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696626	Herbal supplement used to treat addiction and pain found unsafe by researchers	BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - The herb kratom is increasingly being used to manage pain and treat opioid addiction, but it's not safe to use as an herbal supplement, according to new research led by faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York. William Eggleston, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice at Binghamton University, had been seeing more and more patients presenting with toxicity or withdrawal from kratom use. Kratom is an herbal supplement derived from a plant that grows throughout southeast Asia. It is well-reported that the active chemicals in the plant act on opioid receptors in the body. Patients report using the supplement to treat/prevent withdrawal, treat opioid use disorder, or treat pain. Eggleston was curious to see what types of toxicities were being reported to Poison Centers nationally in order to better assess whether or not kratom is safe enough to be used as an herbal supplement. His team conducted a retrospective review of kratom exposures reported to the National Poison Data System to determine the toxicities associated with kratom use. They also reviewed records from a County Medical Examiner's Office in New York State to identify kratom?associated fatalities. A total of 2312 kratom exposures were reported, with 935 cases involving kratom as the only substance. Kratom most commonly caused agitation (18.6%), tachycardia (16.9%), drowsiness (13.6%), vomiting (11.2%), and confusion (8.1%). Serious effects of seizure (6.1%), withdrawal (6.1%), hallucinations (4.8%), respiratory depression (2.8%), coma (2.3%), and cardiac or respiratory arrest (0.6%) were also reported. Kratom was listed as a cause or contributing factor in the death of four decedents identified by the County Medical Examiner's Office. The findings suggest kratom is not reasonably safe and poses a public health threat due to its availability as an herbal supplement. "Although it is not as strong as some other prescription opioids, kratom does still act as an opioid in the body," said Eggleston. "In larger doses, it can cause slowed breathing and sedation, meaning that patients can develop the same toxicity they would if using another opioid product. It is also reported to cause seizures and liver toxicity. Kratom may have a role in treating pain and opioid use disorder, but more research is needed on its safety and efficacy. Our results suggest it should not be available as an herbal supplement." Eggleston and his team are working with colleagues at SUNY Upstate Medical University to better assess how many patients are actually using kratom and if the risk for toxicity changes depending on the dose of kratom taken.	10.1002/phar.2280	2,019	Pharmacotherapy The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy	Kratom Use and Toxicities in the United States	Background Kratom is an herbal supplement containing alkaloids with opioid properties. This review was conducted to determine toxicities associated with kratom use in the United States in order to provide insight into its safety as a dietary supplement. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of kratom exposures reported to the National Poison Data System to determine the toxicities associated with kratom use. We also reviewed records from a county medical examiner's office in New York State to identify kratom‐associated fatalities. Results A total of 2312 kratom exposures were reported, with 935 cases involving kratom as the only substance. Kratom most commonly caused agitation (18.6%), tachycardia (16.9%), drowsiness (13.6%), vomiting (11.2%), and confusion (8.1%). Serious effects of seizure (6.1%), withdrawal (6.1%), hallucinations (4.8%), respiratory depression (2.8%), coma (2.3%), and cardiac or respiratory arrest (0.6%) were also reported. Kratom was listed as a cause or contributing factor in the death of four decedents identified by the county medical examiner's office. Conclusions Kratom use is increasing and is associated with significant toxicities. Our findings suggest kratom is not reasonably expected to be safe and poses a public health threat due to its availability as an herbal supplement.
917204	COVID-19: indoor air in hospitals and nursing homes require more attention	Leipzig/New Delhi/Rome. A variety of measures are necessary to prevent the spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in hospitals and nursing homes. It is particularly important to develop an appropriate strategy to protect healthcare workers from airborne transmission. Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Leipzig, the CSIR National Physical Laboratory in New Delhi, the Institute of Atmospheric Science and Climate (ISAC) in Rome and 2B Technologies, Colorado recommend that more attention is required in respect to indoor air in such facilities and to further training of the staff. From an aerosol experts' point of view, it is necessary to combine these different measures, the research team writes in an Editorial article in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. These include regular ventilation, controlling fresh air consumption via CO2 monitor and using humidifiers to keep the relative humidity indoors at 40 to 60 percent. If it is not possible to ventilate sufficiently, the use of portable air purifiers is also advisable. The risk of infection is particularly high in hospitals and nursing homes because infected and healthy people stay in the same room for long periods of time and the virus can be transmitted via invisible aerosol particles in the air, even over distances of several metres. According to media reports, COVID-19 infections are already reported in almost one tenth of the 12,000 old people's homes and nursing homes in Germany. Homes are now also considered as hotspot for the spread of the virus among new infections in Saxony. Since the outbreak of the pandemic in early 2020, there have been increasing reports of transmissions via aerosol particles in the indoor air of hospitals and nursing homes. These include scientific reports from hospitals in China and the USA, but also from a nursing home in the Netherlands, where the virus apparently spread via the ventilation system using aerosol particles because unfiltered indoor air circulated in a ward. As further evidence, SARS-CoV-2 was detected on the dust filters of the air conditioning system there. "The complexity of the aerosol transmission of SARS-CoV-2, especially indoors, is far from being solved and there is a need to establish appropriate guidelines to protect medical staff. With this publication, we are therefore trying to give recommendations for measures that could contribute to the containment of not only current, but also future virus pandemics", reports Prof Alfred Wiedensohler from TROPOS. The aerosol spread of the virus is, according to many experts, a major reason why the number of corona infections in Europe increased dramatically in the autumn. People stay indoors for longer durations and as temperatures fall, many indoor spaces are much less ventilated. Concentrations of viral particles in the air can rise sharply when infected people stay indoors. Simple mouth-nose masks can significantly reduce but not completely prevent the release of viral aerosol particles through the airways. The risk can therefore increase significantly with the number of people and the length of time they stay in the room. Hospitals and nursing homes are particularly affected by this, because additional risk factors are added there: particularly sensitive people, very long stays in a room and sometimes medical procedures such as intubation in intensive care units, where a lot of aerosol is produced. The spread of viruses via the room air can be reduced with a number of measures. However, there is no single measure that can achieve this completely, but it is important to control indoor air and combine different measures: "As protection against the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 via the air in closed rooms, especially in cold and dry weather, we recommend humidifiers to keep the relative humidity in the room in the range of 40 to 60 percent and to reduce the risk of respiratory tract infection. It is in this middle range that the human mucous membranes are most resistant to infections. In addition, the viruses in the aerosol particles can survive at a relative humidity around 50 percent for less time than in drier or high humid air," explains Dr Ajit Ahlawat of TROPOS. It is very important that there should be a constant supply of fresh air through the air conditioning system or ventilation. This can be controlled with measuring devices for carbon dioxide (CO2). The high CO2 values in indoor places indicate that there is lot of exhaled air in the room. If there is an infected person in the room, then there would also be many viral aerosol particles floating in the air and could be inhaled by a healthy person. The Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system should have a minimum efficiency of MERV-13 to filter even very small particles out of the air. (MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value and is a standard from the USA, established by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)). If it is not possible to ventilate the room sufficiently, an attempt can be made to reduce the concentration of viruses in the room air by using air purifiers. However, these air purifiers should have so-called HEPA (High-efficiency particulate absorbing) filters. However, air purifiers can always only be an additional measure as they cannot replace the supply of fresh air and thus oxygen. Medical staff need special protection during procedures and surgical operations that involve potentially infectious aerosol particles - such as dental treatment or intubation in intensive care units. Valve-free particle filter masks, so-called respiratory masks such as N95, should be worn and care should be taken to ensure that they lie close to the skin. " Avoid the use of FFP2 and FFP3 type respirators, which have an exhalation valve or ventilation, as these types of respirators are not sufficient. To reduce the risk, protective equipment such as goggles should also be worn," advises Dr Francesca Costabile of the Institute of Atmospheric Science and Climate (ISAC) in Rome. In addition, the researchers recommend avoiding aerosol-generating procedures and treatments in patients with COVID-19 wherever possible to reduce the risk of infection for medical staff. Aerosol-generating treatments usually include medication administered via a nebulizer. In order to avoid the risk of aerosolisation of SARS-CoV-2 by the nebulisation process, inhaled drugs should be administered by a metered dose inhaler rather than a nebulizer, if possible. Care should also be taken when disinfecting rooms: "We recommend that disinfection with UV-C light should not be used too often. Although it is known that UV-C light destroys the SARS-CoV-2 viruses, it ultimately increases indoor ozone concentrations and can thus have a negative impact on health if the indoor air is not adequately replaced," stresses Dr Sumit Kumar Mishra of CSIR - National Physical Laboratory. Spraying oxidizing chemicals in the air, such as hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), can also have negative consequences. Indoors, these chemicals cause toxic chemical reactions that create other air pollutants and damage the central nervous system and lungs of humans. The international research team emphasises that the training of hospital and nursing home staff is extremely important to prevent the spread of viruses via indoor air. Medical staff must be adequately trained to follow the recommendations. It is important to draw attention to the risks of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Such recommendations, if adequately provided by health authorities and implemented by medical staff, could significantly reduce the risk of airborne transmission in hospitals and nursing homes until vaccination is effective on a large scale. Tilo Arnhold ### Publication: Ahlawat, A.; Mishra, S.K.; Birks, J.W.; Costabile, F.; Wiedensohler, A. Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Hospitals and Nursing Homes. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 8553. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17228553 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228553 Recommendations to prevent airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in indoor environments for winter season based on scientific publications: https://www.tropos.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Aktuelles/News/Bilder/Bilder_2020/201214_Prevention_from_COVID19_indoor_-_Guidelines_Winter_-_en.pdf Media contacts: Prof Alfred Wiedensohler (de.+en.) Head of the Department Experimental Aerosol & Cloud Microphysics Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) Phone +49 341 2717- 7062 https://www.tropos.de/en/institute/about-us/employees/alfred-wiedensohler and Dr. Ajit Ahlawat (en.) Scientific staff (Post-Doc), Department Experimental Aerosol & Cloud Microphysics Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) https://www.tropos.de/en/institute/about-us/employees https://www.tropos.de/institut/abteilungen/experimentelle-aerosol-und-wolkenmikrophysik/ag-troposphaerisches-aerosol and Dr. Sumit Kumar Mishra (en.) Scientist, Environmental Sciences and Biomedical Metrology Division, CSIR - National Physical Laboratory Phone +91-11-45609387 http://www.nplindia.in/users/mishrasknplindiaorg and Dr. Francesca Costabile (en. + it.) Scientist, Istituto di Scienze dell'Atmosfera e del Clima (ISAC) National Research Council (CNR) Phone +39 06 4993 4288 https://www.isac.cnr.it/en/users/francesca-costabile or Tilo Arnhold Public Relations at the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS), Leipzig, Germany Phone: +49-341-2717-7189 https://www.tropos.de/en/current-issues/press-releases Links: Corona pandemic could be better tackled by reducing aerosol transmission. Working committee particulate matter (AAF) recommends concrete countermeasures for indoor areas https://www.tropos.de/en/current-issues/press-releases/details/corona-pandemie-koennte-durch-reduzierung-der-aerosol-uebertragung-besser-bekaempft-werden Position paper of the Gesellschaft für Aerosolforschung on understanding the role of aerosol particles in SARS-CoV-2 infection https://www.tropos.de/en/current-issues/press-releases/statements/positionspapier-der-gaef-zum-verstaendnis-der-rolle-von-aerosolpartikeln-bei-covid-19 Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 spreads more indoors at low humidity https://www.tropos.de/en/current-issues/press-releases/details/coronavirus-sars-cov-2-breitet-sich-bei-niedriger-luftfeuchtigkeit-in-innenraeumen-staerker-aus Support for the appeal of protective measures against the airborne spread of Covid-19 https://www.tropos.de/en/current-issues/press-releases/statements/unterstuetzung-appell-bezuegich-covid-19 Exposure to ultrafine aerosol particles in German homes depends primarily on the people themselves (press release, 19 May 2020) https://www.tropos.de/en/current-issues/press-releases/details/belastung-durch-ultrafeinstaub-in-deutschen-wohnungen-haengt-vor-allem-von-den-menschen-selber-ab TROPOS long-term studies for particulate air quality https://www.tropos.de/en/institute/departments/experimental-aerosol-and-cloud-microphysics/tropospheric-aerosols-workgroup/ultrafine-particles-and-air-quality UBA Indoor Air Hygiene Commission https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/en/topics/health/commissions-working-groups/indoor-air-hygiene-commission	10.3390/ijerph17228553	2,020	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health	Preventing Airborne Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in Hospitals and Nursing Homes	The first case of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the novel contagious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 [...].
591563	Discovery shows how mucus build-up, not infections, triggers cystic fibrosis lung damage	CHAPEL HILL, NC - The build-up of abnormally thick mucus and the associated inflammation appear to be the initiating cause of damage to the lungs of children with cystic fibrosis (CF), rather than bacterial infections, according to a UNC School of Medicine study published in Science Translational Medicine. The research suggests that doctors might be able to delay the onset of lung disease in young children born with CF, and possibly allow them to live significantly longer. The key would be to use early treatments that thin out mucus. "How lung disease starts in the youngest kids with CF hasn't been well understood, but with this study we can see what processes come first and develop strategies to target them to help patients," said co-first author Charles R. Esther, Jr., MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine and member of the UNC Marsico Lung Institute. More than 30,000 people in the United States have CF, a genetic disorder that leads to the production of abnormally thick mucus in the lungs and windpipe. Children with CF are born with mostly normal lung functions, but eventually develop lung inflammation, recurrent bacterial pneumonia, and progressive scar-like changes to lung tissue. Life expectancy for CF patients is less than 40 years. Understanding the first stages of the CF disease process in the lungs would, in principle, allow researchers to develop early treatments to delay or prevent that disease process. But studying early CF has been very challenging, in part because animal models of CF do a poor job of mimicking the human disease. Esther, co-first author Marianne Muhlebach, MD, professor of pediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine, and a multidisciplinary group of researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill - collaborating with Australian researchers led by Dr. Stephen Stick - looked not at animal models but at CF patients themselves. The researchers analyzed the contents of "lavage" fluid that had been used to rinse the lungs of 46 young children with CF as part of an Australian clinical study, and compared the samples to lavage fluid from 16 other Australian children with asthma and other non-CF airway ailments. Bacterial infection has been suspected as an early driver of lung damage in CF, but the researchers found little evidence of bacteria in the young CF patients' lavage fluids. In fact, they found more bacteria on average in the non-CF samples. Here's the key difference: the CF samples contained more evidence of mucus, implying that CF causes patients to produce or accumulate more of it. Also, the CF mucus was much more likely to be a more solid "flake" form with a high concentration of proteins called mucins. And here's another important finding: areas of the CF lungs where serious damage had not yet occurred still featured an abnormally high concentration of mucins and signs of inflammation, even without strong evidence of infection. Esther, Muhlebach, and colleagues now hypothesize that in young CF patients, mucus that is secreted - as it should be during ordinary viral respiratory infections - isn't fully cleared because it is abnormally thick. It builds up in the airway and creates a low-oxygen condition in airway-lining cells. This triggers inflammation, which stimulates more mucus secretion and more inflammation. This "positive feedback loop" ultimately results in scarring and progressive loss of lung function. Recurrent infections with dangerous bacteria begin at some point during this process and worsen the disease course. But those infections, the researchers say, are likely not the earliest drivers of lung damage. The finding that lung inflammation in CF children appears to result initially from thick airway mucus, not bacterial infection, suggests that early mucus-thinning interventions might delay the course of the disease. The study investigators tested several prospective mucus-thinning compounds on the mucin flakes isolated from the CF lavage samples. They found that two FDA-approved drugs, DNase and N-acetylcysteine, which are used as mucus-thinners in CF patients, did not work well in dissolving the flakes. A third compound, dithiothreitol, did work well but is too toxic for human use. An experimental compound called P2062, developed by UNC researchers in collaboration with biotech company Parion Sciences, also appeared to work well at reducing mucin flakes though it has not yet been tested in people. "We are now trying to find new therapeutic agents that could help remove these flakes in CF patients," Esther said.	10.1126/scitranslmed.aav3488	2,019	Science Translational Medicine	Mucus accumulation in the lungs precedes structural changes and infection in children with cystic fibrosis	Although destructive airway disease is evident in young children with cystic fibrosis (CF), little is known about the nature of the early CF lung environment triggering the disease. To elucidate early CF pulmonary pathophysiology, we performed mucus, inflammation, metabolomic, and microbiome analyses on bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from 46 preschool children with CF enrolled in the Australian Respiratory Early Surveillance Team for Cystic Fibrosis (AREST CF) program and 16 non-CF disease controls. Total airway mucins were elevated in CF compared to non-CF BALF irrespective of infection, and higher densities of mucus flakes containing mucin 5B and mucin 5AC were observed in samples from CF patients. Total mucins and mucus flakes correlated with inflammation, hypoxia, and oxidative stress. Many CF BALFs appeared sterile by culture and molecular analyses, whereas other samples exhibiting bacterial taxa associated with the oral cavity. Children without computed tomography-defined structural lung disease exhibited elevated BALF mucus flakes and neutrophils, but little/no bacterial infection. Although CF mucus flakes appeared "permanent" because they did not dissolve in dilute BALF matrix, they could be solubilized by a previously unidentified reducing agent (P2062), but not N-acetylcysteine or deoxyribonuclease. These findings indicate that early CF lung disease is characterized by an increased mucus burden and inflammatory markers without infection or structural lung disease and suggest that mucolytic and anti-inflammatory agents should be explored as preventive therapy.
497046	Rethinking women's mental health following partner abuse	When one in six Australian women report experiencing physical and/or sexual violence - and one in four report emotional abuse - by a current or previous cohabiting partner since the age of 15, you know there is a problem. But when it comes to discussions around the impact of that violence on women's mental health, all too often their trauma is pathologised, with a focus on fixing the individual, rather than homing in on the significant societal issues that allow the abuse to happen in the first place. University of South Australia researcher and expert in gendered violence and women's mental health Professor Nicole Moulding says we need a completely new approach to women's mental health following intimate partner violence (IPV) and coercive control, one that sees a woman's distress as a normal response, in a society where gender inequalities and biases underpin that violence. "When women experience psychological and emotional distress in response to IPV - and this can continue for a long time after leaving - it is generally understood and categorised as 'trauma', 'anxiety' or 'depression'," she says. "But this serves to detach the distress from the violence and control that caused it and casts the woman survivor of that violence as having the 'problem', her problem, that she must now manage and recover from. "Even if there is some understanding that the violence caused the distress, she nonetheless becomes defined as psychologically unwell and damaged. "We need to reframe women's mental health after IPV by looking at wellbeing in its social context to understand that the distress from violence is actually very normal, not diagnosable. "We need to lift our gaze from the woman to all that surrounds her that allows the abuse to happen in the first instance." In a recently published paper, Prof Moulding and her colleagues draw on responses from a large national study to gain an understanding of women's experiences of IPV and the far-reaching effects it has on their lives. The study showed that while almost three quarters of women described good psychological well-being prior to IPV, more than half the women surveyed were diagnosed with a mental illness after IPV. Professor Mould says one of the important findings of the study is the interconnected impacts of IPV on mental health, housing, employment, and social participation - what she calls key domains of citizenship. "IPV often amounts to an assault on women's citizenship into the long term, stopping them from exercising their rights across all areas of citizenship," she says. "When people have good mental health, decent housing, satisfying employment, and sufficient income and can be socially connected to others, they can participate properly and equally in society as full citizens. "When we respond to women who are struggling with mental health as a result of IPV, we need to look beyond medication and counselling to make sure they have access to decent housing, quality low-cost or free childcare so that satisfying work is possible, and support groups and other local community services to reduce isolation. "If you look at one domain alone - such as mental health - as if it is a silo, you don't see the compounding nature of the impact of IPV across all aspects of a women's life." Prof Moulding says IPV will not decrease - and women will not take their place as full and equal citizens - until the gender inequality that enables gendered violence is addressed. "There also needs to be widespread education in our community about the nature of violence against women and its impact," she says. "We have to understand, as a society, that the position women survivors of partner violence find themselves in is a consequence of gendered ideas about men and women and related unequal power relations, which enable the violence in the first place and are subsequently reinforced by the violence continuing to happen."	10.1177/1077801220921937	2,020	Violence Against Women	Rethinking Women’s Mental Health After Intimate Partner Violence	This article reports on mixed methods research into intimate partner violence (IPV) and women’s mental health. Using an online national survey and life history interviews, quantitative and qualitative data analysis demonstrates how IPV negatively impacts women’s sense of self, with other multiple losses in relation to income, work, housing, and social participation further undermining recovery into the long term. The feminist concept of sexual politics is used to critically examine current responses to mental health problems after IPV, and a feminist-informed response is outlined that addresses the gender inequalities underpinning IPV and the psychological distress it produces.
824548	Global biodiversity conservation does save species, but could be done smarter	Government spending on conservation efforts, such as management of national parks, has been patchy across the world, in part due to a lack of solid evidence of success. Now, in a study published in Nature, researchers have shown that conservation spending of 14.4 billion international dollars over a ten-year period (during 1992-2003) resulted in a decrease in the rate of subsequent declines in biodiversity (during 1996-2008). The analysis also provides a tool for adjusting the conservation budgets of individual countries, depending on their needs. The researchers looked at 109 countries that are signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goals, and found an average reduction of biodiversity loss of 29% per country over the twelve-year period from 1996-2008. The study, by an international team of researchers including Dr Joseph Tobias from Imperial College London, provides the first hard evidence that conservation spending is having a substantial positive effect across a wide range of national and regional contexts. Dr Anthony Waldron, lead author on the project, currently based at the National University of Singapore, said: "For decades, environmentalists have argued that we need to spend more on nature conservation, or face a modern mass extinction of similar magnitude to the loss of the dinosaurs. "Yet governments and donors have been unwilling to come up with the budgets needed, often because there was little evidence that the money spent does any good. Our study shows global conservation spending in the past has had a major positive impact in reducing biodiversity loss today." The analysis is based on a huge dataset of global conservation funding and biodiversity declines. By crunching the numbers on financial flows and conservation outcomes worldwide, the team found that biodiversity loss within each country depends largely on two factors: human economic growth and conservation spending. While increased funding for conservation reduces biodiversity loss, the opposite is true of human economic growth - including factors such as economic development, agricultural expansion and population growth, all of which tend to negatively influence biodiversity. By analysing the trade-offs between conservation and economic development, the researchers were able to create an algorithm that divides up responsibility for global species declines among individual countries. This algorithm can be used to estimate how financial budgets for conservation need to be adjusted to counterbalance current or future rates of human economic growth. This could allow for smarter allocation of financial resources to conservation, helping countries achieve a better balance between economic development and the need to save species and ecosystems. Dr Tobias said: "The findings are a rallying cry to environmentalists and policymakers. The main message is that conservation is working, but that we need to boost investment to meet international policy targets. "In addition, the results show how conservation funding may need to change over time, and be tailored more specifically to the context of each country." ###	10.1038/nature24295	2,017	Nature	Reductions in global biodiversity loss predicted from conservation spending	Halting global biodiversity loss is central to the Convention on Biological Diversity and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, but success to date has been very limited. A critical determinant of success in achieving these goals is the financing that is committed to maintaining biodiversity; however, financing decisions are hindered by considerable uncertainty over the likely impact of any conservation investment. For greater effectiveness, we need an evidence-based model that shows how conservation spending quantitatively reduces the rate of biodiversity loss. Here we demonstrate such a model, and empirically quantify how conservation investment reduced biodiversity loss in 109 countries (signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development Goals), by a median average of 29% per country between 1996 and 2008. We also show that biodiversity changes in signatory countries can be predicted with high accuracy, using a dual model that balances the effects of conservation investment against those of economic, agricultural and population growth (human development pressures). Decision-makers can use this model to forecast the improvement that any proposed biodiversity budget would achieve under various scenarios of human development pressure, and then compare these forecasts to any chosen policy target. We find that the impact of spending decreases as human development pressures grow, which implies that funding may need to increase over time. The model offers a flexible tool for balancing the Sustainable Development Goals of human development and maintaining biodiversity, by predicting the dynamic changes in conservation finance that will be needed as human development proceeds.
674661	Production of solar fuels inches closer with discovery by Caltech scientists	Caltech researchers have made a discovery that they say could lead to the economically viable production of solar fuels in the next few years. For years, solar-fuel research has focused on developing catalysts that can split water into hydrogen and oxygen using only sunlight. The resulting hydrogen fuel could be used to power motor vehicles, electrical plants, and fuel cells. Since the only thing produced by burning hydrogen is water, no carbon pollution is added to the atmosphere. In 2014, researchers in the lab of Harry Gray, Caltech's Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry, developed a water-splitting catalyst made of layers of nickel and iron. However, no one was entirely sure how it worked. Many researchers hypothesized that the nickel layers, and not the iron atoms, were responsible for the water-splitting ability of the catalyst (and others like it). To find out for sure, Bryan Hunter (PhD '17), a former fellow at the Resnick Institute, and his colleagues in Gray's lab created an experimental setup that starved the catalyst of water. "When you take away some of the water, the reaction slows down, and you are able to take a picture of what's happening during the reaction," he says. Those pictures revealed the active site of the catalyst--the specific location where water is broken down into oxygen--and showed that iron was performing the water-splitting reaction, not nickel. "Our experimentally supported mechanism is very different than what was proposed," says Hunter, first author of a paper published February 6 in Joule, a journal of sustainable-energy research, describing the discovery. "Now we can start making changes to this material to improve it." Gray, whose work has focused on solar fuels for decades, says the discovery could be a "game changer" for the field. "This will alert people worldwide that iron is particularly good for this kind of catalysis," he says. "I wouldn't be at all shocked if people start using these catalysts in commercial applications in four or five years."	10.1016/j.joule.2018.01.008	2,018	Joule	Trapping an Iron(VI) Water-Splitting Intermediate in Nonaqueous Media	Understanding the mechanisms of highly-active, earth-abundant water oxidn. electrocatalysts can guide the development of advanced water-splitting devices that convert renewable electricity to clean fuels. Unfortunately, catalytic intermediates are difficult to isolate and characterize because they tend to be extremely transient and present at low concns. A typical approach to this problem is to slow down turnover by limiting the availability of substrate. However, in cases where substrate and solvent are identical-such as in water oxidn.-the soln. can be more complex. By dramatically limiting the availability of substrate (water and hydroxide) in nickel-iron catalyzed heterogeneous water oxidn., we have obsd. and characterized a high-valent iron intermediate. Orthogonal spectroscopies indicate that the intermediate contains iron in the rare 6+ oxidn. state. This ferrate analog makes dioxygen upon addn. of hydroxide and can be stepwise regenerated by anodic polarization.
698450	Reduce energy costs and social isolation to support older adults in extreme weather	Research by Warwick Medical School identifies constraints to the abilities of older adults to adapt to heatwaves or cold snaps Office of National Statistics estimates 50,100 excess deaths in winter 2017/18 and 1,246 excess deaths in June - July 2018 in England and Wales Financial issues discouraged older adults from prioritising heating and cooling their homes, while social interaction was seen as a 'lifeline' Comprehensive study confirms findings from several studies across the world The cost of heating and cooling the home, and increasing social isolation are significant factors in health risk of older adults during extreme weather, according to a new study by the University of Warwick. The research, published in PLOS ONE, also reveals how poor understanding of the dangers of extreme heat or cold also affected how well older adults adapt to adverse weather conditions such as a heatwave or cold snap. The research from Warwick Medical School used an asset-based approach to determine how capable those adults were in adapting to the negative effects of extreme weather conditions. An asset-based approach involves categorising all the resources, both tangible and non-tangible, that individuals need to maintain their health and wellbeing and assessing their access to those and ability to utilise them. Older adults (aged 65+) are considered a high risk group to the impacts of extreme temperatures. Direct and indirect effects of heatwaves and cold waves are associated with an increase in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This contributed to an estimated 50,100 excess winter deaths in England and Wales in 2017-18 and an estimated 1,246 excess deaths in June to July 2018 according to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics. The findings of this research have national and international relevance and it recommends implementing a number of measures to policymakers to respond to temperature extremes: improve individuals' health status strengthen knowledge of what to do in the case of extreme temperatures and to be proactive improve the general awareness of risks and impacts by the individual improve social networks around the individual, and strengthen the links between health and social care teams in countries where GP appointments are charged for, reduce the cost compared with overall income implement policy measures to reduce poverty, hunger and improve the quality of housing stock Lead author Dr Raquel Nunes from Warwick Medical School used over 45 interviews with older adults living in Lisbon, Portugal, conducted in both summer and winter. She said: "The findings of this research are comparable to that in the UK, France, US, New Zealand and internationally that also found that low educational levels, low income, lack of mobility, lack of housing insulation and weak social networks had adverse consequences on older adults' ability to respond to extreme temperatures. "We show that the vast majority of older adults face restrictions in availability and access to assets that impact on their ability to respond to extreme temperatures. Despite this, participants in this research revealed a range of opportunities for enhancing their adaptation strategies, drawing on assets that they would welcome." The research identified a strong sense of independence in older adults, which helped to enable those people to adapt to changing weather conditions. However, expenses such as high electricity and gas prices and low income/pensions were seen as constraints, as well as a general misunderstanding of the risks and cost-effectiveness of technologies such as heaters and fans. As a result, older people did not prioritise investing in cooling and heating their homes, with tenants often more affected than homeowners. Participants with the lowest literacy (primary school education or less) and with a poor understanding of what to do during hot/cold weather preferred personalised advice provided by specialists (i.e. GP, Nurse, Community or Council officers) to general advice such as leaflets or information in the media. Social interaction with family, neighbours and services were perceived as a 'lifeline' as their advice was seen to be more trustworthy. Dr Nunes added: "Addressing issues such as electricity and gas prices, as well as subsidies for older adults living with low pensions, are considered to be essential opportunities in reducing the pressure on finances and would support individuals in adapting to extreme weather. "Local and community organisations and institutions would be most appropriate to implement adaptation measures, as they are closer and more accessible to older people. These organisations and institutions could aim to work together to examine particular aspects and characteristics of older people's lives that are crucial to respond to during temperature extremes, and implement suitable measures. "The asset-based approach that was used and the concept of assets allow a better understanding of the factors shaping older adults' adaptation strategies and can help us understand the challenges they face during extreme temperatures. "To increase all types of assets requires sufficient funding and political commitment for the short-, medium and long term, and an investment in tailored national and local policy decisions and interventions." ### * Nunes AR (2018) The contribution of assets to adaptation to extreme temperatures among older adults. PLOS ONE 13(11): e0208121. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0208121 Notes to editors: Sources: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/excesswintermortalityinenglandandwalesreferencetables https://blog.ons.gov.uk/2018/08/07/how-deadly-is-this-years-heatwave/	10.1371/journal.pone.0208121	2,018	PLoS ONE	The contribution of assets to adaptation to extreme temperatures among older adults	Background Climate change and extreme temperatures pose increasing challenges to individuals and their health with older adults being one of the most vulnerable groups. The aim of this paper is to better understand the roles that tangible assets (e.g., physical or financial) and intangible assets (e.g., human or social) play in the way older adults adapt to extreme temperatures, the types of adaptive responses they implement, limits and constraints, as well opportunities for better adaptation. Rather than focusing exclusively on extremes of heat, or considering each type of asset in isolation, the important and novel contribution of this paper is to take an integrated and multi-seasonal qualitative and quantitative approach, that conjointly investigates all categories of assets in relation to the adaptations that independently-living older adults make to both extreme heat and extreme cold. Methods and findings The paper examines the contribution of assets to adaptation to extreme temperatures among older adults living independently in their homes. An innovative mixed methods study with an inter-seasonal approach was implemented in Lisbon, Portugal with interviews and surveys during summer for extreme heat and winter for extreme cold. The ability of participants to adapt to extreme temperatures was found to be dependent on asset context and diversity, and the dynamics through which extreme temperatures enhanced or reduced the stock of assets available. As a result, participants engaged in activities of assets replacement, exchange or substitutions. Despite this, many participants recognised many constraints and limits to their ability to adapt and protect their health and well-being ranging from reduced income, high energy costs and lack of social networks. Opportunities for improving older adults' adaptation were found to exist and strategies, action and investment have been identified by older adults which included life-long education, incentives to improve insulation and local activities. Conclusions The paper suggests that the implementation of the proposed asset-based approach linking assets and adaptation to extreme temperatures, illustrates the key pathway that individuals, their families and carers, governments, policymakers, researchers and practitioners can follow to ensure effective adaptation and promote health and well-being. Supporting older adults' adaptation to extreme temperatures is possible and can be complemented with efforts to reduce older adults' vulnerability and building resilience to extreme temperatures. These findings pose concrete implications for policy and practice, including for example the need for implementation of measures and actions to reduce poverty, reduce energy costs, improve the quality of the housing stock and improve older adults' social networks.
