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The sustainability of limited freshwater resources in coastal settings requires an understanding of the processes that affect them. This is especially relevant for freshwater lenses of oceanic islands. Yet, these processes are often obscured by dynamic oceanic water levels that change over a range of timescales. We use regression deconvolution to estimate an oceanic response function (ORF) that accounts for how sea-level fluctuations affect measured groundwater levels, thus providing a clearer understanding of recharge and withdrawal processes. The method is demonstrated using sea-level and groundwater-level measurements on the island of Norderney in the North Sea (northwestern Germany). We expect that the method is suitable for any coastal groundwater system where it is important to understand processes that affect freshwater lenses or other coastal freshwater resources.

IntroductionAutomated manual lymphatic drainage therapy (AMLDT) is available for home use in the form of a pneumatic mat of 16 pressurized air channels that inflate and deflate to mimic the stretch and release action of manual lymphatic drainage therapy. Four cases (a patient with complex regional pain syndrome and lymphedema, a healthy patient, a breast cancer survivor with chronic pain, and a patient with a history of abdominal surgery) underwent near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging (NIRFLI) with AMLDT to evaluate the effect of AMLDT on lymphatic pumping and pain.MethodsEach patient received 32–36 injections of 25 μg indocyanine green (ICG) on the anterior and posterior sides of their body and underwent 1 h of NIRFLI to assess the drainage of ICG laden lymph toward regional nodal basins at baseline. Each patient lay supine on the mat for 1 h of AMLDT with NIRFLI to assess lymphatic flow during treatment. A final NIFRFLI assessment was done 30–60 min posttreatment with the patient in the supine and prone position. Patients reported baseline and posttreatment pain using the Visual Analogue Scale. An imager analyzed NIRFLI images using ImageJ (US National Institutes of Health). Using time stamps of the first and last images to determine time lapsed and the number of pulses observed in a timeframe, pulsing frequency (pulses/min) was obtained to assess lymphatic function.ResultsAll 4 cases completed the NIRFLI and AMLDT without complications; all 3 patients with baseline pain reported reduced pain posttreatment. AMLDT appeared to alter lymphatic contractility, with both increased and decreased pulsing frequencies observed, including in nonaffected limbs. Pulsing frequencies were very heterogeneous among patients and varied within anatomic regions of the same patient.DiscussionThis proof-of-concept study suggests that AMLDT may impact lymphatic contractility. Further research on its effect on lymphatic function is warranted.

Study region: Puerto Rico, a tropical island in the Caribbean Sea. Study focus: This study examines how water stress in Puerto Rico is influenced by its physical geography using a new USGS Soil-Water-Balance Model (Version 2.0) applied to three periods: a baseline climatology (1981–2010), a recent decade (2010–2019), and multiple drought years (1991, 1994, 1997, 2015). New hydrological insights for the region: Oceanic islands often experience chronic water stress due to their size, population, land use, and geomorphology. Yet more severe, acute stress arises due to atmospheric forcing droughts, in which decreased precipitation is accompanied by increased temperatures, evapotranspiration, and water withdrawals. Based on our analysis of the physical geography of Puerto Rico, we find that water stress is more likely in southern Puerto Rico during both baseline and recent decade conditions due to reduced net infiltration within the rain shadow of the Cordillera Central. On the contrary, chronic stress is lower in mountainous and vegetated areas on the remainder of the island, as well as where coastal aquifers are available for augmenting surface water. During drought events, water stress is more common in central and eastern Puerto Rico mainly due to reductions in precipitation and net infiltration, increased evapotranspiration, and limited groundwater availability. Drought imposes additional chronic stresses by reducing recharge to coastal aquifers. These coastal aquifers are recharged by direct rainfall and streamflow from central Puerto Rico; the decreased precipitation and net infiltration in those areas constrain water availability during drought.

The lymphatics play important roles in chronic diseases/conditions that comprise the bulk of healthcare worldwide. Yet the ability to routinely image and diagnose lymphatic dysfunction, using commonly available clinical imaging modalities, has been lacking and as a result, the development of effective treatment strategies suffers. Nearly two decades ago, investigational near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging and ICG lymphography were developed as routine diagnostic for clinically evaluating, quantifying, and treating lymphatic dysfunction in cancer-related and primary lymphedema, chronic venous disease, and more recently, autoimmune and neurodegenerative disorders. In this review, we provide an overview of what these non-invasive technologies have taught us about lymphatic (dys) function and anatomy in human studies and in corollary animal studies of human disease. We summarize by commenting on new impactful clinical frontiers in lymphatic science that remain to be facilitated by imaging.

An aerial survey method called the Landscape Assessment System (LAS) was used to assess mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae)-caused mortality of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (59,000 km2; GYE). This consisted of 11,942 km of flightlines, along which 4434 geo-tagged, oblique aerial photos were captured and processed. A mortality rating of none to severe (0–4.0 recent attack or 5.0–5.4 old attack) was assigned to each photo based on the amount of red (recent attack) and gray (old attack) trees visible. The method produced a photo inventory of 74 percent of the GYE whitebark pine distribution. For the remaining 26 percent of the distribution, mortality levels were estimated based on an interpolated mortality surface. Catchment-level results combining the photo-inventoried and interpolated mortality indicated that 44 percent of the GYE whitebark pine distribution showed severe old attack mortality (5.3–5.4 rating), 37 percent showed moderate old attack mortality (5.2–5.29 rating), 19 percent showed low old attack mortality (5.1–5.19 rating) and less than 1 percent showed trace levels of old attack mortality (5.0–5.09). No catchments were classified as recent attacks indicating that the outbreak of the early 2000’s has ended. However, mortality continues to occur as chronic sub-outbreak-level mortality. Ground verification using field plots indicates that higher LAS mortality values are moderately correlated with a higher percentage of mortality on the ground.

When presented with a new multivolume series on the history of chemistry, one cannot help but compare it to J. R. Partington's masterful four-volume A History of Chemistry. The new six-volume A Cultural History of Chemistry reviewed here, however, is really a different beast and should not be viewed as a simple attempt to update Partington's previous series. As highlighted by series editors Peter Morris and Alan Rocke in the Series Preface that begins each volume, "This is not a conventional history of chemistry, but a first attempt at creating a cultural history of the science." As such, this series brings together 50 contributors in an effort to present the first detailed and authoritative survey of the impact of chemistry on society, as well as how society has influenced and impacted chemical practice and thought. Spanning from the earliest applications of the chemical arts in antiquity up through the present, this cultural history is split into six volumes, each covering a specific time period, with the structure of each volume consistent throughout the series. As such, each volume begins with an introduction, followed by the identical chapter titles: Theory and Concepts; Practice and Experiment; Sites and Technology; Culture and Knowledge; Society and Environment; Trade and Industry; Learning and Institutions; Art and Representation. As a result, this gives the reader the choice of focusing on a specific time period within a single volume, or following a chosen theme across history by reading the corresponding chapter in each of the six volumes. Each volume concludes with both a Bibliography and an Index, with all six volumes providing a combined 1728 pages of material. Separate reviews for each of the six volumes are given below, followed by some concluding remarks about the overall six-volume effort.

