Search

We apply AI‐assisted large language model (LLM) capabilities of GPT‐3 targeting high‐performance computing (HPC) kernels for (i) code generation, and (ii) auto‐parallelization of serial code in C ++, Fortran, Python and Julia. Our scope includes the following fundamental numerical kernels: AXPY, GEMV, GEMM, SpMV, Jacobi Stencil, and CG, and language/programming models: (1) C++ (e.g., OpenMP [including offload], OpenACC, Kokkos, SyCL, CUDA, and HIP), (2) Fortran (e.g., OpenMP [including offload] and OpenACC), (3) Python (e.g., numpy, Numba, cuPy, and pyCUDA), and (4) Julia (e.g., Threads, CUDA.jl, AMDGPU.jl, and KernelAbstractions.jl). Kernel implementations are generated using GitHub Copilot capabilities powered by the GPT‐based OpenAI Codex available in Visual Studio Code given simple + + prompt variants. To quantify and compare the generated results, we propose a proficiency metric around the initial 10 suggestions given for each prompt. For auto‐parallelization, we use ChatGPT interactively giving simple prompts as in a dialogue with another human including simple "prompt engineering" follow ups. Results suggest that correct outputs for C++ correlate with the adoption and maturity of programming models. For example, OpenMP and CUDA score really high, whereas HIP is still lacking. We found that prompts from either a targeted language such as Fortran or the more general‐purpose Python can benefit from adding language keywords, while Julia prompts perform acceptably well for its Threads and CUDA.jl programming models. We expect to provide an initial quantifiable point of reference for code generation in each programming model using a state‐of‐the‐art LLM. Overall, understanding the convergence of LLMs, AI, and HPC is crucial due to its rapidly evolving nature and how it is redefining human‐computer interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternative perspectives on the maintenance of biodiversity and the assembly of ecological communities suggest that both processes cannot be investigated simultaneously. In this concept and synthesis, we challenge this view by presenting major theoretical advances in structural stability and permanence theory. These advances, which provide complementary views, allow studying the short‐ and long‐term dynamics of ecological communities as changes in species richness, composition, and abundance. Here, the global attractor, technically named informational structure (IS), is the central element to construct from information of species' intrinsic growth rates and their strength and sign of interactions. The global attractor has four main properties: (1) It contains all the limits of what is feasible and unfeasible of the dynamical behavior of an ecological system, therefore, (2) it provides a thorough characterization of all combinations of species' richness and composition in which species can coexist (i.e., feasible and stable equilibrium), (3) as well as all connections (paths) of assembly between coexisting communities. Importantly, (4) such topology of coexisting communities and their connections changes when environmental (abiotic and biotic) variation affects the ability of species to grow and interact with others. Overall, these four properties allow switching from a traditional evaluation of species coexistence at equilibrium to a much more realistic nonequilibrium perspective where changes in the structure of the global attractor underlie the transient ecological dynamics. Several fields in ecology can benefit from the study of an IS. For instance, it can serve to evaluate community responses after the end of a perturbation, to design restoration trajectories, to study the consequences of biological invasions on the persistence of native species within communities, or to assess ecosystem health status. We illustrate this latter possibility with empirical observations of 7 years in Mediterranean annual grasslands. We document that extremely wet or dry years generate ISs supporting few coexisting communities and few assembly paths. The remaining communities distinguish winners from losers of ongoing climate change and indicate the limits to future community assembly opportunities. A fully tractable operational framework is readily available to understand and predict the assembly and dynamics of ecological communities in an ever‐changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In humans, being more socially integrated is associated with better physical and mental health and/or with lower mortality. This link between sociality and health may have ancient roots: sociality also predicts survival or reproduction in other mammals, such as rats, dolphins, and non‐human primates. A key question, therefore, is which factors influence the degree of sociality over the life course. Longitudinal data can provide valuable insight into how environmental variability drives individual differences in sociality and associated outcomes. The first year of life—when long‐lived mammals are the most reliant on others for nourishment and protection—is likely to play an important role in how individuals learn to integrate into groups. Using behavioral, demographic, and pedigree information on 376 wild capuchin monkeys (Cebus imitator) across 20 years, we address how changes in group composition influence spatial association. We further try to determine the extent to which early maternal social environments have downstream effects on sociality across the juvenile and (sub)adult stages. We find a positive effect of early maternal spatial association, where female infants whose mothers spent more time around others also later spent more time around others as juveniles and subadults. Our results also highlight the importance of kin availability and other aspects of group composition (e.g., group size) in dynamically influencing spatial association across developmental stages. We bring attention to the importance of—and difficulty in—determining the social versus genetic influences that parents have on offspring phenotypes. Research Highlights: Having more maternal kin (mother and siblings) is associated with spending more time near others across developmental stages in both male and female capuchins.Having more offspring as a subadult or adult female is additionally associated with spending more time near others.A mother's average sociality (time near others) is predictive of how social her daughters (but not sons) become as juveniles and subadults (a between‐mother effect).Additional variation within sibling sets in this same maternal phenotype is not predictive of how social they become later relative to each other (no within‐mother effect). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community assembly provides the foundation for applications in biodiversity conservation, climate change, invasion, restoration and synthetic ecology. However, predicting and prioritising assembly outcomes remains difficult. We address this challenge via a mechanism‐free approach useful when little data or knowledge exist (LOVE; Learning Outcomes Via Experiments). We carry out assembly experiments ('actions', here, random combinations of species additions) potentially in multiple environments, wait, and measure abundance outcomes. We then train a model to predict outcomes of novel actions or prioritise actions that would yield the most desirable outcomes. Across 10 single‐ and multi‐environment datasets, when trained on 89 randomly selected actions, LOVE predicts outcomes with 0.5%–3.4% mean error, and prioritises actions for maximising richness, maximising abundance, or removing unwanted species, with 94%–99% mean true positive rate and 10%–84% mean true negative rate across tasks. LOVE complements existing mechanism‐first approaches for community ecology and may help address numerous applied challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hypotension is one of the main characteristics of the systemic inflammation, basically caused by endothelial dysfunction. Studies have shown that the amino acid L‐kynurenine (KYN) causes vasodilation in mammals, leading to hypotensive shock. In hypotensive shock, when activated by the KYN, the voltage‐gated potassium channel encoded by the family KCNQ (Kv7) gene can cause vasodilation. Fructose‐1,6‐bisphosphate (FBP) it is being considered in studies an anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulator, and a modulator of some ion channels (Ca2+, Na+, and K+). We analyzed