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Aims We introduce ReSurveyEurope — a new data source of resurveyed vegetation plots in Europe, compiled by a collaborative network of vegetation scientists. We describe the scope of this initiative, provide an overview of currently available data, governance, data contribution rules, and accessibility. In addition, we outline further steps, including potential research questions. Results ReSurveyEurope includes resurveyed vegetation plots from all habitats. Version 1.0 of ReSurveyEurope contains 283,135 observations (i.e., individual surveys of each plot) from 79,190 plots sampled in 449 independent resurvey projects. Of these, 62,139 (78%) are permanent plots, that is, marked in situ, or located with GPS, which allow for high spatial accuracy in resurvey. The remaining 17,051 (22%) plots are from studies in which plots from the initial survey could not be exactly relocated. Four data sets, which together account for 28,470 (36%) plots, provide only presence/absence information on plant species, while the remaining 50,720 (64%) plots contain abundance information (e.g., percentage cover or cover–abundance classes such as variants of the Braun-Blanquet scale). The oldest plots were sampled in 1911 in the Swiss Alps, while most plots were sampled between 1950 and 2020. Conclusions ReSurveyEurope is a new resource to address a wide range of research questions on fine-scale changes in European vegetation. The initiative is devoted to an inclusive and transparent governance and data usage approach, based on slightly adapted rules of the well-established European Vegetation Archive (EVA). ReSurveyEurope data are ready for use, and proposals for analyses of the data set can be submitted at any time to the coordinators. Still, further data contributions are highly welcome.

The breakdown of plant material fuels soil functioning and biodiversity. Currently, process understanding of global decomposition patterns and the drivers of such patterns are hampered by the lack of coherent large-scale datasets. We buried 36,000 individual litterbags (tea bags) worldwide and found an overall negative correlation between initial mass-loss rates and stabilization factors of plant-derived carbon, using the Tea Bag Index (TBI). The stabilization factor quantifies the degree to which easy-to-degrade components accumulate during early-stage decomposition (e.g. by environmental limitations). However, agriculture and an interaction between moisture and temperature led to a decoupling between initial mass-loss rates and stabilization, notably in colder locations. Using TBI improved mass-loss estimates of natural litter compared to models that ignored stabilization. Ignoring the transformation of dead plant material to more recalcitrant substances during early-stage decomposition, and the environmental control of this transformation, could overestimate carbon losses during early decomposition in carbon cycle models.

Intraoperative factors implicated in postoperative mortality after liver transplantation (LT) are poorly understood. Because LT is a particularly demanding procedure, we hypothesized that intraoperative myocardial injury may be frequent and independently associated with early postoperative outcomes. We aimed to determine the association between intraoperative high-sensitivity troponin (hsTn) elevation during LT and 30-day postoperative mortality. A total of 203 adult patients undergoing LT were prospectively included in the cohort and followed during 1 year. Advanced hemodynamic parameters and serial high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) measurements were assessed at 6 intraoperative time points. The optimal hsTnT cutoff level for intraoperative troponin elevation (ITE) was identified. Patients were classified into 2 groups according to the presence of ITE. Independent impact of ITE on survival was assessed through survival curves and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Intraoperative cardiac function was compared between groups. Troponin levels increased early during surgery in the ITE group. Troponin values at abdominal closure were associated with 30-day mortality (area under the receiver operating caracteristic curve, [AUROC], 0.73; P = 0.005). Patients with ITE showing values of hsTnT ≥61 ng/L at abdominal closure presented higher 30-day mortality (29.6% versus 3.4%; P < 0.001). ITE was independently associated with 30-day mortality (hazard ratio, 3.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-13.8; P = 0.04) and with worse overall intraoperative cardiac function. The hsTnT upper reference limit showed no discriminant capacity during LT. Intraoperative myocardial injury identified by hsTn elevation is frequently observed during LT, and it is associated with myocardial dysfunction and short-term mortality. Determinations of hsTn may serve as a valuable intraoperative monitoring tool during LT., Depto. de Farmacología y Toxicología, Fac. de Medicina, TRUE, pub

The reductive amination of aromatic aldehydes and aromatic amines, performed in the Brønsted acidic ionic liquid [Et3NH][HSO4], using sodium borohydride as a reducing agent is reported. In this protocol, the ionic liquid plays a crucial role in efficiently converting aromatic aldehydes to amines in excellent yields, without the formation of side products. In the presence of [Et3NH][HSO4], the imine was generated in situ from the reaction between the aromatic aldehydes and aromatic amines, and underwent smooth reduction with sodium borohydride. This one-pot synthesis is practically simple and sustainable. The catalyst [Et3NH][HSO4] also has a demonstrably wide applicability, in that it can be used with a variety of aromatic aldehydes and aromatic amines substituted by various electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups. The role of IL [Et3NH][HSO4] in catalytic reductive amination is validated with the help of density functional theory (DFT)-based computational studies.

