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A major challenge in ecology is to understand how different species interact to determine ecosystem function, particularly in communities with large numbers of co-occurring species. We use a trait-based model of microbial litter decomposition to quantify how different taxa impact ecosystem function. Furthermore, we build a novel framework that highlights the interplay between taxon traits and environmental conditions, focusing on their combined influence on community interactions and ecosystem function. Our results suggest that the ecosystem impact of a taxon is driven by its resource acquisition traits and the community functional capacity, but that physiological stress amplifies the impact of both positive and negative interactions. Furthermore, net positive impacts on ecosystem function can arise even as microbes have negative pairwise interactions with other taxa. As communities shift in response to global climate change, our findings reveal the potential to predict the biogeochemical functioning of communities from taxon traits and interactions.

We present results from a 3.25 kg-day target exposure of two silicon charge-coupled devices (CCDs), each with 24 megapixels and skipper readout, deployed in the DAMIC setup at SNOLAB. With a reduction in pixel readout noise of a factor of 10 relative to the previous detector, we investigate the excess population of low-energy events in the CCD bulk previously observed above expected backgrounds. We address the dominant systematic uncertainty of the previous analysis through a depth fiducialization designed to reject surface backgrounds on the CCDs. The measured bulk ionization spectrum confirms the presence of an excess population of low-energy events in the CCD target with characteristic rate of ∼7 events per kg-day and electron-equivalent energies of ∼80 eV, whose origin remains unknown.

Abstract This paper reports the design of a biosensor for sensitive, low-cost measurement of lead in drinking water. The biosensor uses a genetically-modified strain of Escherichia coli, which serves as both signal amplifier and reporter of lead in water, measured via colour change. We developed the PlomBOX measurement platform to image this colour change and we demonstrate its capability to detect concentrations as low as the World Health Organisation upper limit for drinking water of 10 ppb. Our approach does not require expensive infrastructure or expert operators, and its automated sensing, detection and result visualisation platform is user-friendly and robust compared to existing lead biosensors—critical features to enable measurement by non-experts at the point of use.

BACKGROUND: Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is caused by defects in any 1 of the 6 subunits forming the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase complex 2 (NOX2), leading to severely reduced or absent phagocyte-derived reactive oxygen species production. Almost 50% of patients with CGD have inflammatory bowel disease (CGD-IBD). While conventional IBD therapies can treat CGD-IBD, their benefits must be weighed against the risk of infection. Understanding the impact of NOX2 defects on the intestinal microbiota may lead to the identification of novel CGD-IBD treatments. OBJECTIVE: We sought to identify microbiome and metabolome signatures that can distinguish individuals with CGD and CGD-IBD. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional observational study of 79 patients with CGD, 8 pathogenic variant carriers, and 19 healthy controls followed at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. We profiled the intestinal microbiome (amplicon sequencing) and stool metabolome, and validated our findings in a second cohort of 36 patients with CGD recruited through the Primary Immune Deficiency Treatment Consortium. RESULTS: We identified distinct intestinal microbiome and metabolome profiles in patients with CGD compared to healthy individuals. We observed enrichment for Erysipelatoclostridium spp, Sellimonas spp, and Lachnoclostridium spp in CGD stool samples. Despite differences in bacterial alpha and beta diversity between the 2 cohorts, several taxa correlated significantly between both cohorts. We further demonstrated that patients with CGD-IBD have a distinct microbiome and metabolome profile compared to patients without CGD-IBD. CONCLUSION: Intestinal microbiome and metabolome signatures distinguished patients with CGD and CGD-IBD, and identified potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Daily living skills are imperative for independent adult living, which is why these skills are often prioritized by parents of autistic individuals. Video-based interventions (VBIs) are when someone creates video models of a specific skill to teach another individual that skill. VBIs are becoming more prominent to teach individuals daily living skills (Hughes & Yakubova, 2016). The purpose of teaching daily living skills by using video-based interventions is to increase independence and reduce dependence on others daily (Howlin & Moss, 2012), as well as identify the functional relation in the use of VP to increase daily living skills for two young adults with developmental disabilities. This study utilized a multiple-baseline-across behaviors design, focusing on tasks that the participants self-selected. Results for both participants demonstrated a functional relation between video prompting and increased independence across three daily living skill tasks. Limitations and implications for future research will be discussed. Disclaimer: Regarding language use, Bury and colleagues' (2020) qualitative study indicated a preference from their respondents for the terms "person on the autism spectrum", "autistic", and "autistic person"; the researchers of this study inquired with the selected participants regarding their preferred terminology, with neither participant identifying a preference. Therefore, throughout this manuscript, identity-first language will be utilized based on findings from the extent literature.

