCTN12326962, SWAT repository store ID 164., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.)

Magnesium nanoparticles offer an alternative plasmonic platform capable of resonances across the ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared. Crystalline magnesium nanoparticles display twinning on the (101̄1), (101̄2), (101̄3), and (112̄1) planes leading to concave folded shapes named tents, chairs, tacos, and kites, respectively. We use the Wulff-based Crystal Creator tool to expand the range of Mg crystal shapes with twinning over the known Mg twin planes, i.e. , (101̄ x ), x = 1, 2, 3 and (112̄ y ), y = 1, 2, 3, 4, and study the effects of relative facet expression on the resulting shapes. These shapes include both concave and convex structures, some of which have been experimentally observed. The resonant modes, far-field, and near-field optical responses of these unusual plasmonic shapes as well as their photothermal behaviour are reported, revealing the effects of folding angle and in-filling of the concave region. Significant differences exist between shapes, in particular regarding the maximum and average electric field enhancement. A maximum field enhancement (| E |/| E 0 |) of 184, comparable to that calculated for Au and Ag nanoparticles, was found at the tips of the (112̄4) kite. The presence of a 5 nm MgO shell is found to decrease the near-field enhancement by 67% to 90% depending on the shape, while it can increase the plasmon-induced temperature rise by up to 42%. Tip rounding on the otherwise sharp nanoparticle corners also significantly affects the maximum field enhancement. These results provide guidance for the design of enhancing and photothermal substrates for a variety of plasmonic applications across a wide spectral range.

Background: During a quit attempt, cues from a smoker's environment are a major cause of brief smoking lapses, which increase the risk of relapse. Quit Sense is a theory-guided Just-In-Time Adaptive Intervention smartphone app, providing smokers with the means to learn about their environmental smoking cues and provides 'in the moment' support to help them manage these during a quit attempt., Objective: To undertake a feasibility randomised controlled trial to estimate key parameters to inform a definitive randomised controlled trial of Quit Sense., Design: A parallel, two-arm randomised controlled trial with a qualitative process evaluation and a 'Study Within A Trial' evaluating incentives on attrition. The research team were blind to allocation except for the study statistician, database developers and lead researcher. Participants were not blind to allocation., Setting: Online with recruitment, enrolment, randomisation and data collection (excluding manual telephone follow-up) automated through the study website., Participants: Smokers (323 screened, 297 eligible, 209 enrolled) recruited via online adverts on Google search, Facebook and Instagram., Interventions: Participants were allocated to 'usual care' arm ( n  = 105; text message referral to the National Health Service SmokeFree website) or 'usual care' plus Quit Sense ( n  = 104), via a text message invitation to install the Quit Sense app., Main Outcome Measures: Follow-up at 6 weeks and 6 months post enrolment was undertaken by automated text messages with an online questionnaire link and, for non-responders, by telephone. Definitive trial progression criteria were met if a priori thresholds were included in or lower than the 95% confidence interval of the estimate. Measures included health economic and outcome data completion rates (progression criterion #1 threshold: ≥ 70%), including biochemical validation rates (progression criterion #2 threshold: ≥ 70%), recruitment costs, app installation (progression criterion #3 threshold: ≥ 70%) and engagement rates (progression criterion #4 threshold: ≥ 60%), biochemically verified 6-month abstinence and hypothesised mechanisms of action and participant views of the app (qualitative)., Results: Self-reported smoking outcome completion rates were 77% (95% confidence interval 71% to 82%) and health economic data (resource use and quality of life) 70% (95% CI 64% to 77%) at 6 months. Return rate of viable saliva samples for abstinence verification was 39% (95% CI 24% to 54%). The per-participant recruitment cost was £19.20, which included advert (£5.82) and running costs (£13.38). In the Quit Sense arm, 75% (95% CI 67% to 83%; 78/104) installed the app and, of these, 100% set a quit date within the app and 51% engaged with it for more than 1 week. The rate of 6-month biochemically verified sustained abstinence, which we anticipated would be used as a primary outcome in a future study, was 11.5% (12/104) in the Quit Sense arm and 2.9% (3/105) in the usual care arm (estimated effect size: adjusted odds ratio = 4.57, 95% CIs 1.23 to 16.94). There was no evidence of between-arm differences in hypothesised mechanisms of action. Three out of four progression criteria were met. The Study Within A Trial analysis found a £20 versus £10 incentive did not significantly increase follow-up rates though reduced the need for manual follow-up and increased response speed. The process evaluation identified several potential pathways to abstinence for Quit Sense, factors which led to disengagement with the app, and app improvement suggestions., Limitations: Biochemical validation rates were lower than anticipated and imbalanced between arms. COVID-19-related restrictions likely limited opportunities for Quit Sense to provide location tailored support., Conclusions: The trial design and procedures demonstrated feasibility and evidence was generated supporting the efficacy potential of Quit Sense., Future Work: Progression to a definitive trial is warranted providing improved biochemical validation rates., Trial Registration: This trial is registered as ISRCTN12326962., Funding: This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme (NIHR award ref: 17/92/31) and is published in full in Public Health Research ; Vol. 12, No. 4. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