Abiraterone acetate plus prednisolone (AAP) previously demonstrated improved survival in STAMPEDE, a multi-arm, multi-stage platform trial in men starting long-term hormone therapy for prostate cancer. This long-term analysis in metastatic patients was planned for 3 yrs after the first results. Standard-of-care (SOC) was androgen deprivation therapy. The comparison randomized patients 1:1 to SOC-alone with or without daily abiraterone acetate 1000 mg + prednisolone 5 mg (SOC + AAP), continued until disease progression. The primary outcome measure was overall survival. Metastatic disease risk group was classified retrospectively using baseline CT and bone scans by central radiological review and pathology reports. Analyses used Cox proportional hazards & flexible parametric models, adjusted for baseline stratification factors. 1003 patients were contemporaneously randomized (Nov-2011--Jan-2014): median age 67 yr; 94% newly-diagnosed; metastatic disease risk group: 48% high, 44% low, 8% un-assessable; median PSA 97 ng/mL. At 6.1 yr median follow-up, 329 SOC-alone deaths (118 low-risk, 178 high-risk) and 244 SOC + AAP deaths (75 low-risk, 145 high-risk) were reported. Adjusted HR = 0·60 (95%CI:0·50—0·71; P = 0.31x10−9) favoured SOC + AAP, with 5-yr survival improved from 41% SOC-alone to 60% SOC + AAP. This was similar in low-risk (HR = 0·55; 95%CI:0·41—0·76) and high-risk (HR = 0·54; 95%CI:0·43—0·69) patients. Median and current maximum time on SOC + AAP was 2.4 yr and 8.1 yr. Toxicity at 4 yr post-randomisation was similar, with 16% patients in each group reporting grade 3 or higher toxicity. A sustained and substantial improvement in overall survival of all metastatic prostate cancer patients was achieved with SOC + abiraterone acetate + prednisolone, irrespective of metastatic disease risk group. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Spin mixing conductance at the ferromagnet (FM)/heavy metal (HM) interface is a key parameter to estimate the spin current injection into heavy metal. The electrical detection of such injected spin current in heavy metal is possible via inverse spin Hall effect (ISHE). Herein, a large spin mixing conductance in the range of (4.95 (Formula presented.) 6.52) (Formula presented.) 1018m−2 in Ta/permalloy(Py) bilayer structures is reported. In-plane angular-dependent ISHE voltage measurements in Ta/Py samples reveal the dominance of spin pumping voltage component over the other spin rectification contributions. Voltage contribution due to spin pumping and anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) increases with the Py thickness due to the enhancement in spin pumping and increase in spin-dependent scattering, respectively. Anomalous Hall effect (AHE) contribution in Py is found to be relatively small. © 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.

Combining the characteristics of hybrid perovskites and layered materials, 2D Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites exhibit unique properties, some of which still require to be deeply understood. In this study, the vibrational signatures of such materials are analyzed by collecting experimental Raman spectra of four distinct compounds. Supported by density functional theory simulations, the role of the phenyl spacer single fluorination on the phonon modes of two similar yet different compounds, i.e., phenethylammonium lead iodide (PEAI) and 4-fluorophenethylammonium lead iodide (PEAI-F), is explained. In addition, this work analyzes some so-far unreported experimental Raman peaks in the 600-1100 cm(-1) range and discusses their origin in this class of 2D compounds. This work paves the way for a better design of novel compounds as well as for their exploitation in (opto)electronic applications.

The synthesis and functionalization of nitrogen-containing compounds continue to be important due to their wide applications. In particular, the preparation of nitriles and amides applying cost-effective and green methodologies is of central importance because these products represent valuable fine and bulk chemicals and serve as key precursors and central intermediates in organic synthesis and drug discovery as well as materials. Here, the preparation of nitriles and primary amides from alcohols and ammonia by a heterogeneous Cu-catalyzed aerobic oxidation process is reported. The optimal catalyst for this synthesis is based on supported copper oxide-nanoparticles, which are prepared by the impregnation and pyrolysis of simple copper nitrate on carbon. Applying these reusable nanoparticles, various simple, substituted, and functionalized aromatic, heterocyclic, and aliphatic nitriles are synthesized starting from inexpensive and easily accessible alcohols and ammonia in the presence of air. In addition, the synthesis of selected primary amides in a water medium is also performed using these Cu nanoparticles.