PurposeMany individuals with inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) have poor humoral immune (HI) vaccine responses. Only a few studies have examined specific cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in this population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine HI and CMI responses up to 6 months post-COVID-19 vaccine dose 3 in adults with IEIs.MethodsA multi-center prospective observational study was conducted across Canada to collect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific HI and CMI data at 4- and 24-week intervals after vaccine doses 2 and 3 (D2 + 4wk/D2 + 24wk/D3 + 4wk/D3 + 24wk).ResultsA total of 149 adults with IEIs and 423 healthy controls were recruited from July 2021 to October 2023. Geometric mean anti-spike IgG (binding antibody units/mL) and spike-specific T-cell responses [IFN-γ+ T cells/106 peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs)] were significantly lower in IEIs compared to controls at D2 + 4wk, D3 + 4wk, and D3 + 24wk. However, at 6 months after completing the primary series (three doses for IEIs and two doses for healthy), both HI and CMI responses of both IEI participants and healthy controls persisted and were comparable. There was a strong correlation between neutralizing antibody titer (ID50) and anti-spike IgG but not between ID50 and CMI. There was only one reported case of hospitalized COVID-19 disease before and none after completing the primary series among IEI participants.ConclusionAdults with IEIs mounted both HI and CMI responses following COVID-19 vaccines, which were lower than those of healthy individuals but were present at least up to 6 months after dose 3. These data support the initial recommendation for a three-dose primary series among IEIs.

Background: Cervical cancer (CRC) is a public health problem because it is the fourth most common gynecologic neoplasm worldwide. The screening tests used to diagnose this pathology are cervical cytology, which in suspected malignancy or with malignancy requires colposcopy to identify the affected area and thus guide the biopsy, which is the gold standard for diagnosis. Therefore, these tests are complementary, and a high diagnostic concordance is required to make a confident diagnosis. Subjects and Methods: A retrospective, cross-sectional, observational, and analytical study was performed. A total of 1470 medical records were analyzed, of which 175 patients met the inclusion criteria. The cyto-colposcopic diagnostic yield was compared with the histopathologic yield. The concordance between screening tests and the gold standard was calculated using Cohen's kappa coefficient Results: The sample comprised 175 subjects who met the selection criteria (11.9%). The mean age was 34.59 + 11.01 years, ranging from 17 to 65 years. The mean sexual debut was 16.6 years, with a mean of 3.1 ± 2 sexual partners. When patients were classified according to lesion type, the highest percentages were found in low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (LSIL). With 45.71, 61.14, and 49.14% for cytologic, colposcopic, and histopathologic examination, respectively. The highest concordance between histopathology and cytology was found in the high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) with 0.41, and the concordance between histopathology and colposcopy in HSIL and cancer was 0.55 and 0.74, respectively. Conclusions: Papanicolaou tests and colposcopy showed moderate concordance with histopathologic findings; the diagnostic accuracy of colposcopy is superior to that of cytology.

Control theory has been showing progress in its evolving exercise in precision agriculture for the search for optimized irrigation schemes regarding water saving. Nevertheless, implementations have been limited to on–off and PID (proportional–integral–derivative) controllers, with the more sophisticated variations being fuzzy controllers. To improve this, a robust model-based irrigation controller using a discrete sliding mode approach is taken. The work presented in this paper aims to evaluate whether the proposed controller improves irrigation performance in a pecan crop subject to uncertainties, disturbances, and delays. The paper describes the development and implementation of a discrete sliding mode controller, including system identification, model validation, stability analysis, controller parameter selection, and system response analysis. The proposed approach is evaluated, in terms of water consumption and irrigation accuracy, with two widely used watering schemes: open-loop time-based control and closed-loop on–off control. Experimental results indicate that the controller reaches water savings of 48% and 10% when compared with the time-based and on–off methods, respectively, while irrigation accuracy is kept within the range of 1% of volumetric water content.