Data collected from research networks present opportunities to test theories and develop models about factors responsible for the long-term persistence and vulnerability of soil organic matter (SOM). Synthesizing datasets collected by different research networks presents opportunities to expand the ecological gradients and scientific breadth of information available for inquiry. Synthesizing these data is challenging, especially considering the legacy of soil data that have already been collected and an expansion of new network science initiatives. To facilitate this effort, here we present the SOils DAta Harmonization database (SoDaH; https://lter.github.io/som-website, last access: 22 December 2020), a flexible database designed to harmonize diverse SOM datasets from multiple research networks. SoDaH is built on several network science efforts in the United States, but the tools built for SoDaH aim to provide an open-access resource to facilitate synthesis of soil carbon data. Moreover, SoDaH allows for individual locations to contribute results from experimental manipulations, repeated measurements from long-term studies, and local- to regional-scale gradients across ecosystems or landscapes. Finally, we also provide data visualization and analysis tools that can be used to query and analyze the aggregated database. The SoDaH v1.0 dataset is archived and available at https://doi.org/10.6073/pasta/9733f6b6d2ffd12bf126dc36a763e0b4 (Wieder et al., 2020).

Study region: The Lower Flint River Basin (LFRB): a karst catchment in southwestern Georgia, USA. Study focus: A year-long field campaign from July 2018 to July 2019 measured steady and dynamic stream-aquifer exchanges on Ichawaynochaway Creek (INC), a fifth-order tributary to the karstic Flint River in Georgia. The net change in discharge along a 24-km Creek segment was determined between two US Geological Survey gaging stations with no surface-water inflows. Stream-aquifer interactions were measured along a 120-m piezometer transect perpendicular to the bank. Hydraulic parameters to aid future modeling efforts were estimated using the method of moments applied to changes in bank flow direction from Hurricane Michael. New hydrological insights for the region: Results display the effects of local water use on streamflow as most channel storage gains occurred in the fall and winter. Negligible net channel gains and some losses occurred during the spring and summer months. Approximately 150 million m3 of net channel gains were observed during the study period. Initial stormflow contributed to aquifer recharge as indicated by reversals in the hydraulic gradient. Diffusivity and transmissivity increased along the transect (9–420 m2/d) and (3–150 m2/d), respectively, and hydraulic conductivity equaled 2.85 m/d. Stream-reach orientation with respect to regional groundwater gradients explains increased stream-aquifer interactions. Surface-groundwater interactions in karst systems are better understood after characterizing variation of hydraulic processes.

Polyaniline, one of the primary parent conducting polymers, is a quite old material with a history dating back to 1834. With the distinction of being the oldest known fully synthetic polymer and successfully commercialized as several popular cotton dyes in the 1860s, this material was originally known by the name of its black dye, aniline black. Of course, throughout this early history, the chemical identity and structure of these early polyaniline products were completely unknown, and it was not until the 1870s that initial attempts began to reveal various structural aspects. The current report will present a detailed historical account of the efforts to determine the structures of these early aniline oxidation products over the time period of ca. 1870-1915. In addition to the identity and structure of specific products, studies revealing the interconversion of one species to another via both redox and acid-based processes will also be discussed, with these collective efforts resulting in a comprehensive model of these materials that has remained essentially unchanged to this day.

As both an active researcher in the synthesis of conjugated materials and a chemist-historian that has spent the last decade attempting to detail and clarify the history of conjugated and conducting polymers, I am overjoyed that Prof. Shirakawa has elected to provide additional personal details relating to the discovery and development of polyacetylene films. Shirakawa has provided this material in response to my most recent Substantia paper that details newly revealed accounts by Hyung Chick Pyun (1926-2018), who was a visiting Korean scientist that carried out the initial experiment that led to these films. This material is critical to advance our understanding of this important historical event.

Abstract Background Chylothorax is a rare complication of pediatric cardiac operations that occurs more frequently in children with Noonan syndrome, a genetic disorder associated with cardiac defects and lymphatic anomalies. Case presentation We report a case of postoperative chylothorax in a 6-month-old infant with Noonan syndrome where multimodality lymphatic imaging guided management was followed. Drainage patterns of the lymphatic capillaries in the lower and upper extremities were visualized during near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging (NIRFLI). Dynamic magnetic resonance lymphangiography (MRL) further identified the site of leakage in the thoracic duct and subsequently guided surgical intervention. Conclusions Application of multimodality imaging allows for greater individualization of treatment and should be considered in patients with complex cases such as those with syndromes associated with a higher incidence of chylothorax. IRB Number: HSC-MS-13–0754, December 10, 2013

Uranium–lead (U–Pb) geochronology was conducted by laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) on 7175 detrital zircon grains from 29 samples from the Coconino Sandstone, Moenkopi Formation, and Chinle Formation. These samples were recovered from ∼ 520 m of drill core that was acquired during the Colorado Plateau Coring Project (CPCP), located in Petrified Forest National Park (Arizona). A sample from the lower Permian Coconino Sandstone yields a broad distribution of Proterozoic and Paleozoic ages that are consistent with derivation from the Appalachian and Ouachita orogens, with little input from local basement or Ancestral Rocky Mountain sources. Four samples from the Holbrook Member of the Moenkopi Formation yield a different set of Precambrian and Paleozoic age groups, indicating derivation from the Ouachita orogen, the East Mexico arc, and the Permo-Triassic arc built along the Cordilleran margin. A total of 23 samples from the Chinle Formation contain variable proportions of Proterozoic and Paleozoic zircon grains but are dominated by Late Triassic grains. LA-ICPMS ages of these grains belong to five main groups that correspond to the Mesa Redondo Member, Blue Mesa Member and lower part of the Sonsela Member, upper part of the Sonsela Member, middle part of the Petrified Forest Member, and upper part of the Petrified Forest Member. The ages of pre-Triassic grains also correspond to these chronostratigraphic units and are interpreted to reflect varying contributions from the Appalachian orogen to the east, Ouachita orogen to the southeast, Precambrian basement exposed in the ancestral Mogollon Highlands to the south, East Mexico arc, and Permian–Triassic arc built along the southern Cordilleran margin. Triassic grains in each chronostratigraphic unit also have distinct U and thorium (Th) concentrations, which are interpreted to reflect temporal changes in the chemistry of arc magmatism. Comparison of our LA-ICPMS ages with available chemical abrasion thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-TIMS) ages and new magnetostratigraphic data provides new insights into the depositional history of the Chinle Formation, as well as methods utilized to determine depositional ages of fluvial strata. For parts of the Chinle Formation that are dominated by fine-grained clastic strata (e.g., mudstone and siltstone), such as the Blue Mesa Member and Petrified Forest Member, all three chronometers agree (to within ∼ 1 Myr), and robust depositional chronologies have been determined. In contrast, for stratigraphic intervals dominated by coarse-grained clastic strata (e.g., sandstone), such as most of the Sonsela Member, the three chronologic records disagree due to recycling of older zircon grains and variable dilution of syn-depositional-age grains. This results in LA-ICPMS ages that significantly predate deposition and CA-TIMS ages that range between the other two chronometers. These complications challenge attempts to establish a well-defined chronostratigraphic age model for the Chinle Formation.