The women’s right to respectful and dignified care during labour and childbirth is strategically accepted [1]. As management committee members of the EU COST Action CA18211 network (‘DEVOTION’) focused on traumatic childbirth (www.ca18211.eu), we are concerned with ensuring a positive birth experience for all. We work on a pan-European level to ensure women’s rights to give birth in a clinically and psychologically safe environment including during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Improved understanding of the current burden of hypertension, including awareness, treatment, and control, is needed to guide relevant preventative measures in Nigeria. A systematic search of studies on the epidemiology of hypertension in Nigeria, published on or after January 1990, was conducted. The authors employed randomeffects meta-analysis on extracted crude hypertension prevalence, and awareness, treatment, and control rates. Using a meta-regression model, overall hypertension cases in Nigeria in 1995 and 2020 were estimated. Fifty-three studies (n = 78 949) met our selection criteria. Estimated crude prevalence of pre-hypertension (120-139/80-89 mmHg) in Nigeria was 30.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.0%-39.7%), and the crude prevalence of hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg) was 30.6% (95% CI: 27.3%-34.0%). When adjusted for age, study period, and sample, absolute cases of hypertension increased by 540% among individuals aged ≥20 years from approximately 4.3 million individuals in 1995 (age-adjusted prevalence 8.6%, 95% CI: 6.5-10.7) to 27.5 million individuals with hypertension in 2020 (age-adjusted prevalence 32.5%, 95% CI: 29.8-35.3). The age-adjusted prevalence was only significantly higher among men in 1995, with the gap between both sexes considerably narrowed in 2020. Only 29.0% of cases (95% CI: 19.7-38.3) were aware of their hypertension, 12.0% (95% CI: 2.7-21.2) were on treatment, and 2.8% (95% CI: 0.1-5.7) had at-goal blood pressure in 2020. Our study suggests that hypertension prevalence has substantially increased in Nigeria over the last two decades. Although more persons are aware of their hypertension status, clinical treatment and control rates, however, remain low. These estimates are relevant for clinical care, population, and policy response in Nigeria and across Africa.

Hydroboration of alkynes is of special interest to researchers since it is the most straightforward process for the synthesis of highly important vinylborane synthetic intermediate compounds. It is significant in terms of both regioselectivity and stereoselectivity, since several positional isomers are formed during the process of hydroboration. Given the importance of this class of compounds, an extensive study has been carried out regarding catalytic condition development and detailed mechanistic studies for selectively obtaining a single isomer. This review comprehensively summarizes both the regioselective and stereoselective catalytic hydroboration of alkynes. It is aimed at giving readers accurate knowledge of the catalytic systems available for the hydroboration of certain alkynes. We anticipate that this inclusive review will encourage researchers to explore more new types of catalytic systems to achieve the remarkable process of hydroboration of alkynes.

Polypropylene sulfide (PPS) as reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsive nanoparticles (NPs) have attained great interest for drug delivery applications in many diseases such as cancer, pulmonary, neurovascular, cardiovascular, and age-related diseases. Despite great potential of PPS NPs as a nanocarrier, it remains relatively less explored for small molecules (drug) delivery, as the current method of PPS NPs synthesis involving strong bases like sodium methoxide (NaOMe) and 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU) results in breakdown of base sensitive drugs or molecules. Herein, we are reporting a facile synthesis method for PPS NPs preparation with high drug loading capacity (five times higher than the reported synthesis method) of base-sensitive cargos (Paclitaxel/Dil dye) within the PPS matrix and protection from possible breakdown of drug during synthesis. The NPs prepared via our method possess oxidative-responsive release of drug, preservation of drug bioactivity, and excellent storage stability at room temperature or 4°C. PPS NPs system demonstrate biocompatibility and drug-loaded NPs provide efficient anticancer activity against breast cancer cells. Our method of PPS NPs synthesis is suitable to prepare a delivery system with higher loading capacity of drug and small molecules for different biomedical applications.