471309	Cannabis to treat gynecological conditions		10.1089/jwh.2020.8437	2,020	Journal of Women s Health	Gender Differences in Medical Cannabis Use: Symptoms Treated, Physician Support for Use, and Prescription Medication Discontinuation	Background: Medical cannabis (MC) utilization continues to expand in the United States, as a growing body of evidence supports the use of cannabis and cannabinoids in the treatment of a range of chronic conditions. To date, gender-related differences in MC use are not widely reported, and little is known regarding physicians' support of patients' use of MC to address symptoms associated with chronic conditions. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of MC users in Illinois (n = 361). We summarized participants' qualifying conditions, symptoms treated with MC, perceived physician support for MC use, use of MC and prescription medications, then analyzed differences by participant gender. Results: Bivariate analyses indicate that men report higher levels of support for MC use from both specialist and primary care physicians. Women were significantly more likely to increase use of cannabis after acquiring an MC card, and to discontinue prescription medications through MC use. Multivariable analyses indicate that being a woman, using MC to treat multiple symptoms, and reporting higher levels of support for MC use from a primary care provider significantly increased the likelihood of discontinuing prescription medication through MC use. Discussion: Women are more likely to report decreased use of prescription medications to treat symptoms, and report lower levels of support from physicians for MC use. Future research on gender differences in this population may benefit from more detailed data related to symptomology, utilization, dosing, and outcomes associated with MC, and interactions with the health care system to extend these findings.
826876	New immunotherapy target discovered for malignant brain tumors	Scientists say they have discovered a potential new target for immunotherapy of malignant brain tumors, which so far have resisted the ground-breaking cancer treatment based on harnessing the body's immune system. The discovery, reported in the journal CELL, emerged from laboratory experiments and has no immediate implications for treating patients. Scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard said the target they identified is a molecule that suppresses the cancer-fighting activity of immune T cells, the white blood cells that seek out and destroy virus-infected cells and tumor cells. The scientists said the molecule, called CD161, is an inhibitory receptor that they found on T cells isolated from fresh samples of brain tumors called diffuse gliomas. Gliomas include glioblastoma, the most aggressive and incurable type of brain tumor. The CD161 receptor is activated by a molecule called CLEC2D on tumor cells and immune-suppressing cells in the brain, according to the researchers. Activation of CD161 weakens the T cell response against tumor cells. To determine if blocking the CD161 pathway could restore the T cells' ability to attack the glioma cells, the researchers disabled it in two ways: they knocked out the gene called KLRB1 that codes for CD161, and they used antibodies to block the CD161-CLEC2D pathway. In an animal model of gliomas, this strategy strongly enhanced the killing of tumor cells by T cells, and improved survival of the animals. The researchers were also encouraged because blocking the inhibitory pathway appeared to reduce T-cell exhaustion - a loss of cell-killing function in T cells that has been a been a major hurdle in immunotherapy. In addition, "we showed that this pathway is also relevant in a number of other major human cancer types," including melanoma, lung, colon, and liver cancer, said Kai Wucherpfennig, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Cancer Immunotherapy Research at Dana-Farber. He is corresponding author of the report along with Mario Suva, MD, PhD, of Massachusetts General Hospital; Aviv Regev, PhD, of the Broad Institute, and David Reardon, MD, clinical director of the Center for Neuro-Oncology at Dana-Farber. Many cancer patients are now being treated with immunotherapy drugs that disable "immune checkpoints" - molecular brakes exploited by cancer cells to suppress the body's defensive response by T cells against tumors. Disabling these checkpoints unleashes the immune system to attack cancer cells. One of the most frequently targeted checkpoints is PD-1. However, recent trials of drugs that target PD-1 in glioblastomas have failed to benefit patients. In the current study, the researchers found that fewer T cells from gliomas contained PD-1 than CD161. As a result, they said, "CD161 may represent an attractive target, as it is a cell surface molecule expressed by both CD8 and CD4 T cell subsets [the two types of T cells involved in response against tumor cells] and a larger fraction of T cells express CD161 than the PD-1 protein." Prior to the current study, the researchers said little was known about the expression of genes and the molecular circuits of immune T cells that infiltrate glioma tumors, but fail to halt their growth. To open a window on these T cell circuits, the investigators took advantage of new technologies for reading out the genetic information in single cells - a method called single-cell RNA-seq. They applied RNA-seq to glioma-infiltrating T cells from fresh tumor samples from 31 patients and created an "atlas" of pathways that regulate T cell function. In analyzing the RNA-seq data, the researchers identified the CD161 protein, encoded by the KLRB1 gene, as a potential inhibitory receptor. They then used CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology to inactivate the KLRB1 gene in T cells and showed that CD161 inhibits the tumor cell-killing function of T cells. "Our comprehensive atlas of T cell expression programs across the major classes of diffuse gliomas thus identifies the CD161-CLEC2D pathway as a potential target for immunotherapy of diffuse gliomas and other human cancers," the authors of the report said. This strategy was tested in two different animal models created by implanting "gliomaspheres" - 3-dimensional clusters of tumor cells from human patients - into rodents, which developed aggressive tumors that invaded the brain. The scientists subsequently injected T cells with the KLRB1 gene edited out into the cerebrospinal fluid of some of the animals, and T cells that hadn't had the KLRB1 gene deleted. Transfer of the gene-edited T cells slowed the growth of the tumors and "conferred a significant survival benefit," in both of the animal models of gliomas, the scientists said.	10.1016/j.cell.2021.01.022	2,021	Cell	Inhibitory CD161 receptor identified in glioma-infiltrating T cells by single-cell analysis	T cells are critical effectors of cancer immunotherapies, but little is known about their gene expression programs in diffuse gliomas. Here, we leverage single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to chart the gene expression and clonal landscape of tumor-infiltrating T cells across 31 patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) wild-type glioblastoma and IDH mutant glioma. We identify potential effectors of anti-tumor immunity in subsets of T cells that co-express cytotoxic programs and several natural killer (NK) cell genes. Analysis of clonally expanded tumor-infiltrating T cells further identifies the NK gene KLRB1 (encoding CD161) as a candidate inhibitory receptor. Accordingly, genetic inactivation of KLRB1 or antibody-mediated CD161 blockade enhances T cell-mediated killing of glioma cells in vitro and their anti-tumor function in vivo. KLRB1 and its associated transcriptional program are also expressed by substantial T cell populations in other human cancers. Our work provides an atlas of T cells in gliomas and highlights CD161 and other NK cell receptors as immunotherapy targets.
870551	Two birds, one stone: Drug combo may prove effective against second type of leukemia	BOSTON - Every year, nearly 11,000 Americans die of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a blood cancer that affects mainly older adults. While most patients initially respond to chemotherapy, more than half of those who respond will eventually relapse as the cancer cells develop resistance to treatment. In a new paper published today in Cell Research, a team of scientists led by Pier Paolo Pandolfi, MD, PhD, Director of the Cancer Center and Cancer Research Institute at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, reveal vulnerabilities in a subset of AML that could serve as the foothold researchers need to overcome resistance to therapy. "There is an acute need to develop rational combinations to treat disease and overcome resistance that arises in response to therapy," said Pandolfi. "By providing a critical understanding of the mechanisms underlying the disease, we identified a therapeutic strategy for treatment of this type of AML." About 20 percent of AML cases involve a mutation in a key metabolic enzyme called IDH. Using a previously published genetically engineered mouse model as well as human cell line in vitro and in vivo models for AML with this mutation, Pandolfi and colleagues identified key processes these cancer cells use to develop - or evolve - drug resistance in response to therapies. By following the pathway to resistance in a step-by-step manner, the scientists - including first author Vera Mugoni, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Pandolfi lab - identified critical vulnerabilities that researchers can potentially exploit for therapeutic benefit in all stages of the disease's evolution. Moreover, the team demonstrated that a combination of drugs already in use for treatment of another type of leukemia worked equally as well against this form of AML in both an in vitro and in vivo setting. "The molecular processes that are frequently required to promote resistance to therapy leave tumors vulnerable in other areas," said Mugoni. "In the case of AML with mutation to IDH enzymes, both metabolism and differentiation pathways were altered, exposing vulnerabilities that become exacerbated as the leukemia evolves, and for which we already have approved agents that can be utilized." Another form of leukemia known as acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) was once a fatal diagnosis. It is now considered a curable disease, thanks to researchers including Pandolfi, who demonstrated that arsenic trioxide (ATO) was effective against APL in combination with another drug called all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). In the current study, Pandolfi and colleagues tested the combination in both the mouse model of AML with IDH mutation and in human AML cells. They determined that, while the drugs target different vulnerabilities in the different forms of leukemia, the combination proved "powerfully and exquisitely effective" against this subset of AML. "With my lab's previous discovery that all-trans retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide is curative in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), witnessing the translation of this same therapy to possible therapeutic approaches for other forms of AML is extremely rewarding," said Pandolfi. Pandolfi adds his team is currently working to develop clinical trials to evaluate the ATRA and ATO combination for treatment of AML with mutation in IDH enzymes at multiple centers throughout the United States and beyond.	10.1038/s41422-019-0162-7	2,019	Cell Research	Vulnerabilities in mIDH2 AML confer sensitivity to APL-like targeted combination therapy	Although targeted therapies have proven effective and even curative in human leukaemia, resistance often ensues. IDH enzymes are mutated in ~20% of human AML, with targeted therapies under clinical evaluation. We here characterize leukaemia evolution from mutant IDH2 (mIDH2)-dependence to independence identifying key targetable vulnerabilities of mIDH2 leukaemia that are retained during evolution and progression from early to late stages. Mechanistically, we find that mIDH2 leukaemia are metastable and vulnerable at two distinct levels. On the one hand, they are characterized by oxidative and genotoxic stress, in spite of increased 1-carbon metabolism and glutathione levels. On the other hand, mIDH2 leukaemia display inhibition of LSD1 and a resulting transcriptional signature of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) sensitization, in spite of a state of suppressed ATRA signalling due to increased levels of PIN1. We further identify GSH/ROS and PIN1/LSD1 as critical nodes for leukaemia maintenance and the combination of ATRA and arsenic trioxide (ATO) as a key therapeutic modality to target these vulnerabilities. Strikingly, we demonstrate that the combination of ATRA and ATO proves to be a powerfully synergistic and effective therapy in a number of mouse and human mIDH1/2 leukemic models. Thus, our findings pave the way towards the treatment of a sizable fraction of human AMLs through targeted APL-like combinatorial therapies.
947708	Third COVID-19 vaccination improves immune response in blood cancer patients	New research has found that the weakened immune systems of blood cancer patients can improve after they receive a third COVID-19 vaccination. Patients with lymphoma have defects in their immunity system that restrict its response to vaccination. Despite this, this new study found improvements in antibody and T-Cell responses after a third vaccine dose, except in patients who had recently received a certain antibody treatment for their cancer. The study was funded by the Blood Cancer UK Vaccine Research Collaborative and has been published in the journal Nature Cancer. “Despite the gradual lifting of COVID-19 restrictions worldwide, a cloud continues to hang over immunosuppressed patients, who may not develop protective immune responses after vaccination,” explained Dr Sean Lim, Associate Professor and Honorary Consultant in Haematological Oncology at the University of Southampton, who led the research. “In particular, individuals with haematological malignancies are at greater risk of severe COVID-19 disease even if they have been vaccinated,” she continued. Dr Lim and her team collected blood samples from 457 adult lymphoma patients before they received their first vaccination of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or BioNTech Pfizer vaccines, and four weeks after the first dose, two to four weeks and 6 months after the second dose, and four to eight weeks after the third dose. The study aimed to evaluate the strength of the immune system’s response to the vaccines and to help predict how effective the vaccine could be for lymphoma patients. To achieve this, the scientists measured the ability of antibodies in the blood samples to prevent the viral spike protein from binding to ACE2 proteins, which are the virus’s key point of entry into the human body. They also measured the response of T cells – which form part of the body’s immune system - when stimulated by the viral spike. The results showed that whilst just over half of patients undergoing active cancer treatment had no detectable antibody levels after the second vaccination, T cell responses could be detected in about two thirds of all patients. After a third dose, 92 percent of patients who were not undergoing anti-CD20 treatment for their cancer showed improved antibody responses, compared to 17% who were receiving that treatment. “We observed a good link between the level of antibodies in the blood samples and how well these antibodies blocked the virus from binding to the ACE2 protein,” said Dr Lim. “This suggests that the antibodies induced in patients with lymphoma perform similarly to those in healthy donors.” A key question for patients with suppressed immunity systems is whether there is a connection between antibody and cellular responses and the risk of infection, hospitalisation and death from COVID-19. The research team will therefore follow up this research with further analysis into the clinical outcomes of patients in this study who were infected with COVID-19. Nature Cancer 10.1038/s43018-022-00364-3 Experimental study People Immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants after two and three doses of vaccine in B-cell malignancies: UK PROSECO study 24-Mar-2022	10.1038/s43018-022-00364-3	2,022	Nature Cancer	Immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 variants after two and three doses of vaccine in B-cell malignancies: UK PROSECO study	Abstract Patients with hematological malignancies are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes due to compromised immune responses, but the insights of these studies have been compromised due to intrinsic limitations in study design. Here we present the PROSECO prospective observational study ( NCT04858568 ) on 457 patients with lymphoma that received two or three COVID-19 vaccine doses. We show undetectable humoral responses following two vaccine doses in 52% of patients undergoing active anticancer treatment. Moreover, 60% of patients on anti-CD20 therapy had undetectable antibodies following full vaccination within 12 months of receiving their anticancer therapy. However, 70% of individuals with indolent B-cell lymphoma displayed improved antibody responses following booster vaccination. Notably, 63% of all patients displayed antigen-specific T-cell responses, which increased after a third dose irrespective of their cancer treatment status. Our results emphasize the urgency of careful monitoring of COVID-19-specific immune responses to guide vaccination schemes in these vulnerable populations.
796145	Overturning the truth on conservation tillage	Just as we blend, cut, and fold ingredients together to follow a recipe, farmers use equipment to stir together soil and crop residue (stalks and roots of previous crops) before planting. This mechanical action is called tillage. Similar to our kitchen cupboard with a blender, mixer, and beater, farmers have access to a variety of tillage equipment. Farmers choose the "right" piece of tillage based on many factors, including location, soil type, crop, and landscape. Tillage has been around for thousands of years. "It is difficult for nearly anyone to grow a crop, or even a garden, without unconsciously going through the motions of tillage," says Aaron Daigh. "I see it as a near equivalent to muscle memory or a natural reflex." Daigh is a researcher and professor at North Dakota State University. Modern conservation tillage practices protect the soil and environment. For example, they can reduce erosion from water or wind and keep nutrients in the right place. Farmers are showing more and more interest in adapting conservation practices on their operations. But, adopting a new tillage system can be intimidating due to many real and perceived concerns. For example, some farmers presume conservation tillage will lead to lower yields and an increased risk for seedling diseases. Scientists are making it easier for farmers in the Midwest to make the right tillage decisions when considering modern conservation practices. Daigh and his team compared the effects of three common conservation tillage systems to the traditional method of a chisel plow with field cultivation: Shallow vertical till Strip till using shanks Strip till using coulters After four years, researchers observed that yields rarely, if ever, differed among the four tillage systems at any of the farms. Still, change is never easy. The study by Daigh and his team suggests that adapting conservation tillage practices will not cause yield losses. In fact, conservation tillage practices will lower on-farm costs while preserving long-term productivity. "These results may ease farmers' concerns about switching to conservation tillage," says Daigh. "Perhaps more farmers will consider if conservation tillage practices are a good fit for their operations." "I encourage farmers who are interested, but hesitant, to try conservation tillage practices on one field to get more accustomed to the new system," he says. "Then, try it out on more fields until you get your farm designed to meet your needs and goals." As always, the whole picture should be evaluated before making on-farm decisions. "It's not just about yield," says Daigh. "Economics and crop-residue for erosion protection should also guide farmer decisions." The research team continues to investigate. "We are currently looking at the incorporation of cover crops into reduced tillage practices," says Daigh. This study focused on farms with one type of tillage used per field. However, newer equipment allows for variable tillage methods at once. For example, it may be capable of vertical tillage and strip tillage at the same time. In the future, Daigh and his colleagues would like to see researchers evaluate the effects of these new technologies. Read more about this work in Agricultural & Environmental Letters. This research was partially funded by the North Dakota Soybean and Corn Councils, Minnesota Soybean and Corn Research and Promotion Councils, North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Minnesota Extension, North Dakota Extension, USDA-NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant 69-3A75-17-282, and USDA-NIFA Hatch project 1005366.	10.2134/ael2019.03.0012	2,019	Agricultural & Environmental Letters	Crop and Soil Responses to On‐Farm Conservation Tillage Practices in the Upper Midwest	Core Ideas Production‐scale conservation tillage systems had few effects on crop yields. Strip till had the least costs per hectare and may be more economical for farmers. Tillage affected only fungi/bacteria ratios out of 19 soil properties. Farmers’ presumed yield losses among tillage systems did not reflect actual yields. In the US upper Midwest, the narrow growing season causes many farmers to presume yield losses when reducing tillage. The purpose of this study was to determine how four production‐scale tillage systems affected residue cover, stand populations, crop yields, and soil chemical, biological, and physical properties. Tillage systems (chisel plow, fall strip‐till with shanks, spring strip‐till with coulters, and shallow vertical till) were continued for 4 yr. Tillage effects within a site were few and mixed (0.17–0.36 Mg ha −1 difference), whereas site effects were common (0.50–3.00 Mg ha −1 difference). Among 19 soil properties, only fungal/bacteria ratios differed among strip‐till with shanks (0.078) and strip‐till with coulters (0.066) at one site. Our results suggest that many farmers’ concerns about using conservation tillage practices do not necessarily translate into yield losses when compared to standard chisel plow practices. Economics and the level of erosion control among the tillage practices compared here, rather than yield alone, should guide farmer preferences.
551136	Better explaining the world around us	A new University of Queensland-led study could help scientists more accurately predict and explain patterns of diversity in nature. Ecology Centre Director in the UQ School of Biological Sciences Associate Professor Margie Mayfield said the project had developed a mathematically simple framework for accurately assessing the outcomes of species' interactions. "This advancement will improve the accuracy of studies of the diversity of biological communities," she said. Dr Mayfield said the framework was important because it could improve the accuracy of a wide range of models used in ecology, conservation biology, and global change research. "We sometimes see patterns of plant, insect, mammal or bird diversity modelled, or predicted for biodiversity conservation, or even to predict responses to climate change," Dr Mayfield said. "These values are usually estimated using models that rely on mathematical models of fitness that incorporate basic information about competition between species. "The accuracy of these fitness models have the potential to change outcomes of the whole model and it is important to get this piece of the puzzle right." Dr Mayfield said individual fitness models grossly over-simplified information on species interactions, making the assumption that scientists only needed to include information on direct competition between species to accurately model fitness outcomes. "This is not actually true," Dr Mayfield said. "Most of the time we just include poor estimates because of the widespread belief that there is no better alternative. "A lot of research shows other types of interactions, in particular facilitation - or one species helping another - is common in nature. "Indirect interactions among species, notably higher-order interactions, have also been studied but most evidence for the importance of these comes from mathematical models not real data." Higher-order interactions are the effect that interactions between individuals within a neighbourhood of organisms have on the fitness of individuals. "It has been considered infeasible to collect enough data from real communities to detect higher order interactions," Dr Mayfield said. "Our framework shows it is indeed possible to detect these interactions in real communities and that as theoretically predicted, their impacts are strong and important. "Because diversity models are so central to the way we study, understand and try to protect the natural world, it is very important that we make these models as accurate as possible. "We use diversity models to predict the impact of climate change; areas to be targeted for protection or restoration; where biological invasions will be successful; or trying to estimate how many species there are on the planet or in regions of interest. ### The study, published in Nature Ecology and Evolution, is co-authored by Associate Professor Daniel Stouffer of the University of Canterbury School of Biological Sciences in New Zealand.	10.1038/s41559-016-0062	2,017	Nature Ecology & Evolution	Higher-order interactions capture unexplained complexity in diverse communities	Natural communities are well known to be maintained by many complex processes. Despite this, the practical aspects of studying them often require some simplification, such as the widespread assumption that direct, additive competition captures the important details about how interactions between species impact community diversity. More complex non-additive 'higher-order' interactions are assumed to be negligible or absent. Notably, these assumptions are poorly supported and have major consequences for the accuracy with which patterns of natural diversity are modelled and explained. We present a mathematically simple framework for incorporating biologically meaningful complexity into models of diversity by including non-additive higher-order interactions. We further provide empirical evidence that such higher-order interactions strongly influence species' performance in natural plant communities, with variation in seed production (as a proxy for per capita fitness) explained dramatically better when at least some higher-order interactions are considered. Our study lays the groundwork for a long-overdue shift in how species interactions are used to study the diversity of natural communities.
544244	Smoking linked to higher dementia risk	In an Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology analysis of nationwide health claims from Korea, men who smoked had an elevated risk of dementia. Compared with continual smokers, long-term quitters and never smokers had 14% and 19% lower risks for dementia, respectively. Never smokers had an 18% decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease compared with continual smokers. Also, long-term quitters and never smokers had 32% and 29% decreased risks of vascular dementia compared with continual smokers. The study included 46,140 men aged 60 years or older from a Korean health screening program in 2002 to 2013. "Smoking cessation was clearly linked with a reduced dementia risk in the long term, indicating that smokers should be encouraged to quit in order to benefit from this decreased risk," said senior author Dr. Sang Min Park, of Seoul National University, in Korea. ### Additional Information Link to Study: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/acn3.633 About	10.1002/acn3.633	2,018	Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology	Effect of smoking cessation on the risk of dementia: a longitudinal study	To determine the risk of developing dementia in relation to duration of smoking cessation by using a nationwide health claims database.This cohort study included 46,140 men aged 60 years or older from Korean National Health Insurance System - National Health Screening Cohort, a population-based national health screening program from 2002 to 2013. The changes in smoking habit from a questionnaire during the first (2002 and 2003) and second (2004 and 2005) health examination periods, participants were divided into continual smokers, short-term (less than 4 years) quitters, long-term (4 years or more) quitters, and never smokers. Participants were followed-up for 8 years from January 1, 2006 for the development of overall dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia.Compared to continual smokers, long-term quitters and never smokers had decreased risk of overall dementia (hazard ratio, HR 0.86 95% CI, confidence interval 0.75-0.99 and HR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.71-0.91, respectively). Never smokers had decreased risk of Alzheimer's disease (HR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.70-0.96) compared to continual smokers. Finally, both long-term quitters (HR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.48-0.96) and never smokers (HR: 0.71; 95% CI: 0.54-0.95) had decreased risk of vascular dementia compared to continual smokers.Smoking was associated with increased risk of dementia. Smokers who quit for a prolonged period of time may benefit from reduced risk of dementia. Therefore, smokers should be encouraged to quit in order to reduce the risk of developing dementia, especially in the elderly population who are already at risk.
942010	Wisdom engendered: study finds men and women have different strengths	Previous studies have shown that wisdom is a personality trait underpinning mental health and well-being. Recently, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine looked at gender differences relative to wisdom, using two different validated scales. The study, publishing in the February 3, 2022, online edition of Frontiers in Psychology, assessed gender differences in wisdom and associated constructs, including depression, loneliness, well-being, optimism and resilience. Six hundred and fifty-nine community-based participants, ages 27 to 103, participated in the study and completed both the San Diego Wisdom Scale (SD-WISE) and the 3-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS). The SD-WISE includes 24 items related to six defined components of wisdom: pro-social behaviors (empathy and compassion), emotional regulation, self-reflection, acceptance of uncertainty and diversity of perspectives, decisiveness and social advising. The 3D-WS contains 39 items covering three dimensions of wisdom: cognitive, affective or compassionate/and reflective. The researchers found that, in general, women scored higher on compassion-related items and on self-reflection while men scored higher on cognitive-related items and on emotional regulation. Generally speaking, the total 3-D-WS score was higher in women than in men, but there was no gender difference in the total score on the SD-WISE. In both women and men, wisdom was associated with greater mental well-being, optimism, and resilience and lower levels of depression and loneliness. “We wanted to gain information on potential differences in wisdom between men and women that could impact well-being,” said senior author Dilip V. Jeste, MD, senior associate dean for the Center of Healthy Aging and Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “We found women and men have different relative strengths in wisdom, likely driven by both sociocultural and biological factors.” “Our latest findings are only a piece of the overall puzzle. There are several paths toward achieving a wise life. People approach wisdom differently and looking at gender is one way to assess those potential differences,” said Emily Treichler, PhD, first author of the study and assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine and a research psychologist in the Desert Pacific Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) at the VA San Diego Healthcare System. “Having a better understanding of wisdom and how to improve it has health benefits and value for individuals and society. Other studies have shown that the levels of certain components of wisdom like empathy/compassion and emotional regulation can be increased with appropriate psycho-social and behavioral interventions. Studies such as ours may help tailor wisdom interventions to individuals based on specific characteristics.” The researchers emphasize there were limitations of the study: It was cross-sectional rather than longitudinal. And it did not look at wisdom profiles of non-binary people or ask people whether they identify as transgender, and that should be one of the next steps. “More work needs to be done, but we can take what we have learned and apply it to future studies to make the results applicable to different groups, with the ultimate goal of promoting healthier lives,” said Jeste. Co-authors include: Tsung-Chin Wu and Xin Tu with UC San Diego; Barton Palmer, Rebecca Daly, and Ellen Lee with UC San Diego, VA San Diego Healthcare System, and VA Desert Pacific Mental Illness, Research, Education, and Clinical Center; and Michael Thomas with Colorado State University. Frontiers in Psychology 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.769294 3-Feb-2022	10.3389/fpsyg.2021.769294	2,022	Frontiers in Psychology	Women and Men Differ in Relative Strengths in Wisdom Profiles: A Study of 659 Adults Across the Lifespan	Wisdom is a multi-component trait that is important for mental health and well-being. In this study, we sought to understand gender differences in relative strengths in wisdom. A total of 659 individuals aged 27–103 years completed surveys including the 3-Dimensional Wisdom Scale (3D-WS) and the San Diego Wisdom Scale (SD-WISE). Analyses assessed gender differences in wisdom and gender’s moderating effect on the relationship between wisdom and associated constructs including depression, loneliness, well-being, optimism, and resilience. Women scored higher on average on the 3D-WS but not on the SD-WISE. Women scored higher on compassion-related domains and on SD-WISE Self-Reflection. Men scored higher on cognitive-related domains and on SD-WISE Emotion Regulation. There was no impact of gender on the relationships between wisdom and associated constructs. Women and men have different relative strengths in wisdom, likely driven by sociocultural and biological factors. Tailoring wisdom interventions to individuals based on their profiles is an important next step.
795901	Super-sizing world's nature havens would add people to valued species list	A group of scientists are recommending giving the world's nature reserves a makeover to defend not only flora and fauna, but people, too. Scientists in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences argue that the world's protected areas such as nature reserves, traditionally havens for endangered animals and plants, can be made better if they ratchet up benefits that directly benefit people. The world's nature reserves not only defend nature for nature's sake, but also can curb erosion, prevent sandstorms, retain water and prevent flooding and sequester carbon. The authors include more of a place for people - judiciously. "Decades of interdisciplinary research teaches us that the best, most durable protections we can give nature are ones that also directly benefit people," said Michigan State University's Jianguo "Jack" Liu, a sustainability scholar long known for science of coupled human and natural systems. "This new look at China's expansive nature reserves is an exciting way to understand how protected areas all over the world can be improved for both people and nature." Liu joins Weihua Xu of the State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as scientists from several other institutions in China as well as Stanford University and University of Minnesota, to evaluate what and how China's expansive protected areas are protecting, and envision a kind of new national park system that nurtures both man and beast. Globally some 209,000 protected areas cover approximately 12 million square miles - more than 15 percent of the world's land surface and 3.4 percent of the ocean area. Those areas can be a hot bed of human benefit - they are places that also are treasured for hunting, fishing, recreation and to marvel at natural beauty. The group evaluates how good a job China's protected areas are doing at protecting biodiversity. Overall, the reserve networks, which focus mainly on protecting valued mammals, do "reasonably well" for mammals and birds - mostly because they're designed with them in mind. Plants, amphibians and reptiles aren't the target group for most reserves, and thus aren't as well protected. Likewise, China's nature reserve network wasn't designed with the four key ecosystem services on which the study focuses in mind. Water retention, soil retention, sandstorm prevention and carbon sequestration aren't on the map - literally. The scientists see an opportunity to change borders and create new national parks to balance protection with sustainable use of natural resources. The group envisions clusters of nature reserves, which would foster connectivity. These new parks could permit human activity that wasn't disruptive to conservation efforts. The win-win approach could garner more local and national support for protected areas, as well as make the super-sized parks more effective and durable. "Many benefits generated in China's nature reserves, such as carbon sequestration, are telecoupled with the rest of the world. The research approach developed in this study can also be useful for evaluating biodiversity and ecosystem services of protected areas in other countries, including the United States," said Liu, Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability and director of MSU's Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability (CSIS). ### Besides Liu and Xu, other authors of "Strengthening protected areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services in China" are Yi Xiao, Jingjing Zhang, Wu Yang, Lu Zhang, Vanessa Hull, Zhi Wang, Hua Zheng, Stephen Polasky, Ling Jiang, Yang Xiao, Xuewei Shi, Enming Rao, Fei Lu, Xiaoke Wang, Gretchen Daily and Zhiyun Ouyang. Xu, Yi Xiao, and Ouyang were visiting scholars at CSIS. Hull and Yang earned PhDs at CSIS.	10.1073/pnas.1620503114	2,017	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences	Strengthening protected areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services in China	Recent expansion of the scale of human activities poses severe threats to Earth's life-support systems. Increasingly, protected areas (PAs) are expected to serve dual goals: protect biodiversity and secure ecosystem services. We report a nationwide assessment for China, quantifying the provision of threatened species habitat and four key regulating services-water retention, soil retention, sandstorm prevention, and carbon sequestration-in nature reserves (the primary category of PAs in China). We find that China's nature reserves serve moderately well for mammals and birds, but not for other major taxa, nor for these key regulating ecosystem services. China's nature reserves encompass 15.1% of the country's land surface. They capture 17.9% and 16.4% of the entire habitat area for threatened mammals and birds, but only 13.1% for plants, 10.0% for amphibians, and 8.5% for reptiles. Nature reserves encompass only 10.2-12.5% of the source areas for the four key regulating services. They are concentrated in western China, whereas much threatened species' habitat and regulating service source areas occur in eastern provinces. Our analysis illuminates a strategy for greatly strengthening PAs, through creating the first comprehensive national park system of China. This would encompass both nature reserves, in which human activities are highly restricted, and a new category of PAs for ecosystem services, in which human activities not impacting key services are permitted. This could close the gap in a politically feasible way. We also propose a new category of PAs globally, for sustaining the provision of ecosystems services and achieving sustainable development goals.