Radiocarbon is a critical constraint on our estimates of the timescales of soil carbon cycling that can aid in identifying mechanisms of carbon stabilization and destabilization and improve the forecast of soil carbon response to management or environmental change. Despite the wealth of soil radiocarbon data that have been reported over the past 75 years, the ability to apply these data to global-scale questions is limited by our capacity to synthesize and compare measurements generated using a variety of methods. Here, we present the International Soil Radiocarbon Database (ISRaD; http://soilradiocarbon.org, last access: 16 December 2019), an open-source archive of soil data that include reported measurements from bulk soils, distinct soil carbon pools isolated in the laboratory by a variety of soil fractionation methods, samples of soil gas or water collected interstitially from within an intact soil profile, CO2 gas isolated from laboratory soil incubations, and fluxes collected in situ from a soil profile. The core of ISRaD is a relational database structured around individual datasets (entries) and organized hierarchically to report soil radiocarbon data, measured at different physical and temporal scales as well as other soil or environmental properties that may also be measured and may assist with interpretation and context. Anyone may contribute their own data to the database by entering it into the ISRaD template and subjecting it to quality assurance protocols. ISRaD can be accessed through (1) a web-based interface, (2) an R package (ISRaD), or (3) direct access to code and data through the GitHub repository, which hosts both code and data. The design of ISRaD allows for participants to become directly involved in the management, design, and application of ISRaD data. The synthesized dataset is available in two forms: the original data as reported by the authors of the datasets and an enhanced dataset that includes ancillary geospatial data calculated within the ISRaD framework. ISRaD also provides data management tools in the ISRaD-R package that provide a starting point for data analysis; as an open-source project, the broader soil community is invited and encouraged to add data, tools, and ideas for improvement. As a whole, ISRaD provides resources to aid our evaluation of soil dynamics across a range of spatial and temporal scales. The ISRaD v1.0 dataset is archived and freely available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2613911 (Lawrence et al., 2019).

Close-in lava planets represent an extreme example of terrestrial worlds, but their high temperatures may allow us to probe a diversity of crustal compositions. The brightest and most well-studied of these objects is 55 Cancri e, a nearby super-Earth with a remarkably short 17 hr orbit. However, despite numerous studies, debate remains about the existence and composition of its atmosphere. We present upper limits on the atmospheric pressure of 55 Cnc e derived from high-resolution time-series spectra taken with Gemini-N/MAROON-X. Our results are consistent with current crustal evaporation models for this planet which predict a thin ∼100 mbar atmosphere. We conclude that, if a mineral atmosphere is present on 55 Cnc e, the atmospheric pressure is below 100 mbar.

Within the next decade, atmospheric O _2 on Earth-like M-dwarf planets may be accessible with visible–near-infrared (NIR), high-spectral-resolution, ground-based extremely large telescope (ELT) instruments. However, the prospects for using ELTs to detect environmental properties that provide context for O _2 have not been thoroughly explored. Additional molecules may help indicate planetary habitability, rule out abiotically generated O _2 , or reveal alternative biosignatures. To understand the accessibility of environmental context using ELT spectra, we simulate high-resolution transit transmission spectra of previously generated evolved terrestrial atmospheres. We consider inhabited preindustrial and Archean Earth–like atmospheres, and lifeless worlds with abiotic O _2 buildup from CO _2 and H _2 O photolysis. All atmospheres are self-consistent with M2V–M8V dwarf host stars. Our simulations include explicit treatment of systematic and telluric effects to model high-resolution spectra for Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT), Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT), and European ELT (E-ELT) configurations for systems 5 and 12 pc from Earth. Using the cross-correlation technique, we determine the detectability of major species in these atmospheres: O _2 , O _3 , CH _4 , CO _2 , CO, H _2 O, and C _2 H _6 . Our results suggest that CH _4 and CO _2 are the most accessible molecules for terrestrial planets transiting a range of M-dwarf hosts using an E-ELT-, TMT-, or GMT-sized telescope, and that the O _2 NIR and H _2 O 0.9 μ m bands may also be accessible with more observation time. Although this technique still faces considerable challenges, the ELTs will provide access to the atmospheres of terrestrial planets transiting earlier-type M-dwarf hosts that may not be possible using JWST.

We present 18 yr of OGLE photometry together with spectra obtained over 12 yr revealing that the early Oe star AzV 493 shows strong photometric (Δ I < 1.2 mag) and spectroscopic variability with a dominant, 14.6 yr pattern and ∼40 day oscillations. We estimate the stellar parameters T _eff = 42,000 K, $\mathrm{log}L/{L}_{\odot }=5.83\pm 0.15$ , M / M _⊙ = 50 ± 9, and v sin i = 370 ± 40 km s ^−1 . Direct spectroscopic evidence shows episodes of both gas ejection and infall. There is no X-ray detection, and it is likely a runaway star. The star AzV 493 may have an unseen companion on a highly eccentric ( e > 0.93) orbit. We propose that close interaction at periastron excites ejection of the decretion disk, whose variable emission-line spectrum suggests separate inner and outer components, with an optically thick outer component obscuring both the stellar photosphere and the emission-line spectrum of the inner disk at early phases in the photometric cycle. It is plausible that AzV 493’s mass and rotation have been enhanced by binary interaction followed by the core-collapse supernova explosion of the companion, which now could be either a black hole or a neutron star. This system in the Small Magellanic Cloud can potentially shed light on OBe decretion disk formation and evolution, massive binary evolution, and compact binary progenitors.

A series of six conjugated oligomers consisting of a central pyrrolo[2,3-d:5,4-d′]bisthiazole (PBTz) end-capped with either thienyl, furyl, or phenyl groups have been prepared from N-alkyl-and N-aryl-pyrrolo[2,3-d:5,4-d′]bisthiazoles via Stille and Negishi cross-coupling. The full oligomeric series was thoroughly investigated via photophysical and electrochemical studies, in parallel with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, in order to correlate the cumulative effects of both aryl end-groups and N-functionalization on the resulting optical and electronic properties. Through comparison with the analogous dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrrole (DTP) materials, the effect of replacing DTP with PBTz on the material HOMO energy and visible light absorption is quantified.

Abstract Background Allopatric speciation has played a particularly important role in archipelagic settings where populations evolve in isolation after colonizing different islands. The Indo-Australasian island realm is an unparalleled natural laboratory of biotic diversification. Here we explore how the level of earth-historic isolation has influenced genetic differentiation across the region by investigating phylogeographic patterns in the Pitta sordida species complex. Results We generated a de novo genome and compared population genomics of 29 individuals of Pitta sordida from the entire distributional range and we reconstructed phylogenetic relationship using mitogenomes, a multi-nuclear gene dataset and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We found deep divergence between an eastern and a western group of taxa across Indo-Australasia. Within both groups we have identified major lineages that are geographically separated into Philippines, Borneo, western Sundaland, and New Guinea, respectively. Although these lineages are genetically well-differentiated, suggesting a long-term isolation, there are signatures of extensive gene flow within each lineage throughout the Pleistocene, despite the wide geographic range occupied by some of them. We found little evidence of hybridization or introgression among the studied taxa, but forsteni from Sulawesi makes an exception. This individual, belonging to the eastern clade, is genetically admixed between the western and eastern clades. Geographically this makes sense as Sulawesi is not far from Borneo that houses a population of hooded pittas that belongs to the western clade. Conclusions We found that geological vicariance events cannot explain the current genetic differentiation in the Pitta sordida species complex. Instead, the glacial-interglacial cycles may have played a major role therein. During glacials the sea level could be up to 120 m lower than today and land bridges formed within both the Sunda Shelf and the Sahul Shelf permitting dispersal of floral and faunal elements. The geographic distribution of hooded pittas shows the importance of overwater, “stepping-stone” dispersals not only to deep-sea islands, but also from one shelf to the other. The most parsimonious hypothesis is an Asian ancestral home of the Pitta sordida species complex and a colonization from west to east, probably via Wallacea.