Understanding and guiding light at the nanoscale can significantly impact society, for instance, by facilitating the development of efficient, sustainable, and/or cost-effective technologies. One emergent branch of nanotechnology exploits the conversion of light into heat, where heat is subsequently harnessed for various applications including therapeutics, heat-driven chemistries, and solar heating. Gold nanoparticles are overwhelmingly the most common material for plasmon-assisted photothermal applications; yet magnesium nanoparticles present a compelling alternative due to their low cost and superior biocompatibility. Herein, we measured the heat generated and quantified the photothermal efficiency of the gold and magnesium nanoparticle suspensions. Photothermal transduction experiments and optical and thermal simulations of different sizes and shapes of gold and magnesium nanoparticles showed that magnesium is more efficient at converting light into heat compared to gold at near-infrared wavelengths, thus demonstrating that magnesium nanoparticles are a promising new class of inexpensive, biodegradable photothermal platforms.

Cu is an inexpensive alternative plasmonic metal with optical behaviour comparable to Au but with much poorer environmental stability. Alloying with a more stable metal can improve stability and add functionality, with potential effects on the plasmonic properties. Here we investigate the plasmonic behaviour of Cu nanorods and Cu-CuPd nanorods containing up to 46 mass percent Pd. Monochromated scanning transmission electron microscopy electron energy-loss spectroscopy first reveals the strong length dependence of multiple plasmonic modes in Cu nanorods, where the plasmon peaks redshift and narrow with increasing length. Next, we observe an increased damping (and increased linewidth) with increasing Pd content, accompanied by minimal frequency shift. These results are corroborated by and expanded upon with numerical simulations using the electron-driven discrete dipole approximation. This study indicates that adding Pd to nanostructures of Cu is a promising method to expand the scope of their plasmonic applications., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Objective: The objective of this review is to identify evidence on pain assessment during acute procedures in hospitalized neonates at risk of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS)., Introduction: While all neonates are routinely exposed to various painful procedures, neonates at risk of NOWS have longer hospital stays and are exposed to multiple painful procedures. NOWS occurs when a neonate is born to a birth parent who identifies as having sustained opioid use (such as morphine or methadone) during pregnancy. Accurate pain assessment and management during painful procedures is critical for minimizing the well-documented adverse effects of unmanaged pain in neonates. While pain indicators and composite pain scores are valid and reliable for healthy neonates, there is no review of evidence regarding procedural pain assessment in neonates at risk of NOWS., Inclusion Criteria: Eligible studies will include those reporting on hospitalized pre-term and full-term neonates at risk of NOWS having pain assessments (ie, behavioral indicators, physiological indicators, validated composite pain scores) during and/or after exposure to an acute painful procedure., Methods: This review will follow the JBI scoping review methodology. Databases to be searched will include MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCO), Embase, PsyclNFO (EBSCO), and Scopus. The relevant data will be extracted by 2 reviewers using a modified JBI extraction tool. The results will be summarized in narrative and tabular format, including the components of participants, concept, and context (PCC)., Review Registration: Open Science Framework https://osf.io/fka8s ., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. On behalf of JBI.)