744968	Live cell imaging of asymmetric cell division in fertilized plant cells	An international group of plant biologists have succeeded for the first time in visualizing how egg cells in plants divides unequally (asymmetric cell division) after being fertilized. The direction of this asymmetric cell division determines the body axis of flowering plants, i.e. the top part producing leaves and flowers, and the bottom part developing into roots. This mechanistic discovery on asymmetric cell division in plants provides insight into finding out how flowering plants have evolved to form their body shape. Nagoya, Japan - A group of plant biologists at the Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM) of Nagoya University, the University of Tokyo, the Gregor Mendel Institute, and the University of Kentucky, have reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, on their discovery on how the plant's egg cells initially lose their skeletal pattern upon fertilization and are reorganized by two major cytoskeleton components in the cell, microtubules (MTs) and actin filaments (F-actin). Through live cell imaging, the group was able to visualize how fertilized egg cells in plants undergo asymmetric cell division, which is responsible for determining the plant's body axis. Flowering plants form various organs, such as the flower, leaves, root and stem, which develops along its body axis. As many plants take up a cylinder-like shape, the most important axis becomes the apical-basal (shoot-root) axis, i.e. the apical (top part) develops into shoots, containing flowers, stems and leaves, and the basal (bottom part) grows into roots. The fertilized egg cell (zygote), which is the origin for plants, establishes the plant's body axis from its first cell division. Before cell division occurs, the contents within the zygote become unevenly distributed (polarized). This results in an unequal (asymmetric) cell division, generating a relatively small cell on top and a large cell at the bottom. "Although polarization and asymmetric cell division of zygotes to form the body axis is a common phenomena found in algae, mosses, and flowering plants, the origin of cell polarity and how asymmetric cell division occurs have remained a mystery up to now," says Dr. Minako Ueda, a lecturer at ITbM, Nagoya University and a leader of this research. "The reason why this has been difficult was because there was not an efficient method to visualize the dynamics of cell division using the living zygote hiding deep inside the plants," she continues. In 2015, Dr. Daisuke Kurihara's research group at Nagoya University reported a technique to visualize the growth of living embryos in a model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis). Ueda, Kurihara and their colleagues improved the resolution of this imaging technique to be able to observe the internal structure of the cell. "The most difficult part of this research was to be able to identify the suitable markers to visualize the contents of the plant cell," explains Ueda. "With the help of Dr. Tomokazu Kawashima at the University of Kentucky and Professor Frederic Berger at the Mendel Institute, we tried different combinations of colored markers based on green fluorescent proteins (GFPs) to create a contrast between the different components within the cell. Yusuke Kimata, a graduate student in our group, conducted experiments to observe what was actually happening to the egg cell after fertilization." The group succeeded in visualizing for the first time, how the cytoskeleton of plant egg cells is disassembled after fertilization and then reorganized to create a polarity in the cell that eventually leads to asymmetric cell division. Plant cells contain two major cytoskeletons, i.e. microtubules (MTs) and actin filaments (F-actin), which help cells to maintain their shape, provide mechanistic support and enable the cells to divide and move. Ueda and Kimata used fluorescent markers of MTs and F-actin to see how they change before and after fertilization, and how the two fibers play a role in the polarization and asymmetric division of the zygote. "From our live cell imaging experiments, we observed that MTs that were initially aligned along the top-bottom axis of the unfertilized egg cell, disintegrates upon fertilization, leading to shrinkage of the cell," describes Ueda. "After nearly 3 hours, a ring structure appeared at the top part of the zygote, from where a bulge appeared to elongate the cell. This ring structure was retained while the cell elongated. Finally, the MTs gathered around the nucleus after about 18 hours and distributed the chromosomes, eventually leading to cell division after about 22 hours," she continues. "We were really excited when we saw this movie, where the zygotes behave like a stretched Japanese rice cake, as this event was nothing like we have seen before." The group then studied the dynamics of F-actin by live imaging techniques. In a similar manner to MTs, the initial assembly of F-actin in an unfertilized egg cell was disrupted upon fertilization. "What was different for F-actin, was that they align along the top-bottom axis after fertilization, and gather in a cap structure at the tip of the cell," describes Ueda. "We were able to observe that the initial assembly of both MTs and F-actin are disrupted upon fertilization of the egg cell, and the growing zygote gradually aligns these fibers in a different pattern from those in the egg cell. This is the first time to visualize the real time event of asymmetric cell division, and we were able to see other events such as cell elongation of the zygote and migration of the nucleus." Not only did the group succeed in visualizing the real time events of zygote polarization and asymmetric cell division, they were able to quantify the dynamic patterns of the cytoskeleton (i.e. formation of the ring structure and longitudinal array of MTs and F-actin, respectively). Experts of image analysis, Dr. Takumi Higaki and Professor Seiichiro Hasezawa at the University of Tokyo, performed these detailed quantification experiments. The group hypothesized that MTs and F-actin play different roles in the zygote due to their different alignment in the cell. In order to investigate their specific roles, they used inhibitors of each protein to see their effect on zygote polarization and asymmetric cell division. "Through live imaging, we saw that inhibition of MTs hinders zygote elongation, resulting in formation of a round and swollen shape of the zygote head," describes Ueda. "On the other hand, when we inhibited F-actin, the nucleus was unable to move upwards and remained near the center of the zygote. As a result, cell division occurred at the position of the nucleus, leading to nearly symmetric cell division, where the generated cells were similar in size." The group's results show that MTs are responsible for elongation of the zygote along the top-bottom axis, whereas F-actin plays a role in moving the nucleus towards the top part of the zygote, to make it ready for asymmetric cell division. "We were able to show by live cell imaging that polarization of the cell occurs after fertilization of the egg cell, and both MTs and F-actin play a role in inducing asymmetric cell division to form the plant's body axis," says Ueda. "We hope to be able to find the exact origin of what causes polarization and the components that are being distributed in the cell by visualizing more components in the plant zygote. We envisage that this work will lead to discovering how flowering plants have evolved to form their current structure and shape." ### This article "Cytoskeleton dynamics control the first asymmetric cell division in Arabidopsis zygote" by Yusuke Kimata, Takumi Higaki, Tomokazu Kawashima, Daisuke Kurihara, Yoshikatsu Sato, Tomomi Yamada, Seiichiro Hasezawa, Frederic Berger, Tetsuya Higashiyama and Minako Ueda is published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1613979113 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1613979113) About WPI-ITbM The Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM) at Nagoya University in Japan is committed to advance the integration of synthetic chemistry, plant/animal biology and theoretical science, all of which are traditionally strong fields in the university. ITbM is one of the research centers of the Japanese MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) program, the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI). The aim of ITbM is to develop transformative bio-molecules, innovative functional molecules capable of bringing about fundamental change to biological science and technology. Research at ITbM is carried out in a "Mix-Lab" style, where international young researchers from various fields work together side-by-side in the same lab, enabling interdisciplinary interaction. Through these endeavors, ITbM will create "transformative bio-molecules" that will dramatically change the way of research in chemistry, biology and other related fields to solve urgent problems, such as environmental issues, food production and medical technology that have a significant impact on the society. Author Contact Designated Lecturer Minako Ueda Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University Furo-Cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan TEL: +81-52-747-6402 E-mail: [email protected] Media Contact Dr. Ayako Miyazaki Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (WPI-ITbM), Nagoya University Furo-Cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan TEL: +81-52-789-4999 FAX: +81-52-789-3053 E-mail: [email protected] Nagoya University Public Relations Office TEL: +81-52-789-2016 FAX: +81-52-788-6272 E-mail: [email protected]	10.1073/pnas.1613979113	2,016	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences	Cytoskeleton dynamics control the first asymmetric cell division in <i>Arabidopsis</i> zygote	Significance In animals and plants, the zygote divides unequally, and the daughter cells inherit different developmental fates to form a proper embryo along the body axis. The cytological events leading to zygote polarization have remained unknown in flowering plants. Here, we report that the two essential components of the cytoskeleton, microtubules and actin filaments, are both disorganized on fertilization and then, arranged to form a transverse ring leading directional cell elongation and longitudinal arrays underlying polar nuclear migration, respectively. These results provide insights into the intracellular dynamics of zygote and the specific roles of cytoskeletons on zygote polarization in flowering plants.
466162	Researchers use 'biological passport' to monitor Earth's largest fish	Truckee (California), Aug. 9, 2018: Whale sharks, the world's largest fish, roam less than previously thought. Local and regional actions are vital for the conservation of this globally endangered species moving forward, according to a new study by researchers from the Marine Megafauna Foundation, University of Southampton, and Sharkwatch Arabia. Their findings are published today in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series. Previously, genetic research indicated that whale sharks mixed within distinct populations in the Indo-Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, respectively. This new study used stable isotope analysis, a biochemical technique, to demonstrate that whale sharks feeding at three disparate sites in the Western Indian Ocean (Mozambique and Tanzania) and the Arabian Gulf (Qatar) rarely swim more than a few hundred kilometres north or south from these areas. "Whale sharks are amazing swimmers, often moving over 10000 km each year, and they can dive to around 2000 meters in depth. Biochemical studies tell us more about where they go and what they do when they're out of our sight", said Dr Clare Prebble, who led the research as part of her PhD project at the University of Southampton. The researchers used isotopes of nitrogen and carbon that have similar chemical properties, but vary in their atomic mass. Ratios between the heavier and lighter isotopes of these elements vary naturally across different habitats in the marine environment. For example, more of the heavier isotopes are found in near-shore environments than offshore. These ratios stay consistent as they are passed up through the food web, from tiny marine plants to top predators, and therefore provide a record of the animal's feeding and movement behaviours. Stable isotope analysis thereby provides a 'biological passport' for whale sharks. Electronic tags are commonly used with marine animals to record their movements and diving behaviours. However, the challenge of keeping them attached to a large shark, while minimizing disturbance, has meant that only short-term deployments (weeks to months) have been possible. This study used tiny samples of skin tissue from wild, free-swimming whale sharks. These small pieces of skin, collected over 2-3 years at each location, were sufficient to reconstruct the sharks' movements and feeding preferences over the weeks and months prior to sampling. Values of both carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes differentiated at each site. To complement the biochemical analysis, the researchers also took photographs of the natural markings on each whale shark to identify and track individuals over a 10-year timeframe. Every whale shark has a unique spot pattern, similar to a human fingerprint. The team recorded 4197 encounters with 1240 individual whale sharks within these three countries. Only two sharks moved between sites, both swimming around 2000 km north from Mozambique to Tanzania. Taken together, these findings indicate that there are limited movements between these major aggregation sites over months to years. These results have implications for the conservation of this endangered species. "The best data available suggests that more than half of the world's whale sharks have been killed since the 1980s. Although the Western Indian Ocean remains a global hotspot for the species, even the largest feeding areas only host a few hundred sharks. Our results show that we need to treat each site separately, and ensure good conservation management is in place, as the sharks may not re-populate if they're impacted by people's activities", Prebble added. The study stresses the need to protect these filter-feeding sharks at the areas where they come together in numbers, particularly where human pressures are also present. Whale sharks are an incidental catch in coastal gillnets, which are frequently used in Mozambique and Tanzania. The Arabian Gulf is a huge oil shipping area where vessel strikes pose a major threat to the sharks when they are feeding near the surface. "Whale sharks are fully capable of swimming across oceans, but it seems like the juveniles, at least, are choosing not to", commented Dr Simon Pierce, Principal Scientist at the Marine Megafauna Foundation and a co-author on this study. "They like coming back to the same sites each year to take advantage of predictable feeding opportunities. Looking on the bright side, that emphasises that local protection can have a major benefit for the recovery of this endangered species. The rewards can also be felt locally, with whale shark tourism now worth over $100 million each year around the world." Earlier this year, colleagues reported that whale sharks regularly visit Madagascar to feed, which has led to a growing ecotourism industry between the months of September and December. To date, none of the sharks identified in Madagascar have been seen outside that country, further reinforcing the results from this new study. Dr Clive Trueman from the University of Southampton concluded: "Interestingly, most sharks found at these feeding sites are juvenile males of less than nine meters. To truly assess how populations are globally structured and distributed, we need to learn more about where the sharks go once they reach adulthood. They may well move out of our sight to feed and breed in deeper offshore waters."	10.3354/meps12667	2,018	Marine Ecology Progress Series	Limited latitudinal ranging of juvenile whale sharks in the Western Indian Ocean suggests the existence of regional management units	MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 601:167-183 (2018) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12667 Limited latitudinal ranging of juvenile whale sharks in the Western Indian Ocean suggests the existence of regional management units Clare E. M. Prebble1,2,, Christoph A. Rohner2, Simon J. Pierce2, David P. Robinson3, Mohammed Y. Jaidah4, Steffen S. Bach5, Clive N. Trueman1 1National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK 2Marine Megafauna Foundation, Truckee, CA 96161, USA 3Sharkwatch Arabia, Dubai, UAE 4Qatar Ministry of Environment, PO Box 22332, Doha, Qatar 5North Oil Company, PO Box 21264, Doha, Qatar Corresponding author: [email protected] ABSTRACT: Assessing the movements and connectivity of whale sharks Rhincodon typus through their range is difficult due to high individual mobility and limited knowledge of their behaviour following dispersal from coastal aggregation sites. Here, we use a large set of photo-identification and stable isotope data (δ15N and δ13C) to test the assumption that sharks frequenting aggregation sites in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Qatar are a mixed stock, as inferred by genetic data. Photo-identification revealed negligible connectivity among aggregation sites and none between the southern and central areas of the Western Indian Ocean (Mozambique and Tanzania) and the Arabian Gulf (Qatar). Sight-resight data indicated that shark movements at each site could be best represented by a model that included emigration, re-immigration, and some mortality or permanent emigration. Although there was high individual variation in the isotope profiles of sharks from each location, comparison with latitudinal isotope data suggests that sharks had shown site fidelity to within a few hundred kilometres of each study area over the period of isotopic integration. Given the Endangered status of whale sharks and regional differences in anthropogenic threat profiles, further studies—and conservation assessment efforts—should consider the possibility that whale shark subpopulations exist over smaller geographical scales than previously documented. KEY WORDS: Movement ecology · Planktivore · Philopatry · Elasmobranch · Mark-recapture Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Prebble CEM, Rohner CA, Pierce SJ, Robinson DP, Jaidah MY, Bach SS, Trueman CN (2018) Limited latitudinal ranging of juvenile whale sharks in the Western Indian Ocean suggests the existence of regional management units. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 601:167-183. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12667 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 601. Online publication date: August 09, 2018 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2018 Inter-Research.
757773	Discovery in ferroelectric material reveals unique property, application potential	A discovery from a team of physicists and other researchers is breaking new ground in the study of ferroelectricity, a characteristic of certain dielectric materials that are used in high-technology applications. The findings appear today in the journal Nature Materials. Led in physics theory by Sokrates Pantelides, University Distinguished Professor of Physics and Engineering at Vanderbilt, and in experiments by Nina Balke and Peter Maksymovych of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the team reports an undiscovered property known as a quadruple potential well, which plays a role in the mechanism known as ferroelectric switching - a process specific to ferroelectric materials which describes spontaneous reversible polarization through the application of an electric field, similar to the way atoms in magnets flip poles through the application of an external magnetic field. Until now, physicists recognize only two wells as destinations for travelling atoms, which result in a binary record. But the quadruple potential well increases the number of options in ferroelectric switching, yielding additional possibilities which could lead to increasingly complex operations and applications in data storage and electronics. "A ferromagnetic needle, as in a compass, lines up with a magnetic field," explained Pantelides. "A ferroelectric needle would have one positively charged end, one negatively charged end and align with an electric field instead of a magnetic one. When electric fields cause the atomic-scale poles in a ferroelectric to switch, the process presents a basis for making, notably, electronic memory devices." The team, comprised of members of Pantelides' group at Vanderbilt and several experimentalists at ORNL and other institutions, performed a combination of calculations, simulations and experiments to verify the existence of the quadruple well, made possible by the complex layered structure of the material: ferroelectric copper indium thiophosphate (CuInP2S6), or CIPS. Sabine Neumayer at ORNL and John Brehm, Lei Tao and Andrew O'Hara at Vanderbilt were key participating postdoctoral scholars. The findings are novel in that they find new potential for CIPS and similarly complex layered materials, and redefine the currently understood variables for atom displacements in ferroelectric materials - the physical process at the atomic level behind the switching process. "This achievement is a powerful example of how integration of theory and experiment can lead to a major discovery. We worked together with our experimentalist collaborators at ORNL, who are experts in quantifying local piezoelectric material properties using scanning probe microscopy, and designed quantum calculations to probe how ferroelectricity works in CIPS," said Pantelides, who has been a Distinguished Visiting Scientist at ORNL for the last 25 years. "The calculations led us to a prediction of an unexpected feature with important consequences, and our friends designed just the right experiments to verify the predictions. Theory and experiment worked hand in hand from there."	10.1038/s41563-019-0532-z	2,019	Nature Materials	Tunable quadruple-well ferroelectric van der Waals crystals	The family of layered thio- and seleno-phosphates has gained attention as potential control dielectrics for the rapidly growing family of two-dimensional and quasi-two-dimensional electronic materials. Here we report a combination of density functional theory calculations, quantum molecular dynamics simulations and variable-temperature, -pressure and -bias piezoresponse force microscopy data to predict and verify the existence of an unusual ferroelectric property-a uniaxial quadruple potential well for Cu displacements-enabled by the van der Waals gap in copper indium thiophosphate (CuInP2S6). The calculated potential energy landscape for Cu displacements is strongly influenced by strain, accounting for the origin of the negative piezoelectric coefficient and rendering CuInP2S6 a rare example of a uniaxial multi-well ferroelectric. Experimental data verify the coexistence of four polarization states and explore the temperature-, pressure- and bias-dependent piezoelectric and ferroelectric properties, which are supported by bias-dependent molecular dynamics simulations. These phenomena offer new opportunities for both fundamental studies and applications in data storage and electronics.
975317	Plants between light and darkness	For research, plants are frequently grown under stable lighting, which does not reflect natural conditions. In a series of experiments with changing light conditions, simulating the natural interplay of light and shadow, researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm (Germany) and the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University (USA) reveal the importance of two key proteins for the dynamic control of photosynthesis. Plants perform photosynthesis to grow. In this process they use energy from sunlight, release oxygen, and produce carbohydrates, which are the basic food resource for all humans and almost all animals on earth. Under natural conditions, light availability can change rapidly in a very short time. One of the main reasons are clouds which provide light and shadow as they pass in front of the sun. Plant leaves and branches can also temporarily provide shade when they are moved by the wind. Plants cannot move from shade to sun when light is limited, and conversely, cannot evade from sun to shade when exposed to too much sunlight. They have to respond to changing light conditions in other ways. Just like for humans, too much sunlight is harmful to plants. In particular, a rapid change between faint and intense light is problematic. Like the retina in our eyes, plants use molecules in their leaves to capture light particles. When light is low, these light traps are very efficient at catching as much of the low light as possible. If light conditions suddenly change, too much light energy might reach the plant. This energy can overload or damage the sensitive photosynthetic apparatus inside the plant cells. Accordingly, plants have to constantly adapt their photosynthetic activity to their environmental conditions in order to obtain maximum light yield on the one hand, but avoid being harmed by too much light on the other hand. To date, plants in greenhouses and laboratories are grown almost exclusively under stable and uniform light conditions. Therefore, our understanding of how adaptation to changing light conditions works is very limited. In the worst case, this can lead to plants that are growing well in laboratories and greenhouses but suddenly perform much worse than expected when cultured in the field. The researchers around Ute Armbruster from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm and David Kramer from the College of Natural Science at Michigan State University (USA) examined the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana for their study. Plants were grown under a wide variety of conditions including static, fluctuating and natural light. The study focused on two ion transport proteins called VCCN1 and KEA3 which play a key role in dynamically adjusting photosynthetic performance. It is known from earlier studies that VCCN1 activates sun protection if the light suddenly becomes too strong. When the light intensity decreases, the second protein KEA3 quickly breaks down this sun protection so that the plant can catch more light again. However, the two proteins VCCN1 and KEA3 have never been examined under realistic light conditions. The researchers used an innovative new approach to measure photosynthesis in combination with a targeted use of gene knockouts - i.e. plants whose genes for VCCN1 and KEA3 have been switched off. They show that the activities of the proteins VCCN1 and KEA3 depend on the light conditions the plants were raised in. Following suggestions by the head of the Plant Cultivation Infrastructure Group, Dr. Karin Köhl, the researchers focused on two growth-related light factors in the analysis and were able to show that both the amount of light a plant receives, and the frequency of light fluctuations have a strong influence on the function of the two ion transporters. The protective function of VCCN1 is only important in plants previously grown under low light. On the other hand, KEA3 which abolishes protection, was even active in high light periods when the plants were grown under conditions with elevated light intensities. Sun protection also depends on the degree of light fluctuations the plants are exposed to. When light conditions change significantly, plants produce the orange pigment zeaxanthin, which is also involved in sun protection. The production of this sunscreen is suppressed by KEA3 under high light conditions as well. "Our study shows that we should not look separately at the effect of growth light and the rapid responses to light fluctuations", said study lead author Thekla von Bismarck and added: "The integration of multiple time scales and metabolic levels in an increasingly complex manner will be a major future challenge for crop research. This will provide key ideas to improve crop yields in the field." New Phytologist 10.1111/nph.18534 Experimental study Light acclimation interacts with thylakoid ion transport to govern the dynamics of photosynthesis in Arabidopsis. 15-Dec-2022	10.1111/nph.18534	2,022	New Phytologist	Light acclimation interacts with thylakoid ion transport to govern the dynamics of photosynthesis in Arabidopsis	Summary Understanding photosynthesis in natural, dynamic light environments requires knowledge of long‐term acclimation, short‐term responses, and their mechanistic interactions. To approach the latter, we systematically determined and characterized light‐environmental effects on thylakoid ion transport‐mediated short‐term responses during light fluctuations. For this, Arabidopsis thaliana wild‐type and mutants of the Cl − channel VCCN1 and the K + exchange antiporter KEA3 were grown under eight different light environments and characterized for photosynthesis‐associated parameters and factors in steady state and during light fluctuations. For a detailed characterization of selected light conditions, we monitored ion flux dynamics at unprecedented high temporal resolution by a modified spectroscopy approach. Our analyses reveal that daily light intensity sculpts photosynthetic capacity as a main acclimatory driver with positive and negative effects on the function of KEA3 and VCCN1 during high‐light phases, respectively. Fluctuations in light intensity boost the accumulation of the photoprotective pigment zeaxanthin (Zx). We show that KEA3 suppresses Zx accumulation during the day, which together with its direct proton transport activity accelerates photosynthetic transition to lower light intensities. In summary, both light‐environment factors, intensity and variability, modulate the function of thylakoid ion transport in dynamic photosynthesis with distinct effects on lumen pH, Zx accumulation, photoprotection, and photosynthetic efficiency.
587087	Scientists observe how acoustic interactions change materials at the atomic level	When exposed to stress and strain, materials can display a wide range of different properties. By using sound waves, scientists have begun to explore fundamental stress behaviors in a crystalline material that could form the basis for quantum information technologies. These technologies involve materials that can encode information in a number of states simultaneously, allowing for more efficient computation. In a new discovery by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) at the University of Chicago, scientists used X-rays to observe spatial changes in a silicon carbide crystal when using sound waves to strain buried defects inside it. The work follows on an earlier recent study in which the researchers observed changes in the spin state of the defect’s electrons when the material was similarly strained. “We’re directly imaging sound's footprint going through this crystal.” — Argonne materials scientist and Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering staff scientist Joseph Heremans Because these defects are well isolated within the crystal, they can act as a single molecular state and as carriers of quantum information. When the electrons trapped near the defects change between spin states, they emit energy in the form of photons. Depending on which state the electrons are in, they emit either more or fewer photons in a technique known as spin-dependent readout. In the experiment, the researchers sought to assess the relationship between the sound energy used to produce the strain on the defects in the crystal lattice and the spin transitions indicated by the emitted photons. While the defects in the crystal naturally fluoresce, the additional strain causes the ground spin of the electron to change state, resulting in a coherent manipulation of the spin state that can be measured optically. “We wanted to see the coupling between the sound strain and the light response, but to see exactly what the coupling between them is, you need to know both how much strain you’re applying, and how much more optical response you’re getting out,” said Argonne nanoscientist Martin Holt, the lead author of the study. The electrodes used to generate the sound waves are roughly five microns in width, far larger than the defects themselves, which consist of two missing atoms known as a divacancy complex. The sound wave strains the defects by alternately pushing and pulling on them, causing the electrons to change their spins. To characterize the lattice and defects, Argonne researchers used the Hard X-ray Nanoprobe beamline operated jointly at the laboratory’s Center for Nanoscale Materials and Advanced Photon Source (APS), both DOE Office of Science User Facilities. Through a newly developed technique called stroboscopic Bragg diffraction microscopy, Holt and his colleagues were able to image the lattice around the defects at many different points throughout the strain cycle. “We’re interested in how to manipulate the original spin state with acoustic waves, and how you can spatially map out the mechanics of the strain with X-rays,” said Argonne materials scientist and PME staff scientist Joseph Heremans, another author of the study. “The X-rays measure exactly the lattice distortion,” Holt added. Stroboscopic Bragg diffraction involves synchronizing the frequency of the acoustic wave to the frequency of the electron pulses in the APS’s storage ring. In this way, the researchers were essentially able to “freeze the wave in time,” according to Holt. This allowed them to create a series of images of the strain experienced by the lattice at each point on the wave. “It’s like if you had ripples in a pond, and you could shine a light on one spot of the pond,” Holt said. “You’d see a movement of peak to trough, and trough to peak.” “We’re directly imaging sound’s footprint going through this crystal,” Heremans added. “The sound waves cause the lattice to curve, and we can measure exactly how much the lattice curves by going through a specific point of the lattice at a specific point in time.” The use of stroboscopic Bragg diffraction allows scientists to determine the direct correlation between the dynamic strain and the quantum behavior of the defect, Holt said. In silicon carbide, this relationship is fairly well understood, but in other materials the technique could reveal surprising relationships between strain and other properties. “This technique opens a way for us to figure out the behaviors in a lot of systems in which we don’t have a good analytical prediction of what the relationship should be,” Holt said. “This study combines expertise from a leading academic institution with state-of-the-art instrumentation of a national laboratory to develop a novel technique for probing matter at the atomic scale, revealing the ability of sound waves to control semiconductor quantum technologies,” added Argonne senior scientist and PME Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering David Awschalom, a collaborator on the research.	10.1038/s41467-019-11365-9	2,019	Nature Communications	Correlating dynamic strain and photoluminescence of solid-state defects with stroboscopic x-ray diffraction microscopy	Control of local lattice perturbations near optically-active defects in semiconductors is a key step to harnessing the potential of solid-state qubits for quantum information science and nanoscale sensing. We report the development of a stroboscopic scanning X-ray diffraction microscopy approach for real-space imaging of dynamic strain used in correlation with microscopic photoluminescence measurements. We demonstrate this technique in 4H-SiC, which hosts long-lifetime room temperature vacancy spin defects. Using nano-focused X-ray photon pulses synchronized to a surface acoustic wave launcher, we achieve an effective time resolution of 100 ps at a 25 nm spatial resolution to map micro-radian dynamic lattice curvatures. The acoustically induced lattice distortions near an engineered scattering structure are correlated with enhanced photoluminescence responses of optically-active SiC quantum defects driven by local piezoelectric effects. These results demonstrate a unique route for directly imaging local strain in nanomechanical structures and quantifying dynamic structure-function relationships in materials under realistic operating conditions.
712621	Pollination is better in cities than in the countryside	Flowering plants are better pollinated in urban than in rural areas. This has now been demonstrated experimentally by a team of scientists led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). Although the scientists found a greater diversity of flying insects in the countryside, more bees in cities resulted in more pollinated flowers of test plants. By far the most industrious pollinators were bumble bees, most likely benefitting from the abundant habitats available in the city. To promote pollination, the researchers recommend to take into greater account the needs of bees when landscape planning - both in cities and in the countryside. Their results have been published in the journal Nature Communications. Cities all over the world are expanding. A number of studies have already shown that the conversion of natural areas into built land affects insects and, while the diversity and abundance of insects often decreases, some insect species or species groups may benefit. However, little is known about the effects of urbanisation on the ecosystem services insects provide, such as plant pollination. A team of scientists led by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) have now investigated the effect of the urban environment on insect pollinators and pollination. For this purpose, flower-rich, inner city locations such as parks and botanical gardens were compared with similarly flower-rich sites in rural areas surrounding nine large German cities; Berlin, Braunschweig, Chemnitz, Dresden, Göttingen, Halle, Jena, Leipzig and Potsdam. The scientists sampled flying insects using pan-traps and potted red clover plants as reference for pollination in all locations. Furthermore, they also recorded all insect visits to red clover flowers 20 times a day for 15 minutes. The seeds produced were also counted, thus determining the rate of pollination success. The most successfully pollinated plants were in the cities; here the flowers were visited more often than in the rural areas. Although the researchers found a greater biodiversity and biomass of flying insects in the rural areas - especially flies and butterflies - these did little to pollinate the red clover. This job was done predominantly by bees, which showed higher species richness and flower visitation rates in cities. Indeed, three out of four of the recorded flower-visitors were bumble bees. At a frequency of 8.7 percent, the honey bee was the second most important pollinator. The researchers believe the great diversity and numbers of bees in cities is due to the availability of suitable habitats available for wild bees and bumblebees. Good nesting opportunities are found in exposed soils, dead wood and wall cavities, and the large variety of flowering plants in parks and gardens ensures a reliable food supply. Also, bees probably cope better with the challenge of highly dynamic city life than other groups of insects. "Urban people are constantly changing their environment. Finding your way around is a challenge that bees are particularly well-equipped to deal with due to their highly developed orientation and learning skills," says the head of the study, Prof Robert Paxton, scientist from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv). "Flies and butterflies obviously find this more difficult." Invariably, almost all the insect species assessed benefit from diverse habitat structures which reliably provide food, nesting sites and orientation. In agricultural land these are flower strips, grassland, forest and hedges, and in inner city locations, gardens, wastelands and parks. These are often missing in an extensively cleared agricultural landscape. "I was really shocked at how consistently poor the pollination performance in agricultural land was," says Paxton. "Other studies have shown that wild bees and bumble bees are particularly susceptible to pesticides. This could also help explain why their diversity is greater in the city, where pesticides play a lesser role." The figures show just how important pollination is, both for ecosystems and humankind. An estimated 90 percent of all flowering plant species rely on pollination by animals; insect pollinators are essential for maintaining plant diversity. But the food we eat also depends on pollination; the value of pollinators' services to global agriculture in 2015 was calculated at between $235 and $557 billion. Flowering plants and their pollinators also play an important role in cities. "What would our urban green spaces be without flowers?" says lead author Dr Panagiotis Theodorou, scientist from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). "The number of urban vegetable gardens and orchards is also growing, but without pollinators, no fruit will ripen there." In the medium term, however, cities could also help to maintain rural pollination. "If agricultural land degrades further, cities could serve as a source of pollinators for the farmland surrounding them," says Theodorou. The researchers therefore recommend that cities should be made more attractive to pollinators, and that the needs of the hardworking bumble bee should be especially taken into account when planning green spaces. But of course, more flower-rich areas and suitable nesting sites also need to be created in the countryside and linked to city habitats so as to boost pollination in commercial orchards. ### The study was carried out by first author Panagiotis Theodorou as part of his doctoral thesis at the yDiv graduate school. It was funded by the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv). Original publication: Theodorou, P., Radzeviči?te, R., Lentendu, G., Kahnt, B., Husemann, M., Bleidorn, C., Settele, J., Schweiger O., Grosse, I., Wubet, T., Murray, T.E., Paxton, R. J. (2020): Urban areas as hotspots for bees and pollination but not a panacea for all insects. Nature Communications DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14496-6 Earlier press release on the subject: Study: bees are more productive in the city than in surrounding regions (22.06.2016): https://www.idiv.de/en/news/media_releases/media_release_single_view/469.html	10.1038/s41467-020-14496-6	2,020	Nature Communications	Urban areas as hotspots for bees and pollination but not a panacea for all insects	Abstract Urbanisation is an important global driver of biodiversity change, negatively impacting some species groups whilst providing opportunities for others. Yet its impact on ecosystem services is poorly investigated. Here, using a replicated experimental design, we test how Central European cities impact flying insects and the ecosystem service of pollination. City sites have lower insect species richness, particularly of Diptera and Lepidoptera, than neighbouring rural sites. In contrast, Hymenoptera, especially bees, show higher species richness and flower visitation rates in cities, where our experimentally derived measure of pollination is correspondingly higher. As well as revealing facets of biodiversity (e.g. phylogenetic diversity) that correlate well with pollination, we also find that ecotones in insect-friendly green cover surrounding both urban and rural sites boost pollination. Appropriately managed cities could enhance the conservation of Hymenoptera and thereby act as hotspots for pollination services that bees provide to wild flowers and crops grown in urban settings.