CD3δ SCID is a devastating inborn error of immunity caused by mutations in CD3D, encoding the invariant CD3δ chain of the CD3/TCR complex necessary for normal thymopoiesis. We demonstrate an adenine base editing (ABE) strategy to restore CD3δ in autologous hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Delivery of mRNA encoding a laboratory-evolved ABE and guide RNA into a CD3δ SCID patient's HSPCs resulted in a 71.2% ± 7.85% (n = 3) correction of the pathogenic mutation. Edited HSPCs differentiated in artificial thymic organoids produced mature T cells exhibiting diverse TCR repertoires and TCR-dependent functions. Edited human HSPCs transplanted into immunodeficient mice showed 88% reversion of the CD3D defect in human CD34+ cells isolated from mouse bone marrow after 16 weeks, indicating correction of long-term repopulating HSCs. These findings demonstrate the preclinical efficacy of ABE in HSPCs for the treatment of CD3δ SCID, providing a foundation for the development of a one-time treatment for CD3δ SCID patients.

Plasmids (circular DNA molecules) represent an ingenious strategy for horizontal gene transfer in prokaryotes and eukaryotic cells. Plasmids harbored in bacteria are responsible for the spread of traits such as antibiotic resistance, virulence factors, and the machinery for the horizontal gene transfer e.g., type IV secretion systems. Remarkably, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cryptic plasmids encode and carry genes that, under the host environment, replicate and concomitate with sporulation, producing parasporal crystalline proteins of two major types, crystalline (Cry) and cytolytic (Cyt), the former toxic against different orders of insects such as Lepidopterans, Coleopterans, and Dipterans (Cry proteins, MW 50–130 KDa); Cyt proteins, produced by B. thuringiensis subspecies israelensis (Bti)(MW 27-kDa) are toxic against Dipterans, i.e., mosquitoes and black flies. The X-Ray tridimensional structure for both types of toxins, formed by three domains, mostly of beta sheets antiparallel (Domain II and Domain III) linked through loops of different lengths. Domain I is a bundle of alpha helices. This structure is characterized by five conserved blocks, implying a conservation in the mode of action. Cyt proteins possess two alpha helices and some beta sheets with a structure similar to the antimicrobial peptides. Indeed, the mode of action proposed is mediated by the toxin-lipid interaction that hypothetically could result in transmembrane ionic channel formation. Several pieces of evidence support the action of both toxins in insects and mammals. The question is to what extent these Bt/Bti plasmid-encoded Cry or Cyt genes can be applied as bioinsecticides individually or in combination with Lysinibacillus sphaericus. The feasibility of being considered a promising and safe biological strategy for crop pests and vector-borne neglected infectious diseases is an issue pinpointed in the present review.

Una buena calidad de sueño (CS) es esencial para el rendimiento deportivo. El objetivo del presente estudio fue identificar los componentes auto informados de la CS, sexo y modalidad deportiva y su incidencia en la percepción de trastornos del sueño durante viajes competitivos en deportistas universitarios. Una muestra por conveniencia de 96 deportistas universitarios respondió el cuestionario auto administrado del Índice de Calidad de Sueño de Pittsburgh (ICSP) vía online para identificar su CS y una pregunta sobre la ocurrencia de trastornos de sueño durante viajes competitivos. Se realizó un modelo de regresión logística binario usando los componentes del ICSP y los datos sociodemográficos como predictores de experimentar trastornos del sueño en viajes competitivos. El 34.7% de los deportistas reportaron presentar trastornos de sueño durante las competencias y el 65.6% presentaron una mala CS de acuerdo a la puntuación global del ICSP (>5). Se identificó un modelo multivariado con una precisión del 82.3%, sensibilidad del 71.9% y especificidad del 87.5% para predecir trastornos de sueño durante viajes competitivos. Se concluye que, el ser mujer deportista, participar en un deporte individual y presentar una deficiente CS en los componentes de disfunción diurna, calidad subjetiva del sueño y alteraciones del sueño, son predictores de presentar trastornos del sueño durante viajes competitivos, por lo que es importante buscar estrategias con estos grupos para aminorar efectos adversos en su rendimiento competitivo. Palabras clave: calidad de sueño, competencia deportiva, deporte individual, disfunción diurna, rendimiento competitivo. Abstract. A good sleep quality (SQ) is essential for sports performance. The aim of the present study was to identify the self-reported components of SQ, sex and sports modality and their incidence on the perception of sleep disorders during competitive travels in university athletes. A convenience sample of 96 college athletes responded to the self-administered Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire online to identify their SQ and a question about the occurrence of sleep disorders during competitive travel. A binary logistic regression model was performed using the PSQI components and sociodemographic data as predictors of experiencing sleep disorders in competitive travel. 34.7% of the athletes reported having sleep disorders during competitions and 65.6% had a poor SQ according to the PSQI global score (>5). A multivariate model was identified with an accuracy of 82.3%, sensitivity of 71.9% and specificity of 87.5% to predict sleep disorders during competitive trips. It is concluded that being a female athlete, participating in an individual sport and presenting poor SQ in the components of daytime dysfunction, subjective sleep quality and sleep disturbances are predictors of presenting sleep disorders during competitive travels, so it is important to look for strategies with these groups to reduce adverse effects on their competitive performance. Keywords: sleep quality, sport competition, individual sport, daytime dysfunction, competitive performance.