the effects of KYN and FBP on mean blood pressure (MBP), systolic and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, and heart rate variability (HRV) in Wistar rats. Results demonstrated that the administration of KYN significant decreased MBP, DBP, and increased HRV. Importantly, the FBP treatment reversed the KYN effects on MBP, DBP, and HRV. Molecular Docking Simulations suggested that KYN and FBP present a very close estimated free energy of binding and the same position into structure of KCNQ4. Our results did demonstrate that FBP blunted the decrease in BP, provoked by KYN. Results raise new hypotheses for future and studies in the treatment of hypotension resulting from inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genome‐wide technologies open up new possibilities to clarify questions on genetic structure and phylogeographic history of taxa previously studied with microsatellite loci and mitochondrial sequences. Here, we used 736 individual red deer (Cervus elaphus) samples genotyped at 35,701 single nucleotide polymorphism loci (SNPs) to assess the population structure of the species throughout Europe. The results identified 28 populations, with higher degrees of genetic distinction in peripheral compared to mainland populations. Iberian red deer show high genetic differentiation, with lineages in Western and Central Iberia maintaining their distinctiveness, which supports separate refugial ranges within Iberia along with little recent connection between Iberian and the remaining Western European populations. The Norwegian population exhibited the lowest variability and the largest allele frequency differences from mainland European populations, compatible with a history of bottlenecks and drift during post‐glacial colonization from southern refugia. Scottish populations showed high genetic distance from the mainland but high levels of diversity. Hybrid zones were found between Eastern and Western European lineages in Central Europe as well as in the Pyrenees, where red deer from France are in close contact with Iberian red deer. Anthropogenic restocking has promoted the Pyrenean contact zone, admixture events in populations on the Isle of Rum and in the Netherlands, and at least partly the admixture of the two main lineages in central‐eastern Europe. Our analysis enabled detailed resolution of population structure of a large mammal widely distributed throughout Europe and contributes to resolving the evolutionary history, which can also inform conservation and management policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mangroves store significant amounts of carbon in both sediment and water. Methane (CH4) is often produced in anoxic, organic‐rich sediments during carbon degradation and released to overlying waters via porewater exchange. Yet, a portion of CH4 can be oxidized to CO2 before emission. Here, we investigate whether CH4 oxidation impacts its emissions using high‐temporal resolution CH4 concentration and stable isotope (δ13C‐CH4) observations collected over 14 tidal cycles in 2 Brazilian mangrove creeks with no river inputs. We found higher CH4 concentrations (~ 150 nM) more depleted in 13C (−75‰) during low tide than high tide at both creeks. Similar δ13C‐CH4 values between low tide surface waters and porewaters further suggest tidally driven porewater exchange as the main source of CH4. More 13C‐enriched CH4 in surface waters and surface sediments than deep sediments indicate partial CH4 oxidation prior to exchange with the atmosphere. A stable isotope mass balance revealed that 17–58% of CH4 was oxidized at rates of 3–25 μmol m−2 d−1 in the water column of tidal creeks. A larger portion of deep porewater CH4 (45–61%) was oxidized in sediments prior to porewater exchange with surface creek waters. The two mangrove creeks had average water–air CH4 fluxes of 51–109 μmol m−2 d−1 over spring‐neap tidal cycles. These aquatic CH4 emissions offset only < 3% of the mangroves' soil carbon sequestration. Overall, CH4 oxidation in both surface water and sediment attenuated CH4 emissions to the atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The chemical reduction within a family of organic selenocyanates, as masked selenols, using reducing agents, such as Rongalite, sodium dithionite, and sodium thiosulfate is investigated. Using Rongalite, the corresponding diselenides were obtained quantitatively and selectively in very good to excellent yields (51–100 %) starting from alkyl, aryl, and benzyl selenocyanates. The scope of the reaction is unaffected by the electronic nature of the substituents. Furthermore, the reducing agent, Rongalite, is compatible with hydrolysable and reducing‐sensitive functional groups. Additionally, a simple methodology employing the in‐situ generated benzyl selenolate anion (PhCH2Se−) to promote aliphatic nucleophilic substitution, epoxide ring opening, and Michael addition reactions has been developed; thus, extending the structural diversity of the synthesized selenium derivatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carboxylesterases comprise a major class of α/β‐fold hydrolases responsible for the cleavage and formation of ester bonds. Found ubiquitously in nature, these enzymes are crucial for the metabolism of both endogenous and exogenous carboxyl esters in animals, plants and microorganisms. Beyond their essential physiological roles, carboxylesterases stand out as one of the important classes of biocatalysts for biotechnology. BlEst2, an enzyme previously classified as Bacillus licheniformis esterase, remains largely uncharacterized. In the present study, we elucidate the structural biology, molecular dynamics and biochemical features of BlEst2. Our findings reveal a canonical α/β‐hydrolase fold similar to the ESTHER block L of lipases, further augmented by two additional accessory C‐terminal domains. Notably, the catalytic domain demonstrates two insertions, which occupy conserved locations in α/β‐hydrolase proteins and commonly form the lid domain in lipase structures. Intriguingly, our in vitro cleavage of C‐terminal domains revealed the structure of the active form of BlEst2. Upon activation, BlEst2 showed a markedly elevated hydrolytic activity. This observation implies that the intramolecular C‐terminal domain serves as a regulatory intramolecular inhibitor. Interestingly, despite exhibiting esterase‐like activity, BlEst2 structural characteristics align more closely with lipases. This suggests that BlEst2 could potentially represent a previously unrecognized subgroup within the realm of carboxyl ester hydrolases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Anguilliform swimmers are long and narrow animals that propel themselves by undulating their bodies. Observations in nature and recent investigations suggest that anguilliform swimming is highly efficient. However, understanding the underlying reasons for the efficiency of this type of locomotion requires interdisciplinary studies spanning from biology to hydrodynamics. Regrettably, these different fields are rarely discussed together, which hinders our ability to understand the repeated evolution of this swimming mode in vertebrates. This review compiles the current knowledge of the anatomical features that drive anguilliform swimming, compares the resulting kinematics across a wide range of anguilliform swimmers, and describes the resulting hydrodynamic interactions using data from both in vivo experiments and computational studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital samples offer many opportunities to study subsurface fluid flow and contaminant transport processes. The pore size distribution of especially fine‐textured porous media often covers many orders of magnitude in the length scale, which makes accurate microCT scanning and modeling of the underlying processes difficult. When a single‐resolution image is not capable of capturing all relevant details of a sample, one should scan the sample, or selected parts of it, at different resolutions. Combining multiple resolutions into one single sample for subsequent pore‐scale modeling is generally not possible due to limitations in computer memory and speed, thus making it necessary to create a simpler sample containing relevant information from the parent networks. We imaged four samples using different resolutions to capture the multiscale heterogeneity of a fine‐textured soil and combined them into one overall digital sample based