Motivation Assessing biodiversity status and trends in plant communities is critical for understanding, quantifying and predicting the effects of global change on ecosystems. Vegetation plots record the occurrence or abundance of all plant species co-occurring within delimited local areas. This allows species absences to be inferred, information seldom provided by existing global plant datasets. Although many vegetation plots have been recorded, most are not available to the global research community. A recent initiative, called ‘sPlot’, compiled the first global vegetation plot database, and continues to grow and curate it. The sPlot database, however, is extremely unbalanced spatially and environmentally, and is not open-access. Here, we address both these issues by (a) resampling the vegetation plots using several environmental variables as sampling strata and (b) securing permission from data holders of 105 local-to-regional datasets to openly release data. We thus present sPlotOpen, the largest open-access dataset of vegetation plots ever released. sPlotOpen can be used to explore global diversity at the plant community level, as ground truth data in remote sensing applications, or as a baseline for biodiversity monitoring. Main types of variable contained Vegetation plots (n = 95,104) recording cover or abundance of naturally co-occurring vascular plant species within delimited areas. sPlotOpen contains three partially overlapping resampled datasets (c. 50,000 plots each), to be used as replicates in global analyses. Besides geographical location, date, plot size, biome, elevation, slope, aspect, vegetation type, naturalness, coverage of various vegetation layers, and source dataset, plot-level data also include community-weighted means and variances of 18 plant functional traits from the TRY Plant Trait Database. Spatial location and grain Global, 0.01–40,000 m². Time period and grain 1888–2015, recording dates. Major taxa and level of measurement 42,677 vasc

Earthworms are important ecosystem engineers, and assessment of the risk of plant protection products towards them is part of the European environmental risk assessment (ERA). In the current ERA scheme, exposure and effects are represented simplistically and are not well integrated, resulting in uncertainty when applying the results to ecosystems. Modeling offers a powerful tool to integrate the effects observed in lower tier laboratory studies with the environmental conditions under which exposure is expected in the field. This paper provides a summary of the FORESEE Workshop ((In)Field Organism Risk modEling by coupling Soil Exposure and Effect) held January 28‐30, 2020 in Düsseldorf, Germany. This workshop focussed on toxicokinetic‐toxicodynamic (TKTD) and population modeling of earthworms in the context of environmental risk assessment. The goal was to bring together scientists from different stakeholder groups to discuss the current state of soil invertebrate modeling, explore how earthworm modeling could be applied to risk assessments, and in particular how the different model outputs can be used in the tiered ERA approach. In support of these goals, the workshop aimed at addressing the requirements and concerns of the different stakeholder groups to support further model development. The modeling approach included four submodules to cover the most relevant processes for earthworm risk assessment: Environment, Behavior (feeding, vertical movement), TKTD, and Population. Four workgroups examined different aspects of the model with relevance for: Risk assessment, earthworm ecology, uptake routes, and cross‐species extrapolation and model testing. Here, we present the perspectives of each workgroup and highlight how the collaborative effort of participants from multidisciplinary backgrounds helped to establish common ground. In addition, we provide a list of recommendations for how earthworm TKTD modeling could address some of the uncertainties in current risk as

Patterning the wettability of solid surfaces is a successful strategy to control the dropwise condensation of vapor onto partially wetting solid surfaces. The condensation of water vapor onto electrowetting-functionalized surfaces is studied with structured co-planar electrodes. A detailed analysis of the experimental distribution of millions of drops reveals that despite the presence of contact angle hysteresis and the occurrence of random drop coalescence events, the preferential drop positions closely follow the numerically calculated local minima of the electrostatic energy for variable drop size. Even subtle transitions between competing preferred locations are properly reproduced by the model. Based on this quantitative understanding of the condensation patterns, a series of important follow-up steps that need to be taken to demonstrate a reliable performance gain in various applications focusing in particular on enhanced heat transfer is discussed. © 2020 The Authors. Advanced Materials Interfaces published by Wiley-VCH GmbH

There is a globally rising healthcare need to develop new anticancer therapies as well as to test them on biologically relevant in vitro cancer models instead of overly simplistic 2D models. To address both these needs, a 3D lung cancer spheroid model is developed using human A549 cells trapped inside a collagen gel in a compartmentalized microfluidic device and homogenously sized (35–45 µm) multicellular tumor spheroids are obtained in 5 days. The novel tryptophan‐rich peptide P1, identified earlier as a potential anticancer peptide (ACP), shows enhanced cytotoxic efficacy against A549 tumor spheroids (>75%) in clinically relevant low concentrations, while it does not affect human amniotic membrane mesenchymal stem cells at the same concentrations (<15%). The peptide also inhibits the formation of tumor spheroids by reducing cell viability as well as lowering the proliferative capacity, which is confirmed by the expression of cell proliferation marker Ki‐67. The ACP offers a novel therapeutic strategy against lung cancer cells without affecting healthy cells. The microfluidic device used is likely to be useful in helping develop models for several other cancer types to test new anticancer agents.