894308	Discovery of new praying mantis species from the time of the dinosaurs	A McGill-led research team has identified a new species of praying mantis thanks to imprints of its fossilized wings. It lived in Labrador, in the Canadian Subarctic around 100 million years ago, during the time of the dinosaurs, in the Late Cretaceous period. The researchers believe that the fossils of the new genus and species, Labradormantis guilbaulti, helps to establish evolutionary relationships between previously known species and advances the scientific understanding of the evolution of the most 'primitive' modern praying mantises. The unusual find, described in a recently published study in Systematic Entomology, also sheds light on wing evolution among mantises and their relatives more generally. Digging through mountains of rubble The research team, which included members from the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle in Paris, and the Musée de paléontologie et de l'évolution in Montreal, found the specimens during fieldwork at an abandoned iron mine located in Labrador, near Schefferville (Quebec). "Our days were spent essentially scouring the surface of piles of rubble that had been excavated from the mine," said Alexandre Demers-Potvin, a PhD student at McGill, a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and the lead author on the paper. "Every now and then, one of the burgundy rocks on the ground would contain either a fossil leaf or a fossil insect, which we would then promptly collect. When the two fossils of Labradormantis guilbaulti were found in the field, none of us could identify them at first. It was only when I showed photos to paleoentomologist Olivier Béthoux, the senior author of this paper, that we started to think that we had the hind-wings of a previously unknown primitive mantis species." The real surprise came when they were able to look more closely at a number of insect fossils in Dr. Béthoux's lab in Paris. Closer observations of certain specimens revealed they had not only the hind-wings but also the fore-wings of a hitherto unidentified species. A single vein leads to revision of scientific understanding of mantis evolution It was already known that most modern praying mantises, with their characteristic grasping forelegs, look very different from their oldest fossil ancestors. However, it has been difficult for paleontologists to trace mantis evolution more precisely because of the multiple gaps in the fossil record of these insects, combined with the very different anatomies of the three most primitive modern mantis groups (Chaeteessidae, Mantoididae and Metallyticidae). By using Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), an emerging photographing method in paleontology, the researchers were able to get a better view of the intricate network of veins lying along the fossil wings. They noticed a vein lying along the hind-wing's folding line (called AA2*) that is only found in one modern mantis lineage, the Chaeteessidae family. Following this key observation, they produced a revised evolutionary tree that included Labradormantis among some of its living and extinct relatives. The identification of this single vein in this newly discovered species suggested that this structure had not evolved among Chaeteessidae in isolation, but that it was present in extinct relatives of our modern mantises as well. The Chaeteessidae lineage is simply the only modern mantis group to retain it. "It's very rare to advance our understanding of insect evolution without seeing a complete insect specimen trapped in amber," said Hans Larsson, from McGill's Redpath Museum, and one of the authors on the paper. "In our paper, we present a very rare case in which a less well-preserved fossil has a similarly high impact. We hope that this study inspires investigations of other wing impression fossils to address similar questions elsewhere in the insect evolutionary tree." The two specimens described in this study are now part of the collections of the Musée de paléontologie et de l'évolution, Montréal, curated by M. Cournoyer.	10.1111/syen.12457	2,021	Systematic Entomology	Wing morphology of a new <scp>Cretaceous prayin</scp>g mantis solves the phylogenetic jigsaw of early‐diverging extant lineages	Abstract The extremely derived morphology and behaviour of extant praying mantises combined with a scarce record of fossil relatives introduce significant challenges to tracing their evolution from Palaeozoic stem‐dictyopterans. Extant members of Chaeteessidae, Mantoididae and Metallyticidae could be invaluable to resolving the mantodean tree, yet their inclusion in phylogenetic analyses led to conflicting hypotheses due to their highly disparate respective morphologies. In this contribution, we present Labradormantis guilbaulti gen. et sp.n. , a new fossil species described from both fore‐ and hind‐wing imprints discovered in the Redmond Mine locality (Late Cretaceous, Cenomanian, Redmond Formation; Labrador, Canada). The examination of its hind‐wing AA2* supports the hypothesis that this structure, unique to Chaeteessidae among extant mantises, is a true vein and that its occurrence represents a plesiomorphy for Mantodea. A parsimony analysis including newly coded wing‐related characters further established that L. guilbaulti gen. et sp.n. displays a unique combination of plesiomorphic and apomorphic character states that situates it within the extinct family Baissomantidae. This dataset resolved the phylogenetic relationships of early‐diverging extant lineages as (Chaeteessidae (Mantoididae (Metallyticidae, Artimantodea))), and suggested that the Eocene Lithophotina floccosa Cockerell might be a close relative of extant metallyticids. It also indicated a trend towards increased modularity within mantis fore‐wings, in contrast with a trend towards increased morphological integration in their hind‐wings, both of which are potentially associated with improved flight performance for modern mantises. This study emphasizes the importance of fossils for resolving phylogenetic relationships and for introducing transitional phenotypes to infer ancient evolutionary trends of extant derived clades.
662665	Corals and their microbiomes evolved together, new research shows	CORVALLIS, Ore. - Corals and the microbes they host evolved together, new research by Oregon State University shows. The findings, published today in Nature Communications, add fresh insight to the fight to save the Earth's embattled coral reefs, the planet's largest and most significant structures of biological origin. Funded by the National Science Foundation, the study involved hundreds of samples of scleractinian corals - also known as stony corals - which since their first appearance 425 million years ago have branched into more than 1,500 species. Many of those are major builders of coral reefs, which are found in less than 1 percent of the ocean but are home to nearly one-quarter of all known marine species. Reefs also help regulate the sea's carbon dioxide levels and are a crucial hunting ground that scientists use in the search for new medicines. "Many corals have gone extinct during industrialization and many others are threatened with extinction," said study co-author and OSU microbiologist Rebecca Vega Thurber, who is featured in the 2018 Oregon State University-produced documentary "Saving Atlantis." "If we see patterns of evolution between microbiomes and corals, that gives us an idea of which microbes to target - to learn what they do, how they help corals resist climate change, and how they help to buffer against nutrient pollution. We can look in more depth at the microbes and understand how they help or hurt their hosts." Modern corals are home to a complex composition of dinoflagellates, fungi, bacteria and archaea that together make up the coral microbiome. Shifts in microbiome composition are connected to changes in coral health. "Likely the ancestral corals also harbored complex microbial communities but there's a lot we don't know about how these coral-microbe symbioses evolved or the key factors influencing microbial communities in modern corals," Vega Thurber said. "Certain species of corals have distinct microbiomes, to the point where that occurred at some point in their evolutionary history. Not 400 million years ago, but there are specific groups of microbes that do show very strong evidence of evolving with their hosts more recently." Vega Thurber and Ryan McMinds, a Ph.D. student in her lab and co-first author of the paper, were part of an international collaboration that also included Penn State University's Monica Medina and former Oregon State post-doctoral scholar Jesse Zaneveld, now an assistant professor at the University of Washington-Bothell. The massive, computationally challenging research project involved taking 600 coral samples from 21 reefs off the coasts of Australia, spanning 17 degrees of latitude. "On a lot of different scales, the more similar the coral hosts, the more similar the microbial communities are - both the whole community and particular microbes," McMinds said. "We collected samples from as many kinds of corals as was possible. For every sample set, we looked at the corals' tissue, skeleton and mucus to see what microbes were there." To do that, the researchers sequenced the 16S rRNA gene. The gene is present in every living organism, McMinds explains, but is slightly different. He likened it to a "molecular bar code" of each organism it belongs to. From there, the scientists could look for patterns between different corals' microbial communities and determine whether co-evolution of the corals and their microbiomes had taken place. "We found strong support for coral-microbe 'phylosymbiosis,' in which coral microbiome composition and richness is reflected in coral host's evolutionary history," Vega Thurber said. "When speciation for modern reef-building coral families began between roughly 25 million and 65 years ago, that was accompanied by large changes in microbiome richness. And changes continued to accumulate during more recent speciation events." Coral diversity is too great for assessing the various factors that maintain the microbiome of every single coral species, but these findings provide general rules for microbiome assembly "that inform estimates of the effects of microorganisms in understudied portions of the coral tree." "Now we have a framework for analyzing scleractinian coral microbes that can reveal how the corals' evolutionary history, host traits and local environment interact to shape microbiomes," Vega Thurber said. "In the coral world, there's been a longstanding hypothesis that microbes and coral co-evolved, but there hadn't been a sufficient data set to test that before now." It was something of a surprise to researchers to find that the microbial communities of the corals' calcium carbonate skeletons showed greater microbiome richness compared to the tissue and mucus microbiomes. Also, the skeletal microbiomes displayed the strongest signal of long-term phylosymbiosis - a pattern in which the diversification of a related group of host organisms correlates with changes in dissimilarities among their microbiomes. "We originally thought corals would show signs of phylosymbiosis throughout their entire phylogenetic history, and the results support that for the skeleton and tissue but not the mucus," McMinds said. "Despite variability in the chemical composition of mucus between species and significant host-specificity in the mucus microbiome, host specificity was limited to relatively recent divergences." He also noted the research found potential significance in "a few groups of microbes no one had thought were important to look at." "There are thousands of different species of microbes and not that many that researchers have thought were interesting, and we identified a couple of other microbial targets that might be influencing coral health," McMinds said. "We don't know for sure if they are important, but evidence suggests they're changing along with their hosts, so it's probably something important they're doing. They're not a standard symbiont but it seems they're something worth looking at more closely."	10.1038/s41467-018-07275-x	2,018	Nature Communications	Coral-associated bacteria demonstrate phylosymbiosis and cophylogeny	Scleractinian corals' microbial symbionts influence host health, yet how coral microbiomes assembled over evolution is not well understood. We survey bacterial and archaeal communities in phylogenetically diverse Australian corals representing more than 425 million years of diversification. We show that coral microbiomes are anatomically compartmentalized in both modern microbial ecology and evolutionary assembly. Coral mucus, tissue, and skeleton microbiomes differ in microbial community composition, richness, and response to host vs. environmental drivers. We also find evidence of coral-microbe phylosymbiosis, in which coral microbiome composition and richness reflect coral phylogeny. Surprisingly, the coral skeleton represents the most biodiverse coral microbiome, and also shows the strongest evidence of phylosymbiosis. Interactions between bacterial and coral phylogeny significantly influence the abundance of four groups of bacteria-including Endozoicomonas-like bacteria, which divide into host-generalist and host-specific subclades. Together these results trace microbial symbiosis across anatomy during the evolution of a basal animal lineage.
716350	Your body is transparentized in a virtual environment	A Ph.D. candidate, Ryota Kondo, and Professor Michiteru Kitazaki at Toyohashi University of Technology, in cooperation with Professor Masahiko Inami at the University of Tokyo, Associate Professor Maki Sugimoto, and Associate Professor Kouta Minamizawa at Keio University have found that the visual-motor synchronicity of only the hands and feet can induce a sense of illusory ownership over an invisible body interpolated between virtual hands and feet. It can provide the illusory ownership over the invisible body at a distance, or enable the operation of one's own transparentized body in a virtual environment. Illusory body ownership can be induced by visual-tactile synchronicity such as the rubber hand illusion (passive method) and by visual-motor synchronicity such as the full-body illusion (active method). These methods enable us to communicate in cyberspace as well as in real environments. Virtual reality technology enables us to experience the illusory ownership of bodies of different shapes, sizes, genders, ages, etc. The illusory ownership of an invisible body in a first-person perspective has been realized with the passive method, and it reduces social anxiety to an audience (Guterstam, Abdulkarim & Ehrsson, Sci. Rep. 2015). However, it is not clear whether the ownership of an invisible and dynamic body can be obtained at a distance. Currently, researchers at Department of Computer Science and Engineering, Toyohashi University of Technology, in collaboration with the researchers at the University of Tokyo and Keio University, have developed a new method to induce a sense of illusory ownership over an invisible body by focusing on the body action. They presented only the gloves and socks two meters in front of and away from the participants using a head-mounted display (Figure 1, left). Twenty naïve volunteers answered a questionnaire after a five-minute observation with free body actions. The motion of the gloves and socks were synchronized or asynchronized with the participant's action. The illusory body ownership was rated higher when the virtual gloves and socks moved synchronously with their own movements than the asynchronous condition. They felt as if their own had become increasingly transparent when the motion was synchronized as compared to when the motion was asynchronized. The experiments showed that the illusory ownership of the invisible body was not significantly different from the visible whole body (Figure 1, right), and that the proprioceptive self-location drifted toward the invisible body that was at a distance in front of the participants. Ryota Kondo, a graduate student of the Program of Leading Graduate School at Toyohashi University of Technology said, "I want to create experiences of illusory ownership of various bodies. A person may have a negative feeling with his/her body, and he/she may want to have a different body from his/her current body. Virtual reality technology offers us the opportunities to have the different bodies that we desire." Professor Michiteru Kitazaki, a perceptual psychologist and the leader of the research at Toyohashi University of Technology explained, "Human behaviors and mind would change when they have the illusory ownership of different bodies. Thus, we must investigate how our communication would differ in the future society if our body ownership and appearance could be significantly modified during the course of our daily lives." These findings suggest that we can own a distant invisible body only from our hands and feet. It is useful to show complex body skills to another person and in turn he/she can imitate them for learning because the invisible/transparentized body scarcely occludes the scene, and the body ownership may facilitate skill learning. Human communication is affected by body gestures and appearance. This study proposes the idea that our communication would change and might become body-appearance free in the future if we could have different bodies daily in cyberspace. ### Reference: Kondo, R., Sugimoto, M., Minamizawa, K., Hoshi, T., Inami, M. and Kitazaki, M. (2018). Illusory body ownership of an invisible body interpolated between virtual hands and feet via visual-motor synchronicity. Scientific Reports, 8. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-25951-2 (15th May 2018) Funding: This study was partly supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (15H01701) and Grant-in-Aid for challenging Exploratory Research (16K12477) by JSPS, MEXT, Japan. Further information Toyohashi University of Technology 1-1 Hibarigaoka, Tempaku Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, 441-8580, JAPAN Inquiries: Committee for Public Relations E-mail: [email protected] Toyohashi University of Technology was founded in 1976 as a National University of Japan, and is a leading research institute in the fields of mechanical engineering, advanced electronics, information sciences, life sciences, and architecture. Website: http://www.tut.ac.jp/english/	10.1038/s41598-018-25951-2	2,018	Scientific Reports	Illusory body ownership of an invisible body interpolated between virtual hands and feet via visual-motor synchronicity	Body ownership can be modulated through illusory visual-tactile integration or visual-motor synchronicity/contingency. Recently, it has been reported that illusory ownership of an invisible body can be induced by illusory visual-tactile integration from a first-person view. We aimed to test whether a similar illusory ownership of the invisible body could be induced by the active method of visual-motor synchronicity and if the illusory invisible body could be experienced in front of and facing away from the observer. Participants observed left and right white gloves and socks in front of them, at a distance of 2 m, in a virtual room through a head-mounted display. The white gloves and socks were synchronized with the observers' actions. In the experiments, we tested the effect of synchronization, and compared this to a whole-body avatar, measuring self-localization drift. We observed that visual hands and feet were sufficient to induce illusory body ownership, and this effect was as strong as using a whole-body avatar.
731999	Opioid use disorder medications improve health outcomes after endocarditis hospitalization	Boston - Starting medication to treat opioid use disorder within 30 days of being discharged from the hospital due to injection drug use-related endocarditis - a type of serious heart infection - improves health outcomes, a new study shows. Led by researchers at Boston Medical Center's Grayken Center for Addiction, the results showed that those who receive medication in that timeframe are less likely to overdose or be readmitted to the hospital within a year. Given that the underlying cause of many endocarditis inpatient hospitalizations is opioid use disorder, the findings highlight the importance of offering and prescribing medications to treat opioid use disorder while these patients are in the hospital, and connecting them to treatment after discharge. Endocarditis is becoming increasingly common among young people who inject drugs, often leading to the need for valve replacement surgery. It is also associated with increased mortality and costs around injection drug use given the lengthy hospital stays, as well as an increased incidence of rehospitalizations. The three FDA-approved prescription medications used to treat opioid use disorder are methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone. These evidence-based medications have been shown to improve mortality and retention in care for people with opioid use disorder. However, data suggests that a minority of patients with opioid use disorder receive one of these medications, particularly around hospitalizations. The researchers analyzed data from the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database, focusing on individuals over the age of 18 diagnosed with opioid use disorder who were hospitalized for endocarditis between 2010 and 2016. The cohort included 768 individuals with an average age of 39 years. The study results show that receiving medication within 30 days of the initial hospitalization cut the risk for rehospitalization in half compared to those who did not receive medication. Only six percent (44) of patients received medication to treat opioid use disorder in the 30 days following hospitalization for endocarditis; buprenorphine was prescribed to 41 of those 44 patients. Those who received medication were, on average, 25 years old. There were 41 overdoses in the group of individuals who did not receive medication within the 30 days after discharge. "This is among the first data to show the life-saving impact that medications to treat opioid use disorder can have on patients with injection drug use-related endocarditis," said Joshua Barocas, MD, an infectious disease physician and researcher at Boston Medical Center. "Given the increase in injection drug use-related infections, it is critical to treat the underlying opioid use disorder, which often leads to these serious complications and inpatient hospitalizations." Barocas, also an assistant professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, notes that medications to treat opioid use disorder should be part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes linkage to outpatient care and access to harm reduction services. "We need to ensure that patients have access to the evidence-based treatment and services that will help reduce their risk of infection and overdose, as well as help them achieve long-term recovery." ### This study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, was funded in part by the Charles A King Trust, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institutes of Health. About Boston Medical Center Boston Medical Center is a private, not-for-profit, 514-bed, academic medical center that is the primary teaching affiliate of Boston University School of Medicine. It is the largest and busiest provider of trauma and emergency services in New England. Boston Medical Center offers specialized care for complex health problems and is a leading research institution, receiving more than $97 million in sponsored research funding in fiscal year 2018. It is the 15th largest funding recipient in the U.S. from the National Institutes of Health among independent hospitals. In 1997, BMC founded Boston Medical Center Health Plan, Inc., now one of the top ranked Medicaid MCOs in the country, as a non-profit managed care organization. Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine are partners in Boston HealthNet - 14 community health centers focused on providing exceptional health care to residents of Boston. For more information, please visit http://www.bmc.org.	10.1093/cid/ciaa062	2,020	Clinical Infectious Diseases	Outcomes Associated With Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Among Persons Hospitalized for Infective Endocarditis	Endocarditis, once predominately found in older adults, is increasingly common among younger persons who inject drugs. Untreated opioid use disorder (OUD) complicates endocarditis management. We aimed to determine if rates of overdose and rehospitalization differ between persons with OUD with endocarditis who are initiated on medications for OUD (MOUDs) within 30 days of hospital discharge and those who are not.We performed a retrospective cohort study using a large commercial health insurance claims database of persons ≥18 years between July 1, 2010, and June 30, 2016. Primary outcomes included opioid-related overdoses and 1-year all-cause rehospitalization. We calculated incidence rates for the primary outcomes and developed Cox hazards models to predict time from discharge to each primary outcome as a function of receipt of MOUDs.The cohort included 768 individuals (mean age 39 years, 51% male). Only 5.7% of people received MOUDs in the 30 days following hospitalization. The opioid-related overdose rate among those who did receive MOUDs in the 30 days following hospitalization was lower than among those who did not (5.8 per 100 person-years [95% confidence interval [CI], 5.1-6.4] vs 7.3 per 100-person years [95% CI, 7.1-7.5], respectively). The rate of 1-year rehospitalization among those who received MOUDs was also lower than those who did not (162.0 per 100 person-years [95% CI, 157.4-166.6] vs 255.4 per 100 person-years [95% CI, 254.0-256.8], respectively). In the Cox hazards models, the receipt of MOUDs was not associated with either of the outcomes.MOUD receipt following endocarditis may improve important health-related outcomes in commercially insured persons with OUD.
570712	University of Guelph researchers uncover why environmental cues make drug addiction extra hard to beat	It's known environmental cues can be strong triggers for those trying to kick a drug habit because those cues activate the brain's emotional and stimulus-response systems. A new study by University of Guelph researchers reveals for the first time that there's more going on in the brain when someone walks past a customary lighting-up spot or sees drug-taking paraphernalia that makes quitting the habit even harder. Besides triggering the brain's emotional and stimulus-response systems ("see smoking area, smoke, feel good"), environmental cues activate brain areas where memories are processed. Prompting these memory processing systems of the brain makes it extra difficult to counter addiction, said psychology professor and study co-author Francesco Leri. Published recently in the journal Learning and Memory, the study in laboratory rats could also have implications for how we treat drug addiction in humans. Cocaine and nicotine alone were already known to promote long-term memory storage. This study shows that environmental cues associated with the effects of these drugs also affect the formation of memories in the brain. "Stimuli in our environment such as buildings, objects and places are normally fairly innocuous," said Leri. Contrasting those triggers with the "viciousness of addiction," he added: "When they're associated with drugs of abuse, they can become modifiers of memory function." That creates a double whammy effect where classic stimulus-response mechanisms are reinforced by the memory effects of environmental drug cues, said co-author Boyer Winters, also a psychology professor. Added to the conditioned response, Winters said, "that learning's going to be stamped in better and probably be stronger and more persistent." The research team - including students Michael Wolter, Ethan Huff and Talia Spiegel - compared rats' memory of objects in test chambers after being given cocaine and nicotine with how well they performed when prompted only by the environmental stimuli associated with the substance effects. The researchers tested rats either with or without the drugs, and then tested them all drug-free. Animals in a drug-free state showed more activity in chambers where they had earlier been tested while drugged than in test environments without drugs. That suggests environmental cues paired with cocaine and nicotine - like the drugs themselves - can help strengthen memories in the brain, said Leri. That one-two effect makes it harder to treat drug abuse, but the same finding may offer a way to use these cues to improve cognitive behavioural therapy. "Those cues acquire powerful cognitive effects," he said, adding that "they could be used to enhance learning of the recovery process."	10.1101/lm.048579.118	2,019	Learning & Memory	Cocaine, nicotine, and their conditioned contexts enhance consolidation of object memory in rats	To test the hypothesis that drugs of abuse and their conditioned stimuli (CSs) enhance memory consolidation, the effects of post-training exposure to cocaine and nicotine were compared to the effects of post-training exposure to contextual stimuli that were paired with the effects of these drugs. Using the object recognition (OR) task, it was first demonstrated that both 10 and 20 mg/kg cocaine, and 0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg nicotine, enhanced recognition memory when administered immediately after, but not 6 h after the sample phase. To establish the drug CSs, rats were confined for 2 h in a chamber (the CS+) after injections of 20 mg/kg cocaine, or 0.4 mg/kg nicotine, and in another chamber (the CS−) after injections of vehicle. This was repeated over 10 d (5 drug/CS+ and 5 vehicle/CS− pairings in total). At the end of this conditioning period, when tested in a drug-free state, rats displayed conditioned hyperactivity in the CS+ relative to the CS−. More important, immediate, but not delayed, post-sample exposure to the cocaine CS+, or nicotine CS+, enhanced OR memory. Therefore, this study reports for the first time that contextual stimuli paired with cocaine and nicotine, like the drugs themselves, have the ability to enhance memory consolidation.
958507	Two different white blood cell types play opposing roles in affecting heartbeat irregularities after heart attack	BOSTON – Patients with heart disease are at risk of experiencing a potentially lethal “electrical storm” involving recurrent episodes of a type of irregular heartbeat called ventricular tachycardia (VT). Electric shock therapy is used to treat VT following a heart attack, but unfortunately, options to prevent its recurrence are limited. New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) reveals that two different white blood cell types influence VT in the heart, suggesting that treatments that influence these cells may help reduce patients’ risk of sudden cardiac death. The work, which is published in Nature Cardiovascular Research, is based on the knowledge that cardiac conditions (such as heart attacks) that increase the risk of VT and other heartbeat irregularities lead to massive changes in the white blood cell populations surrounding the heart. To study the mechanisms involved, MGH scientists developed a new research model. “It was believed that mice don’t get VT after a heart attack, but we discovered a surprisingly simple trick to induce it—feeding mice food with low potassium levels,” says senior author Matthias Nahrendorf, MD, PhD, an investigator in MGH’s Center for Systems Biology, Professor of Radiology at Harvard Medical School, and the Richard Moerschner Endowed MGH Research Institute Chair in Men's Health “This is a major step forward because now we can study how different white blood cell subclasses influence heart rhythms. It is also clinically relevant because every fifth patient who experiences a heart attack has low blood potassium levels, and these patients are known to be particularly likely to develop heartbeat irregularities, or arrhythmia.” The team’s experiments demonstrated that among the different white blood cell types, neutrophils promote VT while macrophages protect against it. “Inflammatory neutrophils give rise to arrhythmia by compromising the electrical function of heart muscle cells called cardiomyocytes,” explains Nahrendorf. “Macrophages, which take up debris, are protective, and deleting them gave rise to electrical storm in mice with low potassium levels who experienced a heart attack. Indeed, these mice were more likely to die from arrhythmia.” The findings indicate that additional research into the roles of white blood cells in arrhythmia could lead to new targeted therapies for irregular heart rhythms. Funding for the study was provided by the NHLBI grants HL139598, HL142494, HL125428, HL155097. About the Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Mass General Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with annual research operations of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 9,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In August 2021, Mass General was named #5 in the U.S. News & World Report list of "America’s Best Hospitals." MGH is a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system. Nature Cardiovascular Research 10.1038/s44161-022-00094-w Experimental study Animals Neutrophils incite and macrophages avert electrical storm after myocardial infarction 11-Jul-2022	10.1038/s44161-022-00094-w	2,022	Nature Cardiovascular Research	Neutrophils incite and macrophages avert electrical storm after myocardial infarction	Abstract Sudden cardiac death, arising from abnormal electrical conduction, occurs frequently in patients with coronary heart disease. Myocardial ischemia simultaneously induces arrhythmia and massive myocardial leukocyte changes. In this study, we optimized a mouse model in which hypokalemia combined with myocardial infarction triggered spontaneous ventricular tachycardia in ambulatory mice, and we showed that major leukocyte subsets have opposing effects on cardiac conduction. Neutrophils increased ventricular tachycardia via lipocalin-2 in mice, whereas neutrophilia associated with ventricular tachycardia in patients. In contrast, macrophages protected against arrhythmia. Depleting recruited macrophages in Ccr2 −/− mice or all macrophage subsets with Csf1 receptor inhibition increased both ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation. Higher arrhythmia burden and mortality in Cd36 −/− and Mertk −/− mice, viewed together with reduced mitochondrial integrity and accelerated cardiomyocyte death in the absence of macrophages, indicated that receptor-mediated phagocytosis protects against lethal electrical storm. Thus, modulation of leukocyte function provides a potential therapeutic pathway for reducing the risk of sudden cardiac death.
582972	Mini 3D brain models could speed up search for MS treatments	Tiny 3-D models that mimic vital aspects of the human nervous system have been developed in a step that could accelerate drug research for neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The millimetre-wide models - created using stem cells from human skin samples - will be used to study myelin, an insulating substance that helps nerve cells communicate with each other. Researchers say the models are the most natural representation of human myelination developed in a lab and are a promising platform for studying neurological diseases and for testing drugs for conditions linked to myelin loss, including MS. Nerve cells are found in the brain and the spinal cord and connect to each other with branch-like links called axons, which have an insulating coat similar to electric cabling. This insulating coat is called myelin, and it aids the electrical and chemical information flow between cells. Damaged myelin underlies a number of neurological conditions including MS - an incurable disease affecting more than 100,000 people in the UK - and leads to a wide range of symptoms, including mobility issues, fatigue and vision problems. Scientists at the University of Edinburgh's Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic and the Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neuron Disease Research developed their human myelin model using skin samples donated by volunteers. Skin cells were reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells, which can be turned into other cell types - in this case - spinal cord cells. These cells were then grown slowly into organoids - 3-D structures of cell bundles including neurons and distinctive brain cells known as oligodendrocytes that are key to creating myelin. Crucially, the researchers were able to see myelin developing spontaneously around the axons between cells within the organoids. By looking at the axons under a microscope, they could see that the myelin in this model was functioning as it would in a healthy brain or spinal cord. The research team then created an organoid using stem cells from a patient with a rare gene mutation that affects myelination. The model showed that key aspects of this cell bundle were consistent with the disease. These new models will allow scientists to compare the differences between the cells of healthy individuals and those with different neurological diseases and to test drugs of interest in human cells before using them in a full clinical trial with patients. The researchers hope that their model will overcome the challenges of studying the human brain and nervous system at the cellular level, which is extremely difficult due to problems accessing brain and spinal cord tissue without risk and huge inconvenience to patients. The approach complements animal models, which can be limited in how they reflect human disease and the way that drugs interact with human cells. The authors say the model is a significant step forward in the study of human myelination and drug development, but caution that treatments tested on this model are still some way from being offered to patients. The study was funded by the Euan MacDonald Centre and is published in the journal Developmental Cell with DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.04.006. The research was carried out in collaboration with the UK Dementia Research Institute and the MS Society Centre for MS Research at the University of Edinburgh. Lead researcher, Dr Owen Gwydion James, said: "Demyelinating disorders have a profound effect on the quality of life for patients. Now we have the capability of studying human myelination experimentally, a major goal is to identify drugs that can promote myelination. We believe that this new approach could be a huge boost to the toolbox that allows us to do this effectively." ###	10.1016/j.devcel.2021.04.006	2,021	Developmental Cell	iPSC-derived myelinoids to study myelin biology of humans	Myelination is essential for central nervous system (CNS) formation, health, and function. Emerging evidence of oligodendrocyte heterogeneity in health and disease and divergent CNS gene expression profiles between mice and humans supports the development of experimentally tractable human myelination systems. Here, we developed human iPSC-derived myelinating organoids ("myelinoids") and quantitative tools to study myelination from oligodendrogenesis through to compact myelin formation and myelinated axon organization. Using patient-derived cells, we modeled a monogenetic disease of myelinated axons (Nfasc155 deficiency), recapitulating impaired paranodal axo-glial junction formation. We also validated the use of myelinoids for pharmacological assessment of myelination-both at the level of individual oligodendrocytes and globally across whole myelinoids-and demonstrated reduced myelination in response to suppressed synaptic vesicle release. Our study provides a platform to investigate human myelin development, disease, and adaptive myelination.
907868	Cool lizards are better at learning socially	Bearded dragons which are incubated in colder environments are better at solving cognitive tasks as adults than incubated in warmer temperatures, according to new research published today. Scientists tested the social learning abilities of bearded dragons which had been incubated in either an average of 30°C or 27°C and found that those from the colder incubation environment picked up new skills faster than their hotter counterparts. To investigate how well they would learn from other lizards, researchers at the University of Lincoln, UK, had the bearded dragons watch a video of an unfamiliar female opening a sliding door to receive food behind the door. After watching the video, those lizards were given access to the sliding door and then had five minutes to open it themselves and access a food reward. The findings, published in the Royal Society's journal Open Science, revealed that over the course of ten trials the group which from the colder incubation environment completed the task significantly quicker than those from hotter incubators. All of the animals were over a year old at the time of testing, suggesting that environmental temperature change is likely to have profound and long-lasting impacts on animal behaviour. Dr Anna Wilkinson, from the University of Lincoln's School of Life Sciences, said: "Environmental change is one of the key issues affecting habitats worldwide, creating challenges for animals living there. "One of the first responses an animal can make to a changing environment is changing its behaviour. Cognitive abilities are likely to be critical to how they adapt because they influence how an animal perceives, stores and uses information from the surrounding environment. "Our findings reveal that the egg incubation environment impacts upon social learning in adult bearded dragons as the cold-incubated animals in our experiment performed the task significantly faster than those that were incubated at a warmer temperature. "One intriguing idea suggests that incubation environment may 'select' for traits that are adaptive to the specific environment into which the animal being born - for example, a cooler environment may produce animals that are better adapted to survival in that temperature profile and vice versa." Harry Siviter, from Royal Holloway, University of London, was part of the research team. He added: "This flexibly of cognitive ability could aid reptiles in adapting to new changing environments and could offer a potential buffer in the face of human-induced environmental change. "However, if conditions change too rapidly then reptiles might struggle to adapt quickly enough to their changing environments, which could negativity influence their survival."	10.1098/rsos.170742	2,017	Royal Society Open Science	Incubation environment impacts the social cognition of adult lizards	Recent work exploring the relationship between early environmental conditions and cognition has shown that incubation environment can influence both brain anatomy and performance in simple operant tasks in young lizards. It is currently unknown how it impacts other, potentially more sophisticated, cognitive processes. Social-cognitive abilities, such as gaze following and social learning, are thought to be highly adaptive as they provide a short-cut to acquiring new information. Here, we investigated whether egg incubation temperature influenced two aspects of social cognition, gaze following and social learning in adult reptiles (Pogona vitticeps). Incubation temperature did not influence the gaze following ability of the bearded dragons; however, lizards incubated at colder temperatures were quicker at learning a social task and faster at completing that task. These results are the first to show that egg incubation temperature influences the social cognitive abilities of an oviparous reptile species and that it does so differentially depending on the task. Further, the results show that the effect of incubation environment was not ephemeral but lasted long into adulthood. It could thus have potential long-term effects on fitness.
603628	Penguin forensics	Knowing where and how Antarctic penguins, and other seabirds and marine predators, migrate is critical for conservation efforts. Although electronic tracking devices have helped scientists track marine animals' migration patterns, the devices can be expensive, invasive for the animal and challenging to retrieve. Scientists have discovered a new and potentially better way to track where penguins go over the winter using forensics. "You can say, penguins 'are where they eat,' because a geochemical signature of their wintering area is imprinted into their feathers," said LSU Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences Assistant Professor Michael Polito, the lead author of this study that will be published Aug. 9 in Biology Letters. Chinstrap and Adélie penguins are part of the family of "brush-tailed" penguins named after their approximately 15-inch long, stiff tail feathers. These birds shed all of their feathers after each breeding season and before they migrate to their oceanic wintering grounds. However, their long tail feathers continue to grow well into the winter when penguins are at sea. Polito and his collaborators from NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Oxford University and the Instituto Antártico Argentino attached tags to 52 adult Chinstrap and Adélie penguins at their breeding colonies and retrieved the tags the following breeding season to determine where the birds went over the winter. When they retrieved these tags, the researchers also took a tail feather grown over the winter from each tracked penguin and from 60 other penguins that had not been tagged. While a postdoctoral researcher at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Polito and his colleagues conducted high-resolution forensic analyses of the chemical composition of the feathers using a technique called compound-specific stable isotope analysis of amino acids. The scientists were able to identify the unique chemical signatures of penguin's wintering areas in the ocean based on the coordinates from the tags and the data from the feather analyses. From this understanding, they were able to deduce where the other penguins that had not been tagged went over the winter based solely on the analyses of their tail feathers. "This novel approach could be applied to different tissues from a wide variety of marine animals that migrate over long distances including seabirds, sea turtles, seals and whales," Polito said. "Using stable isotope forensics to increase the size and scope of animal tracking studies will help us to better understand these charismatic species and ultimately aid in their conservation." ### This research was conducted in collaboration with Quark Expeditions, which provided the ship logistics and access to penguin colonies in Antarctica. Support for this research was also provided by the Ocean Life Institute and SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.	10.1098/rsbl.2017.0241	2,017	Biology Letters	Stable isotope analyses of feather amino acids identify penguin migration strategies at ocean basin scales	Identifying the at-sea distribution of wide-ranging marine predators is critical to understanding their ecology. Advances in electronic tracking devices and intrinsic biogeochemical markers have greatly improved our ability to track animal movements on ocean-wide scales. Here, we show that, in combination with direct tracking, stable carbon isotope analysis of essential amino acids in tail feathers provides the ability to track the movement patterns of two, wide-ranging penguin species over ocean basin scales. In addition, we use this isotopic approach across multiple breeding colonies in the Scotia Arc to evaluate migration trends at a regional scale that would be logistically challenging using direct tracking alone.