Summary Objective Genetics contribute to variability in individual response to weight‐loss interventions. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of a commercially available exercise and weight‐loss program and whether alignment of diet to genotype related to lipid metabolism promotes greater success. Design Sedentary women with obesity (n = 63) had genotype (FABP2rs1799883, PPARG2rs1801282, ADRB3rs4994C3, ADRB2rs1042713, rs1042714) determined using a direct‐to‐consumer genetic screening kit purported to promote greater weight‐loss success through dietary recommendations based on these genes. Participants were randomly assigned to follow a moderate carbohydrate (MC) or lower carbohydrate (LC) hypo‐energetic diet that aligned (A) or did not align (NA) with genotype for 24 weeks while participating in a resistance training and walking program. Data were analysed by general linear model repeated measures adjusted for baseline variables and are presented as mean (95% confidence interval) changes from baseline. Results Participants in the LC group experienced greater improvements (p = 0.051, ηp2 = 0.025) in per cent changes in body composition (weight: MC −3.32 [−1.4, −5.2], LC −5.82 [−4.1, −7.6]; fat mass: MC −7.25 [−3.2, −11.2], LC −10.93 [−7.3, −14.5]; fat‐free mass: MC −0.32 [1.4, −2.0], LC −1.48 [0.7, −3.0]; and body fat percentage: MC −4.19 [−1.6, −6.8], LC −5.60 [−3.3, −7.9] %). No significant differences were observed between genotype groups (weight: A −5.00 [−3.3, −6.7], NA −4.14 [−2.2, −6.1]; fat mass: A −10.15 [−7.0, −13.6], NA −8.02 [−4.0, −12.0]; fat‐free mass: A −1.23 [0.3, −2.8], NA −0.56 [1.12, −2.3]; and body fat: A −5.28 [−3.0, −7.6], NA −4.51 [−1.9, −7.1] %). Conclusions Adherence to this exercise and weight‐loss program promoted improvements in body composition and health outcomes. While individuals following the LC diet experienced greater benefits, alignment of these diets to this genetic profile did not promote greater health outcomes.

Anyone who has participated in modern scientific publishing has experienced the potentially complex issue of coauthors, both in terms of who merits to be included on a particular paper and in what order should they be listed. During the early years of serial scientific publications in the 17th and 18th centuries, nearly all papers consisted of just a single author. In contrast, the growing complexity of most present-day studies has required collaborative teams to accomplish the work needed to present a suitable report meriting publication. Unfortunately, there exists no firm, uniform rules for determining authorship and current practices can vary significantly, even to the point that the literature is now plagued with ethically questionable practices.

In 2000, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Hideki Shirakawa, Alan G. MacDiarmid, and Alan J. Heeger “for the discovery and development of electrically conductive polymers.” While this award was in reference to their collaborative efforts on conducting polyacetylene in the mid-to-late 1970s, the narrative leading up to these efforts began in 1967 with the production of polyacetylene plastic films via what has been called a "fortuitous error." At the heart of this discovery were Shirakawa and a visiting Korean scientist, Hyung Chick Pyun. The current report provides background on Pyun and, for the first time, presents his version of the events leading to the discovery of polyacetylene films in order to provide new insight into this important historical event.

Abstract An expanded sedimentary section provides an opportunity to elucidate conditions in the nascent Chicxulub crater during the hours to millennia after the Cretaceous‐Paleogene (K‐Pg) boundary impact. The sediments were deposited by tsunami followed by seiche waves as energy in the crater declined, culminating in a thin hemipelagic marlstone unit that contains atmospheric fallout. Seiche deposits are predominantly composed of calcite formed by decarbonation of the target limestone during impact followed by carbonation in the water column. Temperatures recorded by clumped isotopes of these carbonates are in excess of 70°C, with heat likely derived from the central impact melt pool. Yet, despite the turbidity and heat, waters within the nascent crater basin soon became a viable habitat for a remarkably diverse cross section of the food chain. The earliest seiche layers deposited with days or weeks of the impact contain earliest Danian nannoplankton and dinocyst survivors. The hemipelagic marlstone representing the subsequent years to a few millennia contains a nearly monogeneric calcareous dinoflagellate resting cyst assemblage suggesting deteriorating environmental conditions, with one interpretation involving low light levels in the impact aftermath. At the same horizon, microbial fossils indicate a thriving bacterial community and unique phosphatic fossils including appendages of pelagic crustaceans, coprolites and bacteria‐tunneled fish bone, suggesting that this rapid recovery of the base of the food chain may have supported the survival of larger, higher trophic‐level organisms. The extraordinarily diverse fossil assemblage indicates that the crater was a unique habitat in the immediate impact aftermath, possibly as a result of heat and nutrients supplied by hydrothermal activity.

Abstract Evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the lymphatics play a critical role in the clearance of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the cranial space. Impairment of CSF outflow into the lymphatics is associated with a number of pathological conditions including spaceflight‐associated neuro‐ocular syndrome (SANS), a problem that limits long‐duration spaceflight. We used near‐infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging (NIRFLI) to dynamically visualize the deep lymphatic drainage pathways shared by CSF outflow and disrupted during head‐down tilt (HDT), a method used to mimic the cephalad fluid shift that occurs in microgravity. After validating CSF clearance into the lymph nodes of the neck in swine, a pilot study was conducted in human volunteers to evaluate the effect of gravity on the flow of lymph through these deep cervical lymphatics. Injected into the palatine tonsils, ICG was imaged draining into deep jugular lymphatic vessels and subsequent cervical lymph nodes. NIRFLI was performed under HDT, sitting, and supine positions. NIRFLI shows that lymphatic drainage through pathways shared by CSF outflow are dependent upon gravity and are impaired under short‐term HDT. In addition, lymphatic contractile rates were evaluated from NIRFLI following intradermal ICG injections of the lower extremities. Lymphatic contractile activity in the legs was slowed in the gravity neutral, supine position, but increased under the influence of gravity regardless of whether its force direction opposed (sitting) or favored (HDT) lymphatic flow toward the heart. These studies evidence the role of a lymphatic contribution in SANS.

Anyone who has participated in scientific publishing, either as author or editor, has dealt with the process of peer review. Of course, individual opinions on peer review vary, with viewpoints ranging from it being an important part of ensuring the quality and reliability of scientific publications, to thoughts that the process as a whole is completely broken. Unfortunately, it also seems that authors often look at peer review as being a painful exercise forced upon them by journals, while those serving as reviewers too often see it as something expected of them, but not important enough to spend considerable effort performing.