Although photothermal imaging was originally designed to detect individual molecules that do not emit or small nanoparticles that do not scatter, the technique is now being applied to image and spectroscopically characterize larger and more sophisticated nanoparticle structures that scatter light strongly. Extending photothermal measurements into this regime, however, requires revisiting fundamental assumptions made in the interpretation of the signal. Herein, we present a theoretical analysis of the wavelength-resolved photothermal image and its extension to the large particle scattering regime, where we find the photothermal signal to inherit a nonlinear dependence upon pump intensity, together with a contraction of the full-width-at-half-maximum of its point spread function. We further analyze theoretically the extent to which photothermal spectra can be interpreted as an absorption spectrum measure, with deviations between the two becoming more prominent with increasing pump intensities. Companion experiments on individual 10, 20, and 100 nm radius gold nanoparticles evidence the predicted nonlinear pump power dependence and image contraction, verifying the theory and demonstrating new aspects of photothermal imaging relevant to a broader class of targets.

Photothermal heating of nanoparticles has applications in nanomedicine, photocatalysis, photoelectrochemistry, and data storage, but accurate measurements of temperature at the nanoparticle surface are lacking. Here we demonstrate progress toward a super-resolution DNA nanothermometry technique capable of reporting the surface temperature on single plasmonic nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles are functionalized with double-stranded DNA, and the extent of DNA denaturation under heating conditions serves as a reporter of temperature. Fluorescently labeled DNA oligomers are used to probe the denatured DNA through transient binding interactions. By counting the number of fluorescent binding events as a function of temperature, we reconstruct DNA melting curves that reproduce trends seen for solution-phase DNA. In addition, we demonstrate our ability to control the temperature of denaturation by changing the Na + concentration and the base pair length of the double-stranded DNA on the nanoparticle surface. This degree of control allows us to select narrow temperature windows to probe, providing quantitative measurements of temperature at nanoscale surfaces.

Developmental plasticity can elicit phenotypic adjustments that help organisms cope with environmental change, but the relationship between developmental plasticity and plasticity in adult life (e.g., acclimation) remains unresolved. We sought to examine developmental plasticity and adult acclimation in response to hypoxia of aerobic capacity (V̇O 2max ) for thermogenesis in deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus ) native to high altitude. Deer mice were bred in captivity and exposed to normoxia or one of four hypoxia treatments (12 kPa O 2 ) across life stages: adult hypoxia (6-8 weeks), post-natal hypoxia (birth to adulthood), life-long hypoxia (before conception to adulthood), and parental hypoxia (mice conceived and raised in normoxia, but parents previously exposed to hypoxia). Hypoxia during perinatal development increased V̇O 2max by a much greater magnitude than adult hypoxia. The amplified effect of developmental hypoxia resulted from physiological plasticity that did not occur with adult hypoxia - namely, increases in lung ventilation and volume. Evolved characteristics of deer mice enabled developmental plasticity, because white-footed mice ( P. leucopus ; a congener restricted to low altitudes) could not raise pups in hypoxia. Parental hypoxia had no persistent effects on V̇O 2max . Therefore, developmental plasticity can have much stronger phenotypic effects and can manifest from distinct physiological mechanisms from adult acclimation., (Copyright © 2021 Ivy, Prest, West and Scott.)

Plasmonic structures confine electromagnetic energy at the nanoscale, resulting in local, inhomogeneous, controllable heating, but reading out the temperature using optical techniques poses a difficult challenge. Here, we report on the optical thermometry of individual gold nanorod trimers that exhibit multiple wavelength-dependent plasmon modes resulting in measurably different local temperature distributions. Specifically, we demonstrate how photothermal microscopy encodes different wavelength-dependent temperature profiles in the asymmetry of the photothermal image point spread function. These asymmetries are interpreted through companion numerical simulations to reveal how thermal gradients within the trimer can be controlled by exciting its hybridized plasmon modes. We also find that plasmon modes that are optically dark can be excited by focused laser beam illumination, providing another route to modify thermal profiles beyond wide-field illumination. Taken together these findings demonstrate an all-optical thermometry technique to actively create and measure nanoscale thermal gradients below the diffraction limit.

