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Objectives: The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review in order to assess the impact of early childhood caries (ECC) and its severity on Oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL). Materials and Methods: An electronic search was conducted in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane, SciELO and Lilacs databases. The study eligibility criteria were primary studies published in English, Spanish or Portuguese that assessed OHRQoL in preschool children with dental caries using validated instruments. Two researchers independently performed the selection process and data extraction. The Effective Public Health Practice Project's Quality Assessment Tool was used for the quality assessment. Random effects models were used to estimate the pooled effect for continuous and categorical data. Results: Of 2,037 identified articles, thirty‐five studies (37 articles) met the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality was judged mainly as moderate. Children with ECC were more likely to report any impact on OHRQoL than children without caries (OR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.51–2.62; 6 studies). Severe ECC (dmft > 5) presented a higher effect (OR: 5.00; 95% CI: 3.70–6.74; 8 studies). Sensitivity analysis including only population studies showed uncertain results on the impact of ECC on OHRQoL (OR: 1.67; 95% CI: 0.99–2.82; I2 = 95%). The symptom and psychological domains were the most affected (SMD: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.38–0.81 and SMD: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.37–0.85 respectively). Conclusions: ECC has a negative impact on the OHRQoL of both preschoolers and their families. However, its impact on OHRQoL is diluted when it is evaluated at population level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though one of the first bite mark cases was Doyle v. State in 1954 (a bitten cheese case), the research has focused on bite marks inflicted in human skin. As published Papers, Case Reports, or Technical Notes can constitute precedents which are relied upon in making the legal arguments and a considerable amount of case law exists in this area, we present a systematic review on bite mark analysis in foodstuffs and inanimate objects and their underlying proofs for validity and judicial acceptance according to Daubert rulings. Results showed that there is vulnerability in these procedures, and it is essential to demand for focus scrutiny on the known error rates when such evidence is presented in trials. These kinds of bite marks are well documented; however, there has been little research in this field knowing that the protocols of analysis and comparison are the responsibility of the forensic odontologists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Texture is a major quality parameter for the acceptability of canned whole beans. Prior knowledge of this quality trait before processing would be useful to guide variety development by bean breeders and optimize handling protocols by processors. The objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the predictive power of visible and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (visible/NIRS, 400-2498 nm) and hyperspectral imaging (HYPERS, 400-1000 nm) techniques for predicting texture of canned black beans from intact dry seeds. Black beans were grown in Michigan (USA) over three field seasons. The samples exhibited phenotypic variability for canned bean texture due to genetic variability and processing practice. Spectral preprocessing methods (i.e. smoothing, first and second derivatives, continuous wavelet transform, and two-band ratios), coupled with a feature selection method, were tested for optimizing the prediction accuracy in both techniques based on partial least squares regression (PLSR) models. RESULTS Visible/NIRS and HYPERS were effective in predicting texture of canned beans using intact dry seeds, as indicated by their correlation coefficients for prediction ( Rpred) and standard errors of prediction (SEP). Visible/NIRS was superior ( Rpred = 0.546-0.923, SEP = 7.5-1.9 kg 100 g−1) to HYPERS ( Rpred = 0.401-0.883, SEP = 7.6-2.4 kg 100 g−1), which is likely due to the wider wavelength range collected in visible/NIRS. However, a significant improvement was reached in both techniques when the two-band ratios preprocessing method was applied to the data, reducing SEP by at least 10.4% and 16.2% for visible/NIRS and HYPERS, respectively. Moreover, results from using the combination of the three-season data sets based on the two-band ratios showed that visible/NIRS ( Rpred = 0.886, SEP = 4.0 kg 100 g−1) and HYPERS ( Rpred = 0.844, SEP = 4.6 kg 100 g−1) models were consistently successful in predicting texture over a wide range of measurements. CONCLUSION Visible/NIRS and HYPERS have great potential for predicting the texture of canned beans; the robustness of the models is impacted by genotypic diversity, planting year and phenotypic variability for canned bean texture used for model building, and hence, robust models can be built based on data sets with high phenotypic diversity in textural properties, and periodically maintained and updated with new data. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The hypotheses proposed to explain the high percentage of bipolar lichens in Antarctica have never been explicitly tested. We used the strictly bipolar, coastal lichenized fungus Mastodia tessellata ( Verrucariaceae, Ascomycota) and its photobionts ( Prasiola, Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta) as model species to discern whether this extraordinary disjunction originated from vicariance or long-distance dispersal. Location Coasts of Antarctica, Tierra del Fuego (Chile), Alaska ( USA) and British Columbia (Canada). Methods Based on a comprehensive geographical (315 specimens and 16 populations from Antarctica, Tierra del Fuego and North America) and molecular sampling (three and four loci for the fungus and algae respectively), we implemented explicit Bayesian methods to compare alternative hypotheses of speciation and migration, and performed dating analyses for the fungal and algal partner, in order to infer the timing of the colonization events and the direction of gene flow among distant, disjunct areas. Results Mastodia tessellata comprises two fungal species which in turn associate with three photobiont lineages along the studied distribution range. Independent estimation of divergence ages for myco- and photobionts indicated a middle to latest Miocene species split in the Southern Hemisphere, and a late Miocene to Pleistocene acquisition of the bipolar distribution. Comparison of migration models and genetic diversity patterns suggested an austral origin for the bipolar species. Main conclusions The complex evolutionary history of Mastodia tessellata s.l. can be explained by a combination of vicariant and long-distance dispersal mechanisms. We provide novel evidence of a pre-Pleistocene long-term evolution of lichens in Antarctica as well as for bipolar distributions shaped by Southern to Northern Hemisphere migratory routes without the need for stepping stones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As self-supporting and long-living symbiotic structures, lichens provide a habitat for many other organisms beside the traditionally considered lichen symbionts-the myco- and the photobionts. The lichen-inhabiting fungi either develop diagnostic phenotypes or occur asymptomatically. Because the degree of specificity towards the lichen host is poorly known, we studied the diversity of these fungi among neighbouring lichens on rocks in an alpine habitat. Using a sequencing metabarcoding approach, we show that lichen mycobiomes clearly reflect the overlap of multiple ecological sets of taxa, which differ in their trophic association with lichen thalli. The lack of specificity to the lichen mycobiome is further supported by the lack of community structure observed using clustering and ordination methods. The communities encountered across samples largely result from the subsampling of a shared species pool, in which we identify three major ecological components: (i) a generalist environmental pool, (ii) a lichenicolous/endolichenic pool and (iii) a pool of transient species. These taxa majorly belong to the fungal classes Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes and Tremellomycetes with close relatives in adjacent ecological niches. We found no significant evidence that the phenotypically recognized lichenicolous fungi influence the occurrence of the other asymptomatic fungi in the host thalli. We claim that lichens work as suboptimal habitats or as a complex spore and mycelium bank, which modulate and allow the regeneration of local fungal communities. By performing an approach that minimizes ambiguities in the taxonomic assignments of fungi, we present how lichen mycobiomes are also suitable targets for improving bioinformatic analyses of fungal metabarcoding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To facilitate direct harvest, preharvest herbicide applications are used to desiccate weeds and to accelerate and promote uniform dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) maturation. Field trials were conducted near Richville, MI, in 2013 and 2014 to evaluate the effects of preharvest herbicide treatments on desiccation, yield, and canned black bean quality and color. Three black bean cultivars, Zorro, Eclipse, and Zenith, were planted on two different dates in each of 2 yr. Three preharvest herbicide treatments, paraquat, glyphosate, and saflufenacil, were applied at a standard (pods = 80% yellow) and an early (pods = 50% yellow) application timing. A nontreated control was established for each cultivar. Differences in black bean desiccation were greatest 3 d after treatment (DAT), with paraquat and saflufenacil showing the quickest desiccation at the early application timing. By 7 DAT, desiccation for most preharvest treatments was >95%. Saflufenacil applied at the early timing reduced yield by as much as 55% compared with the nontreated control. Yield was generally not affected when preharvest herbicide treatments were applied at the standard application timing. Black bean cultivar influenced canned bean color retention (Zenith > Zorro > Eclipse). Preharvest herbicide treatments reduced color retention when applied at the early application timing; glyphosate reduced color retention by as much as 24%. Because of variability in bean maturation rate within a field, preharvest herbicide treatments need to be applied as close to physiological maturity as possible to minimize yield losses and maintain color retention of canned black bean. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim The relative importance of long-distance dispersal versus vicariance in determining the distribution of lichen-forming fungi remains unresolved. Here, we examined diversity and distributions in a cosmopolitan lichen-forming fungal species complex, Rhizoplaca melanophthalma sensu lato (Ascomycota), across a broad, intercontinental geographical distribution. We sought to determine the temporal context of diversification and the impacts of past climatic fluctuations on demographic dynamics within this group. Location Antarctica, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. Methods We obtained molecular sequence data from a total of 240 specimens of R. melanophthalma s.l. collected across five continents. We assessed the monophyly of candidate species using individual gene trees and a tree from a seven-locus concatenated data set. Divergence times and relationships among candidate species were evaluated using a multilocus coalescent-based species tree approach. Speciation probabilities were estimated using the coalescent-based species delimitation program bpp. We also calculated statistics on molecular diversity and population demographics for independent lineages. Main conclusions Our analyses of R. melanophthalma s.l. collected from five continents supported the presence of six species-level lineages within this complex. Based on current sampling, two of these lineages were found to have broad intercontinental distributions, while the other four were limited to western North America. Of the six lineages, five were found on a single mountain in the western USA and the sixth occurred no more than 200 km away from this mountain. Our estimates of divergence times suggest that Pleistocene glacial cycles played an important role in species diversification within this group. At least three lineages show evidence of recent or ongoing population expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many boreal and polar lichens occupy bipolar distributional ranges that frequently extend into high mountains at lower latitudes. Although such disjunctions are more common among lichens than in other groups of organisms, the geographic origin of bipolar lichen taxa, and the way and time frame in which they colonized their ranges have not been studied in detail. We used the predominantly vegetative, widespread lichen Cetraria aculeata as a model species. We surveyed the origin and history of its bipolar pattern using population genetics, phylogenetic and genealogical reconstruction methods. Cetraria aculeata originated in the Northern Hemisphere and dispersed southwards during the Pleistocene. The genetic signal suggests a Pleistocene dispersive burst in which a population size expansion concurred with the acquisition of a South- American range that culminated in the colonization of the Antarctic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunosuppression after heart transplantation is implicated in development of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). Despite a higher prevalence of PTLD in children, there is scarce knowledge about incidence, pathophysiologic mechanisms and risk factors for PTLD in pediatric recipients of cardiac allografts. We examined retrospectively the medical records of all 143 pediatric patients (mean age 9.2 ± 6.1 yr) who received donor allografts between 1984 and 2002 and survived over 30 days. Five children (3.5%) developed PTLD over a mean follow-up period of 41.1 ± 46.0 months. Time from transplant to diagnosis of PTLD ranged from 3.9 to 112 months (mean 48.0 ± 41.9 months). Excluding PTLD, no other malignancies were found in this population. Actuarial freedom from PTLD was 99.2%, 99.2% and 96.2% at 1, 2, and 5 yr, respectively. Children who developed PTLD were more likely (by univariate analysis) to have been Rh negative (p = 0.01), Rh mismatched (p = 0.003), Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) seronegative (p = 0.001) and transplanted for congenital heart disease (p < 0.02). PTLD was associated with significant morbidity and mortality with a mean survival following diagnosis of 21.2 months. PTLD is a serious complicating outcome of cardiac transplantation that occurs in approximately 3.5% of children. Aside of immunosuppression, risk factors in this series for developing PTLD include EBV seronegativity and Rh negative status and mismatch. Non-hematogenous malignancies are rare in light of short allograft half-life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]