Phase 1 of the Colorado Plateau Coring Project (CPCP-I) recovered a total of over 850 m of stratigraphically overlapping core from three coreholes at two sites in the Early to Middle and Late Triassic age largely fluvial Moenkopi and Chinle formations in Petrified Forest National Park (PFNP), northeastern Arizona, USA. Coring took place during November and December of 2013 and the project is now in its post-drilling science phase. The CPCP cores have abundant detrital zircon-producing layers (with survey LA-ICP-MS dates selectively resampled for CA-ID-TIMS U-Pb ages ranging in age from at least 210 to 241 Ma), which together with their magnetic polarity stratigraphy demonstrate that a globally exportable timescale can be produced from these continental sequences and in the process show that a prominent gap in the calibrated Phanerozoic record can be filled. The portion of core CPCP-PFNP13-1A for which the polarity stratigraphy has been completed thus far spans ∼ 215 to 209 Ma of the Late Triassic age, and strongly validates the longer Newark-Hartford Astrochronostratigraphic-calibrated magnetic Polarity Time-Scale (APTS) based on cores recovered in the 1990s during the Newark Basin Coring Project (NBCP).Core recovery was ∼ 100 % in all holes (Table 1). The coreholes were inclined ∼ 60–75° approximately to the south to ensure azimuthal orientation in the nearly flat-lying bedding, critical to the interpretation of paleomagentic polarity stratigraphy. The two longest of the cores (CPCP-PFNP13-1A and 2B) were CT-scanned in their entirety at the University of Texas High Resolution X-ray CT Facility in Austin, TX, and subsequently along with 2A, all cores were split and processed at the CSDCO/LacCore Facility, in Minneapolis, MN, where they were scanned for physical property logs and imaging. While remaining the property of the Federal Government, the archive half of each core is curated at the NSF-sponsored LacCore Core Repository and the working half is stored at the Rutgers University Core Repository in Piscataway, NJ, where the initial sampling party was held in 2015 with several additional sampling events following. Additional planned study will recover the rest of the polarity stratigraphy of the cores as additional zircon ages, sedimentary structure and paleosol facies analysis, stable isotope geochemistry, and calibrated XRF core scanning are accomplished. Together with strategic outcrop studies in Petrified Forest National Park and environs, these cores will allow the vast amount of surface paleontological and paleoenvironmental information recorded in the continental Triassic of western North America to be confidently placed in a secure context along with important events such as the giant Manicouagan impact at ∼ 215.5 Ma (Ramezani et al., 2005) and long wavelength astronomical cycles pacing global environmental change and trends in atmospheric gas composition during the dawn of the dinosaurs.

Abstract Background The White-browed Shortwing (Brachypteryx montana) is widespread from the central Himalayas to the southeast Chinese mainland and the island of Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia. Multiple subspecies are recognised, and several of these have recently been suggested to be treated as separate species based on differences in morphology and songs. Methods We here analyse plumage, morphometrics, songs, two mitochondrial and two nuclear markers, and geographical distributions of the two mainland Asian taxa B. m. cruralis and B. m. sinensis and the Taiwanese B. m. goodfellowi. Results We conclude that these differ congruently in morphology, songs and DNA. Male B. m. goodfellowi is the most divergent in plumage (sexually monomorphic, unlike the two others; male similar to female), and B. m. cruralis and B. m. sinensis differ in male plumage maturation. The song of B. m. cruralis is strongly divergent from the others, whereas the songs of B. m. sinensis and B. m. goodfellowi are more similar to each other. Brachypteryx m. sinensis and B. m. goodfellowi are sisters, with an estimated divergence time 4.1 million years ago (mya; 95% highest posterior distribution [HPD] 2.8–5.5 mya), and B. m. cruralis separated from these two 5.8 mya (95% HPD 4.1–7.5 mya). We also report notable range extensions of B. m. sinensis as well as sympatry between this taxon and B. m. cruralis in Sichuan Province, China. Brachypteryx m. montana from Java is found to be more closely related to Lesser Shortwing (B. leucophris) and Rusty-bellied Shortwing (B. hyperythra) than to the mainland Asian and Taiwanese taxa. Conclusion Our data support a recent proposal to treat the three mainland Asian and Taiwanese taxa as three species, separate from B. montana sensu stricto: B. cruralis (central Himalayas to south central China and south Vietnam), B. sinensis (north central to southeastern part of mainland China) and B. goodfellowi (Taiwan Island).

Silicon in the form of silica is the basis of common glass and its uses predate recorded history. The production of synthetic glass, however, is thought to date back to no earlier than 3000 BCE. This glass technology was not discovered fully fashioned, but grew slowly through continued development of both chemical composition and techniques for its production, manipulation, and material applications. This development had become fairly advanced by the Roman period, resulting in a wide variety of glass vessels and the initial use of glass windows. Following the fall of the Roman Empire, glass grew to new heights in Venice and Murano, where improvements in composition and production resulted in both more chemically stable and clearer forms. The quality of this new glass ushered in the development of lenses and eyeglasses, as well as the greater use of glass as a material for chemical apparatus, both of which changed society and the pursuit of science. Finally, glass in the North developed along different lines to ultimately result in a new form of glass that eventually replaced Venetian glass. This Bohemian glass became the glass of choice for chemical glassware and dominated the chemical laboratory until the final advent of borosilicate glass in the 1880s. A brief overview of the early history of silica glasses from their origins to the development of borosilicate glasses will be presented.

The Dougherty Plain in southwest Georgia is a flat, karstic, depressional-landscape dominated by irrigated and dry-land agriculture devoted to row-crops and pasture with interspersed wetlands and forests. Stormwater runoff rarely discharges into perennial rivers and streams, except during large storms that induce hydrologic connectivity between fields, wetlands, and streams (event return period is less than one per year).We report the hydrologic and water-quality effects of a 173-mm rainfall event that generated three weeks (Feb 15 to Mar 9, 2014) of continuous flows through and between three normally isolated wetlands. A suite of water-quality parameters (physical, nutrients, and pathogen indicators) was monitored daily from offsite (agricultural) and onsite (forested) sources at two sites along one flowpath and five sites along a second at the Joseph W Jones Ecologic Research Center at Ichauway.Decreasing sediment, nutrient, and pathogen concentrations were observed as water moved across the forested landscapes with embedded wetlands. Two physical parameters (specific conductance and turbidity) were strongly-to-moderately correlated (r > 0.8, 0.5, respectively) with laboratory-measured parameters (e.g., nutrients, suspended solids, pathogens), which suggest their utility for routine stormwater monitoring and prioritizing sample collection for laboratory analyses at this site. Keywords: Longleaf-pine, Isolated wetlands, Stormflow, Agricultural runoff, Water quality, Dougherty plain, Nutrients, Pathogens