Hypoxia at high altitude can constrain metabolism and performance and can elicit physiological adjustments that are deleterious to health and fitness. Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension is a particularly serious and maladaptive response to chronic hypoxia, which results from vasoconstriction and pathological remodeling of pulmonary arteries, and can lead to pulmonary edema and right ventricle hypertrophy. We investigated whether deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus ) native to high altitude have attenuated this maladaptive response to chronic hypoxia and whether evolved changes or hypoxia-induced plasticity in pulmonary vasculature might impact ventilation-perfusion (V-Q) matching in chronic hypoxia. Deer mouse populations from both high and low altitudes were born and raised to adulthood in captivity at sea level, and various aspects of lung function were measured before and after exposure to chronic hypoxia (12 kPa O 2 , simulating the O 2 pressure at 4,300 m) for 6-8 wk. In lowlanders, chronic hypoxia increased right ventricle systolic pressure (RVSP) from 14 to 19 mmHg ( P = 0.001), in association with thickening of smooth muscle in pulmonary arteries and right ventricle hypertrophy. Chronic hypoxia also impaired V-Q matching in lowlanders (measured at rest using SPECT-CT imaging), as reflected by increased log SD of the perfusion distribution (log SD Q ) from 0.55 to 0.86 ( P = 0.031). In highlanders, chronic hypoxia had attenuated effects on RVSP and no effects on smooth muscle thickness, right ventricle mass, or V-Q matching. Therefore, evolved changes in lung function help attenuate maladaptive plasticity and contribute to hypoxia tolerance in high-altitude deer mice.

Hypoxia at high altitudes can constrain the ability of endotherms to maintain sufficient rates of pulmonary O 2 transport to support exercise and thermogenesis. Hypoxia can also impede lung development during early post-natal life in some mammals, and could thus accentuate constraints on O 2 transport at high altitude. We examined how these challenges are overcome in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) native to high altitude. Lung structure was examined in highland and lowland populations of deer mice and lowland populations of white-footed mice (P. leucopus; a congener restricted to low altitude) that were bred in captivity. Among mice that were born and raised to adulthood in normoxia, highland deer mice had higher alveolar surface density and more densely packed alveoli. The increased alveolar surface density in highlanders became fully apparent at juvenile life stages at post-natal day 30 (P30), after the early developmental period of intense alveolus formation before P21. Alveolar surface density was maintained in highlanders that were conceived, born, and raised in hypoxia (~ 12 kPa O 2 ), suggesting that lung development was not impaired by post-natal hypoxia as it is in many other lowland mammals. However, developmental hypoxia increased lung volume and thus augmented total alveolar surface area from P14. Overall, our findings suggest that evolutionary adaptation and developmental plasticity lead to changes in lung morphology that should improve pulmonary O 2 uptake in deer mice native to high altitude.

We leverage the high spatial and energy resolution of monochromated aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy to study the hybridization of cyclic assemblies of plasmonic gold nanorods. Detailed experiments and simulations elucidate the hybridization of the coupled long-axis dipole modes into collective magnetic and electric dipole plasmon resonances. We resolve the magnetic dipole mode in these closed loop oligomers with electron energy loss spectroscopy and confirm the mode assignment with its characteristic spectrum image. The energy splitting of the magnetic mode and antibonding modes increases with the number of polygon edges (n). For the n=3-6 oligomers studied, optical simulations using normal incidence and s-polarized oblique incidence show the respective electric and magnetic modes' extinction efficiencies are maximized in the n=4 arrangement.