Background COVID-19 survivors who were hospitalised continue to experience long-term multisystemic sequelae and symptoms, impacting their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The complexity of post-COVID-19 conditions underscores the importance of adopting a multidisciplinary, patient-centric approach to ensure ongoing care. This study aims to assess HRQoL and post-COVID symptoms in a cohort of severe COVID-19 survivors depending on their participation in a multidisciplinary programme. Methods This prospective study was conducted in a post-COVID clinic staffed by a multidisciplinary team (physical rehabilitator, nutritionist, psychologist, including experts in pulmonary rehabilitation, nutrition, psychology and others). Subjects over 18 years old who were hospitalised due to severe COVID-19 during the acute phase and had attended the post-COVID clinic within the first 3 months following discharge were included. Subjects who were unable or unwilling to provide informed consent to participate in the protocol were excluded. Linear mixed-effect models were employed to examine changes in 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) component scores. The resolution of post-COVID symptom clusters was compared using the Cox model. Results A total of 730 patients were included, with a mean±sd age of 55.78±15.43 years; 60.55% were male and 90.62% required mechanical ventilation during hospitalisation. Programme attendants demonstrated improved SF-12 physical and mental component scores at 3 and 12 months. A reduction in the prevalence of post-COVID symptoms was observed in both groups, with greater reductions in those attending the programme. Conclusion Our study showed that patients enrolled on the multidisciplinary programme experienced improvements in fatigue, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, neuropsychiatric and respiratory symptoms, along with enhanced SF-12 mental and physical component scores.

Non-targeted analysis (NTA) using high-resolution mass spectrometry allows scientists to detect and identify a broad range of compounds in diverse matrices for monitoring exposure and toxicological evaluation without a priori chemical knowledge. NTA methods present an opportunity to describe the constituents of a sample across a multidimensional swath of chemical properties, referred to as "chemical space." Understanding and communicating which region of chemical space is extractable and detectable by an NTA workflow, however, remains challenging and non-standardized. For example, many sample processing and data analysis steps influence the types of chemicals that can be detected and identified. Accordingly, it is challenging to assess whether analyte non-detection in an NTA study indicates true absence in a sample (above a detection limit) or is a false negative driven by workflow limitations. Here, we describe the need for accessible approaches that enable chemical space mapping in NTA studies, propose a tool to address this need, and highlight the different ways in which it could be implemented in NTA workflows. We identify a suite of existing predictive and analytical tools that can be used in combination to generate scores that describe the likelihood a compound will be detected and identified by a given NTA workflow based on the predicted chemical space of that workflow. Higher scores correspond to a higher likelihood of compound detection and identification in a given workflow (based on sample extraction, data acquisition, and data analysis parameters). Lower scores indicate a lower probability of detection, even if the compound is truly present in the samples of interest. Understanding the constraints of NTA workflows can be useful for stakeholders when results from NTA studies are used in real-world applications and for NTA researchers working to improve their workflow performance. The hypothetical ChemSpaceTool suggested herein could be used in both a prospective and retrospective sense. Prospectively, the tool can be used to further curate screening libraries and set identification thresholds. Retrospectively, false detections can be filtered by the plausibility of the compound identification by the selected NTA method, increasing the confidence of unknown identifications. Lastly, this work highlights the chemometric needs to make such a tool robust and usable across a wide range of NTA disciplines and invites others who are working on various models to participate in the development of the ChemSpaceTool. Ultimately, the development of a chemical space mapping tool strives to enable further standardization of NTA by improving method transparency and communication around false detection rates, thus allowing for more direct method comparisons between studies and improved reproducibility. This, in turn, is expected to promote further widespread applications of NTA beyond research-oriented settings.