Abstract Background Evidence suggests lymphatic function mediates local rheumatoid arthritis (RA) flares. Yet biologics that target the immune system are dosed systemically via the subcutaneous (SC) administration route, thereby inefficiently reaching local lymphatic compartments. Nanotopography has previously been shown to disrupt tight cellular junctions, potentially enhancing local lymphatic delivery and potentially improving overall therapeutic efficacy. Method We first characterized nanotopography (SOFUSA™) delivery of an anti-TNF drug, etanercept, by comparing pharmacokinetic profiles to those obtained by conventional SC, intravenous (IV), and intradermal (ID) routes of administration, and assessed uptake of radiolabeled etanercept in draining lymph nodes (LNs) in single dosing studies. We then compared etanercept efficacy in a progressive rat model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), administered systemically via SC route of administration; via the regional lymphatics through ID delivery; or through a nanotopography (SOFUSA™) device at 10, 12, and 14 days post CIA induction. Measurements of hind limb swelling and near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging of afferent lymph pumping function and reflux were conducted on days 11, 13, and 18 post CIA induction and compared to untreated CIA animals. Univariate and multivariate analysis of variance were used to compare the group differences for percentage swelling and lymphatic contractile activity. Results Even though all three modes of administration delivered an equal amount of etanercept, SOFUSA™ delivery resulted in increased lymphatic pumping and significantly reduced swelling as compared to untreated, ID, and SC groups. Pharmacokinetic profiles in serum and LN uptake studies showed that using the nanotopography device resulted in the greatest uptake and retention in draining LNs. Conclusions Locoregional lymphatic delivery of biologics that target the immune system may have more favorable pharmacodynamics than SC or IV administration. Nanotopography may provide a more efficient method for delivery of anti-TNF drugs to reverse impairment of lymphatic function and reduce swelling associated with RA flares.

Soils form as the result of a complex suite of biogeochemical and physical processes; however, effective modeling of soil property change and variability is still limited and does not yield widely applicable results. We suggest that predicting a distribution of probable values based upon the soil-forming state factors is more effective and applicable than predicting discrete values. Here we present a probabilistic approach for quantifying soil property variability through integrating energy and mass inputs over time. We analyzed changes in the distributions of soil texture and solum thickness as a function of increasing time and pedogenic energy (effective energy and mass transfer, EEMT) using soil chronosequence data compiled from the literature. Bivariate normal probability distributions of soil properties were parameterized using the chronosequence data; from the bivariate distributions, conditional univariate distributions based on the age and flux of matter and energy into the soil were calculated and probable ranges of each soil property determined. We tested the ability of this approach to predict the soil properties of the original soil chronosequence database and soil properties in complex terrain at several Critical Zone Observatories in the US. The presented probabilistic framework has the potential to greatly inform our understanding of soil evolution over geologic timescales. Considering soils probabilistically captures soil variability across multiple scales and explicitly quantifies uncertainty in soil property change with time.

Small reservoirs are prevalent landscape features that affect the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of headwater streams. Tens of thousands of small reservoirs, often less than a hectare in size, were constructed over the past century within the United States. While remote-sensing and geographic-mapping technologies assist in identifying and quantifying these features, their localized influence on water quality is uncertain. We report a year-long physicochemical study of nine small reservoirs (0.15–2.17 ha) within the Oconee and Broad River Watersheds in the Georgia Piedmont. Study sites were selected along an urban-rural gradient with differing amounts of agricultural, forested, and developed land covers. Sites were sampled monthly for discharge and inflow/outflow water quality parameters (temperature, specific conductance, pH, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, alkalinity, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, nitrate, ammonium). While the proportion of developed land cover within watersheds had positive correlations with reservoir specific conductivity values, agricultural and forested land covers showed correlations (positive and negative, respectively) with reservoir alkalinity, total nitrogen, nitrate, and specific conductivity. The majority of outflow temperatures were warmer than inflows for all land uses throughout the year, especially in the summer. Outflows had lower nitrate concentrations, but higher ammonium. The type of outflow structure was also influential; top-release dams showed higher dissolved oxygen and pH than bottom-release dams. Water quality effects were still evident 250 m below the dam, albeit reduced.

Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is one of the most ubiquitous chemical compounds in the history of the chemical sciences. The generation of alcohol via fermentation is also one of the oldest forms of chemical technology, with the production of fermented beverages predating the smelting of metals. By the 12th century, the ability to isolate alcohol from wine had moved this chemical species from a simple component of alcoholic beverages to both a new medicine and a powerful new solvent. The use of alcohol as a fuel, however, did not occur until significantly later periods, the history of which is generally presented as a separate narrative from its initial applications as intoxicating beverages, medicines, or chemical reagents. The current report aims to more firmly connect these two disparate historical accounts, presenting an overview of the history of ethanol from its initial isolation in the 12th century through its current application as a fuel additive for most automotive vehicles in the United States.

Study region: The Lower Flint River Basin (LFRB): a karst catchment in southwestern Georgia, USA. Study focus: Using the U.S. EPA Reach File 3 data set, we generated stream reach azimuths for all tributaries of the Lower Flint River Basin (LFRB) in southwestern Georgia, USA, then compared these results to regional bedrock jointing orientations and stream chemistry (indicating incoming groundwater discharge) in one tributary of the LFRB, Ichawaynochaway Creek. Our objective was to determine if stream bearing might be a useful predictor of increased groundwater discharge in streams of the LFRB where groundwater development has significantly impacted baseflows. New hydrological insights for the region: We identified a dominant N-S trend in 44% of reaches in tributaries of the LFRB with lesser E-W, NNW, NW and NE trends. Bedrock joints and stream reaches in Ichawaynochaway Creek (a tributary of the Flint River) shared similar azimuth trends. When we compared stream reach orientation with known locations of enhanced groundwater inputs (previously detected by Rugel and others) we found that 55% of the time reaches in Ichawaynochaway Creek with increased groundwater discharge followed NW or NNW bearings (mean N49W). Further investigation to replicate these results in other tributaries of the LFRB is warranted and may help inform management strategies which could protect both ecological and economic interests in this region. Keywords: Grondwater discharge, Karst, Water resources, Groundwater-surface water interaction

The critical zone (CZ) is the heterogeneous, near-surface layer of the planet that regulates life-sustaining resources. Previous research has demonstrated that a quantification of the influxes of effective energy and mass transfer (EEMT) to the CZ can predict its structure and function. In this study, we quantify how climate variability in the last 3 decades (1984–2012) has affected water availability and the temporal trends in EEMT. This study takes place in the 1200 km2 upper Jemez River basin in northern New Mexico. The analysis of climate, water availability, and EEMT was based on records from two high-elevation SNOTEL stations, PRISM data, catchment-scale discharge, and satellite-derived net primary productivity (MODIS). Results from this study indicated a decreasing trend in water availability, a reduction in forest productivity (4 g C m−2 per 10 mm of reduction in precipitation), and decreasing EEMT (1.2–1.3 MJ m2 decade−1). Although we do not know the timescales of CZ change, these results suggest an upward migration of CZ/ecosystem structure on the order of 100 m decade−1, and that decadal-scale differences in EEMT are similar to the differences between convergent/hydrologically subsidized and planar/divergent landscapes, which have been shown to be very different in vegetation and CZ structure.