on the original pore networks. The parent networks were characterized using their geometrical properties, correlations between these properties, and connectivity functions describing the network topologies. Our approach creates stochastic networks of arbitrary size with the same flow properties as the parent network. The method, implemented using the PoreStudio pore network model, repeatedly integrates information at two subsequent scales, with the resulting digital sample having the same hydraulic properties as the original samples. The procedure leads to more useful three‐dimensional digital models, facilitating basic analyses of underlying pore size distributions. Porosity calculations were compared with direct measurements, while those for the hydraulic conductivity were compared with estimates based on the particle size distribution and nearby field data. Core Ideas: A stochastic method was used to combine four computed microtomography samples with different resolutions into one digital sample.The approach was applied to a fine‐textured tropical soil with a very broad pore‐size distribution.The methodology kept the same digital porosity as the original pore networks and enhanced the flow properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurately estimating the petrophysical properties of heterogeneous carbonate rocks across various scales poses significant challenges, particularly within the context of water and hydrocarbon reservoir studies. Digital rock analysis techniques, such as X‐ray computed microtomography and synchrotron‐light‐based imaging, are increasingly employed to study the complex pore structure of carbonate rocks. However, several technical limitations remain, notably the need to balance the volume of interest with the maximum achievable resolution, which is influenced by geometric properties of the source–detector distance in each apparatus. Typically, higher resolutions necessitate smaller sample volumes, leading to a portion of the pore structure (the sub‐resolution or unresolved porosity), that remain undetected. In this study, X‐ray microtomography is used to infer the fluid flow properties of a carbonate rock sample having a substantial fraction of porosity below the imaging resolution. The existence of unresolved porosity is verified by comparisons with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data. We introduce a methodology for modeling the sub‐resolution pore structure within images by accounting for unresolved pore bodies and pore throats derived from a predetermined distribution of pore throat radii. The process identifies preferential pathways between visible pores using the shortest distance and establishes connections between these pores by allocating pore bodies and throats along these paths, while ensuring compatibility with the NMR measurements. Single‐phase flow simulations are conducted on the full volume of a selected heterogeneous rock sample by using the developed pore network model. Results are then compared with petrophysical data obtained from laboratory measurements. Core Ideas: Using digital rock analysis, we generated and reconnected sub‐resolution pores of a carbonate rock sample.A workflow is presented to allow the reconnection of detectable and sub‐resolution pores.We compared simulated absolute permeabilities of different pore networks with laboratory measurements.Digital rocks generated with a pore network model can serve as a complementary tool for studying fluid flow patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Temporomandibular disorders (TMD) do not only occur in adults but also in adolescents, with negative impacts on their development. Aim: To propose a predictive model for TMD in adolescents using a decision tree (DT) analysis and to identify groups at high and low risk of developing TMD in the city of Recife, PE, Brazil. Design: This cross‐sectional study was conducted in Recife on 1342 schoolchildren of both sexes aged 10–17 years. The analyses were performed using Pearson's chi‐squared test and Fisher's exact test, as well as the CHAID algorithm for the construction of the DT. The SPSS statistical program was used. Results: The prevalence of TMD was 33.2%. Statistically significant associations were observed between TMD and sex, depression, self‐reported orofacial pain, and orofacial pain on clinical examination. The DT consisted of self‐reported orofacial pain, orofacial pain on physical examination, and depression, with an overall predictive power of 73.0%. Conclusion: The proposed tree has a good predictive capacity and permits to identify groups at high risk of developing TMD among adolescents, such as those with self‐reported orofacial pain or orofacial pain on examination associated with depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interaction networks are a widely used tool to understand the dynamics of plant–pollinator ecological communities. However, while most mutualistic networks have been defined at the species level, ecological processes such as pollination take place at different scales, including the individual or patch levels. Yet, current approaches studying fine‐grain sub‐specific plant–pollinator networks only account for interactions among nodes belonging to a single plant species due to the conceptual and mathematical limitations of modeling simultaneously several plant species each composed of several nodes. Here, we introduce a multilayer diffusion network framework that allows modeling simple diffusion processes between nodes pertaining to the same or different layers (i.e. species). It is designed to depict from the network structure the potential conspecific and heterospecific pollen flows among plant individuals or patches. This potential pollen flow is modeled as a transport‐like system, in which pollen grain movements are represented as random‐walkers that diffuse on an ensemble of bipartite layers of conspecific plants and their shared pollinators. We exemplify this physical conceptualization using a dataset of nine fine‐grain sub‐specific plant–pollinator networks from a Mediterranean grassland of annual plants, where plant nodes represent groups of conspecifics within patches of 1 m2. The diffusion networks show pollinators effectively connecting sets of patches of the same and different plant species, forming a modular structure. Interestingly, different properties of the network structure, such as the conspecific pollen arrival probability and the number of conspecific subgraphs in which plants are embedded, are critical for the seed production of different plant species. We provide a simple but robust set of metrics to calculate potential pollen flow and scale down network ecology to functioning properties at the individual or patch level, where most ecological processes take place, hence moving forward the description and interpretation of species‐rich communities across scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) has been increasingly exploited for the synthesis of high‐value raw materials in gaseous or liquid form, although no examples of CO2 fixation in nanoparticle systems have been demonstrated. Herein, CO2 fixation into solid nanomaterials by laser synthesis and processing of gold colloids in water, traditionally considered a green approach leading to ligand‐free nanoparticles without the formation of by‐products, is reported. If carbon monoxide‐rich gold nanoparticles are observable even after synthesis in deionized water, the presence of CO2 derivatives in alkaline water environment leads to C2 and C3 coupling with the production of carboxylic acids as a typical CO2RR fingerprint. While laser processing of preformed gold colloids is selective for C2 coupling, both C2 and C3 coupling to lactic acid are observed during pulsed laser ablation of a gold target. In the latter case, it is demonstrated that it is possible to synthesize photoluminescent organometallic nanocomposites in the blue spectral region with a quantum yield of about 20% under adequate experimental conditions. In this research, new pathways are offered to be explored in energetics, photonics, catalysis, and synthesis at the nanoscale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 69-year-old man suffering from mGluR5 encephalitis, a rare autoimmune condition involving antibodies against metabotropic glutamate receptor 5. It is reported that this neurological disorder presented with a variety of symptoms, including myoclonus (involuntary muscle jerks), ataxia (loss of coordination), psychosis, and various neuropsychiatric manifestations.