895829	Communication difficulties linked to increased risk of self-harm and suicidal behavior	Washington, May 1, 2018 Children who have difficulties with social communication have a higher risk of self-harm with suicidal intent by the age of 16 years compared to those without, reports a new study published in the May 2018 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP). The study was designed to understand whether characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders in childhood are linked with suicidal thoughts, plans and self-harm at 16 years. Children with autism spectrum disorders often have difficulties in social communication and recent research suggests that suicidality is under-recognized in this population. However, until now, community-based studies on suicidal thoughts and behaviors among children with symptoms of Autism have been limited. Factors that could explain the risk of suicide in this population, such as depression, have also not been studied. Researchers analysed data on 5,031 adolescents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), to assess whether there were any associations between Autism-like traits (social communication, pragmatic language, sociability, repetitive behavior) and the risk of suicidal self-harm, and suicidal thoughts and plans by the age of 16 years. Depression in early adolescence at 12 years of age was considered as a possible explanatory mechanism. “Our study suggests that children who have difficulties with social communication are at higher risk for suicidal ideation and behavior in late adolescence,” said Dr. Iryna Culpin, Senior Research Associate in the Bristol Medical School (PHS). “Depressive symptoms in early adolescence partially explain this association. The researchers found that children with difficulties in social communication had a higher risk of suicidal self-harm, suicidal thoughts and suicide plans by the age of 16 years as compared to those without such difficulties. There was no evidence for an association between a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders and suicidal behaviors, but the sample was not large enough to definitively rule out such an association. The team found that approximately a third of the association between social communication difficulties and suicidal self-harm was explained by depression in early adolescence. “Future studies should focus on identifying other changeable mechanisms to develop preventative interventions for autistic people,” Dr. Culpin concluded.	10.1016/j.jaac.2018.01.023	2,018	Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry	Autistic Traits and Suicidal Thoughts, Plans, and Self-Harm in Late Adolescence: Population-Based Cohort Study	To examine the hypothesis that autism spectrum disorders (ASD) diagnosis and traits in childhood are associated with suicidal thoughts, plans and self-harm at 16 years, and that any observed associations are explained by depression at 12 years.We examined associations between ASD diagnosis and 4 dichotomized ASD traits (social communication, pragmatic language, repetitive behavior, and sociability) with suicidal and nonsuicidal self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and suicidal plans at age 16 years in 5,031 members of the United Kingdom-based birth cohort study the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. We assessed whether any associations were explained by depressive symptoms in early adolescence measured by the Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire at 12 years.Children with impaired social communication had a higher risk of self-harm with suicidal intent (relative risk [RR] = 2.14, 95% CI = 1.28-3.58), suicidal thoughts (RR = 1.42, 95% CI = 1.06-1.91), and suicidal plans (RR = 1.95, 95% CI = 1.09-3.47) by age 16 years as compared to those without. There was no evidence for an association between ASD diagnosis and outcomes, although these analyses were imprecise because of small numbers. There was also no evidence of an association between other autism traits and the outcomes. Approximately 32% of the total estimated association between social communication impairment and self-harm was explained by depressive symptoms at 12 years.Social communication impairments are an important autistic trait in relation to suicidality. Early identification and management of depression may be a preventative mechanism, and future research identifying other potentially modifiable mechanisms may lead to interventions against suicidal behavior in this high-risk group.
584190	The material that obscures supermassive black holes	Black holes appear to play a fundamental role in how galaxies evolve throughout their life during a phase in which they are active and consume material from the galaxy itself. During this phase, the galaxy hosts an active galactic nucleus (AGN), and the effect that this nuclear activity produces in the galaxy is known as AGN feedback. This feedback can take place in different forms: the AGN can heat, disrupt, consume and remove the gas available to form new stars, preventing further galaxy growth. In fact, AGN feedback is now required by simulations of galaxy formation to explain the observations of massive galaxies at cosmological distances. "If AGN feedback is not accounted for in the simulations", explains Cristina Ramos, "the predicted number of massive galaxies when the universe was younger is much higher than those that are observed". Directly studying the influence of nuclear activity on galaxy evolution is challenging because of the different spatial scales and timescales involved in the two processes. Massive galaxies host extremely compact supermassive black holes of millions or even billions of solar masses in their nuclei. It is estimated that the phases of nuclear activity last for a short period of time, between one and a hundred million years, whereas galaxy evolution processes, such as bulge growth or bar formation last much longer. Thus, in order to study the connection between the AGN and the host galaxy, "we need," explains Claudio Ricci, "to look at the nucleus of galaxies, where the material that links them is found. This material consists mainly of gas and dust, which are normally studied in the infrared and X-ray band." In this review, Cristina Ramos Almeida, researcher at the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), and Claudio Ricci, astrophysicist at the Institute of Astronomy of the Universidad Católica de Chile, tried to give a comprehensive view of the current understanding, thanks to infrared and X-ray studies, of nuclear obscuration in AGN. This has greatly improved in the last decade thanks to observing facilities such as CanariCam on the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS (GTC), located at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory (Garafía, La Palma) and the Very Large Array Interferometer (VLTI) in the infrared range, as well as X-ray satellites like NuSTAR, Swift/BAT and Suzaku. "We now know", adds Cristina Ramos, "that this nuclear material is more complex and dynamic than we thought a few years ago: it is very compact, formed by gas and dusty clouds orbiting the black hole and its properties depend on the AGN luminosity and accretion rate. Moreover, it is not an isolated structure but appears connected with the galaxy via outflows and inflows of gas, like streams of material flowing as part of a cycle. This gas flow cycle keeps feeding the black hole and regulates the formation of new stars in the galaxy". Very recently, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has recently imaged for the first time the nuclear obscuring material in an active galaxy. ALMA operates in the millimiter and sub-millimeter range, and the latter traces the coolest dust and gas surrounding AGN. In the case of the galaxy NGC 1068, ALMA has shown that this material is distributed in a very compact disc-like shape of 7-10 parsecs (pc) diameter and, in addition to the regular rotation of the disk, there are non-circular motions that correspond to high-velocity gas outflowing from the galaxy nucleus. "Over the next decade, the new generation of infrared and X-ray facilities will contribute greatly to our understanding of the structure and physical properties of the nuclear material", concludes Claudio Ricci.	10.1038/s41550-017-0232-z	2,017	Nature Astronomy	Nuclear obscuration in active galactic nuclei	12 pages, 7 figures. Nature Astronomy Review
815784	Could SARS-CoV-2 evolve resistance to COVID-19 vaccines?	Similar to bacteria evolving resistance to antibiotics, viruses can evolve resistance to vaccines, and the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 could undermine the effectiveness of vaccines that are currently under development, according to a paper published November 9 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by David Kennedy and Andrew Read from Pennsylvania State University, USA. The authors also offer recommendations to vaccine developers for minimizing the likelihood of this outcome. "A COVID-19 vaccine is urgently needed to save lives and help society return to its pre-pandemic normal," said David Kennedy, assistant professor of biology. "As we have seen with other diseases, such as pneumonia, the evolution of resistance can quickly render vaccines ineffective. By learning from these previous challenges and by implementing this knowledge during vaccine design, we may be able to maximize the long-term impact of COVID-19 vaccines." The researchers specifically suggest that the standard blood and nasal-swab samples taken during clinical trials to quantify individuals' responses to vaccination may also be used to assess the likelihood that the vaccines being tested will drive resistance evolution. For example, the team proposes that blood samples can be used to assess the redundancy of immune protection generated by candidate vaccines by measuring the types and amounts of antibodies and T-cells that are present. "Much like how combination antibiotic therapy delays the evolution of antibiotic resistance, vaccines that are designed to induce a redundant immune response--or one in which the immune system is encouraged to target multiple sites, called epitopes--on the virus's surface, can delay the evolution of vaccine resistance," said Andrew Read, Evan Pugh Professor of Biology and Entomology and director of the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences. "That's because the virus would have to acquire several mutations, as opposed to just one, in order to survive the host immune system's attack." The researchers also recommend that nasal swabs typically collected during clinical trials may be used to determine the viral titer, or amount of virus present, which can be considered a proxy for transmission potential. They noted that strongly suppressing virus transmission through vaccinated hosts is key to slowing the evolution of resistance, since it minimizes opportunities for mutations to arise and reduces opportunities for natural selection to act on those mutations that do arise. In addition, the team suggests that the genetic data acquired through nasal swabs can be used to examine whether vaccine-driven selection has occurred. For example, differences in alleles, or forms of genes that arise from mutations, between the viral genomes collected from vaccinated versus unvaccinated individuals would indicate that selection has taken place. "According to the World Health Organization, at least 198 COVID-19 vaccines are in the development pipeline, with 44 currently undergoing clinical evaluation," said Kennedy. "We suggest that the risk of resistance be used to prioritize investment among otherwise similarly promising vaccine candidates."	10.1371/journal.pbio.3001000	2,020	PLoS Biology	Monitor for COVID-19 vaccine resistance evolution during clinical trials	Although less common than the evolution of antimicrobial drug resistance, vaccine resistance can and has evolved. How likely is it that COVID-19 vaccines currently in development will be undermined by viral evolution? We argue that this can be determined by repurposing samples that are already being collected as part of clinical trials. Such information would be useful for prioritizing investment among candidate vaccines and maximizing the potential long-term impact of COVID-19 vaccines.
491177	A new technique isolates neuronal activity during memory consolidation	A team, led by researchers from the Cajal Institute (Madrid) belonging to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), have discovered some basic processes underlying memory consolidation in collaboration with colleagues at the National Hospital for Paraplegics in Toledo (Spain) and the University of Szeged (Hungary). The work, which is published in Neuron, identifies some of the electrical events responsible for specific neuronal activity in the hippocampus: a region of the brain with fundamental roles in episodic memory. In the study, highlighted at the front cover of the journal, researchers used machine learning to study brain electrical activity during memory reactivation. "Using artificial neural networks, we have been able to identify electrical fotprints associated to events with similar informational content, presumably encoding the same memory trace. Using sophisticated experimental techniques we have succeeded in isolating the activity of individual neurons during these 'memories'" explains Liset Menéndez de la Prida, the Cajal Institute researcher who lead the work. As the researchers observed in their study, activity of hippocampal cells is precisely modulated during memory trace reactivation. "We have seen that most hippocampal cells acutely respond to 'excitation' and 'inhibition' as a kind of cellular yin-yang, in such a way that the participation of individual neurons of memory traces is extremely selective," explains Manuel Valero, the first author of the paper. "Only those hippocampal neurons carrying information about a memory to be reactivated would receive more 'excitation' than 'inhibition' to be biased for a particular memory trace. This mechanism endows the hippocampus with the ability to reactivate individual memories without merging information." In addition, researchers show that an imbalance between 'excitation' and 'inhibition' -characteristic of some brain diseases such as epilepsy- could be catastrophic for memories. "In epilepsy, we see a link between this mechanism and memory deficits. Our data suggest that alterations of excitation-inhibition balance not only contributes to epileptic activity, but also to the collapse of individual memory traces during consolidation, like an indissoluble mixture," explains Menéndez de la Prida. The hippocampus, vital to generating memory As researchers point out, the function of hippocampus in memory was unveiled by the famous patient HM. "After he underwent bilateral surgical resection of both hippocampi for treating his epilepsy, he was unable to form new episodic memories." Menéndez de la Prida explains that with the advancement of neuroscience, it has become increasingly clear that the hippocampus may play a dual role in memory formation. "First, it represents information concerning the time and place where you are at this moment, through sequences of neuronal activity that signal your location in the room and some other temporal contingencies" Valero adds, "Once this information is collected, it must be transformed it into a long-term memory. This is carried out by the hippocampus through a process called consolidation. During consolidation, neuronal sequences already activated during experience are replayed several times at high speed. It is a process which expends a great deal of energy to leave an electrical footprint". That footprint seems now to be more easily detected in the apparently noisy brain activity. ###	10.1016/j.neuron.2017.05.032	2,017	Neuron	Mechanisms for Selective Single-Cell Reactivation during Offline Sharp-Wave Ripples and Their Distortion by Fast Ripples	Memory traces are reactivated selectively during sharp-wave ripples. The mechanisms of selective reactivation, and how degraded reactivation affects memory, are poorly understood. We evaluated hippocampal single-cell activity during physiological and pathological sharp-wave ripples using juxtacellular and intracellular recordings in normal and epileptic rats with different memory abilities. CA1 pyramidal cells participate selectively during physiological events but fired together during epileptic fast ripples. We found that firing selectivity was dominated by an event- and cell-specific synaptic drive, modulated in single cells by changes in the excitatory/inhibitory ratio measured intracellularly. This mechanism collapses during pathological fast ripples to exacerbate and randomize neuronal firing. Acute administration of a use- and cell-type-dependent sodium channel blocker reduced neuronal collapse and randomness and improved recall in epileptic rats. We propose that cell-specific synaptic inputs govern firing selectivity of CA1 pyramidal cells during sharp-wave ripples.
759114	Fabrication of a single-crystal giant magnetoresistive device on a polycrystalline film	NIMS and AIST have jointly succeeded in fabricating a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) device comprising single-crystal Heusler alloys on an practical silicon substrate. The team demonstrated for the first time that a single-crystal magnetoresistive device can be bonded onto the surface of a polycrystalline electrode using a wafer bonding technique. The fabrication of high-performance single-crystal devices has proven challenging, and these results may provide new guidance in the development of larger capacity hard disk drives (HDDs). Some Heusler alloys (e.g., Co2MnSi) are known to possess half metallic property?substances that act as conductors to electrons of only one spin orientation when their atoms are in an orderly arrangement. In previous research, a high-quality GMR device was fabricated using half-metallic Heusler alloys. This device was reported to exhibit an extremely large magnetoresistance ratio, a characteristic vital to the development of hard disk read heads compatible with HDDs with nearly five times the recording density of current HDDs. However, the fabrication of this GMR device required the use of a heat-resistant single-crystal magnesium oxide (MgO) substrate with an appropriate lattice structure, which is considerably more costly than using the industrially established small MgO substrate. In addition, HDD read heads need to be fabricated on a polycrystalline magnetic shield, despite the fact that it is impossible to grow a single-crystal device directly on the surface of a polycrystalline film with crystal grains having various lattice orientations. Moreover, Heusler alloys have to be annealed at a temperature of at least 300°C to form an orderly atomic ordering. However, this annealing process also damages the magnetic shield layer. These issues have prevented practical applications of GMR devices comprising single-crystal Heusler alloys. This research team deposited a NiAl/CoFe buffer layer on the surface of a conventional, inexpensive silicon substrate and discovered that the substrate acquired significantly increased heat resistance and a smoother surface. The team then fabricated a GMR device comprising single-crystal Heusler alloys on the silicon substrate and confirmed that the device performs comparably to the GMR device grown on the MgO substrate. The team also grew a polycrystalline electrode film on the surface of another substrate and fabricated a GMR film device comprising single-crystal Heusler alloys on it. The team subsequently bonded the fabricated GMR film device onto a wafer using the latest three-dimensional integration technology. Through these processes, the team formed an extremely smooth, defect-free bonded interface between the polycrystalline and single crystal films by optimizing wafer bonding conditions. The team also confirmed that bonding the fabricated GMR film device onto a wafer did not negatively affect the device's magnetoresistive performance. The techniques the team developed are expected to eliminate the need to grow a single-crystal magnetoresistive device directly on a polycrystalline electrode film and completely resolve the damage issue caused by high-temperature treatment. These techniques are applicable not only to the fabrication of GMR devices comprising single-crystal Heusler alloys but also for various other purposes, such as the integration of single-crystal tunneling magnetoresistance devices--another potentially promising high-performance technology--onto a heat-susceptible circuit board. The use of these techniques may promote practical use of high-performance single-crystal spintronic devices, thereby potentially contributing to the development of larger capacity HDDs and magnetoresistive random access memory. ### This project was carried out by a joint research team consisting of Yuya Sakuraba (Group Leader, Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronic Materials, NIMS), his NIMS colleagues, Kay Yakushiji (Team Leader, Spintronics Research Center, AIST), Hideki Takagi (Principal Research Manager, Device Technology Research Institute, AIST) and Katsuya Kikuchi (Group Leader, Device Technology Research Institute, AIST). This work was conducted in conjunction with another research project entitled "Achieving ultimate green IT devices with long usage time without charging" (Program Manager: Masashi Sahara) funded by the Impulsing Paradigm Change through Disruptive Technologies Program (ImPACT). This research was published in the online version of Acta Materialia at 9:00 am on May 28, 2020, UTC (6:00 pm on May 28, Japan Time). Contacts This work was conducted in conjunction with another research project entitled "Achieving ultimate green IT devices with long usage time without charging" (Program Manager: Masashi Sahara) funded by the Impulsing Paradigm Change through Disruptive Technologies Program (ImPACT). This research was published in the online version of Acta Materialia at 9:00 am on May 28, 2020, UTC (6:00 pm on May 28, Japan Time). (Regarding this research) Yuya Sakuraba Group Leader, Magnetic Materials Group, Research Center for Magnetic and Spintronic Materials National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) Tel: +81-29-859-2708 E-Mail: SAKURABA.Yuya=nims.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@") URL: https://www.nims.go.jp/mmu/index.html Kay Yakushiji Leader of the Metal Spintronics Team Spintronics Research Center National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Tel: +81-29-861-3251 Email: k-yakushiji=aist.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@") Hideki Takagi Principal Research Manager, Device Technology Research Institute National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Tel: +81-29-861-7217 Email: takagi.hideki=aist.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@") Katsuya Kikuchi Leader of the 3D Integration System Group Device Technology Research Institute National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Tel: +81-29-861-3454 Email: k-kikuchi=aist.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@") (General information) Public Relations Office National Institute for Materials Science Tel: +81-29-859-2026, Fax: +81-29-859-2017 Email: pressrelease=ml.nims.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@") Media Relations Office Planning Headquarters National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) Tel: +81-29-862-6216, Fax: +81-29-862-6212 Email: press-ml=aist.go.jp (Please change "=" to "@")	10.1016/j.actamat.2020.04.002	2,020	Acta Materialia	Fully epitaxial giant magnetoresistive devices with half-metallic Heusler alloy fabricated on poly-crystalline electrode using three-dimensional integration technology	Fully-epitaxial magnetoresistance (MR) devices with half-metallic Heusler alloys has attracted considerable attention for years due to their excellent spin-dependent transport properties such as high MR ratio and ultra-low resistance-area product. However, their poor manufacturability due to the necessity of epitaxial growth on a special single crystalline substrate such as MgO(001) hinders their practical applications. To overcome this issue, in this study, we fabricated Heusler-based epitaxial current-perpendicular-to-plane giant magnetoresistance (CPP-GMR) film grown on Si substrate and directly bonded it to poly-crystalline electrode wafer by using three-dimensional (3D) integration processes such as direct wafer bonding and removal of backside Si substrate. First we explored suitable seed/buffer layers for the (001)-oriented epitaxial growth of Heusler CPP-GMR on Si(001) substrate. Si-subs/NiAl/CoFe seed/buffer structure was found to induce (001)-oriented epitaxial growth and to suppress an Al diffusion from NiAl to the Heusler electrode even after annealing at 500 °C, resulting in large MR ratio comparable to that with MgO substrate. After direct wafer bonding process, the microstructure analysis revealed clean damage-free bonded interface between the epitaxial Heusler GMR and poly-crystalline electrode films with Au capping layers. After the 3D integration processes, high MR performance has been successfully reproduced. This unique processing method enables the integration of high performance Heusler-based epitaxial spintronic devices for various practical applications.
891731	Cannabis strength soars over past half century -- new study	New research shows that over the past 50 years street cannabis across the world has become substantially stronger carrying an increased risk of harm. The team behind the study from the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath, synthesised data from over 80,000 cannabis samples tested in the past 50 years from street samples collected in the USA, UK, Netherlands, France, Denmark, Italy and New Zealand. Their findings are published in the journal Addiction and the research was funded by the Society for the Study of Addiction. The researchers investigated how concentrations of THC (the intoxicating component of cannabis responsible for giving users a 'high') had changed over time in different types of cannabis. In herbal cannabis, they found that THC concentrations increased by 14% from 1970 to 2017. This was primarily due to a rising market share of stronger varieties such as sinsemilla relative to traditional herbal cannabis which contains seeds and less THC. The team have previously found consistent evidence that frequent use of cannabis with higher levels of THC carries an increased risk of problems such as addiction and psychotic disorders. Lead author Dr Tom Freeman, Director of the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath said: "As the strength of cannabis has increased, so too has the number of people entering treatment for cannabis use problems. More Europeans are now entering drug treatment because of cannabis than heroin or cocaine." The researchers found that the increases in THC were particularly high for cannabis resin, with THC concentrations rising by 24% between 1975 and 2017. Cannabis resin is extracted from herbal cannabis and is now typically stronger than herbal cannabis according to the findings. They also looked at concentrations of cannabidiol or CBD, which is not intoxicating but may have potential medical uses such as helping people to quit cannabis. In contrast to THC, they found no evidence for changes in CBD in cannabis over time. Study co-author Sam Craft also from the Addiction and Mental Health Group at the University of Bath explained: "Cannabis resin - or 'hash' - is often seen as a safer type of cannabis, but our findings show that it is now stronger than herbal cannabis. Traditionally, cannabis resin contained much lower amounts of THC with equal quantities of CBD, however CBD concentrations have remained stable as THC has risen substantially, meaning it is now much more harmful than it was many years ago." Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the world but has recently been legalised in Canada, Uruguay and several states in the USA. The findings of this new study have particular relevance in light of growing demands to legalise cannabis in an attempt to make it safer. Most recently a referendum in New Zealand (which ultimately failed to receive public support) included measures to limit the strength of cannabis sold through legalisation. The researchers argue that increases in cannabis strength highlight the need to implement wider strategies for harm reduction similar to those used for alcohol - such as standard units and public guidelines on safer consumption limits. Dr Tom Freeman added: "As the strength of cannabis has risen, consumers are faced with limited information to help them monitor their intake and guide decisions about relative benefits and risks. The introduction of a standard unit system for cannabis - similar to standard alcohol units - could help people to limit their consumption and use it more safely."	10.1111/add.15253	2,020	Addiction	Changes in delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) concentrations in cannabis over time: systematic review and meta‐analysis	Abstract Background and aims Cannabis products with high delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) concentrations carry an increased risk of addiction and mental health disorders, while it has been suggested that cannabidiol (CBD) may moderate the effects of THC. This study aimed to systematically review and meta‐analyse changes in THC and CBD concentrations in cannabis over time (PROSPERO registration: CRD42019130055). Design Embase, MEDLINE® and Epub Ahead of Print, In‐Process and Other Non‐Indexed Citations and Daily, Global Health, PsycINFO and Scopus were searched from inception to 27/03/2019 for observational studies reporting changes in mean THC and/or CBD concentration in cannabis over at least three annual time points. Searches and extraction were conducted by two independent reviewers. Random effects meta‐regression models estimated annual changes in THC and CBD for each product within each study; these estimates were pooled across studies in random effects models. Results We identified 12 eligible studies from the USA, UK, Netherlands, France, Denmark, Italy and New Zealand. For all herbal cannabis, THC concentrations increased by 0.29% each year (95% CI: 0.11, 0.47), P < 0.001 based on 66 747 cannabis samples from eight studies, 1970–2017. For cannabis resin, THC concentrations increased by 0.57% each year (95% CI: 0.10, 1.03), P = 0.017 based on 17 371 samples from eight studies, 1975–2017. There was no evidence for changes in CBD in herbal cannabis [−0.01% (95% CI: −0.02, 0.01), P = 0.280; 49 434 samples from five studies, 1995–2017] or cannabis resin [0.03% (95% CI: −0.11, 0.18), P = 0.651; 11 382 samples from six studies, 1992–2017]. Risk of bias was low apart from non‐random sampling in most studies. There was evidence of moderate to substantial heterogeneity. Conclusions Concentrations of delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in international cannabis markets increased from 1970 to 2017 while cannabidiol (CBD) remained stable. Increases in THC were greater in cannabis resin than herbal cannabis. Rising THC in herbal cannabis was attributable to an increased market share of high‐THC sinsemilla relative to low‐THC traditional herbal cannabis.
936827	The health of homeless people improves with socialisation	Homelessness is a complex issue and can be caused by structural factors such as insufficient or inadequate social and health systems, unaffordable housing and/or individual factors, such as health problems, poverty or mental disorders. More than 700,000 homeless people are currently living in Europe and the trend is expected to increase over the coming years. In the Basque Country there are around 2,800 people living in severe residential exclusion. In the light of these data, a key issue is the development of new research to better understand the situation of this group. “This work set out to analyse certain variables that may influence how homeless people and people living on the street perceive their health situation: personal variables, such as gender or the length of time a person has been in a situation of serious residential exclusion; interpersonal variables, such as contact with family members or whether they spend the day alone or accompanied by someone; and finally, the influence of social services (day centres, health centres, etc.) on their perception of health," said Igor Esnaola-Echaniz, researcher in the UPV/EHU's Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology. To do this, "we used the data provided by the Social Information and Research Service (SIIS) in the IV Study on the situation of people in a situation of serious residential exclusion in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country in 2018. The Basque Country is one of the communities most committed to homelessness in Spain, and has been conducting studies every two years since 2012. The fieldwork consisted of two actions: firstly, the night count, and secondly, the interviews conducted in the various day centres", indicated the UPV/EHU researcher. "The results of this research show that sex is not significantly related to the health of this group. However, the length of time spent on the streets has shown to exert a considerable influence; in other words, the longer a person has been homeless, the worse the perception of their health is. Long-term homelessness is strongly associated with a poor perception of health," said Igor Esnaola. “The second objective of this work," as the UPV/EHU researcher pointed out, "was to analyse the influence of certain interpersonal relationships (family, friends, etc.). The effects of this variable tally with what was expected a priori. Having even occasional contact with one's family when one is homeless is assumed to help one perceive one's health in a more positive way. People who always spend the day alone are also expected to have a worse perception of their health than if they are accompanied”. “The results also show that the use of health centres and mental health services is associated with a poor perception of health. In other words, if homeless people use both centres, it means that their health is not as good as they would like it to be," he added. Finally, "the use of day centres has a positive influence on the perception held by these people about their health. In other words, a better perception of health is held by the individuals who use day centres, where they have the opportunity to socialise, get to know people they can talk to, or with whom they can amuse themselves", said the author of the study. “This work highlights the importance of developing interpersonal relationships and using day centres to improve the health of homeless people. Evidence shows that instilling or encouraging social relationships, trying to rebuild family relationships or the possibility of having social contact improves the health perception of homeless people. So perhaps rather than focusing on providing food, hygiene or a bed, initiatives that contribute towards the health of the homeless population should also focus on prevention initiatives related to the factors that contribute towards the health of the homeless population, such as the possibility of engaging in social relations and rebuilding family relationships," stressed Igor Esnaola. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 10.3390/ijerph18179392 People The Association of Interpersonal Relationships and Social Services with the Self-Rated Health of Spanish Homelessness 6-Sep-2021	10.3390/ijerph18179392	2,021	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health	The Association of Interpersonal Relationships and Social Services with the Self-Rated Health of Spanish Homelessness	Understanding the specific factors associated with poor health is critical to improve the health of homeless people. This study aimed to analyze the influence of personal variables, interpersonal relationships, and the influence of social services on the health of homeless people. A secondary analysis was applied to cross-sectional data from a sample of 1382 homeless people living in the Basque Country (Spain) (75.69% male). Multinomial logistic regression modelling was used to analyze the relationship between health and personal variables, interpersonal variables, perceived help and use of the social services. Relationships with the family, using a day center, and a sufficient and high perceived help of the social services were significant factors associated with good health. On the other hand, spending the day alone or using mental and health care services are associated with poor health. In the same way, the longer a person has been homeless, the worse their expected state of health is. Addressing housing exclusion, promoting interpersonal relationships, using a day center, and developing the use and perceived helpfulness of social services stand out as key factors in improving health status. Social policies are usually focused on housing. However, this paper also highlights the relevance of developing interpersonal relationships and using day centers to improve homeless people's health.
465098	Meta-analysis shows children prefer people who speak like them	Research shows that children prefer to befriend, listen to, and imitate people who speak similarly to them. While most of this research has been conducted on monolingual (speaking only one language) children from Western societies, a growing subset of research has begun examining whether this pattern holds for children from more diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. A new meta-analysis including studies with monolingual as well as bilingual children helps to shed light on the range of factors that contribute to the development of linguistic-based biases in early childhood. Understanding these patterns can eventually guide efforts to diminish biases based on how one speaks. The findings were published in a Child Development article written by researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia. "Consistent with prior research, we found that infants and children overall prefer those who speak in the same accent, dialect or language as themselves," said Jessica Spence, doctoral candidate, The University of Queensland. "Interestingly, we also found that bilingual children and children exposed to other accents, dialects and languages displayed just as much preference for speakers of their own linguistic variety--if not more--than monolingual children and those who were not exposed to other ways of speaking." The meta-analysis began with a literature search to find all the studies that have examined children's linguistic-based social preferences and found 38 studies published between 1980 and 2020. The studies involved 2,680 infants and children ranging from 2 days old to 11 years of age with the following sample characteristics: 13 different countries (Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, and United States), Diverse range of socio-economic backgrounds (e.g., working-, middle-, an upper class), Spoke 15 different primary languages (Basque, Cantonese, Dutch, English, French, German, Hawaiian Creole English, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog, and Xhosa), and Participants were identified by the studies as White, Mixed race, Asian descent, German, Japanese, White and Korean mix and Xhosa. The meta-analysis examined the overall effect of linguistic cues on children's social preferences and also investigated how the mean age of the sample, bilingualism, exposure to non-native speech, cultural background, type of measure used to assess preferences (implicit, explicit behavioral, or explicit forced-choice) and type of linguistic cue (accent, dialect or language) influences children's linguistic-based social preferences. The findings suggest that cultural backgrounds did not impact children's preference for native over non-native speakers. Contrary to past assumptions, however, children raised in a diverse environment may have a greater awareness of linguistic-based group differences. The authors recognize that while the findings show that infants and children generally favor native speakers over non-native speakers, the question of why they display this preference remains. "As the world becomes more globalized, it is more important than ever to consider how exposure to diversity can promote acceptance rather than amplify intergroup biases," says Kana Imuta, Assistant Professor, The University of Queensland. ### Summarized from Child Development, Something About the Way You Speak: A Meta-Analysis on Children's Linguistic-based Social Preferences by Spence, J.L., Hornsey, M.J., and Imuta, K. (University of Queensland). Copyright 2021 The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc. All rights reserved.	10.1111/cdev.13548	2,021	Child Development	Something About the Way You Speak: A Meta‐analysis on Children’s Linguistic‐based Social Preferences	There is growing interest in the role of linguistic cues (accents, dialects, language) in driving children’s social preferences. This meta‐analysis integrated 131 effect sizes involving 2,680 infants and children from 2 days old to 11 years. Overall, children prefer native‐accent, native‐dialect, and native‐language speakers over non‐native counterparts ( d = 0.57). Meta‐regression highlighted that bilinguals ( d = 0.93) do not exhibit less native‐speaker preference compared to monolinguals ( d = 0.62). Children displayed stronger preferences based on accent ( d = 1.04) than dialect ( d = 0.44) and language ( d = 0.39). Children’s cultural background, exposure to non‐native speech, age, and preference measure were not significant moderators. The data are discussed in light of several theoretical explanations for when and why children show linguistic‐based social preferences.