Study region: Karst watershed in Lower Flint River Basin (LFRB), southwestern Georgia, USA. Study focus: Baseflow discharges in the LFRB have declined for three decades as regional irrigation has increased; yet, the location and nature of connectivity between groundwater and surface water in this karstic region are poorly understood. Because growing water demands will likely be met by further development of regional aquifers, an important management concern is the nature of interactions between groundwater and surface water components under natural and anthropogenic perturbations. We conducted coarse and fine-scale stream sampling on a major tributary of the Lower Flint River (Ichawaynochaway Creek) in southwestern Georgia, USA, to identify locations and patterns of enhanced hydrologic connectivity between this stream and the Upper Floridan Aquifer. New hydrological insights for the region: Prior water resource studies in the LFRB were based on regional modeling that neglected local heterogeneities in groundwater/surface water connectivity. Our results demonstrated groundwater inputs were concentrated around five of fifty sampled reaches, evidenced by increases in multiple groundwater indicators at these sites. These five reaches contributed up to 42% of the groundwater detected along the entire 50-km sampling section, with ∼24% entering through one groundwater-dominated tributary, Chickasawhatchee Creek. Intermittent flows occurred in two of these upstream reaches during extreme drought and heavy groundwater pumping, suggesting reach-scale behaviors should be considered in resource management and policy. Keywords: Karst hydrogeology, Hydrologic connectivity, Groundwater/surface water interaction, Upper Floridan Aquifer, Groundwater Irrigation

Brackish to saline groundwater in arid environments encourages the development and sustainability of inland freshwater lenses (IFLs). While these freshwater resources supply much-needed drinking water throughout the Arabian Peninsula and other drylands, little is understood about their sustainability. This study presents a numerical model using the SEAWAT programming code (i.e., MODFLOW and the Modular Three-Dimensional Multispecies Transport Model (MT3DMS)) to simulate IFL transient evolution. The numerical model is based on a physical laboratory model and calibrated using results from simulations conducted in a previous study of the Raudhatain IFL in northern Kuwait. Data from three previously conducted physical model simulations were evaluated against the corresponding numerical model simulations. The hydraulic conductivities in the horizontal and vertical directions were successfully optimized to minimize the objective function of the numerical model simulations. The numerical model matched observed IFL water levels at four locations through time, as well as IFL thicknesses and lengths (R2 = 0.89, 0.94, 0.85). Predicted lens degradation times corresponded to the observed lenses, which demonstrated the utility of numerical models and physical models to assess IFL geometry and position. Improved understanding of IFL dynamics provides water-resource exploration and development opportunities in drylands throughout the Arabian Peninsula and elsewhere with similar environmental settings.

There is a need to understand the soil system response to warming in order to model the soil process response to predicted climate change. Current methods for soil warming include expensive and difficult to implement active and passive techniques. Here we test a simple, inexpensive in situ passive soil heating approach, based on easy to construct infrared mirrors that do not require automation or enclosures. The infrared mirrors consisted of 61 × 61 cm glass panels coated with infrared reflecting film. The mirrors as constructed are effective for soil heating in environments typified by an open vegetation canopy. Mirror tests were performed on three soils of varying texture, organic matter content, and heat capacity in a warm semi-arid environment. Results indicated that the infrared mirrors yielded significant heating and drying of soil surface and shallow subsurface relative to unwarmed control treatments, and that warming and drying effects were soil specific with greater potential warming on soils with lower volumetric heat capacity. Partial shading from the mirror frame did produce periods of relative cooling at specific times of the day but overall the mirrors yielded a net soil warming. The results demonstrate proof of concept that the infrared mirrors may be used to passively heat the near soil surface, providing an inexpensive, low-maintenance alternative to other passive and active soil heating technologies.

This study estimates the relative magnitude of decadal-scale soil redistribution (i.e., soil loss or gain) by slope wash using 137Cs inventories measured in 46 soil profiles at four study sites in the Ft. Irwin area of the Mojave Desert of California, USA. The variability in 137Cs inventories on a 137Cs inventories that are suggestive of higher relative erosion rates are associated with more gently sloping sites that have a lower percentage of surficial rock-fragment and vegetation coverage. Individual 137Cs inventories from all four sites are positively correlated with the percentage of rock fragments in the upper soil profile. The increase in rock-fragment cover (i.e., soil armoring) with increasing slope gradient appears to negate any potential increase in transport effectiveness with increasing slope steepness. This armoring, together with the sandy-loam soil texture characteristic of steeper slopes, hinders runoff and slope-wash erosion. Our findings are supported by soil data that suggest that these patterns are persistent for longer timescales (i.e., centuries and millennia).

Quantifying catchment-scale soil property variation yields insights into critical zone evolution and function. The objective of this study was to quantify and predict the spatial distribution of soil properties within a high-elevation forested catchment in southern Arizona, USA, using a combined set of digital soil mapping (DSM) and sampling design techniques to quantify catchment-scale soil spatial variability that would inform interpretation of soil-forming processes. The study focused on a 6 ha catchment on granitic parent materials under mixed-conifer forest, with a mean elevation of 2400 m a.s.l, mean annual temperature of 10 °C, and mean annual precipitation of ~ 85 cm yr−1. The sample design was developed using a unique combination of iterative principal component analysis (iPCA) of environmental covariates derived from remotely sensed imagery and topography, and a conditioned Latin hypercube sampling (cLHS) scheme. Samples were collected by genetic horizon from 24 soil profiles excavated to the depth of refusal and characterized for soil mineral assemblage, geochemical composition, and general soil physical and chemical properties. Soil properties were extrapolated across the entire catchment using a combination of least-squares linear regression between soil properties and selected environmental covariates, and spatial interpolation or regression residual using inverse distance weighting (IDW). Model results indicated that convergent portions of the landscape contained deeper soils, higher clay and carbon content, and greater Na mass loss relative to adjacent slopes and divergent ridgelines. The results of this study indicated that (i) the coupled application of iPCA and cLHS produced a sampling scheme that captured the greater part of catchment-scale soil variability; (ii) application of relatively simple regression models and IDW interpolation of residuals described well the variance in measured soil properties and predicted spatial correlation of soil properties to landscape structure; and (iii) at this scale of observation, 6 ha catchment, topographic covariates explained more variation in soil properties than vegetation covariates. The DSM techniques applied here provide a framework for interpreting catchment-scale variation in critical zone process and evolution. Future work will focus on coupling results from this coupled empirical–statistical approach to output from mechanistic, process-based numerical models of critical zone process and evolution.

Prior to the discovery of its conductive properties in the 1960s, polyaniline was studied and applied as a variety of colored materials and dyes. The history of the discovery and origins of polyaniline are presented beginning with the initial oxidation of aniline by F. Ferdinand Runge in 1834 and concluding with the first electrochemical oxidation of aniline by Henry Letheby in 1862. In the process, the reports of aniline oxidation products between 1834 and 1862 are evaluated and discussed in light of modern knowledge, highlighting the various historical contributions to the current field of conjugated polymers. Finally, an initial argument for polyaniline as the first synthetic organic polymer is presented.