Using grafts from extended criteria donors (ECDs) and donation after circulatory death (DCD) donors is a strategy to address organ shortage in liver transplantation (LT). We studied the characteristics and outcomes of ECD and DCD grafts. We retrospectively studied consecutive adults who underwent deceased donor LT between 2006 and 2019. ECD was defined using modified Eurotransplant criteria. Our primary outcomes were graft and patient survival. A total of 798 grafts were used for LT, of which 93.1% were donation after brain death (DBD; 59.9% were also ECD) and 6.9% were DCD grafts (49.1% were also ECD). Among DBD graft recipients, donors having >33% liver steatosis or 3 ECD criteria resulted in poorer graft survival. Otherwise ECD graft recipients had similar graft and patient survival compared with non-ECD graft recipients. DCD graft recipients also had similar patient survival compared with DBD recipients. However, DCD grafts from an ECD appeared to have worse outcomes. DCD graft recipients experienced higher rates of early allograft dysfunction (50.9% versus 24.7%; P < 0.001) and ischemic biliopathy (16.4% versus 1.5%; P < 0.001) compared with DBD graft recipients. Use of DBD grafts from ECDs did not impact outcomes unless there was significant donor steatosis or 3 Eurotransplant criteria were met. DCD graft recipients have similar patient survival compared with DBD graft recipients as long as the donor was not an ECD. We recommend that DBD donors with 3 or more ECD features or >33% steatosis and DCD donors with any ECD features be used with caution in adult LT., (Copyright © 2020 American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.)

Advances in liver transplantation (LT) have allowed for expanded indications and increased surgical complexity. In select cases, additional surgery may be performed at time of LT rather than prior to LT due to the significant risks associated with advanced liver disease. We retrospectively studied the characteristics and outcomes of patients who underwent an additional planned abdominal or cardiac operation at time of LT between 2011-2019. An additional operation (LT+) was defined as a planned operation performed under the same anesthetic as the LT but not directly related to the LT. In total, 547 patients were included in the study, of which 20 underwent LT+ (4%). Additional operations included 10 gastrointestinal, 5 splenic, 3 cardiac, and 2 other abdominal operations. Baseline characteristics between LT and LT+ groups were similar. The median total operating time was significantly longer in LT+ compared to LT only (451 vs. 355 min, p = 0.002). Graft and patient survival, intraoperative blood loss, transfusion of blood products, length of hospital stay, and post-operative complications were not significantly different between groups. In carefully selected patients undergoing LT, certain additional operations performed at the same time appear to be safe with equivalent short-term outcomes and liver graft survival as those undergoing LT alone., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

The ability to control and manipulate temperature at nanoscale dimensions has the potential to impact applications including heat-assisted magnetic recording, photothermal therapies, and temperature-driven reactivity. One challenge with controlling temperature at nanometer dimensions is the need to mitigate heat diffusion, such that the temperature only changes in well-defined nanoscopic regions of the sample. Here we demonstrate the ability to use far-field laser excitation to actively shape the thermal near-field in individual gold nanorod heterodimers by resonantly pumping either the in-phase or out-of-phase hybridized dipole plasmon modes. Using single-particle photothermal heterodyne imaging, we demonstrate localization bias in the photothermal intensity due to preferential heating of one of the nanorods within the pair. Theoretical modeling and numerical simulation make explicit how the resulting photothermal images encode wavelength-dependent temperature biases between each nanorod within a heterodimer, demonstrating the ability to actively manage the thermal near-field by simply tuning the color of incident light.

Single-molecule fluorescence microscopy is used to follow dynamic ligand reorganization on the surface of single plasmonic gold nanorods. Fluorescently labeled DNA is attached to gold nanorods via a gold-thiol bond using a low-pH loading method. No fluorescence activity is initially observed from the fluorescent labels on the nanorod surface, which we attribute to a collapsed geometry of DNA on the metal. Upon several minutes of laser illumination, a marked increase in fluorescence activity is observed, suggesting that the ligand shell reorganizes from a collapsed, quenched geometry to an upright, ordered geometry. The ligand reorganization is facilitated by plasmon-mediated photothermal heating, as verified by controls using an external heat source and simulated by coupled optical and heat diffusion modeling. Using super-resolution image reconstruction, we observe spatial variations in which ligand reorganization occurs at the single-particle level. The results suggest the possibility of nonuniform plasmonic heating, which would be hidden with traditional ensemble-averaged measurements.