Individual responses to changes in the environment by different species drive a better understanding of the dynamics of diversity and habitat filtering. Hypotheses based on functional and morphometric characteristics of the species are especially useful for accounting for different interpretations of biological responses.This study aimed to determine the responses of semiaquatic species of insects to habitat changes from the elaboration of hypotheses based on the importance of species traits facing environmental variations. We tested these hypotheses with maximum likelihood models to explain the occurrence of the species in streams of the central Amazon region.In a total of 17 collected Gerromorpha species, we used 14 to develop five predictive models of occurrence considering the bionomic characteristics of each species and their possible relationships with habitat changes in 33 streams in the central Amazon region. We used maximum likelihood models to assess the fit of the models to the observed occurrence, with environmental characteristics as covariates affecting the occurrence probability, and sampling effort affecting the detection probability.A total of five species exhibited changes in the probability of occurrence in streams related to an environmental condition (riparian forest disturbance, flow heterogeneity, and surface habitat heterogeneity). The probability of occurrence tended to reduce for four of the five species and increase for one with increase of environmental impacts. Furthermore, the sampling effort covariate did not affect the probability of detection in most species, indicating that the group showed a high detection.The use of functional characteristics of Gerromorpha species to develop ecological hypotheses proved relevant and indicated unexpected relationships, expanding our knowledge of this community of aquatic insects. Therefore, including the individual responses of organisms to environmental variations helps in studies on aquatic biodiversity, both for basic ecology and for conservation and bioassessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let Mκ$M_{\kappa }$ be the three‐dimensional space form of constant curvature κ=0,1,−1$\kappa =0,1,-1$, that is, Euclidean space R3$\mathbb {R}^{3}$, the sphere S3$S^{3}$, or hyperbolic space H3$H^{3}$. Let S$S$ be a smooth, closed, strictly convex surface in Mκ$M_{\kappa }$. We define an outer billiard map B$B$ on the four‐dimensional space Gκ$\mathcal {G}_{\kappa }$ of oriented complete geodesics of Mκ$M_{\kappa }$, for which the billiard table is the subset of Gκ$\mathcal {G} _{\kappa }$ consisting of all oriented geodesics not intersecting S$S$. We show that B$B$ is a diffeomorphism when S$S$ is quadratically convex. For κ=1,−1$\kappa =1,-1$, Gκ$\mathcal {G}_{\kappa }$ has a Kähler structure associated with the Killing form of Iso(Mκ)$\operatorname{Iso}(M_{\kappa })$. We prove that B$B$ is a symplectomorphism with respect to its fundamental form and that B$B$ can be obtained as an analogue to the construction of Tabachnikov of the outer billiard in R2n$\mathbb {R}^{2n}$ defined in terms of the standard symplectic structure. We show that B$B$ does not preserve the fundamental symplectic form on Gκ$\mathcal {G}_{\kappa }$ associated with the cross product on Mκ$M_{\kappa }$, for κ=0,1,−1$\kappa =0,1,-1$. We initiate the dynamical study of this outer billiard in the hyperbolic case by introducing and discussing a notion of holonomy for periodic points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemoresistance is a common problem in ovarian cancer (OvCa) treatment, where resistant cells, in response to chemotherapy, secrete small extracellular vesicles (sEVs), known as chemo‐sEVs, that transfer resistance to recipient cells. sEVs are formed as intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) within multivesicular endosomes (MVEs), whose trafficking is regulated by Ras‐associated binding (RAB) GTPases that mediate sEVs secretion or lysosomal degradation. A decrease in lysosomal function can promote sEVs secretion, but the relationship between MVEs trafficking pathways and sEVs secretion in OvCa chemoresistance is unclear. Here, we show that A2780cis cisplatin (CCDP) resistant OvCa cells had an increased number of MVEs and ILVs structures, higher levels of Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRTs) machinery components, and RAB27A compared to A2780 CDDP‐sensitive OvCa cells. CDDP promoted the secretion of chemo‐sEVs in A2780cis cells, enriched in DNA damage response proteins. A2780cis cells exhibited poor lysosomal function with reduced levels of RAB7, essential in MVEs‐Lysosomal trafficking. The silencing of RAB27A in A2780cis cells prevents the Chemo‐EVs secretion, reduces its chemoresistance and restores lysosomal function and levels of RAB7, switching them into an A2780‐like cellular phenotype. Enhancing lysosomal function with rapamycin reduced chemo‐sEVs secretion. Our results suggest that adjusting the balance between secretory MVEs and lysosomal MVEs trafficking could be a promising strategy for overcoming CDDP chemoresistance in OvCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate psychological, social, and financial outcomes amongst individuals undergoing a non‐contrast abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan to screen for kidney cancer and other abdominal malignancies alongside the thoracic CT within lung cancer screening. Subjects and Methods: The Yorkshire Kidney Screening Trial (YKST) is a feasibility study of adding a non‐contrast abdominal CT scan to the thoracic CT within lung cancer screening. A total of 500 participants within the YKST, comprising all who had an abnormal CT scan and a random sample of one‐third of those with a normal scan between 14/03/2022 and 24/08/2022 were sent a questionnaire at 3 and 6 months. Outcomes included the Psychological Consequences Questionnaire (PCQ), the short‐form of the Spielberger State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the EuroQoL five Dimensions five Levels scale (EQ‐5D‐5L). Data were analysed using regression adjusting for participant age, sex, socioeconomic status, education, baseline quality of life (EQ‐5D‐5L), and ethnicity. Results: A total of 380 (76%) participants returned questionnaires at 3 months and 328 (66%) at 6 months. There was no difference in any outcomes between participants with a normal scan and those with abnormal scans requiring no further action. Individuals requiring initial further investigations or referral had higher scores on the negative PCQ than those with normal scans at 3 months (standardised mean difference 0.28 sd, 95% confidence interval 0.01–0.54; P = 0.044). The difference was greater in those with anxiety or depression at baseline. No differences were seen at 6 months. Conclusion: Screening for kidney cancer and other abdominal malignancies using abdominal CT alongside the thoracic CT within lung cancer screening is unlikely to cause significant lasting psychosocial or financial harm to participants with incidental findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nosocomial bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii is protected from antibiotic treatment by acquiring antibiotic resistances and by forming biofilms. Cell attachment, one of the first steps in biofilm formation, is normally induced by environmental metabolites. We hypothesized that vanillic acid (VA), the oxidized form of vanillin and a widely available metabolite, may play a role in A. baumannii cell attachment. We first discovered that A. baumannii actively breaks down VA through the evolutionarily conserved vanABKP genes. These genes are under the control of the repressor VanR, which we show binds directly to VanR binding sites within the vanABKP genes bidirectional promoter. VA in turn counteracts VanR inhibition. We identified a VanR binding site and searched for it throughout the genome, especially in pili encoding promoter genes. We found a VanR binding site in the pilus encoding csu operon promoter and showed that VanR binds specifically to it. As expected, a strain lacking VanR overproduces Csu pili and makes robust biofilms. Our study uncovers the role that VA plays in facilitating the attachment of A. baumannii cells to surfaces, a crucial step in biofilm formation. These findings provide valuable insights