799493	Two motivational artificial beings are better than one for enhancing learning	Tsukuba, Japan - Social rewards such as praise are known to enhance various stages of the learning process. Now, researchers from Japan have found that praise delivered by artificial beings such as robots and virtual graphics-based agents can have effects similar to praise delivered by humans, with important practical applications as social services such as education increasingly move to virtual and online platforms. In a study published this month in PLOS ONE, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have shown that motor task performance in participants was significantly enhanced by praise from either one or two robots or virtual agents. Although praise from robots and virtual agents has been found to enhance human motivation and performance during a task, whether these interactions have similar effects on offline skill consolidation, which is an essential component of the learning process, has not been investigated. Further, the various conditions associated with the delivery of praise by robot and virtual agents have not been thoroughly explored previously. The researchers at the University of Tsukuba aimed to address these questions in the present study. "Previous studies have shown that praise from others can positively affect offline improvements in human motor skills," says first author Masahiro Shiomi. "However, whether praise from artificial beings can have similar effects on offline improvements has not been explored previously." To examine these questions, the researchers asked participants to learn a finger-tapping task under several different conditions, which varied in terms of the timing and frequency of praise, the number of agents, and whether the agents were physically present or presented on a screen. The participants were then asked to repeat the task on the following day, and task performance was compared between the two days. "We found that praise led to a measurable increase in task performance, indicating increased offline consolidation of the task," explains Professor Takamasa Iio. "Further, two agents led to significantly greater participant performance than one agent, even when the amount of praise was identical." However, whether the praise was delivered by physical robots or by virtual agents did not influence the effects. "Our study showed that praise from artificial beings improved skill consolidation in a manner that resembled praise delivered by humans," says first author Masahiro Shiomi. "Such findings may be useful for facilitating learning in children, for instance, or for exercise and rehabilitation applications." Future work could consider the effects of praise delivered in different environments, for instance, in a VR environment, as well as the effects of greater numbers of agents. A greater understanding of the factors that influence the social effects of robot behavior is essential for improving the quality of human-robot interactions, which are increasingly an important element of education, services, and entertainment applications.	10.1371/journal.pone.0240622	2,020	PLoS ONE	Two is better than one: Social rewards from two agents enhance offline improvements in motor skills more than single agent	Social rewards as praise from others enhance offline improvements in human motor skills. Does praise from artificial beings, e.g., computer-graphics-based agents (displayed agents) and robots (collocated agents), also enhance offline improvements in motor skills as effectively as praise from humans? This paper answers this question via two subsequent days' experiment. We investigated the effect of the number of agents and their sense of presence toward offline improvement in motor skills because they are essential factors to change social effects and people's behaviors in human-agent and human-robot interaction. Our 96 participants performed a finger-tapping task. Our results showed that those who received praise from two agents showed significantly better offline motor skill improvement than people who were praised by just one agent and those who received no praise. However, we identified no significant effects related to the sense of presence.
879743	Scents and sense ability: Diesel fumes alter half the flower smells bees need	In polluted environments, diesel fumes may be reducing the availability of almost half the most common flower odours that bees use to find their food, research has found. The new findings suggest that toxic nitrous oxide (NOx) in diesel exhausts could be having an even greater effect on bees' ability to smell out flowers than was previously thought. NOx is a poisonous pollutant produced by diesel engines which is harmful to humans, and has also previously been shown to confuse bees' sense of smell, which they rely on to sniff out their food. Researchers from the University of Southampton and the University of Reading found that there is now evidence to show that, of the eleven most common single compounds in floral odours, five have can be chemically altered by exposure to NOx gases from exhaust fumes. Lead author Dr Robbie Girling, from the University of Reading's Centre for Agri-Environmental Research (formerly of University of Southampton), said: "Bees are worth millions to the British economy alone, but we know they have been in decline worldwide. "We don't think that air pollution from diesel vehicles is the main reason for this decline, but our latest work suggests that it may have a worse effect on the flower odours needed by bees than we initially thought. "People rely on bees and pollinating insects for a large proportion of our food, yet humans have paid the bees back with habitat destruction, insecticides, climate change and air pollution. "This work highlights that pollution from dirty vehicles is not only dangerous to people's health, but could also have an impact on our natural environment and the economy." Co-author Professor Guy Poppy, from Biological Sciences at the University of Southampton, said: "It is becoming clear that bees are at risk from a range of stresses from neonicitinoid insecticides through to varroa mites. Our research highlights that a further stress could be the increasing amounts of vehicle emissions affecting air quality. Whilst it is unlikely that these emissions by themselves could be affecting bee populations, combined with the other stresses, it could be the tipping point." ### This latest research is part of continuing studies into the effects of air pollution on bees. Previous work in 2013 found that bees in the lab could be confused by the effects of diesel pollution. Dr Girling and Dr Tracey Newman from the University of Southampton are currently studying how diesel fumes may have direct effects on the bees themselves. The work is published in the Journal of Chemical Ecology and was funded by the Leverhulme Trust.	10.1007/s10886-015-0624-4	2,015	Journal of Chemical Ecology	The Effects of Diesel Exhaust Pollution on Floral Volatiles and the Consequences for Honey Bee Olfaction	There is growing evidence of a substantial decline in pollinators within Europe and North America, most likely caused by multiple factors such as diseases, poor nutrition, habitat loss, insecticides, and environmental pollution. Diesel exhaust could be a contributing factor to this decline, since we found that diesel exhaust rapidly degrades floral volatiles, which honey bees require for flower recognition. In this study, we exposed eight of the most common floral volatiles to diesel exhaust in order to investigate whether it can affect volatile mediated plant-pollinator interaction. Exposure to diesel exhaust altered the blend of common flower volatiles significantly: myrcene was considerably reduced, β-ocimene became undetectable, and β-caryophyllene was transformed into its cis-isomer isocaryophyllene. Proboscis extension response (PER) assays showed that the alterations of the blend reduced the ability of honey bees to recognize it. The chemically reactive nitrogen oxides fraction of diesel exhaust gas was identified as capable of causing degradation of floral volatiles.
623763	Betting on drones as smart agricultural tools for pesticide use in farms	Besides enabling more potent smartphones and higher download speeds while riding the subway, cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and wireless communications are on the verge of revolutionizing well-established industrial fields. A remarkable example is "smart agriculture," which has seen a tremendous increase in the use of drones for various tasks, especially in Japan. Drones, or "unmanned aerial vehicles" (UAVs), have been the focus of extensive research for agricultural applications. For example, they can take aerial images of a field and, through subsequent image processing, identify problems in specific areas of the crop fields. Another notable use case for UAVs that has been quickly gaining traction is the spraying of pesticides. In Japan, the number of hectares sprayed by drones saw a stunning 45-fold increase from 2016 to 2018. Similarly, the number of registered UAVs for agricultural spraying increased from a mere 227 to 1552 between those years. While UAVs could be used to either replace or complement traditional pesticide spraying methods, it remains to be proven whether UAVs are superior to conventional methods in many regards. "Following recent technological demonstrations and verifications at field sites, there is an increasing need for farm management research of smart agricultural technology including cost and efficiency analyses; this is essential for its implementation in farms," explains Yuna Seo, who is Junior Associate Professor at Tokyo University of Science, Japan. In an effort to address this knowledge gap, Seo led a recent study published in MDPI's Sustainability in which she, with her student Shotaro Umeda, compared different pesticide spraying technologies using realistic data. More specifically, the researchers evaluated and compared the costs, working capacity, and management efficiency of drones versus remote-controlled (RC) helicopters and tractor-mounted boom sprayers for preventively spraying pesticides over rice paddies. They made these comparisons for seven different paddy field areas to take into account differences in scale for each method. In terms of pest-control costs, the UAVs were only slightly less expensive per unit area than the boom sprayers, mainly due to the low price of drones and savings in fuel. In this regard, the RC helicopters were much more expensive. "Although the purchase cost of boom sprayers is almost double that of UAVs, the fixed costs of both end up being similar because of the high operation, maintenance and repair costs of drones, which are notorious obstacles in UAV introduction and adoption," remarks Seo. As for the working capacity, RC helicopters could cover much more area per hour than both drones and boom sprayers. Still, drones had a slight advantage in daily area coverage over boom sprayers. Finally, to explore the management efficiency of each method, the researchers used a technique called "data envelopment analysis," which is widely used in economy and operations management to benchmark the performance of manufacturing and service operations. The results indicated that both boom sprayers and UAVs reached maximum or near-maximum efficiency for most paddy areas, while RC helicopters were much less efficient. Overall, this study showcased the benefits of drones as tools for rice production and compared them to other well-established technologies. But, the use of drones in agriculture is not without limitations, which should be addressed in the future, such as the modification of aviation laws that forbid higher pesticide payloads on drones, as well as maintenance costs. "The total costs and efficiency of UAVs would be comparable to that of boom sprayers, which is not a hindrance for farmers wanting to switch to drones. Therefore, technological advances and deregulation are necessary to expand the use of UAVs while meeting safety measures and ensuring applicability," explains Seo. In conclusion, this study highlights both the advantages and limitations of using drones as agricultural tools. Still, there is no doubt that smart agriculture as a whole could greatly alleviate the labor shortage problems in countries with a rapidly aging population, of which Japan is a prime example. Given the potential upsides, let us hope UAVs quickly earn their spot in agriculture so that farmers can work smarter, not harder! ### About The Tokyo University of Science Tokyo University of Science (TUS) is a well-known and respected university, and the largest science-specialized private research university in Japan, with four campuses in central Tokyo and its suburbs and in Hokkaido. Established in 1881, the university has continually contributed to Japan's development in science through inculcating the love for science in researchers, technicians, and educators. With a mission of "Creating science and technology for the harmonious development of nature, human beings, and society", TUS has undertaken a wide range of research from basic to applied science. TUS has embraced a multidisciplinary approach to research and undertaken intensive study in some of today's most vital fields. TUS is a meritocracy where the best in science is recognized and nurtured. It is the only private university in Japan that has produced a Nobel Prize winner and the only private university in Asia to produce Nobel Prize winners within the natural sciences field. Website: https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/ About Yuna Seo from Tokyo University of Science Yuna Seo, lead author of this study, completed a doctoral course on environmental studies at The University of Tokyo in 2009. She then joined the Department of Industrial Administration at Tokyo University of Science as a Junior Associate Professor. She currently has over 40 papers published to her credit. Her research interests include finding ways to promote sustainable regional development through smart agriculture.	10.3390/su13052618	2,021	Sustainability	Evaluating Farm Management Performance by the Choice of Pest-Control Sprayers in Rice Farming in Japan	With rapidly advancing technologies such as IoT, AI, robotics, and others, smart agriculture in Japan has been introduced and tested throughout the country. The validity of the implementation of smart agriculture could be measured by using cost analysis, working capacity assessment, and management efficiency analysis. In this study, we focused on pest-control management, wherein unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for crop spraying have been recently introduced. In order to clarify the validity of UAVs for rice fields in Japan regarding costs and performance, we conducted a comparative study of pest-control sprayers, specifically: (1) tractor- mounted boom sprayers, (2) remote-control spraying helicopters (RC helicopters), and (3) UAVs. We estimated pest-control costs and the working capacity of each method. We also evaluated the management efficiency of 21 case scenarios of different pest-control sprayers and field areas ranging from 0.5 to 30 ha using data envelopment analysis (DEA) based on an input-oriented model. We used the input of pest-control cost and the output of gross farm income and surplus working capacity. Pest-control costs per unit area of boom sprayers, RC helicopters, and UAVs were approximately 925,597 yen/ha (US $8819/ha), 6,924,455 yen/ha (US $65,975/ha), and 791,724 yen/ha (US $7543/ha), respectively. The working capacity during pest-control scheduled days was 120, 195, and 135 ha, respectively. DEA results suggested that UAVs would be more efficient than boom sprayers and RC helicopters for the analyzed cases. UAVs for crop spraying showed relatively low cost and high management efficiency compared to the boom sprayers and RC helicopters; hence UAVs could be a suitable replacement to save cost and time.
688956	Decoding ants' coat of many odors	It's a waxy layer that covers their bodies and is the source of the complex aromas that ants use to communicate. These odorant blends act like biochemical uniforms, identifying individual ants by caste, colony and species. In so doing it helps regulate the ants' behavior, allowing them to navigate the sophisticated social systems that has made ants one of the most successful families of animals on Earth. "Ants see their world through their nose, their antennae. If you're an ant, you view others by their smell and others view you by your smell," said Laurence Zwiebel, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Biological Sciences, who is studying the molecular basis of ant olfaction. For some time, scientists have recognized the crucial role these chemical signals play in ants' lives, but now Zwiebel and his collaborators are making major advances in deciphering the molecular genetics of ant olfaction. This deeper level of understanding may not only provide new insights into how ants, honeybees and other social insects create and manage complex societies but it may also provide insight into how other "more advanced" animals do so as well. At the same time, it could produce more effective methods for keeping ants out of the kitchen and off the picnic table. In a paper published the week of July 10 in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Zwiebel and his collaborators report that they have successfully characterized the function of a number of the receptors that the Indian jumping ant (Harpegnathos saltator) uses to identify these odorant blends. "Ants are unique in the insect world because they have more than 400 odorant receptors compared to 60 to 80 in other insects like fruit flies and mosquitoes," said Jesse Slone, the former Vanderbilt research associate (now research fellow at the University of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center) who performed much of the work. "The receptors are arranged in 24 different subfamilies. We selected 25 odor receptors from a number of these groups and decoded them--exposed them to a battery of different chemicals and determined the ones they respond to." One of the goals of the research was to test a hypothesis that the Vanderbilt biologists made five years ago when they discovered that ants have the highest number of odor receptors identified in any insect species to date. They suggested that the purpose of a highly-expanded subgroup (labeled the 9-exon family) of these extra receptors might be specifically to identify and decode the chemical signals ants use to regulate their complex social behavior. To test this idea, the researchers measured the response of the ant receptors to the specialized class of chemical compounds that coat the ants, called cuticular hydrocarbons. But they also measured their response to other common odorants that scientists know affect other insects. "It turns out that it's not that simple," said Zwiebel. "The ants appear to be using all the chemosensory tools they have for sensing all the different types of scents that are important to them." Now that they have an effective method for decoding the ants' odorant receptors (developed by collaborators Gregory Pask and Anandasankar Ray at the University of California, Riverside), the biologists can now begin deciphering the chemical codes that the insects use to communicate. "These complex blends of hydrocarbons are the crux of ants' social structure. They use them to identify intruders, for foraging, for nursing, for all sorts of behaviors. The next step is to begin associating different chemical signals with specific behaviors," said graduate student Stephen Ferguson, who is attempting to identify the chemical signals that trigger aggression. Several years ago, while studying mosquito olfaction, the Zwiebel lab discovered a new class of insect repellent that is thousands of times stronger than DEET, the most common active ingredient in commercial insect repellents. The compounds (known as VUAA) work by over-exciting the mosquito's sense of smell by turning on a specialized odor co-receptor channel that must partner with all other odor receptors for them to work. "It's like being closed in an elevator with someone wearing way too much perfume. If it overwhelms your sense of smell, the net result is repellence. We call this 'excito-repellency,'" said Zwiebel. It turns out that ants (and indeed all insects) have the very same co-receptor and the Vanderbilt biologists have determined that the excito-repellent compounds work equally well with ants as they do with mosquitoes. The PNAS article is one in a series of co-authored, peer-reviewed papers on ant olfaction being published in coordination by a network of researchers who have been collaborating as part of an interdisciplinary project titled "Epigenetics of Behavior, Longevity and Social Organization in Ants." The project, which formally ended in 2016, was funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The other papers describe additional studies on the 9-exon family of receptors as well as the generation and characterization of ant mutants genetically modified to remove their ability to use their odorant receptors. Taken together, these new studies on ant chemical communication have begun to unravel the molecular basis for what the noted Harvard biologist E O. Wilson observed was "the most complicated social organization on earth next to humans." ### Other coauthors on the PNAS paper are Jocelyn Millar and Anandasankar Ray from the University of California, Riverside; Gregory Pask, a former Zwiebel lab graduate student and Ray lab postdoctoral fellow now at Bucknell University; Shelley Berger from the University of Pennsylvania; Danny Reinberg from New York University School of Medicine; and, Jürgen Liebig from Arizona State University.	10.1073/pnas.1704647114	2,017	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences	Functional characterization of odorant receptors in the ponerine ant, <i>Harpegnathos saltator</i>	Animals use a variety of sensory modalities-including visual, acoustic, and chemical-to sense their environment and interact with both conspecifics and other species. Such communication is especially critical in eusocial insects such as honey bees and ants, where cooperation is critical for survival and reproductive success. Various classes of chemoreceptors have been hypothesized to play essential roles in the origin and evolution of eusociality in ants, through their functional roles in pheromone detection that characterizes reproductive status and colony membership. To better understand the molecular mechanisms by which chemoreceptors regulate social behaviors, we investigated the roles of a critical class of chemoreceptors, the odorant receptors (ORs), from the ponerine ant Harpegnathos saltator in detecting cuticular hydrocarbon pheromones. In light of the massive OR expansion in ants (∼400 genes per species), a representative survey based on phylogenetic and transcriptomic criteria was carried out across discrete odorant receptor subfamilies. Responses to several classes of semiochemicals are described, including cuticular hydrocarbons and mandibular gland components that act as H. saltator pheromones, and a range of more traditional general odorants. When viewed through the prism of caste-specific OR enrichment and distinctive OR subfamily odorant response profiles, our findings suggest that whereas individual HsOrs appear to be narrowly tuned, there is no apparent segregation of tuning responses within any discrete HsOr subfamily. Instead, the HsOR gene family as a whole responds to a broad array of compounds, including both cuticular hydrocarbons and general odorants that are likely to mediate distinct behaviors.
932279	Scientists discover new function of mitochondrial inner membrane fusion protein OPA1	In cells, there are many kinds of functional "micro-organs" called organelles. Mitochondria are the energy-producing organelles in the cell and are known as the "power plant" of the cell. Mitochondria have a complex structure that is divided into four regions from the inside out, the outer (OM) and inner membrane (IM) and the two soluble compartments intermembrane space (IMS) and matrix. Mitochondria are highly dynamic, fusing and dividing with each other constantly. Among the known regulatory proteins of mitochondrial dynamics, OPA1 is a key regulator participating in mitochondrial inner membrane fusion. OPA1 protein has two different forms, a long chain form anchored to the inner membrane and a short chain form free in the IMS. Recent studies have revealed that OPA1 has well-established roles in multiple physiological processes such as mitochondrial dynamics, energetics, mtDNA maintenance, apoptotic cristae remodeling, apoptosis, cellular redox homeostasis, and aging. Molecular chaperones are a class of proteins that assist in the assembly of intracellular molecules and assist in the folding of proteins. Although the three-dimensional structure of a protein is determined by its own amino acid sequence, not all proteins fold naturally to their native state, i.e., the final state in which the protein can perform its function, and many proteins often require the assistance of molecular chaperones to reach or return to their natural state after folding or inactivation at high temperatures. Most mitochondrial proteins are synthesized on cytosolic ribosomes, and then imported, across IMS, into mitochondria. As mitochondrial IMS is an oxidative environment, proteins therein are likely to confront with adverse conditions emanating from the respiratory chain. These proteins could play a wide range of and critical functions. Therefore, protection of these IMS proteins should be essential for maintaining an optimal function of mitochondria. However, few protective molecular chaperones were found in the mitochondrial IMS. In an article published by Dr. Liu Xingguo and his partners at Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, these researchers stated: “Short-form OPA1 is a molecular chaperone in mitochondrial intermembrane space.” The researchers revealed in the study, which was published in the Science China life sciences, that the soluble short-chain protein (S-OPA1) sheared at the IMS under stress conditions, serves as a molecular chaperone and is used to maintain the proteostasis of the IMS. The S-OPA1 protein was first purified in vitro, showing that it protected substrate proteins from thermal and chemically induced aggregation and improved bacterial resistance to thermal stimulation. The researchers further determined that S-OPA1 protects mitochondrial IMS proteins under heat shock by using OPA1 knockout cells and S-OPA1overexpressed cells and combined with mass spectrometry and immunoprecipitation techniques identified neurolysin as one of its protective proteins. This new function of S-OPA1 may contribute to sustain mitochondrial homeostasis. This research was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFA0106300), the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA16030505). See the article: Yao, D., Y. Li, S. Zeng, Z. Li, Z. Shah, B. Song, J. Liu, Y. Wu, L. Yang, Q. Long, W. Wang, Z. Hu, H. Tang, & X. Liu* (2021) Short-form OPA1 is a molecular chaperone in mitochondrial intermembrane space. SCIENCE CHINA Life Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-021-1962-0 Science China Life Sciences 10.1007/s11427-021-1962-0	10.1007/s11427-021-1962-0	2,021	Science China Life Sciences	Short-form OPA1 is a molecular chaperone in mitochondrial intermembrane space	Mitochondria, double-membrane organelles, are known to participate in a variety of metabolic and signal transduction pathways. The intermembrane space (IMS) of mitochondria is proposed to subject to multiple damages emanating from the respiratory chain. The optic atrophy 1 (OPA1), an important protein for mitochondrial fusion, is cleaved into soluble short-form (S-OPA1) under stresses. Here we report that S-OPA1 could function as a molecular chaperone in IMS. We purified the S-OPA1 (amino acid sequence after OPA1 isoform 5 S1 site) protein and showed it protected substrate proteins from thermally and chemically induced aggregation and strengthened the thermotolerance of Escherichia coli (E. coli). We also showed that S-OPA1 conferred thermotolerance on IMS proteins, e.g., neurolysin. The chaperone activity of S-OPA1 may be required for maintaining IMS homeostasis in mitochondria.
853849	Study points to new weapon in fight against lethal fungi	Monash University researchers have gained insights into how nanoparticles could develop a biosensor to prevent deadly diseases contracted on medical equipment, such as catheters. Candida albicans can become a serious problem for people who are seriously ill or immune-suppressed. Researchers at Monash University have gained insights into how nanoparticles could be used to identify the presence of invasive and sometimes deadly microbes, and deliver targeted treatments more effectively. This study was conducted as an interdisciplinary collaboration between microbiologists, immunologists and engineers led by Dr Simon Corrie from Monash University's Department of Chemical Engineering and Professor Ana Traven from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI). It was recently published in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Applied Interfaces and Material. Candida albicans, a commonly found microbe, can turn deadly when it colonises on devices such as catheters implanted in the human body. While commonly found in healthy people, this microbe can become a serious problem for those who are seriously ill or immune-suppressed. The microbe forms a biofilm when it colonises using, for example, a catheter as a source of infection. It then spreads into the bloodstream to infect internal organs. "The mortality rate in some patient populations can be as high as 30 to 40 per cent even if you treat people. When it colonises, it's highly resistant to anti-fungal treatments," Professor Traven said. "The idea is that if you can diagnose this infection early, then you can have a much bigger chance of treating it successfully with current anti-fungal drugs and stopping a full-blown systemic infection, but our current diagnostic methods are lacking. A biosensor to detect early stages of colonisation would be highly beneficial." The researchers investigated the effects of organosilica nanoparticles of different sizes, concentrations and surface coatings to see whether and how they interacted with both C. albicans and with immune cells in the blood. They found that the nanoparticles bound to fungal cells, but were non-toxic to them. "They don't kill the microbe, but we can make an anti-fungal particle by binding them to a known anti-fungal drug," Professor Traven said. The researchers also demonstrated that the particles associate with neutrophils - human white blood cells - in a similar way as they did with C. albicans, remaining noncytotoxic towards them. "We've identified that these nanoparticles, and by inference a number of different types of nanoparticles, can be made to be interactive with cells of interest," Dr Corrie said. "We can actually change the surface properties by attaching different things; thereby we can really change the interactions they have with these cells - that's quite significant." Dr Corrie said while nanoparticles were being investigated in the treatment of cancer, the use of nanoparticle-based technologies in infectious diseases lags behind the cancer nanomedicine field, despite the great potential for new treatments and diagnostics. "The other unique thing in this study is that rather than using cells grown in culture, we're also looking at how particles act in whole human blood and with neutrophils extracted from fresh human blood," he said. Professor Traven said the study had benefited greatly from interdisciplinary collaboration. "We've brought together labs with expertise in infection, microbiology and immunology with a lab that has expertise in engineering, to do state-of-the-art experiments," she said. ### First author in the study, PhD student Vidhishri Kesarwani, co-supervised by Dr Corrie and Professor Traven, crossed disciplinary boundaries highly effectively and was instrumental in the study. Professor Stephen Kent from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Melbourne developed the assays to investigate the association between nanoparticles and immune cells from fresh human blood. Read the full paper in ACS Applied Interfaces and Materials, titled Characterization of Key Bio-Nano Interactions between Organosilica Nanoparticles and Candida albicans. MEDIA ENQUIRIES Media Monash University T: +61 3 9903 4840 E: [email protected] For more Monash media stories, visit our news and events site	10.1021/acsami.9b10853	2,019	ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces	Characterization of Key Bio–Nano Interactions between Organosilica Nanoparticles and <i>Candida albicans</i>	Nanoparticle-cell interactions between silica nanomaterials and mammalian cells have been investigated extensively in the context of drug delivery, diagnostics, and imaging. While there are also opportunities for applications in infectious disease, the interactions of silica nanoparticles with pathogenic microbes are relatively underexplored. To bridge this knowledge gap, here, we investigate the effects of organosilica nanoparticles of different sizes, concentrations, and surface coatings on surface association and viability of the major human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. We show that uncoated and PEGylated organosilica nanoparticles associate with C. albicans in a size and concentration-dependent manner, but on their own, do not elicit antifungal activity. The particles are also shown to associate with human white blood cells, in a similar trend as observed with C. albicans, and remain noncytotoxic toward neutrophils. Smaller particles are shown to have low association with C. albicans in comparison to other sized particles and their association with blood cells was also observed to be minimal. We further demonstrate that by chemically immobilizing the clinically important echinocandin class antifungal drug, caspofungin, to PEGylated nanoparticles, the cell-material interaction changes from benign to antifungal, inhibiting C. albicans growth when provided in high local concentration on a surface. Our study provides the foundation for defining how organosilica particles could be tailored for clinical applications against C. albicans. Possible future developments include designing biomaterials that could detect, prevent, or treat bloodstream C. albicans infections, which at present have very high patient mortality.
495139	The propagation of admixture-derived evolutionary potential	Adaptive radiation - the rapid evolution of many new species from a single ancestor - is a major focus in evolutionary biology. Adaptive radiations often show remarkable repeatability where lineages have undergone multiple episodes of adaptive radiation in distant places and at various points in time - implying their extraordinary evolutionary potential. Now, researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology and Tohoku University have developed a novel "individual-based model" that simulates the evolution of an ecosystem of virtual organisms. This model reveals additional information about recurrent adaptive radiation and the role that hybridization plays in that process. Hybridization - the interbreeding of different species - generates extraordinary genetic variation by mixing and recombining genetic materials from different species. Then the enriched genetic variation can facilitate rapid adaptive radiation into various unoccupied habitats if available. However, hybridization generates large genetic variation locally and for a short period, meaning the simultaneous coexistence of hybridization and unoccupied habits is rare. Because of this, hybridization seemed unlikely to explain the recurrent adaptive radiation in the same lineage. Yet, a recent genomics study on adaptive radiations of East African cichlid fish caused researchers to reevaluate what they previously thought. The study discovered that a genetic variation generated through an ancient hybridization event permanently increased evolutionary potential of the descendant lineage and facilitated a recurrent adaptive radiation of the lineage in several geographically distant lakes - one of which started over 100000 years after the hybridization event. To address this theoretical conundrum, Kotaro Kagawa and his colleague Ole Seehausen used their individual-based model to simulate the evolutionary dynamics caused by hybridization under various geographic, ecological, and historical scenarios. Results from over 15000 simulations provided two theoretical findings. First, simulations showed that hybridization-derived genetic variation geographically spreads and persists for long periods only if the hybrid population becomes separated into isolated sub-lineages. Subsequent secondary hybridization of the sub-lineages can potentially reestablish genetic polymorphisms from the ancestral hybridization in places far from the birthplace of the hybrid-clade and long after the ancestral hybridization event. This leads to the second finding: genetic variation generated through a single hybridization event could lead to multiple independent episodes of adaptive radiation far apart in location and time when ecological and geographic conditions promote the temporal isolation and subsequent admixture of sub-lineages. "These findings provide not only an explanation for the recurrent adaptive radiation of African cichlids but also a novel insight that exceptional genetic variation, once generated through a rare hybridization event, may significantly influence clade-wide macroevolutionary trends ranging over large spatial and temporal scales," said Dr. Kagawa.	10.1098/rspb.2020.0941	2,020	Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences	The propagation of admixture-derived adaptive radiation potential	Adaptive radiations (ARs) frequently show remarkable repeatability where single lineages undergo multiple independent episodes of AR in distant places and long-separate time points. Genetic variation generated through hybridization between distantly related lineages can promote AR. This mechanism, however, requires rare coincidence in space and time between a hybridization event and opening of ecological opportunity, because hybridization generates large genetic variation only locally and it will persist only for a short period. Hence, hybridization seems unlikely to explain recurrent AR in the same lineage. Contrary to these expectations, our evolutionary computer simulations demonstrate that admixture variation can geographically spread and persist for long periods if the hybrid population becomes separated into isolated sub-lineages. Subsequent secondary hybridization of some of these can reestablish genetic polymorphisms from the ancestral hybridization in places far from the birthplace of the hybrid clade and long after the ancestral hybridization event. Consequently, simulations revealed conditions where exceptional genetic variation, once generated through a rare hybridization event, can facilitate multiple ARs exploiting ecological opportunities available at distant points in time and space.
659280	The parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium infects marine crustaceans	Announcing a new publication for Marine Life Science & Technology journal. In this review article the authors Caiwen Li, Meng Li and Qian Huang from Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China consider the impact of the parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium on aquaculture of marine crustaceans in China. Hematodinium is a type of parasitic dinoflagellate that infects marine crustaceans globally. The parasite lives mainly in the hemolymph or hemocoels of affected hosts, and results in mortalities due to malfunction or loss of functions of major organs. In recent years, the parasite has developed into an emerging epidemic pathogen not only affecting wild populations of economically valuable marine crustaceans in western countries but also the sustainable yield of aquaculture of major crabs in China. Epidemics of the parasitic disease have expanded recently in the coastal waters of China causing frequent outbreaks in aquaculture of major crab species, especially Portunus trituberculatus and Scylla paramamosain. The pathogen also infected two species of co-cultured shrimps and multiple cohabitating wild crabs, suggesting it is a significant threat to the sustainable culture of commercially valuable marine crustaceans. The polyculture system that is widely used along the coast of China may facilitate the spread and transmission of the pathogen. To provide a better understanding of the biological and ecological characteristics of the parasitic dinoflagellate and highlight important directions for future research, the authors of this article review the current knowledge on the taxonomy, life cycle, pathogenesis, transmission and epidemiology of Hematodinium spp. proposing ecological countermeasures for the prevention and control of this emerging infectious disease. ### Article reference: Caiwen Li, Meng Li and Qian Huang, The parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium infects marine crustaceans, Marine Life Science & Technology, 2020, ISSN 2662-1746, https://doi.org/10.1007/s42995-020-00061-z Keywords: Parasitic dinoflagellate, Diversity, Life cycle, Pathogenesis, Outbreak mechanism, Ecological control Marine Life Science & Technology (MLST) provides a platform that introduces new discoveries and theories associated with marine organisms, bioresources, and biotechnology. The journal is intended for marine scientists, biological oceanographers, conservation biologists, marine technologists, policy makers and legislators. Accordingly, we publish original research papers across a broad range of marine life sciences and technologies with an emphasis on synergistic interactions of multiple disciplines. Both theoretical and practical papers are welcome, including laboratory and field experimental studies relevant to marine life science and technology. Focused reviews, viewpoints, comments, and short communications are also accepted. As the journal's aim is to foster multidisciplinary approaches to marine sciences, authors are encouraged to emphasise the relevance of their work in relation across the journals key-disciplines. For more information, please visit https://www.springer.com/journal/42995/ Editorial Board: https://www.springer.com/journal/42995/editors MLST is available on SpringerLink (https://link.springer.com/journal/42995/volumes-and-issues). Submissions to MLST may be made using ScholarOne ManuscriptsTM (https://mc03.manuscriptcentral.com/mlst). Abstracted and indexed in: Astrophysics Data System (ADS) CNKI Dimensions EBSCO Discovery Service Google Scholar Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China Meta Naver OCLC WorldCat Discovery Service ProQuest-ExLibris Primo ProQuest-ExLibris Summon TD Net Discovery Service ISSN 2662-1746	10.1007/s42995-020-00061-z	2,021	Marine Life Science & Technology	The parasitic dinoflagellate Hematodinium infects marine crustaceans	Hematodinium is a type of parasitic dinoflagellate that infects marine crustaceans globally. The parasite lives mainly in the hemolymph or hemocoels of affected hosts, and results in mortalities due to malfunction or loss of functions of major organs. In recent years, the parasite had developed into an emerging epidemic pathogen not only affecting wild populations of economically valuable marine crustaceans in western countries but also the sustainable yield of aquaculture of major crabs in China. The epidemics of the parasitic diseases expanded recently in the coastal waters of China, and caused frequent outbreaks in aquaculture of major crab species, especially Portunus trituberculatus and Scylla paramamosain. In addition, the pathogen infected two species of co-cultured shrimps and multiple cohabitating wild crabs, implying it is a significant threat to the sustainable culture of commercially valuable marine crustaceans. In particular, the polyculture system that is widely used along the coast of China may facilitate the spread and transmission of the pathogen. Thus, to provide a better understanding of the biological and ecological characteristics of the parasitic dinoflagellate and highlight important directions for future research, we have reviewed the current knowledge on the taxonomy, life cycle, pathogenesis, transmission and epidemiology of Hematodinium spp. Moreover, ecological countermeasures have been proposed for the prevention and control of the emerging infectious disease.