A silver-rich lead alloy was obtained through the recycling of two metallurgical wastes: these are lead paste obtained from spent lead–acid batteries and a jarosite residue obtained from the hydrometallurgical production of zinc. Mixtures of both wastes were pyrometallurgically treated with sodium carbonate in a silicon carbide crucible at 1200 °C. The alloy and slag produced were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectra. High silver recovery was obtained in a Pb-Ag alloy for a mixture ratio of 30% Na2CO3–40% lead paste–30% jarosite, reaching a silver grade of 126 ppm. The slags produced for the highest jarosite content allow the compound formation of Na2(SO4) and Na2Fe(SO4)2, which have high sulfur-fixing, avoiding SO2 release and contributing to the minimization of atmospheric pollution. The novel pyrometallurgical route addresses not only the valorization of precious metals such as silver and lead but also the reduction in accumulated industrial waste.

BACKGROUND: Currently available semiautomated insulin-delivery systems require individualized insulin regimens for the initialization of therapy and meal doses based on carbohydrate counting for routine operation. In contrast, the bionic pancreas is initialized only on the basis of body weight, makes all dose decisions and delivers insulin autonomously, and uses meal announcements without carbohydrate counting. METHODS: In this 13-week, multicenter, randomized trial, we randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio persons at least 6 years of age with type 1 diabetes either to receive bionic pancreas treatment with insulin aspart or insulin lispro or to receive standard care (defined as any insulin-delivery method with unblinded, real-time continuous glucose monitoring). The primary outcome was the glycated hemoglobin level at 13 weeks. The key secondary outcome was the percentage of time that the glucose level as assessed by continuous glucose monitoring was below 54 mg per deciliter; the prespecified noninferiority limit for this outcome was 1 percentage point. Safety was also assessed. RESULTS: A total of 219 participants 6 to 79 years of age were assigned to the bionic-pancreas group, and 107 to the standard-care group. The glycated hemoglobin level decreased from 7.9% to 7.3% in the bionic-pancreas group and did not change (was at 7.7% at both time points) in the standard-care group (mean adjusted difference at 13 weeks, -0.5 percentage points; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.6 to -0.3; P

Basic amines are key elements of many biologically active natural products and pharmaceuticals. Given their inherent reactivity, it is often necessary to protect basic amines during target-directed synthesis, which results in wasteful protection/deprotection sequences. We report a step-economical approach enabling the protection of secondary amines as carbamates prior to their conversion to tertiary amines via the formal extrusion of CO2. This method is applied to the synthesis of iboga alkaloids (±)-conodusine A and (±)-conodusine B.

El gobierno desempeña un papel crucial en la estimulación de la actividad económica, especialmente durante las recesiones. Sin embargo, la implementación de políticas fiscales contracíclicas a menudo resulta en un aumento significativo de la deuda pública. En este estudio, proponemos una alternativa para impulsar la actividad económica sin comprometer la deuda soberana. Para lograrlo, utilizamos un modelo NK-DSGE para analizar el gasto desagregado en la economía mexicana y calcular los multiplicadores de cada componente de manera individual. Nuestra propuesta consiste en aumentar el gasto en el elemento con mayor multiplicador, compensando con recortes en aquel con menor impacto. De esta manera, no se afecta el presupuesto gubernamental. Concluimos que este enfoque es óptimo tanto para estimular la economía como para lograr la consolidación fiscal.

Granulocyte transfusions are sometimes used as adjunctive therapy for the treatment of infection in patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). However, granulocyte transfusions can be associated with a high rate of alloimmunization, and their role in CGD patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) or gene therapy (GT) is unknown. We identified 27 patients with CGD who received granulocyte transfusions pre- (within 6 months) and/or post-HCT or GT in a retrospective survey. Twelve patients received granulocyte transfusions as a bridge to cellular therapy. Six (50%) of these patients had a complete or partial response. However, six of 10 (60%) patients for whom testing was performed developed anti-HLA antibodies, and three of the patients also had severe immune-mediated cytopenia within the first 100 days post-HCT or GT. Fifteen patients received granulocyte transfusions post-HCT only. HLA antibodies were not checked for any of these 15 patients, but there were no cases of early immune-mediated cytopenia. Out of 25 patients who underwent HCT, there were 5 (20%) cases of primary graft failure. Three of the patients with primary graft failure had received granulocyte transfusions pre-HCT and were subsequently found to have anti-HLA antibodies. In this small cohort of patients with CGD, granulocyte transfusions pre-HCT or GT were associated with high rates of alloimmunization, primary graft failure, and early severe immune-mediated cytopenia post-HCT or GT. Granulocyte transfusions post-HCT do not appear to confer an increased risk of graft failure.