Previous studies have shown cost effectiveness and quality-of-life benefit of pneumatic compression therapy (PCT) for lymphedema (LE). Insurers, such as the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid (CMS), however, desire visual proof that PCT moves lymph. Near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging (NIRFLI) was used to visualize lymphatic anatomy and function in four subjects with primary and cancer treatment-related LE of the lower extremities before, during, and after PCT. Optically transparent and windowed PCT garments allowed visualization of lymph movement during single, 1h PCT treatment sessions. Visualization revealed significant extravascular and lymphatic vascular movement of intradermally injected dye in all subjects. In one subject with sufficient patent lymphatic vessels to allow quantification of lymph pumping velocities and frequencies, these values were significantly increased during and after PCT as compared to pre-treatment values. Lymphatic contractile activity in patent lymphatic vessels occurred in concert with the sequential cycling of PCT. Direct visualization revealed increased lymphatic function, during and after PCT therapy, in all LE-affected extremities. Further studies are warranted to assess the effects of PCT pressure and sequences on lymph uptake and movement.

Recent work suggests that a coupled effective energy and mass transfer (EEMT) term, which includes the energy associated with effective precipitation and primary production, may serve as a robust prediction parameter of critical zone structure and function. However, the models used to estimate EEMT have been solely based on long-term climatological data with little validation using direct empirical measures of energy, water, and carbon balances. Here we compare catchment-scale EEMT estimates generated using two distinct approaches: (1) EEMT modeled using the established methodology based on estimates of monthly effective precipitation and net primary production derived from climatological data, and (2) empirical catchment-scale EEMT estimated using data from 86 catchments of the Model Parameter Estimation Experiment (MOPEX) and MOD17A3 annual net primary production (NPP) product derived from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Results indicated positive and significant linear correspondence (R2 = 0.75; P < 0.001) between model and empirical measures with an average root mean square error (RMSE) of 4.86 MJ m−2 yr−1. Modeled EEMT values were consistently greater than empirical measures of EEMT. Empirical catchment estimates of the energy associated with effective precipitation (EPPT) were calculated using a mass balance approach that accounts for water losses to quick surface runoff not accounted for in the climatologically modeled EPPT. Similarly, local controls on primary production such as solar radiation and nutrient limitation were not explicitly included in the climatologically based estimates of energy associated with primary production (EBIO), whereas these were captured in the remotely sensed MODIS NPP data. These differences likely explain the greater estimate of modeled EEMT relative to the empirical measures. There was significant positive correlation between catchment aridity and the fraction of EEMT partitioned into EBIO (FBIO), with an increase in FBIO as a fraction of the total as aridity increases and percentage of catchment woody plant cover decreases. In summary, the data indicated strong correspondence between model and empirical measures of EEMT with limited bias that agree well with other empirical measures of catchment energy and water partitioning and plant cover.

Understanding how water, energy and carbon are partitioned to primary production and effective precipitation is central to quantifying the limits on critical zone evolution. Recent work suggests quantifying energetic transfers to the critical zone in the form of effective precipitation and primary production provides a first order approximation of critical zone process and structural organization. However, explicit linkage of this effective energy and mass transfer (EEMT; W m−2) to critical zone state variables and well defined physical limits remains to be developed. The objective of this work was to place EEMT in the context of thermodynamic state variables of temperature and vapor pressure deficit, with explicit definition of EEMT physical limits using a global climate dataset. The relation of EEMT to empirical measures of catchment function was also examined using a subset of the Model Parameter Estimation Experiment (MOPEX) catchments. The data demonstrated three physical limits for EEMT: (i) an absolute vapor pressure deficit threshold of 1200 Pa above which EEMT is zero; (ii) a temperature dependent vapor pressure deficit limit following the saturated vapor pressure function up to a temperature of 292 K; and (iii) a minimum precipitation threshold required from EEMT production at temperatures greater than 292 K. Within these limits, EEMT scales directly with precipitation, with increasing conversion of the precipitation to EEMT with increasing temperature. The state-space framework derived here presents a simplified framework with well-defined physical limits that has the potential for directly integrating regional to pedon scale heterogeneity in effective energy and mass transfer relative to critical zone structure and function within a common thermodynamic framework.

The synthesis of four N-functionalized bis[1]benzothieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrroles (BBTPs) is reported in order to provide a more detailed characterization of these fused-ring units, as well as increase the scope of known BBTP units available for application to conjugated materials. The optical, electronic, and structural properties of the resulting BBTP units have been compared to the parent N-alkyl- and N-aryl-dithieno[3,2-b:2′,3′-d]pyrroles (DTPs), as well as their corresponding 2,6-diphenyl derivatives, in order to fully quantify the relative electronic effects resulting from benzannulation of the parent DTP building block. Such comparative analysis reveals that benzannulation results in a red-shifted absorbance, but to a lesser extent than simple phenyl-capping of the DTP. More surprising is that benzannulation results in stabilization of the BBTP HOMO, compared to the destabilization normally observed with extending the conjugation length of the backbone.

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi, a globally important hotspot of avian endemism, has been relatively poorly studied ornithologically, to the extent that several new bird species from the region have been described to science only recently, and others have been observed and photographed, but never before collected or named to science. One of these is a new species of Muscicapa flycatcher that has been observed on several occasions since 1997. We collected two specimens in Central Sulawesi in 2012, and based on a combination of morphological, vocal and genetic characters, we describe the new species herein, more than 15 years after the first observations. The new species is superficially similar to the highly migratory, boreal-breeding Gray-streaked Flycatcher Muscicapa griseisticta, which winters in Sulawesi; however, the new species differs strongly from M. griseisticta in several morphological characters, song, and mtDNA. Based on mtDNA, the new species is only distantly related to M. griseisticta, instead being a member of the M. dauurica clade. The new species is evidently widely distributed in lowland and submontane forest throughout Sulawesi. This wide distribution coupled with the species' apparent tolerance of disturbed habitats suggests it is not currently threatened with extinction.

The lymphatic vasculature plays a critical role in a number of disease conditions of increasing prevalence, such as autoimmune disorders, obesity, blood vascular diseases, and cancer metastases. Yet, unlike the blood vasculature, the tools available to interrogate the molecular basis of lymphatic dysfunction/disease have been lacking. More recently, investigators have reported that dysregulation of the PI3K pathway is involved in syndromic human diseases that involve abnormal lymphatic vasculatures, but there have been few compelling results that show the direct association of this molecular pathway with lymphatic dysfunction in humans. Using near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging (NIRFLI) to phenotype and next generation sequencing (NGS) for unbiased genetic discovery in a family with non-syndromic lymphatic disease, we discovered a rare, novel mutation in INPPL1 that encodes the protein SHIP2, which is a negative regulator of the PI3K pathway, to be associated with lymphatic dysfunction in the family. In vitro interrogation shows that SHIP2 is directly associated with impairment of normal lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC) behavior and that SHIP2 associates with receptors that are associated in lymphedema, implicating its direct involvement in the lymphatic vasculature.

The synthesis, characterization, and electropolymerization of a series of extended fused-ring thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine-based terthienyls are reported. The target terthienyls contain a central extended thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine analogue containing 2-thienyl units at the reactive α-positions of the central thiophene. The extended fused-ring thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine analogues studied include acenaphtho[1,2-b]thieno[3,4-e]pyrazine, dibenzo[f,h]thieno[3,4-b]quinoxaline, and thieno[3′,4′:5,6]-pyrazino[2,3-f][1,10]phenanthroline. Comparison of the electrochemical and photophysical properties to simple thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine-based terthienyls and their polymeric analogues are reported in order to provide structure-function relationships within this series of compounds and materials.