Understanding the genomic complexity of bread wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is a cornerstone in the quest to unravel the processes of domestication and the following adaptation of domesticated wheat to a wide variety of environments across the globe. Additionally, it is of importance for future improvement of the crop, particularly in the light of climate change. Focusing on the adaptation after domestication, a nested association mapping (NAM) panel of 60 segregating biparental populations was developed, mainly involving landrace accessions from the core set of the Watkins hexaploid wheat collection optimized for genetic diversity. A modern spring elite variety, "Paragon," was used as common reference parent. Genetic maps were constructed following identical rules to make them comparable. In total, 1611 linkage groups were identified, based on recombination from an estimated 126,300 crossover events over the whole NAM panel. A consensus map, named landrace consensus map (LRC), was constructed and contained 2498 genetic loci. These newly developed genetics tools were used to investigate the rules underlying genome fluidity or rigidity, e.g. , by comparing marker distances and marker orders. In general, marker order was highly correlated, which provides support for strong synteny between bread wheat accessions. However, many exceptional cases of incongruent linkage groups and increased marker distances were also found. Segregation distortion was detected for many markers, sometimes as hot spots present in different populations. Furthermore, evidence for translocations in at least 36 of the maps was found. These translocations fell, in general, into many different translocation classes, but a few translocation classes were found in several accessions, the most frequent one being the well-known T5B:7B translocation. Loci involved in recombination rate, which is an interesting trait for plant breeding, were identified by QTL analyses using the crossover counts as a trait. In total, 114 significant QTL were detected, nearly half of them with increasing effect from the nonreference parents., (Copyright © 2017 Wingen et al.)

Negative-index metamaterials composed of magnetic plasmon oligomers are actively being investigated for their potential role in optical cloaking, superlensing, and nanolithography applications. A significant improvement to their practicality lies in the ability to function at multiple distinct wavelengths in the visible part of spectrum. Here we utilize the nanometer spatial-resolving power of electron energy-loss spectroscopy to conclusively demonstrate hybridization of magnetic plasmons in oligomer dimers that can achieve this goal. We also show that breaking the dimer's symmetry can induce all-magnetic Fano interferences based solely on the interplay of bright and dark magnetic modes, allowing us to further tailor the system's optical responses. These features are engineered through the design of the oligomer's underlying nanoparticle elements as elongated Ag nanodisks with spectrally isolated long-axis plasmon resonances. The resulting magnetic plasmon oligomers and their hybridized assemblies establish a new design paradigm for optical metamaterials with rich functionality.

Despite the considerable number and taxonomic breadth of past and current genome sequencing projects, many of which necessarily encompass the ribosomal DNA, detailed information on the prevalence and evolutionary significance of sequence variation in this ubiquitous genomic region are severely lacking. Here, we attempt to address this issue in two closely related yet contrasting yeast species, the baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the wild yeast Saccharomyces paradoxus. By drawing on existing datasets from the Saccharomyces Genome Resequencing Project, we identify a rich seam of ribosomal DNA sequence variation, characterising 1,068 and 970 polymorphisms in 34 S. cerevisiae and 26 S. paradoxus strains respectively. We discover the two species sets exhibit distinct mutational profiles. Furthermore, we show for the first time that unresolved rDNA sequence variation resulting from imperfect concerted evolution of the ribosomal DNA region follows a U-shaped allele frequency distribution in each species, similar to loci that evolve under non-concerted mechanisms but arising through rather different evolutionary processes. Finally, we link differences between the shapes of these allele frequency distributions to the two species' contrasting population histories.