Packaging during the passaging of viruses in cell cultures yields various phenotypes and is regulated by viral protein expression in infected cells. Although such a packaging mechanism has a profound effect in controlling the virus yield, little is known about the underlying statistical models followed by virus packaging and protein expression among cells infected with the virus. A predictive framework combining identification of the probability density function (PDF) based on log‐likelihood and using the PDF for Monte‐Carlo simulations is developed. The Birnbaum–Saunders distribution was found to be consistent with all three‐virus packaging levels, including nucleocapsids (NCs)/occluded derived virus (ODV), ODVs/polyhedra and polyhedra/cell for both Wild‐type and genetically modified AcMNPV. Next, it was demonstrated that PDF fitting could be used to compare two viruses having distinctly different genetic configurations. Finally, the identified PDF can be incorporated in RNA synthesis parameters for baculovirus infection to predict the cell‐to‐cell variability in protein expression using Monte Carlo simulations. The proposed tool can be used for the estimation of uncertainty in the kinetic parameter and prediction of cell‐to‐cell variability for other biological systems.

Objectives The aim of this national survey was to explore the impact of COVID‐19 public health measures on access to social support services and the effects of closures of services on the mental well‐being of older people and those affected by dementia. Methods A UK‐wide online and telephone survey was conducted with older adults, people with dementia, and carers between April and May 2020.The survey captured demographic and postcode data, social support service usage before and after COVID‐19 public health measures, current quality of life, depression, and anxiety. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the relationship between social support service variations and anxiety and well‐being. Results 569 participants completed the survey (61 people with dementia, 285 unpaid carers, and 223 older adults). Paired samples t‐tests and X2‐tests showed that the mean hour of weekly social support service usage and the number of people having accessed various services was significantly reduced post COVID‐19. Multiple regression analyses showed that higher variations in social support service hours significantly predicted increased levels of anxiety in people with dementia and older adults, and lower levels of mental well‐being in unpaid carers and older adults. Conclusions Being unable to access social support services due to COVID contributed to worse quality of life and anxiety in those affected by dementia and older adults across the UK. Social support services need to be enabled to continue providing support in adapted formats, especially in light of continued public health restrictions for the foreseeable future. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.

These guidelines are a consensus work of a considerable number of members of the immunology and flow cytometry community. They provide the theory and key practical aspects of flow cytometry enabling immunologists to avoid the common errors that often undermine immunological data. Notably, there are comprehensive sections of all major immune cell types with helpful Tables detailing phenotypes in murine and human cells. The latest flow cytometry techniques and applications are also described, featuring examples of the data that can be generated and, importantly, how the data can be analysed. Furthermore, there are sections detailing tips, tricks and pitfalls to avoid, all written and peer‐reviewed by leading experts in the field, making this an essential research companion.

QuestionsVegetation‐plot records provide information on presence and cover or abundance of plants co‐occurring in the same community. Vegetation‐plot data are spread across research groups, environmental agencies and biodiversity research centers and, thus, are rarely accessible at continental or global scales. Here we present the sPlot database, which collates vegetation plots worldwide to allow for the exploration of global patterns in taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity at the plant community level. LocationsPlot version 2.1 contains records from 1,121,244 vegetation plots, which comprise 23,586,216 records of plant species and their relative cover or abundance in plots collected between 1885 and 2015. MethodsWe complemented the information for each plot by retrieving climate and soil conditions and the biogeographic context (e.g. biomes) from external sources, and by calculating community‐weighted means and variances of traits using gap‐filled data from the global plant trait database TRY. Moreover, we created a phylogenetic tree for 50,167 out of the 54,519 species identified in the plots. ResultsWe present the first maps of global patterns of community richness and community‐weighted means of key traits. ConclusionsThe availability of vegetation plot data in sPlot offers new avenues for vegetation analysis at the global scale.

The ability to control crystallization reactions is required in a vast range of processes including the production of functional inorganic materials and pharmaceuticals and the prevention of scale. However, it is currently limited by a lack of understanding of the mechanisms underlying crystal nucleation and growth. To address this challenge, it is necessary to carry out crystallization reactions in well‐defined environments, and ideally to perform in situ measurements. Here, a versatile microfluidic synchrotron‐based technique is presented to meet these demands. Droplet microfluidic‐coupled X‐ray diffraction (DMC‐XRD) enables the collection of time‐resolved, serial diffraction patterns from a stream of flowing droplets containing growing crystals. The droplets offer reproducible reaction environments, and radiation damage is effectively eliminated by the short residence time of each droplet in the beam. DMC‐XRD is then used to identify effective particulate nucleating agents for calcium carbonate and to study their influence on the crystallization pathway. Bioactive glasses and a model material for mineral dust are shown to significantly lower the induction time, highlighting the importance of both surface chemistry and topography on the nucleating efficiency of a surface. This technology is also extremely versatile, and could be used to study dynamic reactions with a wide range of synchrotron‐based techniques.