into a previously obscure catabolic pathway with significant clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Brazilian Mata Atlântica coastal rainforest suffered a dramatic reduction in size due to agricultural and mining activities since the 1500s. Most relevant fragments are in mountainous areas assigned for environmental conservation, where there is increasing market pressure to open these areas for mining operations. In this study, we created a broader framework for water basin study on mountainous regions in tropical areas of high ecological importance. Remote sensing and hydrochemical analysis were used to create a more encompassing evaluation and a prognosis of environmental changes caused by mining operations. Our results showed that land use and land cover variations affect the physical and chemical behavior of rivers, and that seasonality plays a compounding role in their levels of particulate and chemical elements. Applying these combined techniques proved to be a good strategy in the evaluation of land cover change on the physical and chemical variations found in smaller watersheds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic has resulted in the loss of millions of lives, although a majority of those infected have managed to survive. Consequently, a set of outcomes, identified as long COVID, is now emerging. While the primary target of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is the respiratory system, the impact of COVID‐19 extends to various body parts, including the bone. This study aims to investigate the effects of acute SARS‐CoV‐2 infection on osteoclastogenesis, utilizing both ancestral and Omicron viral strains. Monocyte‐derived macrophages, which serve as precursors to osteoclasts, were exposed to both viral variants. However, the infection proved abortive, even though ACE2 receptor expression increased postinfection, with no significant impact on cellular viability and redox balance. Both SARS‐CoV‐2 strains heightened osteoclast formation in a dose‐dependent manner, as well as CD51/61 expression and bone resorptive ability. Notably, SARS‐CoV‐2 induced early pro‐inflammatory M1 macrophage polarization, shifting toward an M2‐like profile. Osteoclastogenesis‐related genes (RANK, NFATc1, DC‐STAMP, MMP9) were upregulated, and surprisingly, SARS‐CoV‐2 variants promoted RANKL‐independent osteoclast formation. This thorough investigation illuminates the intricate interplay between SARS‐CoV‐2 and osteoclast precursors, suggesting potential implications for bone homeostasis and opening new avenues for therapeutic exploration in COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants interact in complex networks but how network structure depends on resources, natural enemies and species resource‐use strategy remains poorly understood. Here, we quantified competition networks among 18 plants varying in fast–slow strategy, by testing how increased nutrient availability and reduced foliar pathogens affected intra‐ and inter‐specific interactions. Our results show that nitrogen and pathogens altered several aspects of network structure, often in unexpected ways due to fast and slow growing species responding differently. Nitrogen addition increased competition asymmetry in slow growing networks, as expected, but decreased it in fast growing networks. Pathogen reduction made networks more even and less skewed because pathogens targeted weaker competitors. Surprisingly, pathogens and nitrogen dampened each other's effect. Our results show that plant growth strategy is key to understand how competition respond to resources and enemies, a prediction from classic theories which has rarely been tested by linking functional traits to competition networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To provide a 3‐year follow‐up of previously treated patients to assess and compare the periodontal responses and clinical performance of proximal subgingival open sandwich restorations. Materials and Methods: Ninety‐five adults participated in the study, with a combined total of 120 compound Class II cavities. These cavities had gingival margins located below the CEJ. Four different restorative materials were used to elevate the dentin/cementum gingival margins of the cavities: resin‐modified glass ionomer, glass hybrid, flowable bulk‐fill composite, or ion‐releasing material, which were then completed with the same overlaying composite. Different periodontal and clinical evaluations, based on the criteria set by the World Dental Federation (FDI) criteria, were performed at different time intervals, including baseline, 6 months, 1, 2, and 3 years. Results: The type of base material did not affect the periodontal evaluations. There were no statistically significant differences between different time intervals or base material groups in any of the evaluated FDI parameters. However, the ion‐releasing material scored significantly worse in the radiographic evaluation than any of the other groups. Conclusions: All tested materials are suitable for proximal subgingival open sandwich restorations, as long as the restoration/tooth margin is at least 2‐mm away from the bone crest. Clinical Significance: Clinicians can confidently choose any of the tested materials for proximal subgingival open sandwich restorations, as they have shown good outcomes from both periodontal and clinical perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Neonatal platelets present a reduced response to the platelet agonist, thrombin (Thr), thus resulting in a deficient Thr‐induced aggregation. These alterations are more pronounced in premature newborns. Here, our aim was to uncover the causes underneath the impaired Ca2+ homeostasis described in neonatal platelets. Both Ca2+ mobilization and Ca2+ influx in response to Thr are decreased in neonatal platelets compared to maternal and control woman platelets. In neonatal platelets, we observed impaired Ca2+ mobilization in response to the PAR‐1 agonist (SFLLRN) or by blocking SERCA3 function with tert‐butylhydroquinone. Regarding SOCE, the STIM1 regulatory protein, SARAF, was found overexpressed in neonatal platelets, promoting an increase in STIM1/SARAF interaction even under resting conditions. Additionally, higher interaction between SARAF and PDCD61/ALG2 was also observed, reducing SARAF ubiquitination and prolonging its half‐life. These results were reproduced by overexpressing SARAF in MEG01 and DAMI cells. Finally, we also observed that pannexin 1 permeability is enhanced in response to Thr in control woman and maternal platelets, but not in neonatal platelets, hence, leading to the deregulation of the Ca2+ entry found in neonatal platelets. Summarizing, we show that in neonatal platelets both Ca2+ accumulation in the intracellular stores and Thr‐evoked Ca2+ entry through either capacitative channels or non‐selective channels are altered in neonatal platelets, contributing to deregulated Ca2+ homeostasis in neonatal platelets and leading to the altered aggregation observed in these subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we analysed the molecular and morphometric differences of several populations of the putative sand fly vector Psychodopygus davisi (Root, 1934) (Diptera, Psychodidae, Phlebotominae) in Brazil. We amplified the 658 base pair fragments of the DNA barcoding region—cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene—for 57 specimens of P. davisi and three specimens of Psychodopygus claustrei (Abonnenc, Léger & Fauran, 1979). We merged our data with public sequences of the same species available from GenBank. Then, the combined dataset—87 sequences and 20 localities—was analysed using population structure analysis and different species delimitation approaches. Geometric morphometry of wings was performed for 155 specimens of P. davisi populations from the North, Midwest and Southeast Brazilian regions, analysing the differences in centroid sizes and canonical variates. Molecular analysis indicated high intraspecific genetic distance values for P. davisi (maximum p distance = 5.52%). All algorithms identified P. davisi and P. claustrei as distinct molecular taxonomic units, despite the low interspecific distance (p distance to the nearest neighbour = 4.79%). P. davisi sequences were split into four genetic clusters by population structure analysis and at least five genetic lineages using intermediate scenarios of the species delimitation algorithms. The species