In wheat, a lack of genetic diversity between breeding lines has been recognized as a significant block to future yield increases. Species belonging to bread wheat's secondary and tertiary gene pools harbour a much greater level of genetic variability, and are an important source of genes to broaden its genetic base. Introgression of novel genes from progenitors and related species has been widely employed to improve the agronomic characteristics of hexaploid wheat, but this approach has been hampered by a lack of markers that can be used to track introduced chromosome segments. Here, we describe the identification of a large number of single nucleotide polymorphisms that can be used to genotype hexaploid wheat and to identify and track introgressions from a variety of sources. We have validated these markers using an ultra-high-density Axiom(®) genotyping array to characterize a range of diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid wheat accessions and wheat relatives. To facilitate the use of these, both the markers and the associated sequence and genotype information have been made available through an interactive web site., (© 2015 The Authors. Plant Biotechnology Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and The Association of Applied Biologists and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The ribosomal RNA encapsulates a wealth of evolutionary information, including genetic variation that can be used to discriminate between organisms at a wide range of taxonomic levels. For example, the prokaryotic 16S rDNA sequence is very widely used both in phylogenetic studies and as a marker in metagenomic surveys and the internal transcribed spacer region, frequently used in plant phylogenetics, is now recognized as a fungal DNA barcode. However, this widespread use does not escape criticism, principally due to issues such as difficulties in classification of paralogous versus orthologous rDNA units and intragenomic variation, both of which may be significant barriers to accurate phylogenetic inference. We recently analyzed data sets from the Saccharomyces Genome Resequencing Project, characterizing rDNA sequence variation within multiple strains of the baker's yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and its nearest wild relative Saccharomyces paradoxus in unprecedented detail. Notably, both species possess single locus rDNA systems. Here, we use these new variation datasets to assess whether a more detailed characterization of the rDNA locus can alleviate the second of these phylogenetic issues, sequence heterogeneity, while controlling for the first. We demonstrate that a strong phylogenetic signal exists within both datasets and illustrate how they can be used, with existing methodology, to estimate intraspecies phylogenies of yeast strains consistent with those derived from whole-genome approaches. We also describe the use of partial Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, a type of sequence variation found only in repetitive genomic regions, in identifying key evolutionary features such as genome hybridization events and show their consistency with whole-genome Structure analyses. We conclude that our approach can transform rDNA sequence heterogeneity from a problem to a useful source of evolutionary information, enabling the estimation of highly accurate phylogenies of closely related organisms, and discuss how it could be extended to future studies of multilocus rDNA systems. [concerted evolution; genome hydridisation; phylogenetic analysis; ribosomal DNA; whole genome sequencing; yeast]., (© The Author(s) 2014. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists.)

Objective: To assess the use of two-channel electroencephalographical (EEG) recordings for predicting adverse neurodevelopmental outcome (death or Bayley II mental developmental index/psychomotor developmental index < 70) in extremely preterm infants and to determine the relationship between quantitative continuity measures and a specialist neurophysiologist assessment of the same EEG segment for predicting outcome., Design: Observational study., Setting: The study was conducted in a neonatal intensive care unit., Patients: Preterm infants born <29 weeks' gestation., Interventions: Two-channel EEGs using the reBRM2 monitor (BrainZ Instruments, Auckland, New Zealand) within 48 h of delivery. One-hour segments were analysed, blinded to the clinical outcome, by off-line quantitative analysis of continuity and a review of the raw EEG by a neurophysiologist., Main Outcome Measures: Developmental assessment at a median of 15 months' corrected age., Results: 76 infants had an EEG within 48 h of delivery and a developmental assessment. The analysed segment of the EEG was obtained at 24 (3-48) h of age (median (range)). The neurophysiologist's assessment was a better predictor of adverse outcome than the continuity measures (positive predictive value 95% CI 75 (54% to 96%) vs 41 (22% to 60) at 25-µV threshold, negative predictive value 88 (80% to 96%) vs 84 (74% to 94%) and positive likelihood ratio 9.0 (3.2 to 24.6) vs 2.0 (1.2 to 3.6)). All the infants with definite seizures identified by the neurophysiologist had poor outcomes., Conclusions: Modified cot-side EEG has potential to assist with identification of extremely preterm infants at risk for adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, analysis by a neurophysiologist performed better than the currently available continuity analyses.

Copper trafficking proteins and copper-sensitive regulators are often found to be able to bind multiple Cu(I) ions in the form of Cu(I) clusters. We have determined the high-resolution X-ray crystal structure of an Atx1-like copper chaperone protein from Bacillus subtilis containing a novel tetranuclear Cu(I) cluster. The identities and oxidation states of the cluster ions were established unambiguously by refinement of X-ray energy-dependent anomalous scattering factors. The [Cu(4)(S-Cys)(4)(N-His)(2)] cluster geometry provides new structural insights into not only the binding of multiple cuprous ions by metallochaperones but also protein-associated tetranuclear Cu(I) clusters, including those found in eukaryotic copper-responsive transcription factors.