838331	'Mini-placentas' could provide a model for early pregnancy	Researchers say that new 'mini-placentas' - a cellular model of the early stages of the placenta - could provide a window into early pregnancy and help transform our understanding of reproductive disorders. Details of this new research are published today in the journal Nature. Many pregnancies fail because the embryo does not implant correctly into the lining of the womb (uterus) and fails to form a placental attachment to the mother. Yet, because of the complexities of studying this early period of our development, very little is understood about what is happening normally and what can go wrong. Animals are too dissimilar to humans to provide a good model of placental development and implantation. "The placenta is absolutely essential for supporting the baby as it grows inside the mother," says Dr Margherita Turco, the study's first author, from the Departments of Pathology and Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. "When it doesn't function properly, it can result in serious problems, from pre-eclampsia to miscarriage, with immediate and lifelong consequences for both mother and child. But our knowledge of this important organ is very limited because of a lack of good experimental models." Efforts to grow human placental cells started over 30 years ago in the Pathology department where Professors Ashley Moffett and Charlie Loke were studying cellular events in the first few weeks of pregnancy. With their chief technician, Lucy Gardner, they found ways to isolate and characterise placental trophoblast cells. These techniques, combined with the organoid culture system, enabled the generation of miniature functional models of the early placenta - or 'mini-placentas'. In the past few years, a new field of research has blossomed that uses these organoids - often referred to as 'mini-organs' - enabling insights into human biology and disease. At the University of Cambridge, one of the world leaders in organoid research, scientists are using organoid cultures to grow everything from 'mini-brains' to 'mini-livers' to 'mini-lungs'. In a study funded by Wellcome and the Centre for Trophoblast Research, the Cambridge team was able to grow organoids using cells from villi - tiny frond-like structures - taken from placental tissue. These trophoblast organoids are able to survive long-term, are genetically stable and organise into villous-like structures that secrete essential proteins and hormones that would affect the mother's metabolism during the pregnancy. Further analysis showed that the organoids closely resemble normal first-trimester placentas. In fact, the organoids so closely model the early placenta that they are able to record a positive response on an over-the-counter pregnancy test. Professor Graham Burton, a co-author and Director of the Centre for Trophoblast Research, which last year celebrated its tenth anniversary, says: "These 'mini-placentas' build on decades of research and we believe they will transform work in this field. They will play an important role in helping us investigate events that happen during the earliest stages of pregnancy and yet have profound consequences for the life-long health of the mother and her offspring. The placenta supplies all the oxygen and nutrients essential for growth of the fetus, and if it fails to develop properly the pregnancy can sadly end with a low birthweight baby or even a stillbirth." In addition, the organoids may shed light on other mysteries surrounding the relationships between the placenta, the uterus and the fetus: why, for example, is the placenta able to prevent some infections passing from the mother's blood to the fetus while others, such as Zika virus, are able to pass through this barrier? The organoids may also be used for screening the safety of drugs to be used in early pregnancy, to understand how chromosomal abnormalities may perturb normal development, and possibly even provide stem cell therapies for failing pregnancies. Last year, the same team supported by Cambridge's Centre for Trophoblast Research reported growing miniature functional models of the uterine lining. "Now that we've developed organoid models of both sides of the interface - maternal tissue and placental tissue - we can start to look at how these two sides talk to each other," adds Professor Ashley Moffett. Professor Moffett also co-directed a recent study published in Nature that used genomics and bioinformatics approaches to map over 70,000 single cells at the junction of the uterus and placenta. This study revealed how the cells talk to each other to modify the immune response and enable the pregnancy, presenting new and unexpected cell states in the uterus and placenta, and showing which genes are switched on in each cell.	10.1038/s41586-018-0753-3	2,018	Nature	Trophoblast organoids as a model for maternal–fetal interactions during human placentation	The placenta is the extraembryonic organ that supports the fetus during intrauterine life. Although placental dysfunction results in major disorders of pregnancy with immediate and lifelong consequences for the mother and child, our knowledge of the human placenta is limited owing to a lack of functional experimental models1. After implantation, the trophectoderm of the blastocyst rapidly proliferates and generates the trophoblast, the unique cell type of the placenta. In vivo, proliferative villous cytotrophoblast cells differentiate into two main sub-populations: syncytiotrophoblast, the multinucleated epithelium of the villi responsible for nutrient exchange and hormone production, and extravillous trophoblast cells, which anchor the placenta to the maternal decidua and transform the maternal spiral arteries2. Here we describe the generation of long-term, genetically stable organoid cultures of trophoblast that can differentiate into both syncytiotrophoblast and extravillous trophoblast. We used human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing to confirm that the organoids were derived from the fetus, and verified their identities against four trophoblast-specific criteria3. The cultures organize into villous-like structures, and we detected the secretion of placental-specific peptides and hormones, including human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) and pregnancy-specific glycoprotein (PSG) by mass spectrometry. The organoids also differentiate into HLA-G+ extravillous trophoblast cells, which vigorously invade in three-dimensional cultures. Analysis of the methylome reveals that the organoids closely resemble normal first trimester placentas. This organoid model will be transformative for studying human placental development and for investigating trophoblast interactions with the local and systemic maternal environment.
542341	Hydrogen production: This is how green algae assemble their enzymes	Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum have analysed how green algae manufacture complex components of a hydrogen-producing enzyme. The enzyme, known as the hydrogenase, may be relevant for the biotechnological production of hydrogen. To date, little is known about the way organisms form this type of hydrogenases under natural conditions. Using novel synthetic biology methods, the team around Dr Anne Sawyer, PhD student Yu Bai, assistant professor Dr Anja Hemschemeier and Prof Dr Thomas Happe from the Bochum-based research group Photobiotechnology, discovered that a specific protein machinery in the green algal chloroplasts is required for the production of a functional hydrogenase. The researchers published their findings in "The Plant Journal". Complex structure The team worked with the single-cell alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. These organisms have a specific protein machinery in different regions of the cells that assembles enzymes - e.g. in the photosynthesis-conducting chloroplasts and in the cell fluid, i.e. the cytoplasm. One enzyme that requires such assembly is the HYDA1 enzyme, which contains a complex cofactor, which is the area inside the enzyme where the actual hydrogen production takes place. The cofactor consists of a cluster of four iron and four sulphur atoms; a configuration frequently found in enzymes. What is unusual, however, is that a second cluster of two additional iron atoms binds to it for the hydrogen catalysis. Special protein machinery necessary Happe, Sawyer and their colleagues intended to identify the elements necessary for producing the cofactor in the living cell. They introduced hydrogenase precursors in different regions of the green algal cell, namely in the chloroplast and the cytoplasm. The protein machinery in the chloroplast was the only one capable of assembling a functioning hydrogenase. The machinery in the cytoplasm couldn't produce the complex cofactor. Bacterial enzyme in green algae In a subsequent test, the researchers implanted the blueprint of a bacterial hydrogenase in the green algal genome. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii used it to produce a functional enzyme that efficiently generated hydrogen. "Based on these findings, we can develop biotechnological methods, in order to achieve efficient hydrogen production in green algae," says Happe. "We now know that the machinery that assembles enzymes in the chloroplasts is unique and irreplaceable." ###	10.1111/tpj.13535	2,017	The Plant Journal	Compartmentalisation of [FeFe]‐hydrogenase maturation in <i>Chlamydomonas reinhardtii</i>	Molecular hydrogen (H2 ) can be produced in green microalgae by [FeFe]-hydrogenases as a direct product of photosynthesis. The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii hydrogenase HYDA1 contains a catalytic site comprising a classic [4Fe4S] cluster linked to a unique 2Fe sub-cluster. From in vitro studies it appears that the [4Fe4S] cluster is incorporated first by the housekeeping FeS cluster assembly machinery, followed by the 2Fe sub-cluster, whose biosynthesis requires the specific maturases HYDEF and HYDG. To investigate the maturation process in vivo, we expressed HYDA1 from the C. reinhardtii chloroplast and nuclear genomes (with and without a chloroplast transit peptide) in a hydrogenase-deficient mutant strain, and examined the cellular enzymatic hydrogenase activity, as well as in vivo H2 production. The transformants expressing HYDA1 from the chloroplast genome displayed levels of H2 production comparable to the wild type, as did the transformants expressing full-length HYDA1 from the nuclear genome. In contrast, cells equipped with cytoplasm-targeted HYDA1 produced inactive enzyme, which could only be activated in vitro after reconstitution of the [4Fe4S] cluster. This indicates that the HYDA1 FeS cluster can only be built by the chloroplastic FeS cluster assembly machinery. Further, the expression of a bacterial hydrogenase gene, CPI, from the C. reinhardtii chloroplast genome resulted in H2 -producing strains, demonstrating that a hydrogenase with a very different structure can fulfil the role of HYDA1 in vivo and that overexpression of foreign hydrogenases in C. reinhardtii is possible. All chloroplast transformants were stable and no toxic effects were seen from HYDA1 or CPI expression.
738024	Enigmatic African fossils rewrite story of when lemurs got to Madagascar	Discovered more than half a century ago in Kenya and sitting in museum storage ever since, the roughly 20-million-year-old fossil Propotto leakeyi was long classified as a fruit bat. Now, it's helping researchers rethink the early evolution of lemurs, distant primate cousins of humans that today are only found on the island of Madagascar, some 250 miles off the eastern coast of Africa. The findings could rewrite the story of just when and how they got to the island. In a study to be published August 21 in the journal Nature Communications, researchers have re-examined Propotto's fossilized remains and suggest that the strange creature wasn't a bat, but an ancient relative of the aye-aye, the bucktoothed nocturnal primate that represents one of the earliest branches of the lemur family tree. The reassessment challenges a long-held view that today's 100-some lemur species descended from ancestors that made their way to Madagascar in a single wave more than 60 million years ago, becoming some of the first mammals to colonize the island. Instead, the study lends support to the idea that two lineages of lemurs split in Africa before coming to Madagascar. One lineage eventually led to the aye-aye, and the other to all other lemurs. There are no lemurs left on mainland Africa. These ancestors then colonized Madagascar independently, and millions of years later than once believed. "One implication is that lemurs have had a much less extensive evolutionary history on Madagascar than was previously thought," said study co-author Erik Seiffert, professor of anatomy at the University of Southern California. When Propotto was first described in the 1960s, experts didn't agree about what they were looking at. They didn't have a lot to go on: just three lower jaw bones, each barely an inch long, and a handful of teeth less than three millimeters across. In 1967, paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson inspected the fragments and classified the specimen as a previously unknown member of the loris family, nocturnal primates with enormous eyes. But a colleague named Alan Walker took a look and thought otherwise, eventually convincing Simpson that the bones belonged to a bat. For nearly half a century the creature's identity appeared to have been settled, until 2016, when another paleontologist, the late Gregg Gunnell of Duke University, began taking a fresh look at the fossil. To Gunnell's eye, the creature's hind teeth were more reminiscent of a primate than a bat. He also noted the stump of a broken front tooth, just visible in cross section, which would have jutted out from its mouth like a dagger--a trait only known in aye-ayes, the only living primates with rodent-like teeth. "Gregg wrote to us and said, 'Tell me I'm crazy,'" Seiffert said. To verify Propotto's place in the primate family tree, Seiffert and Steven Heritage of Duke's Division of Fossil Primates analyzed more than 395 anatomical features and 79 genes for 125 mammal species, living and extinct. With help from Doug Boyer, associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke, the team also compiled microCT scans of the lower molars of 42 living and extinct mammal groups, including bats, treeshrews and primates. They then used a computer program to compare the bumps, pits and ridges on the scans of Propotto's teeth to those of other animals. The researchers found that Propotto shared a number of features with a similarly buck-toothed primate that lived 34 million years ago in Egypt called Plesiopithecus, and that both were ancient relatives of the aye-aye. In the new study, Seiffert, Gunnell and colleagues propose that the ancestors of aye-ayes split from the rest of the lemur family tree roughly 40 million years ago, while still on the African continent, and the resulting two lineages didn't make their separate ways to Madagascar until later. The findings suggest they arrived around the same time as other mammals, such as rodents, Malagasy mongooses and hedgehog- and shrew-like animals called tenrecs. Frogs, snakes and lizards may have made the trip around the same time. Lemurs can't swim, so some scientists hypothesize that the small-bodied creatures crossed the 250-mile-wide channel that lies between Africa and Madagascar after being swept out to sea in a storm, by holding on to tree limbs or floating mats of vegetation before finally washing ashore. But if the arrival were more recent, they might have had a shorter distance to travel, thanks to lower sea levels when the Antarctic ice sheet was much larger. "It's possible that lemurs weren't in Madagascar at all until maybe the Miocene," as recently as 23 million years ago, Boyer said. "Some of the lowest sea levels were also during this time," Heritage said. Either way, "the fossils tell us something we never could have guessed from the DNA evidence about the history of lemurs on Madagascar," Boyer said. ### See 3-D digital reconstructions of the original Propotto fossils at https://www.morphosource.org/Detail/ProjectDetail/Show/project_id/339. This research was supported by the Leakey Foundation and grants from the National Science Foundation (BCS-0416164, BCS733 0819186, BCS-1231288, BCS-1440742, DBI-1458192, BCS-1552848, BCS-1127164, BCS-1638796). CITATION: "Fossil Lemurs From Egypt and Kenya Suggest an African Origin for Madagascar's Aye-Aye," Gregg F. Gunnell, Doug M. Boyer, Anthony R. Friscia, Steven Heritage, Fredrick Kyalo Manthi, Ellen R. Miller, Hesham M. Sallam, Nancy B. Simmons, Nancy J. Stevens, Erik R. Seiffert. Nature Communications, August 21, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-05648-w	10.1038/s41467-018-05648-w	2,018	Nature Communications	Fossil lemurs from Egypt and Kenya suggest an African origin for Madagascar’s aye-aye	In 1967 G.G. Simpson described three partial mandibles from early Miocene deposits in Kenya that he interpreted as belonging to a new strepsirrhine primate, Propotto. This interpretation was quickly challenged, with the assertion that Propotto was not a primate, but rather a pteropodid fruit bat. The latter interpretation has not been questioned for almost half a century. Here we re-evaluate the affinities of Propotto, drawing upon diverse lines of evidence to establish that this strange mammal is a strepsirrhine primate as originally suggested by Simpson. Moreover, our phylogenetic analyses support the recognition of Propotto, together with late Eocene Plesiopithecus from Egypt, as African stem chiromyiform lemurs that are exclusively related to the extant aye-aye (Daubentonia) from Madagascar. Our results challenge the long-held view that all lemurs are descended from a single ancient colonization of Madagascar, and present an intriguing alternative scenario in which two lemur lineages dispersed from Africa to Madagascar independently, possibly during the later Cenozoic.
604259	Tracing the footprints of a tumor: Genomic 'scars' allow cancer profiling	When a cell develops into a tumor, something has gone terribly wrong: the uncontrolled growth, invasion of nearby tissues and finally metastasis are the result of many consecutive DNA mutations. Such an accumulation of demolished genetic material often derives from initial environmental exposures, enzymatic activities or defects in DNA replication or DNA repair mechanisms. Each of those initial mutagenic conditions creates their own pattern of DNA damage called mutational signature. Deciphering them could theoretically allow us to trace back the initial cause of a tumor, profile its properties and help find a therapeutic strategy. However, reading those mutational signatures in tumor samples is a difficult task, as the large amount of mutations that a patient acquires during its lifetime create a noisy and uncontrolled system - even the best clinical data will, at most, provide only associations. Therefore, the group of Joanna Loizou, Principal Investigator at the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, in collaboration with researchers from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, developed an experimental setup to validate the concept of mutational signatures in cell culture. In special human cell lines, optimized for genome editing, the researchers destroyed nine different genes - one gene per cell line - for DNA repair using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. Subsequently, they cultivated single cells from each of those nine experiments and allowed them to proliferate for one month. Eventually, the scientists analyzed the entirety of mutations that accumulated over this time period in the cell line deriving from the single progenitor that lacks a specific DNA repair gene. With specially developed computational methods, they were able to find the genomic scars that a missing DNA repair gene left in the genome of the affected cells - they were almost identical to mutational signatures found in cancer cells. "Our results validate mutational signatures across all classes of mutations", Joanna Loizou summarizes the findings. "For the first time, this theoretical concept was confirmed in a highly controlled experimental setup". However, a single gene defect is not restricted to only one mutational signature, Loizou adds: "We found that some defects in DNA repair genes engender multiple mutational signatures of different classes". The converse is also true, as Michel Owusu, PhD Student in Loizou's laboratory and co-first author of the paper explains: "A mutational signature may not necessarily reflect a defect of one gene, as it could also arise through the malfunctioning of another related gene involved in the affected DNA repair mechanism". The findings of this study not only confirm an analytical principle that describes mutational processes and cancer development, mutational signatures are a direct mechanistic read-out of specific dysfunctions of a cell. Thus, even if the underlying gene defect is unknown, mutational signatures could be used as biomarkers for the molecular characterization of tumors - a new diagnostic tool to improve the precise and personalized treatment of cancer. ### Attached pictures: 1) Hap1 Cells stained for different DNA damages (yellow = antibody against phosphorilated ATM; red = antibody against 53BP1; a regulator of NHEJ; blue = DAPI = DNA) © Michel Owusu / CeMM; The study "Validating the concept of mutational signatures with isogenic cell models" was published in Nature Communications 9 on May 1st, 2018. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04052-8. Authors: Xueqing Zou, Michel Owusu, Rebecca Harris, Stephen P. Jackson, Joanna I. Loizou#, Serena Nik-Zainal# (*These authors contributed equally to this work # Corresponding authors) The study was funded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the European Commission (Marie-Curie Career Integration Grant), the Austrian Science Fund FWF and the Wellcome Trust. Joanna Loizou received her Ph.D. at the University of Manchester and Sussex with Keith Caldecott, and carried out post-doctoral research at the International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France with Zhao-Qi Wang and Zdenko Herceg and later at the London Research Institute, CRUK, England with Axel Behrens. She joined CeMM in 2011. http://cemm.at/research/groups/joanna-i-loizou-group/ The mission of CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences is to achieve maximum scientific innovation in molecular medicine to improve healthcare. At CeMM, an international and creative team of scientists and medical doctors pursues free-minded basic life science research in a large and vibrant hospital environment of outstanding medical tradition and practice. CeMM's research is based on post-genomic technologies and focuses on societally important diseases, such as immune disorders and infections, cancer and metabolic disorders. CeMM operates in a unique mode of super-cooperation, connecting biology with medicine, experiments with computation, discovery with translation, and science with society and the arts. The goal of CeMM is to pioneer the science that nurtures the precise, personalized, predictive and preventive medicine of the future. CeMM trains a modern blend of biomedical scientists and is located at the campus of the General Hospital and the Medical University of Vienna. http://www.cemm.at For further information please contact Mag. Wolfgang Däuble Media Relations Manager Phone +43-1/40160-70 057 Fax +43-1/40160-970 000 [email protected] http://www.cemm.at CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences Lazarettgasse 14, AKH BT 25.3 1090 Vienna, Austria	10.1038/s41467-018-04052-8	2,018	Nature Communications	Validating the concept of mutational signatures with isogenic cell models	Abstract The diversity of somatic mutations in human cancers can be decomposed into individual mutational signatures, patterns of mutagenesis that arise because of DNA damage and DNA repair processes that have occurred in cells as they evolved towards malignancy. Correlations between mutational signatures and environmental exposures, enzymatic activities and genetic defects have been described, but human cancers are not ideal experimental systems—the exposures to different mutational processes in a patient’s lifetime are uncontrolled and any relationships observed can only be described as an association. Here, we demonstrate the proof-of-principle that it is possible to recreate cancer mutational signatures in vitro using CRISPR-Cas9-based gene-editing experiments in an isogenic human-cell system. We provide experimental and algorithmic methods to discover mutational signatures generated under highly experimentally-controlled conditions. Our in vitro findings strikingly recapitulate in vivo observations of cancer data, fundamentally validating the concept of (particularly) endogenously-arising mutational signatures.
978950	Sugar consumption and early interruption of breastfeeding are risk factors for dental caries in infancy	A study involving 800 children shows inclusion of sugar in their diet and early interruption of breastfeeding to be the main factors that contribute to the appearance of dental caries by age 2. An article reporting the results is published in the journal Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life, followed by solid food together with continued on-demand breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond. It also advises against giving infants added sugar before age 2. The study was part of a Thematic Project entitled “MINA study: Maternal and child health in Acre: birth cohort in the Western Brazilian Amazon”, which tracks children born in 2015-16 in Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre state, Brazil, with FAPESP’s support (read more at: agencia.fapesp.br/38866). “Some previous studies pointed to an association between extended breastfeeding [for 12 months or more] and the occurrence of dental caries, but without properly accounting for the role of early added sugar consumption by these children. Our research found the increased risk of caries in the context of extended breastfeeding to correlate with sugar consumption,” said Marly Augusto Cardoso, principal investigator for the project. Cardoso is a professor at the University of São Paulo’s School of Public Health (FSP-USP). “The results corroborate prior research findings on the role of free sugar in the development of dental caries. Breast milk lactose alone doesn’t cause the problem. Practically all the children surveyed by our study were exposed to free sugar at an early age,” said Jenny Abanto, first author of the article. The study was conducted during her postdoctoral fellowship at FSP-USP’s Department of Epidemiology. Currently, she is a professor at São Leopoldo Mandic Dental School in São Paulo. Dental caries were found in 22.8% of the 800 children tracked. In isolation, this proportion means children breastfed for more than 24 months ran a higher risk than those breastfed for 12 months or less. However, the incidence of dental caries declined in line with falling sugar consumption in the former. “We observed that breastfeeding for 24 months reduced consumption of ultra-processed foods or foods with added sugar, acting as a factor of protection against dental caries,” Cardoso said. Information about food consumption was obtained from interviews in which mothers or carers described what the babies had eaten in the previous 24 hours. The amount of sugar added to various kinds of food and drink, such as tea, juice, milk and pap, for example, was also recorded. Only 2.8% never consumed sugar before their second birthday, and 66.7% consumed food with added sugar more than five times a day. Only 7.6% consumed no added sugar at all in the first year of their lives. The frequency of dental caries varied with household income, educational attainment and the mother’s or carer’s skin color. It was highest for children of Black women in low-income families and with less schooling. Milk teeth High sugar consumption results in the formation of a cariogenic dental biofilm, known as bacterial plaque. Breast milk is modified by plaque and contributes to demineralization of tooth enamel, but sugar consumption triggers this process. The frequency with which plaque is exposed to breast milk is probably the main factor in the heightened risk of dental caries observed in breastfed children over 12 months of age. “Even if the teeth affected are deciduous or milk teeth, dietary habits such as consuming large amounts of sugar in infancy tend to become permanent and pose the risk of dental caries developing later in life. Other studies have also shown that having dental caries in infancy usually means having them in adolescence, too,” said Abanto, who is also a professor at the International University of Catalonia (UIC Barcelona) in Spain. Dietary habits are rooted in infancy, she added, and the foods to which babies become accustomed influence their lifelong preferences. This is one more reason to avoid sugar consumption in the first 24 months of a baby’s life. Even 100% fruit juice is currently discouraged in the first 12 months by the WHO, Brazil’s Health Ministry and the Brazilian Society of Pediatricians. It may not contain added sugar, but the natural sugar in fruit is separated from the fiber when it is crushed, and this free sugar has similar effects to sucrose from sugarcane, for example. The WHO’s guidelines do not discourage consumption of whole fresh fruit and vegetables by infants, however. “The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and advocates continued on-demand breastfeeding until age 2, introducing fruit and other solid foods from the age of six months. It also advises against added sugar until age 2,” Cardoso said. About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe. Community Dentistry And Oral Epidemiology 10.1111/cdoe.12813 People Prolonged breastfeeding, sugar consumption and dental caries at 2 years of age: A birth cohort study 15-Nov-2022	10.1111/cdoe.12813	2,022	Community Dentistry And Oral Epidemiology	Prolonged breastfeeding, sugar consumption and dental caries at 2 years of age: A birth cohort study	Abstract Objectives Previous cohort studies have found a positive association between prolonged breastfeeding (≥12 months) on dental caries, but few of them analysed the mediated effect of sugar consumption on this association. This study investigated whether prolonged breastfeeding is a risk factor for caries at 2‐year follow‐up assessment (21–27 months of age) and whether this effect is mediated by sugar consumption. Methods A birth cohort study was performed in the Brazilian Amazon ( n = 800). Dental caries was assessed using the dmf‐t index. Prolonged breastfeeding was the main exposure. Data on baseline covariables and sugar consumption at follow‐up visits were analysed. We estimated the OR for total causal effect (TCE) and natural indirect effect (NIE) of prolonged breastfeeding on dental caries using the G‐formula. Results The prevalence of caries was 22.8% (95% CI: 19.8%–25.8%). Children who were breastfed for 12–23 months (TCE = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.05–1.20) and for ≥24 months (TCE = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.14–1.40) presented a higher risk of caries at age of 2 years than those breastfed <12 months. However, this risk was slightly mediated by a decreased frequency of sugar consumption at age of 2 years only for breastfeeding from 12 to 23 months (NIE; OR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91–0.97). Conclusions In this study, the effect of prolonged breastfeeding on the increased risk of dental caries was slightly mediated by sugar consumption. Early feeding practices for caries prevention and promoting breastfeeding while avoiding sugar consumption should be targeted in the first 2 years of life.
806241	Study: Black and white kids faring equally in subsidized housing	Once-formidable disparities between black and white families living in subsidized housing have largely vanished, and black and white children who grew up in such housing fared similarly in school, jobs and earnings, a new Johns Hopkins University study found. One troubling difference remains, however, between black and white families in assisted housing -- neighborhood quality. Black families getting subsidized housing are about nine time more likely than whites to live in segregated, impoverished neighborhoods, the study found. The study, which looks at whether racial disparities in assisted housing have changed over 40 years, and compares the fate of black and white children who grew up in those households during the 2000s, was published in the latest issue of the journal Housing Policy Debate. It suggests public housing agencies have made strides in addressing racial inequality, but that reducing residential segregation and concentrated poverty will require policy and attitude changes. "Earlier work suggested blacks were treated differently in assisted housing, but this new evidence suggests we're not seeing that anymore," Johns Hopkins researcher C. Scott Holupka said. Sandra J. Newman, a Johns Hopkins public policy professor, and Holupka combined data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, an ongoing study of U.S. households, with records from both the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census. For the part of the study looking at racial disparities in assisted housing, Newman and Holupka considered households with at least one child younger than 18 in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. To examine child outcomes, they looked at young people who had a least one stint in assisted housing between 2001 and 2007 when they were between the ages of 10 and 17. The researchers then looked at the same subjects' education, employment and income in 2011, when the pool had reached 20 to 26 years old. Over four decades, once-stark racial differences in the prevalence of blacks and whites in the three main types of subsidized housing -- public housing, multifamily housing or using a voucher - had largely disappeared, the study found. In the 1970s, black families receiving housing assistance were twice as likely as white households to live in public housing, 62 percent to 32 percent. In the 1980s, the disparity was even worse -- 50 percent to 25 percent. But by the 2000s, black and white families had essentially an equal chance of living in each type of assisted housing. The newfound parity can be attributed, in part, to greater reliance on housing vouchers, which are used to rent housing in the private rental market; the movement away from building dense, high-rise, public housing "projects;" and recent policy changes that advance fair housing, the researchers say. The quality of the neighborhoods these families lived in remained the one clear racial difference in the 2000s. Roughly 34 percent of black households with children who moved into assisted housing during this decade lived in areas defined by neighborhood poverty, low housing values and a large minority population, compared with only 4 percent of white households with children. The most disadvantaged black families were two-thirds more likely to live in this type of neighborhood than other black households. Although black children who lived in higher quality assisted housing neighborhoods tend to have higher rates of high school graduation, to earn more, and to work more hours in young adulthood than those who lived in poorer-quality assisted housing neighborhoods, the most important predictor by far of their life-chances was their family background, Newman and Holupka found. "While black and white families have access to the same quality housing units, where that housing is located is a much harder problem to resolve -- we need to fix the structural causes of geographic imbalance," Newman said. ###	10.1080/10511482.2017.1311275	2,017	Housing Policy Debate	Race and Assisted Housing	This article explores racial disparities between assisted housing outcomes of black and white and white households with children. We compare the assisted housing occupied by black and white households with children, and examine whether young adult education, employment, and earnings outcomes in 2011 differ between blacks and whites who spent part of their childhood in assisted housing in the 2000s. We use a special version of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) that has been address-matched to federally assisted housing, and the PSID's Transition to Adulthood supplement, along with geocode-matched data from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), CoreLogic real estate data, and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Statistical methods include difference in means, logit and general linear models. We find no evidence of racial disparities in the type of assisted housing program, the physical quality of project-based developments, or the management of public housing developments in the 2000 decade. But black households with children are more likely to live in assisted housing that is located in poorer quality neighborhoods. Multivariate tests reveal that the worse outcomes of black young adults compared with whites disappear once socioeconomic differences are taken into account. The discrepancy in assisted housing neighborhood quality experienced by black and white children makes no additional contribution to predicting young adult outcomes. Nonetheless, black children living in relatively better assisted housing neighborhoods tend to have better outcomes in young adulthood than those who live in poorer quality assisted housing neighborhoods. We discuss sources of racial disparity in neighborhood quality, and the policies enacted and proposed to address it.
956739	An engaging leadership style may boost employee engagement	A new analysis suggests that a particular leadership style dubbed “engaging leadership” can boost employees’ engagement and enhance team effectiveness within the workplace. Greta Mazzetti of the University of Bologna, Italy, and Wilmar Schaufeli of Utrecht University in the Netherlands present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on June 29, 2022. An employee who is engaged typically has a positive state of mind relating to their work and shows vigor, dedication, and absorption in their work. Previous research suggests that more engaged employees tend to have greater well-being and better job performance. Previous research also suggests that a certain style of leadership known as engaging leadership—involving leaders who fulfill employees’ need for autonomy, feeling competent, and feeling cared for—may boost employee engagement. However, most studies of workplace leadership styles have focused on a single point in time, without analyzing potential effects over time. To provide new insights, Mazzetti and Schaufeli explored the impact of an engaged leadership style on work engagement and team effectiveness of 1,048 employees across 90 teams within a Dutch workplace. Participants each took two surveys, one year apart, which included questions about their supervisors’ level of engaging leadership, their own work engagement, and other personal and team characteristics. Statistical analysis of the responses suggests that supervisors perceived as engaged leaders in the initial survey did indeed enhance employee engagement as captured in the second survey. This impact appeared to occur via a boost in employees’ personal psychological resources of optimism, resiliency, self-efficacy, and flexibility—these results are in line with evidence from previous studies. Similarly, engaged leaders appeared to enhance team effectiveness by boosting team resources, which consisted of performance feedback, trust in management, communication, and participation in decision-making. Team resources also appeared to affect individual employee engagement. These findings support the use of engaging leadership to boost employee engagement and team effectiveness in the workplace. Future research could compare the effects of engaging leadership versus other leadership styles on employees and teams over time. The authors add: “A leader who inspires, strengthens and connects team members fosters a shared perception of available resources (in terms of performance feedback, trust in management, communication, and participation in decision-making), and a greater psychological capital (i.e., self-efficacy, optimism, resilience, and flexibility).”	10.1371/journal.pone.0269433	2,022	PLoS ONE	The impact of engaging leadership on employee engagement and team effectiveness: A longitudinal, multi-level study on the mediating role of personal- and team resources	Most research on the effect of leadership behavior on employees' well-being and organizational outcomes is based on leadership frameworks that are not rooted in sound psychological theories of motivation and are limited to either an individual or organizational levels of analysis. The current paper investigates whether individual and team resources explain the impact of engaging leadership on work engagement and team effectiveness, respectively. Data were collected at two time points on N = 1,048 employees nested within 90 work teams. The Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling results revealed that personal resources (i.e., optimism, resiliency, self-efficacy, and flexibility) partially mediated the impact of T1 individual perceptions of engaging leadership on T2 work engagement. Furthermore, joint perceptions of engaging leadership among team members at T1 resulted in greater team effectiveness at T2. This association was fully mediated by team resources (i.e., performance feedback, trust in management, communication, and participation in decision-making). Moreover, team resources had a significant cross-level effect on individual levels of engagement. In practical terms, training and supporting leaders who inspire, strengthen, and connect their subordinates could significantly improve employees' motivation and involvement and enable teams to pursue their common goals successfully.