validation analysis of BPP strongly supported the five‐species model in our dataset. We found high genetic diversity in this taxon, which is in agreement with its wide geographic distribution in Brazil. Furthermore, the wing analysis showed that specimens from the Southeast Region of Brazil are different from those in the North and the Midwest. The evolutionary patterns of P. davisi populations in Brazil suggest the presence of candidate species, which need to be validated in future studies using a more comprehensive approach with both genomic data and morphological characters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Recently, we read with interest the article ‘Comparison of fluid and body composition measures in women with lipoedema, lymphoedema, and control participants’ by Stellmaker R, Thompson B, Mackie H, Koelmeyer L. Clin Obes. 2024:e12658, is very important study, but some considerations are necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cryptorchidism is one of the most common congenital disorders in boys and it is associated with a higher risk of sub‐fertility and testicular cancer. Testicular descent occurs during embryo‐fetal development in two phases, transabdominal and inguino‐scrotal. In the latter process, androgens play a leading role. The androgen receptor has in its N‐terminal domain, two aminoacidic repeats encoded by polymorphic nucleotide repetitions: (CAG)nCAA and GGN. The number of repetitions of these trinucleotides has been associated with different transactivation capacities and sensitivities of the androgen receptor response. Objective: To determine whether pediatric Chilean individuals with idiopathic inguinal cryptorchidism have a different number of CAG and/or GGN repeats polymorphisms compared with controls. Materials and methods: A total of 109 cases with idiopathic inguinal cryptorchidism (26 bilateral and 83 unilateral) were studied by polymerase chain reaction amplification from DNA extracted from peripheral blood, followed by fragment size analysis by capillary electrophoresis, which were compared with 140 controls. Results: The CAG26 repeats allele was increased in the total cases (8.3% vs. 1.4%; p = 0.012; odds ratio = 6.21, 95% confidence interval 1.31–29.4), and in bilateral cases compared to controls (11.5% vs. 1.4%; p = 0.028; odds ratio = 9 CI 95% 1.43–56.8). Similarly, CAG > 22 alleles were increased in the total cases (62.4% vs. 49.3%, p = 0.041), and more significantly in bilateral cases (73.1% vs. 49.3%; p = 0.032; odds ratio = 2.79, 95% confidence interval 1.1–7.1). In addition, CAG < 18 alleles were not observed among cases, but were present in 5.7% of controls (p = 0.01). Regarding the GGN repeats, no differences were observed between cases and controls either when analyzing separately unilateral and bilateral cryptorchidism. The joint analysis of the distribution of CAG and GGN alleles showed that the CAG26 allele was present with GGN23, hence the combination CAG26/GGN23 alleles was equally increased in bilateral cases compared with controls (11.5% vs. 1.4%). In contrast, CAG < 18 was preferably observed in the combination CAG < 18/GGN≠23 and was absent in the total cases (4.3% vs. 0%; p = 0.037). Discussion: These results suggest that greater lengths of CAG alleles may contribute to a diminished androgen receptor function. The CAG26 allele alone or in combination with GGN23 was associated with a higher risk of bilateral cryptorchidism. On the other hand, CAG < 18 and the CAG < 18/GGN≠23 allele combination may reduce the probability of cryptorchidism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine recreational fisheries often lack necessary information to perform assessments and develop sustainable management strategies. In Chile, although reef‐fish fisheries have been signaled as overexploited, there are still no commercial or recreational regulations regarding bans, catch limits, or size limits. We implemented an expert elicitation protocol to propose management measures to regulate recreational reef‐fish harvests of 17 reef‐fish species. Sixteen experts estimated minimum legal sizes, temporal closures, and maximum number of individuals harvested per person per trip (known as "bag limits"). Experts also prioritized management measures for each of 17 reef‐fish species. Maximum number of individuals harvested per person per trip varied between 1 and 7. In addition, permanent bans were recommended for some species, such as acha (Medialuna ancietae), pejeperro (Semicossyphus darwini), and San Pedro (Oplegnathus insignis). We concluded that information gathered through expert elicitation can play a key role to inform data‐poor recreational fishery management. Expert elicitation protocols that include iterative process, based on individual estimates and an open expert discussion phase, provide the necessary enabling environment to identify a variety of management measures. While future challenges include the development of mechanisms to promote acceptability and compliance for recreational fisheries management, the approach presented here is important to initiate much needed discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Iberian lynx has shown a favourable demographic trajectory in the last decade as a result of the conservation measures adopted which are still ongoing. However, the viability of the species is still compromised by genetic factors. Here, we used the GESP software that predicts the effective population size (Ne) and inbreeding accumulation (Δf) over time in metapopulations, to find realistic scenarios that guarantee the genetic viability of this species. We proposed as genetic targets that Ne of the metapopulation (NeMeta) should exceed 500 in 20 generations (long term), whereas Δf of the subpopulations (Δfx) should not exceed 0.05 in five generations (short term). The current Iberian lynx metapopulation configuration, with the expected subpopulations sizes at carrying capacity (5 subpops.; Ne1 = 100, Ne2,3,4,5 = 25), does not reach the long-term goal, with a NeMeta ~ 150 in 20 generations. The results indicate that the long-term genetic viability of the metapopulation requires an increase in the subpopulation size of 50–200%, the creation of at least 8 new subpopulations, and migration rates close to 0.1 between neighbouring subpopulations, comprising 2165 effective individuals (ca. 1100 breeding females). In addition, a minimum migration rate of 0.05 into the smallest subpopulations of Ne = 25 (i.e. 1.25 migrants/generation) is needed to avoid excessive inbreeding accumulation (short-term goal). Larger subpopulations are preferable to several smaller subpopulations with the same number of effective individuals, even when the latter are well connected. Although these requirements seem challenging to achieve in the short-medium term, the study provides key information for informed decision making by environmental managers and policymakers. The conclusions drawn here apply to other carnivores in need of conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii, a Gram‐negative opportunistic pathogen, are difficult to eradicate due to the bacterium's propensity to quickly gain antibiotic resistances and form biofilms, a protective bacterial multicellular community. The A. baumannii DNA damage response (DDR) mediates the antibiotic resistance acquisition and regulates RecA in an atypical fashion; both RecALow and RecAHigh cell types are formed in response to DNA damage. The findings of this study demonstrate that the levels of RecA can influence formation and dispersal of biofilms. RecA loss results in surface attachment and prominent biofilms, while elevated RecA leads to diminished attachment and dispersal. These findings suggest that the challenge to treat A. baumannii infections may be explained by the induction of the DDR, common during infection, as well as the delicate balance between maintaining biofilms in low RecA cells and promoting mutagenesis and dispersal in high RecA cells. This study underscores the importance of understanding the fundamental biology of bacteria to develop more effective treatments for infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the effect of different concentrations of alpha‐tocopherol in gel form on fracture strength, hybrid layer formation, and microtensile bond strength of endodontically treated teeth bleached with 40% hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Sixty bovine incisors were randomized into one