Low cerebral blood flow in preterm infants has been associated with discontinuous electroencephalography (EEG) activity that in turn has been associated with poor long-term prognosis. We examined the relationships between echocardiographic measurements of blood flow, blood pressure (BP), and quantitative EEG data as surrogate markers of cerebral perfusion and function with 112 sets of paired data obtained over the first 48 h after birth in 40 preterm infants (24-30 wk of gestation, 510-1900 g at delivery). Echocardiographic measurements of right ventricular output (RVO) and superior vena caval (SVC) flow were performed serially. BP recordings were obtained from invasive monitoring or oscillometry. Modified cotside EEGs were analyzed for quantitative amplitude and continuity measurements. RVO 12 h after birth was related to both EEG amplitude at 12 and 24 h and continuity at 24 h. Mean systemic arterial pressure (MAP) at 12 and 24 h was related to continuity at 12 and 24 h after birth. Multiple regression analyses revealed that RVO at 12 h was related to median EEG amplitude at 24 h and diastolic BP at 24 h was related to simultaneous EEG continuity. In addition, at 12 h, infants in the lowest quartile for RVO measurements (<282 mL/kg/min) had lower EEG amplitude and those in the lowest quartile for MAP measurements (<31 mm Hg) had lower EEG continuity. These results suggest a relationship between indirect measurements of cerebral perfusion and cerebral function soon after birth in preterm infants.

Background: Currently available tools to assist clinicians with prediction of neurodevelopmental outcome of preterm infants are inadequate. Modified cotside electroencephalography (EEG) has the ability to produce quantitative electrophysiologic measures. These measures may be useful in future prediction of outcome., Aim: To determine patterns of change in quantitative EEG measures in preterm infants during their first week after birth., Design: Observational., Subjects: Preterm infants born at less than 32 weeks completed gestation surviving to discharge with unremarkable serial ultrasound scans., Outcome Measures: Changes in continuity, amplitude and spectral edge frequency measures of EEGs obtained over the first week after birth., Results: Results of EEGs performed using a novel EEG device on 63 infants are reported here. Their median (range) gestation was 29 (24-31) weeks and birthweight was 1,235 (540-1,980) g. Quantitative measures of EEG continuity increased over the first week after birth from 72 (25-99)% to 92 (54-100)% at the 25 microV threshold, and from 39 (10-87)% to 64 (34-75)% at the 50 microV threshold, both p<0.0001. There was a related 32% increase in median amplitude from 5.8 (2.6-10.6) microV on day 1 to 7.6 (4.3-9.4) microV on day 4, p=0.005. There was a trend for average spectral edge frequency to fall from 10.7 (9.3-12.9) Hz on day 1 to 9.9 (8.1-12.3) Hz on day 3, p=0.06. Each gestational tertile showed similar patterns., Conclusions: There are consistent changes in quantitative neurophysiologic measures over the first week after birth, and particularly measures of continuity over the first 4 days, in normal preterm infants.

Background: Regional audits of term infants with neonatal encephalopathy (NE) provide an opportunity to examine issues related to causation and quality of care., Aim: To document antenatal and intrapartum antecedents in a contemporary cohort of term infants with moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy., Methods: Term infants admitted with moderate-severe neonatal encephalopathy over 4 years were identified. The clinical records were reviewed for information about the pregnancy and birth including interpretation of monitoring and subsequent management of the labour and delivery., Results: Fifty-two maternal records were reviewed. No mothers were diabetic or had gestations > 42 weeks, but 17% of the babies were small for gestational age (SGA). The cohort had evidence of antenatal hypoxia in 15%, a sentinel event in 25% and suboptimal fetal monitoring practice in at least 42% of cases., Conclusions: Peripartum events were the major contributors to neurological damage in infants with neonatal encephalopathy. Suboptimal fetal monitoring practice and sentinel events remain the most common contributors. Ongoing education and training to address these issues should be available to all involved with intrapartum care in New Zealand.

A chart review of 64 infants with moderate or severe neonatal encephalopathy showed that resuscitation was required for 61 (95%), respiratory support for 53 (83%) and anticonvulsants for 58 (91%). Death occurred in 2 (4%) infants with moderate encephalopathy and 12 (86%) with severe encephalopathy. In addition, subsequent neurodevelopment was abnormal in approximately a quarter of infants who survived after a moderate to severe encephalopathy.