of six groups (n = 10 incisors per group) defined by the interventions carried out after endodontic treatment. In the control group, no additional intervention was carried out, while all teeth in the five intervention groups were bleached with 40% H2O2 and subsequently treated with alpha‐tocopherol at concentrations of 15% (15AT), 20% (20AT), or 25% (25AT), with 10% sodium ascorbate (10SA), or with nothing (40HP). Fracture strength was evaluated in a mechanical testing machine, hybrid layer formation was assessed using scanning electron microscopy, and bond strength was determined using microtensile bond‐strength testing. Data were analyzed using Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn's tests. No statistically significant difference regarding fracture strength was observed among groups. Hybrid layer formation was greater in the 15AT group than in groups 40HP and 10SA. Teeth in groups 15AT, 20AT, and 25AT demonstrated higher bond strength than teeth in groups 40HP and 10SA. Alpha‐tocopherol, preferably at 15%, effectively reverses the deleterious effects, of bleaching, on hybrid layer formation and bond strength to dentin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PR1303‐129 (Reg. no. GP‐317, PI 702998) and PR1743‐44 (Reg. no. GP‐318, PI 702999) are multiple virus‐ and bruchid‐resistant common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) germplasm lines developed and released cooperatively by the University of Puerto Rico Agricultural Experiment Station, the USDA‐ARS, the Instituto Dominicano de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales, the Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología Agrícola, and Zamorano University. The black bean PR1303‐129 and small dark red bean PR1743‐44 combine resistance to Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV), Bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV), Bean golden yellow mosaic virus (BGYMV) and the common bean weevil [Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say)] with partial resistance to the Mexican bean weevil [Zabrotes subfasciatus (Boheman)]. Marker‐assisted selection was used to identify the presence of the bgm‐1 gene and the SW12 quantitative trait locus (QTL) for BGYMV resistance and the I and bc‐3 genes for resistance to BCMV and BCMNV. The parents of PR1303‐129 and PR1743‐44 were reported to possess the I gene for resistance to BCMV. Greenhouse inoculations were used to confirm the presence of the bc‐3 gene. Lines were screened in the laboratory and field for resistance to bruchids. Mean seed yields of PR1303‐129 and PR1743‐44 in six trials conducted in Puerto Rico were comparable to the check cultivar 'Verano'. The release of these germplasm lines should contribute to the development of Mesoamerican cultivars for Central America and the Caribbean with enhanced levels of resistance to viral diseases and pests. Core Ideas: Viral diseases and postharvest losses caused by bruchids are major constraints to bean production in the tropics.PR1303‐129 and PR1743‐44 are the first release of black and red bean germplasm combining multiple virus and bruchid resistances.PR1303‐129 expressed resistance to bruchids over a wide geographical area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray) is a viable and nutritious alternative to common bean (P. vulgaris L.) in areas with excessively high temperatures and/or chronic drought. Tepary bean is a traditional crop of the Tohono O'odham Indians of the Sonoran Desert in the Southwest United States and Mexico, as well as other Indigenous peoples of the United States, Mexico, and Central America. Despite its potential for broad applications for reduced water‐input agriculture or for hot, semi‐arid, marginal production zones, tepary bean remains an orphan crop. 'USDA Fortuna' (Reg. no. CV‐352, PI 698459) is an improved tepary bean cultivar with enhanced seed size, seed quality, tolerance to Bean golden yellow mosaic virus, and resistance to local strains of rust in Puerto Rico. It has leafhopper pest resistance, common bacterial blight resistance, and moderate resistance to powdery mildew. USDA Fortuna is a high‐yielding tepary bean with an attractive black speckled seed color and a quick cooking time. This cultivar was developed cooperatively by the USDA‐ARS, the University of Puerto Rico, Zamorano University, the Instituto Dominicano de Investigaciones Agropecuarias y Forestales (IDIAF) of the Dominican Republic, Quisqueya University of Haiti, the National Seed Service of Haiti, Instituto Nacional de Innovación y Transferencia en Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) of Costa Rica, and Iowa State University. Core Ideas: Tepary bean has promise as a nutritious plant protein source in marginal environmentsUSDA Fortuna tepary bean has improved seed size and quality, and fast cooking timeUSDA Fortuna shows high common bacterial blight and moderate powdery mildew resistance, as well as leafhopper resistance [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the interactive effects of global change drivers on tree demography is fundamental for realistic predictions of future forest dynamics. Multiple studies have shown increasing drought and exotic pathogens to severely threaten forest persistence by increasing mortality and decreasing growth of adult trees. However, much less is known about their effects on regeneration, and how they might affect seedling performance in additive and non‐additive (synergistic or antagonistic) ways.Here we aimed to fill this gap by experimentally exploring the effects of increasing drought and soil‐borne pathogens on tree regeneration in two types of mixed oak forests (Quercus suber‐Q. canariensis and Q. suber‐Olea europaea) invaded by the exotic soil‐borne oomycete Phytophthora cinnamomi, one of the most aggressive plant pathogens on earth. We conducted a seed sowing experiment with oomycete‐specific fungicide taking advantage of rainfall exclusion infrastructures that excluded 30% of the annual rainfall, simulating predictions of climate change models for Mediterranean systems. Seedling emergence, survival and growth of the three tree species were followed during 3 years.We found that neutral or positive drought effects on regeneration dominated over negative effects in the tree community. Moreover, most positive drought effects on the dominant species (Q. suber) were not direct, but indirectly mediated by soil‐borne pathogens. This was shown by the fact that positive drought effects disappeared with fungicide application.Synthesis: Overall, our results suggest that rainfall reductions predicted by climate change models for the Mediterranean region might have minor direct negative effects on early regeneration of tree species, but could play a major indirect role by limiting the negative effects of exotic pathogens on highly susceptible tree species. These findings highlight that antagonisms among global change drivers should be recognized as important forces that might slow down the current loss of tree health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evapotranspiration has been poorly characterized in the Altiplano, and the legal dispute over the status and use of the waters of the Silala River provided an opportunity for improving knowledge of this hydrological process, in a remote area with a lack of hydrometeorological data. Actual evapotranspiration (ETa) measurements using eddy covariance (EC) were performed in the riparian wetland (EC1) and over the alluvial deposits (EC2) of the Silala River basin, and in the Putana River wetland (EC3), with similar characteristics to the Silala River headwaters. The portable chamber method was used to characterize soil and plant evaporation near EC2. Satellite‐derived ETa estimates were evaluated with the in‐situ data, and used to investigate spatiotemporal dynamics of the wetland vegetation cover. At EC1 and EC3, annual ETa values were 703 and 841 mm, respectively; and satellite‐derived ETa showed differences of 5% and −35% from these values. ETa exhibited strong seasonal variations at EC1 and EC3, and was sensitive to precipitation at EC2. ETa did not follow the temporal evolution of the reference evapotranspiration at EC2, suggesting that lateral subsurface flow supports ETa in dry periods. Portable chamber measurements revealed that bare soil evaporation is the main component of ETa in the alluvial deposits. ETa data collected within the basin, as described in other papers of this special issue, allowed validation of a hydrological model used to estimate the basin's groundwater recharge, and estimation of the surface flow increase due to river channelization, which were important scientific evidence provided in the legal dispute. This article is categorized under:Science of Water > Hydrological ProcessesScience of Water > Methods [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The root oncogenic loci (rol) C oncogene has been identified as a key player during the plant‐Rhizobium rhizogenes interaction and is considered to confer resistance to plant abiotic stresses, yet the underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive. In this study, Arabidopsis plants constitutively overexpressing rolC were produced. Biometric analysis showed that rolC induced diverse phenotypic modifications, including dwarfism, increased number of stem branches (1.3 times more than WT), weak root growth, early flowering (1.6 days earlier than WT) and premature leaf senescence. In addition, senescence stimulus (exogenous ethylene: 10 or 100 μL L−1) and 10% (w/v) polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG) treatments demonstrated that rolC mediated leaf abscisic acid (ABA) enhancement in Arabidopsis, and this might be involved in rolC‐induced premature leaf senescence and resistance enhancement to osmotic stress. It is concluded that rolC‐induced premature leaf senescence may be involved in an abiotic stress escape mechanism in Arabidopsis, which is closely related to the increase of endogenous ABA levels. These findings provide new insights into the role of rolC in plant‐bacterial interaction and uncover the potential of biotechnological application associated with R. rhizogenes/rol genes in plant drought defense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skull lesions in pediatric population are common findings on imaging and sometimes with heterogeneous manifestations, constituting a diagnostic challenge. Some lesions can be misinterpreted for their aggressiveness, as with larger lesions eroding cortical bone, containing soft tissue components, leading to excessive and, in some cases, invasive inappropriate etiological investigation. In this review, we present multiple several conditions that may present as skull lesions or pseudolesions, organized by groups (anatomic variants, congenital and development disorders, traumatic injuries, vascular issues, infectious conditions, and tumoral processes). Anatomic variants are common imaging findings that must be recognized by the neuroradiologist. Congenital malformations are rare conditions, such as aplasia cutis congenita and sinus pericranii, usually seen at earlier ages, the majority of which are benign findings. In case of trauma, cephalohematoma, growing skull fractures, and posttraumatic lytic lesions should be considered. Osteomyelitis tends to be locally aggressive and may mimic malignancy, in which cases, the clinical history can be the key to diagnosis. Vascular (sickle cell disease) and tumoral (aneurismal bone cyst, eosinophilic granuloma, metastases) lesions are relatively rare lesions but should be considered in the differential diagnosis, in the presence of certain imaging findings. The main difficulty is the differentiation between the benign and malignant nature; therefore, the main objective of this pictorial essay is to review the main skull lytic lesions found in pediatric age, describing the main findings in different imaging modalities (CT and MRI), allowing the neuroradiologist greater confidence in establishing the differential diagnosis, through a systematic and simple characterization of the lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In COVID‐19, hyperinflammatory and dysregulated immune responses contribute to severity. Patients with pre‐existing autoimmune conditions can therefore be at increased risk of severe COVID‐19 and/or associated sequelae, yet SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in this group has been little studied. Here, we performed single‐cell analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with three major autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, or multiple sclerosis) during SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. We observed compositional differences between the autoimmune disease groups coupled with altered patterns of gene expression, transcription factor activity, and cell–cell communication that substantially shape the immune response under SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. While enrichment of HLA‐DRlow CD14+ monocytes was observed in all three autoimmune disease groups, type‐I interferon signaling as well as inflammatory T cell and monocyte responses varied widely between the three groups of patients. Our results reveal disturbed immune responses to SARS‐CoV‐2 in patients with pre‐existing autoimmunity, highlighting important considerations for disease treatment and follow‐up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intraspecific trait variation is ubiquitous and is likely to influence species coexistence. Despite theoretical progress, empirical work on the effects of intraspecific variation on the dynamics of competing species is rare. This is because of the formidable empirical requirements necessary to link intraspecific variation in species' functional traits with intraspecific variation in the demographic and competitive rates that mediate coexistence. Here we partially overcome these challenges to determine how intraspecific variation in reproductive phenology in a native Californian annual plant species Lasthenia californica affects its ability to coexist with two non‐native species Bromus madritensis and Lactuca serriola that display contrasting phenological patterns. Using data from a field experiment, we empirically parameterize a model of competitive population dynamics, accounting for the effects of intraspecific phenological trait variation on the native species' response to both intra‐ and interspecific competition. We find that intraspecific variation in phenology drives differences in the native species' response to competition. Moreover, simulations of the parameterized model show that this variation improves the competitive performance of the native species. This occurs because of the effects of nonlinear averaging mediated by a nonlinear, concave‐up competition function that is a general feature of competition across a wide range of taxa. While intraspecific variation improves competitive performance, we also find that the magnitude of the benefit is predicted to be insufficient to prevent competitive exclusion against the non‐native species with early phenogy Bromus. Against the second non‐native species with later phenology Lactuca, intraspecific variation is predicted to result in coexistence where competitive exclusion would otherwise occur, but we could not rule out alternative qualitative outcomes for this interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the integration of a solar thermal plant for indirect steam generation in a typical industrial process with thermal energy requirements. Solar irradiation is computed using a validated predictive model in Santa Fe province, Argentina. Three configurations are proposed, consisting of parabolic trough collectors and thermal storage tanks. Performance indicators, such as generated energy, resulting solar fraction (the fraction of the industrial process' thermal requirements met by solar energy), and necessary solar field area, are evaluated for each configuration. A specific energy map is generated, showing the solar generation potential at each location. For required solar fractions of 20%‐25%, incorporating a thermal storage system does not provide any benefits as the solar plant does not produce enough energy to contribute to the industrial process during winter months. For required solar fractions of 30%‐35%, the resulting solar fraction can be increased to 42%‐45% with additional capture area and thermal storage capacity. For required solar fractions of 37%‐40%, the thermal storage improves the efficiency of the solar plant, resulting in a solar fraction of 50%‐60%, allowing the industrial process to receive energy for at least 6 h a day throughout the year. It is concluded that these configurations are suitable for providing a portion of the industrial process' thermal requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]