966348	Time-restricted eating reduces cardiovascular health risks associated with shift work for firefighters	Shift work has been linked to a number of health problems, including higher rates of diabetes, heart attacks, and other cardiometabolic diseases. But despite the known risks, little research has been done to identify lifestyle interventions that could help prevent these concerns. A new randomized, controlled clinical trial, published October 4 in Cell Metabolism, found that time-restricted eating (TRE) could be safely practiced in shift workers. Additionally, the researchers found that TRE provided benefits to participants who had indications of cardiometabolic disease. Called the Healthy Heroes Study, the intervention focused on San Diego firefighters. “Shift work is much more common than many people think, affecting workers in a range of different fields as well as parents of newborn babies,” says co-corresponding author Satchidananda Panda, a professor at the Salk Institute and holder of the Rita and Richard Atkinson Chair. “Not only does shift work contribute to an increased burden of disease in our society, but it makes it hard for people with existing conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease to manage them.” “Within the confines of shift work, there are many lifestyle interventions that can potentially optimize the health of shift workers,” says co-corresponding author Pam Taub, a cardiologist and professor in the University of California San Diego School of Medicine’s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. “However, there are very few research studies on this population. Our study sheds light on one way that we can help this population.” Panda and Taub have collaborated on research into TRE for several years. In January 2020, they published a study in Cell Metabolism that found that restricting the time of eating to 10 hours a day reduced body weight and improved blood pressure and cholesterol levels in people with metabolic syndrome. In the current study, they focused on TRE in shift workers. The trial recruited San Diego firefighters, who work 24-hour shifts. There were 137 firefighters ultimately enrolled in the study; 70 followed TRE, eating all of their meals within a 10-hour time window, and 67 were in the control group. All participants were encouraged to follow a Mediterranean diet that was rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats. The subjects were followed for 12 weeks. One barrier to conducting research studies with shift workers has been the subjects’ inability to come to the lab during regular business hours. The researchers got around this by going to the fire stations to apply wearable devices on the participants to collect their activity, sleep, and blood glucose levels. They also customized an app that allowed the firefighters to log their food and sleep and answer study surveys; the app also enabled the researchers to send study materials and to guide the participants on following the recommended lifestyle. The investigators found that for the firefighters, following a time-restricted eating pattern was both safe and feasible. The subjects didn’t report any problems with concentration, reaction times, or other issues. Their quality of life generally improved. “Overall, firefighters are a pretty healthy group of people, but we found that for those who had underlying cardiometabolic risk factors like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and hyperglycemia, there was some benefit to TRE, especially in terms of improvement in glucose levels and blood pressure,” Taub says. “Even those who were healthy with no underlying cardiomeatabolic risk factors had improvements in quality of life and in VLDL, which is a form of bad cholesterol.” Taub and Panda say they would like to conduct similar research on other shift workers, especially healthcare workers, but it’s difficult to get funding for such studies. “Humans have been living with circadian rhythms for at least 200,000 years, and these rhythms clearly have a profound effect on us,” Panda says. “Shift workers, whether they are astronauts or custodians, are vital to our society. It’s time to think about how we might help them improve their health.”	10.1016/j.cmet.2022.08.018	2,022	Cell Metabolism	Feasibility of time-restricted eating and impacts on cardiometabolic health in 24-h shift workers: The Healthy Heroes randomized control trial	Over a quarter of the workforce in industrialized countries does shift work, which increases the risk for cardiometabolic disease. Yet shift workers are often excluded from lifestyle intervention studies to reduce this risk. In a randomized control trial with 137 firefighters who work 24-h shifts (23-59 years old, 9% female), 12 weeks of 10-h time-restricted eating (TRE) was feasible, with TRE participants decreasing their eating window (baseline, mean 14.13 h, 95% CI 13.78-14.47 h; intervention, 11.13 h, 95% CI 10.73-11.54 h, p = 3.29E-17) with no adverse effects, and improved quality of life assessed via SF-36 (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03533023). Compared to the standard of care (SOC) arm, TRE significantly decreased VLDL particle size. In participants with elevated cardiometabolic risks at baseline, there were significant reductions in TRE compared to SOC in glycated hemoglobin A1C and diastolic blood pressure. For individuals working a 24-h shift schedule, TRE is feasible and can improve cardiometabolic health, especially for individuals with increased risk. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
526711	The bluest of blue: A new algae-based switch is lighting up biological research!	Several organisms possess "ion channels" (gateways that selectively allow charged particles called ions to enter the cells and are integral for cell function) called "channelrhodopsins," that can be switched on and off with the help of light. Different channelrhodopsins respond to different wavelengths in the light spectrum. These channels can be expressed in foreign organisms (animals even in human) by means of genetic engineering, which in turn finds applications in optogenetics, or the application of light to modulate cellular and gene functions. So far, the shortest wavelength that a channelrhodopsin responds to was blue. However, recently, a group of scientists from the Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, have identified a channelrhodopsin that responds to an even shorter indigo blue wavelength of light. In their study published in Nature's Communications Biology, the group of researchers, led by Professor Hideki Kandori and Associate Professor Satoshi P. Tsunoda, identified a novel channelrhodopsin, which they named KnChR, from a species of terrestrial alga called Klebsormidium nitens. "We chose this alga, because it is known to be responsive to light, but its photoreceptor domain has not been established," reports Prof. Kandori. Unlike other discovered channelrhodopsins, KnChR was found to respond to indigo blue light (see Figure 1). It is known that KnChR is made up of a seven-cell membrane spanning region, which forms the pore that allows the entry and exit of different ions. This region is followed by a protein moiety including a peptidoglycan binding domain. In order to investigate the properties of KnChR, the researchers performed extensive genetic and electrophysiological experiments. What was perhaps the most exciting result was that they could identify the role of the "cytoplasmic domain." All known channelrhodopsins have a large "cytoplasmic domain," or region that is located in the internal area of the cell. As Prof. Kandori explains, "All currently known channelrhodopsins comprise a large cytoplasmic domain, whose function is elusive. We found that the cytoplasmic domain of KnChR modulates the ion channel properties." Accordingly, the results of the experiments showed that changing the lengths of the cytoplasmic domain caused the changes in ion channel closure. Particularly, the shortening of the domain resulted in increased channel 'open time' by more than ten-fold. In addition, the researchers also identified two arginine amino acid residues, namely R287 and R291, in the same region, which played an important role in the properties of generated light currents. They found that KnChR exhibited maximal sensitivity at 430 nm and 460 nm, making it the 'bluest' channelrhodopsin (see Figure 2). Overall, the researchers have faith in the KnChR being helpful in biological systems requiring specific excitation parameters. When asked about the implications of these findings, Prof. Tsunoda, who is the corresponding author of the study suggests, "KnChR would expand the optogenetics tool kit, especially for dual light applications when short-wavelength excitation is required." What this means is that the light-operated property of KnChR can be applied in targeted manipulation of an organism's biological functions, in a research setting. A few examples would include manipulation of neuronal and myocyte activities. Indeed, we can hope that the scope of this discovery would expand beyond the laboratory into real-world applications. These real-world applications could include cure for Alzheimer's disease and heart diseases, light therapy for recovery from depression, and visual restoration.	10.1038/s42003-021-01755-5	2,021	Communications Biology	Specific residues in the cytoplasmic domain modulate photocurrent kinetics of channelrhodopsin from Klebsormidium nitens	Abstract Channelrhodopsins (ChRs) are light-gated ion channels extensively applied as optogenetics tools for manipulating neuronal activity. All currently known ChRs comprise a large cytoplasmic domain, whose function is elusive. Here, we report the cation channel properties of KnChR, one of the photoreceptors from a filamentous terrestrial alga Klebsormidium nitens , and demonstrate that the cytoplasmic domain of KnChR modulates the ion channel properties. KnChR is constituted of a 7-transmembrane domain forming a channel pore, followed by a C-terminus moiety encoding a peptidoglycan binding domain (FimV). Notably, the channel closure rate was affected by the C-terminus moiety. Truncation of the moiety to various lengths prolonged the channel open lifetime by more than 10-fold. Two Arginine residues (R287 and R291) are crucial for altering the photocurrent kinetics. We propose that electrostatic interaction between the rhodopsin domain and the C-terminus domain accelerates the channel kinetics. Additionally, maximal sensitivity was exhibited at 430 and 460 nm, the former making KnChR one of the most blue-shifted ChRs characterized thus far, serving as a novel prototype for studying the molecular mechanism of color tuning of the ChRs. Furthermore, KnChR would expand the optogenetics tool kit, especially for dual light applications when short-wavelength excitation is required.
935238	Earthquakes and extreme rainfall lead to a significant increase in the rates of landslides in Nepal	Earthquakes and extreme rainfall can lead to a six-fold increase in the rates of rainfall-triggered landslides occurring during Nepal’s monsoon season, according to new research. The Himalayan nation experiences severe landslides every year as a result of its annual monsoon season, which occurs between June and August. However, this new study, published in Nature Communications, explores how extreme rainfall and earthquakes can induce landslide rates above and beyond those seen during a normal Himalaya monsoon season. By analysing satellite imagery and rainfall data, researchers were able to establish a clear pattern between the strength of the monsoon season and the amount of landsliding over a 30-year period between 1988 and 2018. This revealed that extreme “cloud outburst” storms in 1993 and 2002 led to around four times as many landslides as would be expected in an average monsoon season. Similarly, landscape damage caused by the April 2015 Gorkha earthquake was found to have caused around six times as many rainfall-triggered landslides during the 2015 monsoon season as would be expected. This landscape damage also caused an increase in the expected numbers of landslides in the 2016 monsoon season, with conditions returning to nearer the average by 2017. The study also showed that the most severe landscape damage caused by the 2015 earthquake did not occur right at its epicentre, but in nearby locations where high earthquake peak ground accelerations occurred across particularly steep mountain slopes. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of East Anglia, University of Plymouth, University of Exeter and international engineering consultancy firm, AECOM. PhD candidate Josh Jones, the study’s lead author, carried out the work while based in Plymouth and East Anglia. He said: “Unfortunately, people in Nepal are frequently affected by landslides during the monsoon season, with widespread damage to homes and infrastructure every year. This study shows how much this landslide risk can be increased by extreme rainfall and earthquakes, and for how long those effects can be felt. We hope that this information could be an important tool in helping local communities plan for future landslide hazard, particularly following large earthquakes.” Dr Sarah Boulton, Associate Professor in Active and Neotectonics at the University of Plymouth, added: “Once unusual rainfall and flood events are already becoming more frequent globally as a result of our changing climates. Climate models indicate that Nepal is likely to experience increased storminess and potentially higher levels of annual rainfall in the future. Our study shows that in the last 30 years, there have been two occasions where annual rainfall could be classed as extreme. Similar events could become more frequent in the coming years and lead to even more devastating effects for the local populations.” The research was enabled through the Environment East Doctoral Training Partnership (EnvEast DTP), funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) with CASE funding from AECOM. Dr Michael Whitworth, an associate director at AECOM, said: “This project shows the benefits of collaborative work between industry and academia. The results of this research can inform disaster risk reduction in vulnerable areas, leading to better planning and mitigation against landslide hazards caused by infrequent large events such as earthquakes.” For the research Josh, now a Postdoctoral Researcher at Exeter, spent over eight months analysing 30 years of satellite imagery to create a long-term picture of where landslides occur, and the detailed effects they have on the landscape of central and eastern Nepal. This was then mapped against monsoon, extreme rainfall, and earthquake data to provide an overall view of the major factors contributing to increased landslide occurrences. The result is an unprecedented inventory of Nepal’s landslides, a record of just under 13,000 landslides over a geographical area spanning more than 42,000km2 of the Himalayan region. It also shows the geographical characteristics of areas most susceptible to future landslides, and how that risk might be affected by both extreme weather and large earthquakes. Nature Communications 10.1038/s41467-021-26964-8 Observational study Not applicable 30-year record of Himalaya mass-wasting reveals landscape perturbations by extreme events 18-Nov-2021	10.1038/s41467-021-26964-8	2,021	Nature Communications	30-year record of Himalaya mass-wasting reveals landscape perturbations by extreme events	In mountainous environments, quantifying the drivers of mass-wasting is fundamental for understanding landscape evolution and improving hazard management. Here, we quantify the magnitudes of mass-wasting caused by the Asia Summer Monsoon, extreme rainfall, and earthquakes in the Nepal Himalaya. Using a newly compiled 30-year mass-wasting inventory, we establish empirical relationships between monsoon-triggered mass-wasting and monsoon precipitation, before quantifying how other mass-wasting drivers perturb this relationship. We find that perturbations up to 5 times greater than that expected from the monsoon alone are caused by rainfall events with 5-to-30-year return periods and short-term (< 2 year) earthquake-induced landscape preconditioning. In 2015, the landscape preconditioning is strongly controlled by the topographic signature of the Gorkha earthquake, whereby high Peak Ground Accelerations coincident with high excess topography (rock volume above a landscape threshold angle) amplifies landscape damage. Furthermore, earlier earthquakes in 1934, 1988 and 2011 are not found to influence 2015 mass-wasting.
959603	Measuring the universe with star-shattering explosions	An international team of 23 researchers led by Maria Dainotti, Assistant Professor at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ), has analyzed archive data for powerful cosmic explosions from the deaths of stars and found a new way to measure distances in the distant Universe. With no landmarks in space, it is very difficult to get a sense of depth. One technique astronomers use is to look for “standard candles,” objects or events where the underlying physics dictate that the absolute brightness (what you would see if you were right next to it) is always the same. By comparing this calculated absolute brightness to the apparent brightness (what is actually observed from Earth), it is possible to determine the distance to the standard candle, and by extension other objects in the same area. The lack of standard candles bright enough to be seen more than 11 billion light-years away has hindered research on the distance Universe. Gamma-Ray bursts (GRBs), bursts of radiation produced by the deaths of massive stars, are bright enough, but their brightness depends on the characteristics of the explosion. Embracing the challenge of attempting to use these bright events as standard candles, the team analyzed archive data for the visible light observations of 500 GRBs taken by world-leading telescopes such as the Subaru Telescope (owned and operated by NAOJ), RATIR, and satellites such as the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. Studying the light curve’s pattern of how the GRB brightens and dims over time, the team identified a class of 179 GRBs which have common features and have likely been caused by similar phenomena. From the characteristics of the light curves, the team was able to calculate a unique brightness and distance for each GRB which can be used as a cosmological tool. These findings will provide new insights into the mechanics behind this class of GRBs, and provide a new standard candle for observing the distant Universe. Lead author Dainotti had previously found a similar pattern in X-ray observations of GRBs, but visible light observations have been revealed to be more accurate in determining cosmological parameters. These results appeared as Dainotti et al. “The Optical Two and Three-Dimensional Fundamental Plane Correlations for Nearly 180 Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows with Swift/UVOT, RATIR, and the SUBARU Telescope” in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series on July 21, 2022. The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series 10.3847/1538-4365/ac7c64 Observational study Not applicable The Optical Two- and Three-dimensional Fundamental Plane Correlations for Nearly 180 Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows with Swift/UVOT, RATIR, and the Subaru Telescope 21-Jul-2022	10.3847/1538-4365/ac7c64	2,022	The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series	The Optical Two- and Three-dimensional Fundamental Plane Correlations for Nearly 180 Gamma-Ray Burst Afterglows with Swift/UVOT, RATIR, and the Subaru Telescope	Abstract Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are fascinating events due to their panchromatic nature. We study optical plateaus in GRB afterglows via an extended search into archival data. We comprehensively analyze all published GRBs with known redshifts and optical plateaus observed by many ground-based telescopes (e.g., Subaru Telescope, RATIR) around the world and several space-based observatories such as the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. We fit 500 optical light curves, showing the existence of the plateau in 179 cases. This sample is 75% larger than the previous one, and it is the largest compilation so far of optical plateaus. We discover the 3D fundamental plane relation at optical wavelengths using this sample. This correlation is between the rest-frame time at the end of the plateau emission, <?CDATA ${T}_{\mathrm{opt}}^{* }$?> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>T</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>opt</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo></mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> , its optical luminosity, L opt , and the peak in the optical prompt emission, L peak,opt , thus resembling the three-dimensional (3D) X-ray fundamental plane (the so-called 3D Dainotti relation). We correct our sample for redshift evolution and selection effects, discovering that this correlation is indeed intrinsic to GRB physics. We investigate the rest-frame end-time distributions in X-rays and optical ( <?CDATA ${T}_{\mathrm{opt}}^{ }$?> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>T</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>opt</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo></mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> , <?CDATA ${T}_{{\rm{X}}}^{ }$?> <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>T</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">X</mml:mi> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>*</mml:mo> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> ), and conclude that the plateau is achromatic only when selection biases are not considered. We also investigate if the 3D optical correlation may be a new discriminant between optical GRB classes and find that there is no significant separation between the classes compared to the Gold sample plane after correcting for evolution.
680525	Optofluidic chip with nanopore 'smart gate' developed for single molecule analysis	A new chip-based platform developed by researchers at UC Santa Cruz integrates nanopores and optofluidic technology with a feedback-control circuit to enable an unprecedented level of control over individual molecules and particles on a chip for high-throughput analysis. In a paper published August 16 in Nature Communications, the researchers reported using the device to control the delivery of individual biomolecules--including ribosomes, DNA, and proteins--into a fluid-filled channel on the chip. They also showed that the device can be used to sort different types of molecules, enabling selective analysis of target molecules from a mixture. The capabilities of the programmable nanopore-optofluidic device point the way toward a novel research tool for high-throughput single-molecule analysis on a chip, said Holger Schmidt, the Kapany Professor of Optoelectronics at UC Santa Cruz and corresponding author of the paper. "We can bring a single molecule into a fluidic channel where it can then be analyzed using integrated optical waveguides or other techniques," Schmidt said. "The idea is to introduce a particle or molecule, hold it in the channel for analysis, then discard the particle, and easily and rapidly repeat the process to develop robust statistics of many single-molecule experiments." The new device builds on previous work by Schmidt's lab and his collaborator Aaron Hawkins' group at Brigham Young University to develop optofluidic chip technology combining microfluidics (tiny channels for handling liquid samples on a chip) with integrated optics for optical analysis of single molecules. The addition of nanopores allows controlled delivery of molecules into the channel, as well as the opportunity to analyze the electrical signal produced as a molecule passes through the pore. This latest work was led by first author Mahmudur Rahman, a graduate student in Schmidt's lab at UC Santa Cruz. Nanopore technology has been successfully used in DNA sequencing applications, and Schmidt and other researchers have been exploring new ways to exploit the information in the signals produced as molecules or particles translocate through a nanopore. With the feedback control system (a microcontroller and solid-state relay) in the new device, real-time analysis of the current turns the nanopore into a "smart gate" that can be programmed by the user to deliver molecules into the channel in a predetermined manner. The gate can be closed as soon as a single molecule (or any number set by the user) has passed through, and opened again after a set time. "The use of nanopores as 'smart gates' is a key step toward a single-molecule analysis system that is user-friendly and can work at high throughput," Schmidt said. "It allows user-programmable control over the number of molecules that are being delivered to a fluidic channel for further analysis or processing, selective gating of different types of single molecules, and the ability to deliver single molecules into a chip at record rates of many hundreds per minute." Using bacterial (70S) ribosomes, the researchers demonstrated controlled delivery of more than 500 ribosomes per minute. Coauthor Harry Noller, the Sinsheimer Professor of Molecular Biology at UC Santa Cruz, has done pioneering research on the structure and function of ribosomes, the molecular machines that synthesize proteins in all living cells, and has been collaborating with Schmidt's group since 2006. The researchers also used a mixture of DNA and ribosomes to show the device's capacity to selectively activate the gating function for a target molecule (in this case, DNA). This can enable, for example, fluorescence experiments on a controlled number of target molecules, while unlabeled particles are ignored and discarded. Selective gating could also be used for purification or sorting of different particles downstream from the nanopore, based on the signals as the particles pass through the nanopore, Schmidt said. The programmable system allows flexibility for a wide range of potential applications, he said.	10.1038/s41467-019-11723-7	2,019	Nature Communications	On demand delivery and analysis of single molecules on a programmable nanopore-optofluidic device	Abstract Nanopore-based single nanoparticle detection has recently emerged as a vibrant research field with numerous high-impact applications. Here, we introduce a programmable optofluidic chip for nanopore-based particle analysis: feedback-controlled selective delivery of a desired number of biomolecules and integration of optical detection techniques on nanopore-selected particles. We demonstrate the feedback-controlled introduction of individual biomolecules, including 70S ribosomes, DNAs and proteins into a fluidic channel where the voltage across the nanopore is turned off after a user-defined number of single molecular insertions. Delivery rates of hundreds/min with programmable off-times of the pore are demonstrated using individual 70S ribosomes. We then use real-time analysis of the translocation signal for selective voltage gating of specific particles from a mixture, enabling selection of DNAs from a DNA-ribosome mixture. Furthermore, we report optical detection of nanopore-selected DNA molecules. These capabilities point the way towards a powerful research tool for high-throughput single-molecule analysis on a chip.
479940	New key mechanism of epileptic seizures revealed	Russian scientists investigated the changes in the temporal lobe cortex of a rat brain during prolonged epileptic seizures. Despite the complex interaction of neural signals, biologists and physicists managed to build their mathematical model and identified the key factor leading to the seizures. This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation and published in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience. A person subject to epilepsy suffers from occasional convulsive seizures. The condition when the seizures follow each other after a short time is called epistatus and considered to be particularly dangerous. Although scientists know that this happen due to excessive excitation of neurons in the brain, the cause of such excitation remains unclear. In the new study, the researchers examined the signaling processes in the cortex of the temporal lobe before and after the seizures. This area was chosen on purpose since the epilepsy associated with it is the most common. Scientists conducted their research on a rat brain cut placed in a special pro-epileptic solution that mimics convulsions in the patient's brain tissue. To study the excitability of neurons, scientists analyzed the currents that occur in the brain cells stimulated by electricity, before and after a 15-minute epistatus. "Neurons send each other signals that can be excitatory or inhibitory, depending on the type of target receptor on the cell membrane. For example, the first are those that react to glutamate and its analogues, the second are sensitive to gamma-aminobutyric acid or GABA. Yet GABA receptors of those suffering with the epilepsy also become exciting. There lies the main research difficulty: when several signals act on the neuron at once it is very difficult to assess their individual contribution," says Anton Chizhov, doctor of physical and mathematical sciences, senior researcher at the Ioffe Institute of RAS and Leading Researcher at Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry. During their experiments, scientists examined the effect of amino acids (constituent proteins) on receptors of all major types (AMPA, NMDA and GABA). It turned out that each of these components of the signal after epileptic electrical discharges becomes stronger and longer. But what if this happened as a result of affecting only one amplified signal on the remaining paths? To find this out scientists created a mathematical model of interacting nerve cells system. According to the model, only the conductivity of the AMPA receptors in the network of neurons significantly changes, leading to stronger excitation of all neurons and stronger synaptic signals recorded on one nerve cell. "Further studies showed that this is the mechanism of synaptic plasticity with the incorporation of new calcium-permeable AMPA receptors into the cell membranes. Under normal conditions, such a process in the brain is associated with memory and learning, but under pathological conditions it leads to an excitability increase up to tens of minutes. Therefore, the risk of a new convulsive discharge rises, which may lead to pathology fixation. Nevertheless, knowing that embedding calcium-permeable AMPA receptors leads to the consolidation of seizure activity, we can develop new antiepileptic drugs," the scientist concludes.	10.3389/fncel.2018.00486	2,018	Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience	Seizure-Induced Potentiation of AMPA Receptor-Mediated Synaptic Transmission in the Entorhinal Cortex	Excessive excitation is considered one of the key mechanisms underlying epileptic seizures. We investigated changes in the evoked postsynaptic responses of medial entorhinal cortex pyramidal neurons by seizure-like events (SLEs), using the modified 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) model of epileptiform activity. Rat brain slices were perfused with pro-epileptic solution contained 4-AP and elevated potassium and reduced magnesium concentration. We demonstrated that 15-min robust epileptiform activity in slices leads to an increase in the amplitude of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor-mediated component of the evoked response, as well as an increase in the polysynaptic γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated components. The increase in AMPA-mediated postsynaptic conductance depends on NMDA receptor activation. It persists for at least 15 minutes after the cessation of SLEs and is partly attributed to the inclusion of calcium-permeable AMPA receptors in the postsynaptic membrane. The mathematical modeling of the evoked responses using the conductance-based refractory density approach indicated that such augmentation of the AMPA receptor function and depolarization by GABA receptors results in prolonged firing that explains the increase in polysynaptic components, which contribute to overall network excitability. Taken together, our data suggest that AMPA receptor enhancement could be a critical determinant of sustained status epilepticus.
828996	Job sharing can boost number of women in senior higher education roles	Job sharing offers a route to increase the number of women in senior leadership roles in higher education. Research from Lancaster University Management School, published in a special issue of Social Sciences, shows the potential for job sharing to provide new routes into senior management positions and to increase female presence in the upper echelons of the sector. Despite recent increases, only 27 per cent of Chairs of Governing bodies in UK higher education are women, similarly the proportion of female Vice-Chancellors also standing at 27 per cent. The number of women leading academic faculties or schools has not grown since 2016. One reason behind the lack of senior women leaders is the proportion of female professors, with 26 per cent being female in the UK - and similar numbers across Europe - in 2017/18. With a previous career in research and a professorial appointment a pre-requisite for a Vice-Chancellor appointment, this limits the number of potential candidates. However, the researchers found that job sharing offered the opportunity to open up the talent pipeline, increasing the number of potential candidates for higher-level posts. "There is a scarcity of female leadership representation in higher education," said report co-author Emma Watton, Director of the Executive MBA at Lancaster University. "In particular, there is a problem in the development of a future leadership pipeline. "The culture of long working hours, job uncertainty and recent financial constraints across the sector, with multiple reorganisations at HE establishments, together with often an entrenched male leadership community, mean sometimes women make a decision not to apply for senior leadership roles. "Job sharing enables women - and men - to remain in or be recruited to senior management roles where greater working flexibility is valued, for example to accommodate caring responsibilities or whilst studying part-time. "We believe that leadership job sharing is a useful and practical method for retaining female talent and skills, and broadening the pipeline of future leaders. By organisations actively endorsing the vast majority of posts as suitable for job sharing, we strongly believe there would be a positive impact on the female leadership pipeline, which would help achieve gender equality at senior levels over time." The Lancaster study highlighted issues and benefits raised by a case study at a UK university, with two women in a job share able to play to one another's strengths and collectively shoulder responsibility, while needing to have trust and faith in each other. The researchers found that two parties in a job share could learn from each other and better use their own skills, while the skills of the other were used in different areas. As well as increasing productivity, it also allowed them to identify their own strengths and develop their leadership identity, which enabled future progress towards more senior positions. "Increased confidence can help to counter the stereotype of a lack of confidence in pursuing a climb up the career ladder," said co-author Sarah Stables, of Stables and Co Innovation Ltd. "Job sharing creates a mentor-type relationship where both can boost the confidence of the other and promote the strengths of the other to stakeholders. As such, it also addresses the self-promotion deficiency to better place them in line for higher-level posts. "If universities adopted job sharing at all levels, it is highly plausible their ability to both retain existing talented women and to recruit more women would be increased at a stroke." She added: "Of benefit to organisations is that research shows that job sharing increases productivity, retains highly skilled employees, reduces employee time off due to ill health and increases employee engagement." While the study focused on higher education, the authors feel their findings can apply across sectors, highlighting for example a lack of women in high-ranking positions within FTSE 250 listed companies. "Job sharing provides an opportunity to increase women's representation not just in higher education leadership, but in all sectors," added Professor Steve Kempster, of Lancaster University Management School's Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy. "There are concerns over the pipeline of female leaders in FTSE 250 companies, with an increase seen in the number of male-only boards, so the possibility of job sharing senior leadership roles should be considered."	10.3390/socsci8070209	2,019	Social Sciences	How Job Sharing Can Lead to More Women Achieving Senior Leadership Roles in Higher Education: A UK Study	This article explores the opportunity that job sharing offers as a way of encouraging more women into senior management roles in the higher education sector. There is a scarcity of female leadership representation in the higher education context, in particular a lack of female leadership pipeline. The article examines the underlying influences that limit the representation of women in leadership roles. To address these contextual limitations the process of job sharing is offered as a possible solution for harnessing the skills and talents of women in leadership positions in higher education and enabling the development of a leadership pipeline. To illustrate how such job sharing could occur the article provides a detailed vignette of a job share between two senior women leaders within a single UK university context and the positive impact this had on the organisation, the individuals and their leadership development. This article seeks to make a contribution by exploring how leadership job sharing can occur and sets out some recommendations for the adoption, negotiation and establishment of job share structures in the future.
933988	Electron family creates previously unknown state of matter	Dissipationless electric energy transport–also known as superconductivity–is seen as a beacon of hope for the energy industry. Since its discovery more than 100 years ago, scientists around the world have been investigating this well-known quantum phenomenon, which, however, requires the electrons in metals to be cooled to ultra-low temperatures. A team of scientists from the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat–Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter at the Universities of Dresden and Würzburg has now made a remarkable discovery: In certain superconducting metals, a compound of four electrons ensures that a completely new state of matter is created. Until now, only electron pairs were known to play a role in superconductivity. The discovery by the research team led by Prof. Hans-Henning Klauss of Technische Universität Dresden is therefore considered a milestone for materials research. The research results have been published in the journal Nature Physics. Electron family surprises researchers In quantum physics, superconductivity, discovered as early as in 1911, is probably the best-known phenomenon to date. Its theoretical foundations are understood since the 1950s. It is essential that electrons at ultra-low temperatures no longer move through a metal individually, but as pairs. Electron pairs do not collide with the atomic lattice, so that they can transport their charge without any loss of energy. When the Dresden researchers led by Henning Klauss experimentally investigated the superconducting metal Ba1-xKxFe2As2 from the class of iron pnictides, they initially suspected a mistake: "When we discovered that suddenly four electrons instead of two were forming a bond, we first believed it was a measurement error. But the more methods we used to confirm the result, the clearer it became that this had to be a new phenomenon: all data are consistent with the same result. Now we know that the four particle electron family in certain metals creates a completely new state of matter when cooled to ultra-low temperatures. What this will lead to in the future will become clear over the next few years," comments Dresden physicist Hans-Henning Klauss. Results tested for more than two years Already about ten years ago, it was theoretically predicted that there could be an unusual state of matter in certain superconducting metals, in which four instead of two electrons play a role. The international research team of the Cluster of Excellence ct.qmat has now provided the first experimental evidence. It was scrutinized for two years using seven different methods. "We first discovered the new state of matter in a Swiss particle accelerator. We were then able to confirm our results with six other methods on site in Dresden and at Stockholm University. The great location advantage of Dresden is the short distances: I can bring my sample almost on foot to a Leibniz Institute or Helmholz Center," emphasizes the project's lead experimenter, Dr. Vadim Grinenko of TU Dresden. The theoretical interpretation of the measurement results comes from the Swedish physicist Prof. Egor Babaev. New type of superconductivity possible The discovery of iron pnictides as a class of materials particularly suitable for superconductivity already triggered a worldwide research boom in physics and materials science starting in 2008. The energy industry has high hopes for the popular quantum phenomenon because up to 15 percent of energy is lost in conventional energy transport due to transport resistance. "If you could actually transport electricity across the country in superconducting metals at room temperature, about ten large power plants would be superfluous right away," says Klauss. However, basic research–such as Prof. Klauss'–is concerned with understanding the underlying physics and can at best speculate about future applications. "One can assume that our results will lead to a whole new line of research, looking for other metals with four connected electrons, for example, or exploring how materials need to be changed to create an electron family," Klauss explains. "In purely theoretical terms, a whole new type of superconductivity would also be possible with our electron family. The only thing that is certain is that iron pnictides are well suited for technologies such as quantum sensors due to their new aggregate state." International participation In addition to Prof. Hans-Henning Klauss, Dr. Vadim Grinenko of TU Dresden and Prof. Egor Babaev of the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm were significantly involved in the current research findings. The experiments were carried out at the Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen as well as at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research in Dresden, the high-field magnet laboratory of the Helmholtz Center Dresden-Rossendorf and the AIST Institute in Tsukuba in Japan.	10.1038/s41567-021-01350-9	2,021	Nature Physics	State with spontaneously broken time-reversal symmetry above the superconducting phase transition	The most well-known example of an ordered quantum state—superconductivity—is caused by the formation and condensation of pairs of electrons. Fundamentally, what distinguishes a superconducting state from a normal state is a spontaneously broken symmetry corresponding to the long-range coherence of pairs of electrons, leading to zero resistivity and diamagnetism. Here we report a set of experimental observations in hole-doped Ba1−xKxFe2As2. Our specific-heat measurements indicate the formation of fermionic bound states when the temperature is lowered from the normal state. However, when the doping level is x ≈ 0.8, instead of the characteristic onset of diamagnetic screening and zero resistance expected below the superconducting phase transition, we observe the opposite effect: the generation of self-induced magnetic fields in the resistive state, measured by spontaneous Nernst effect and muon spin rotation experiments. This combined evidence indicates the existence of a bosonic metal state in which Cooper pairs of electrons lack coherence, but the system spontaneously breaks time-reversal symmetry. The observations are consistent with the theory of a state with fermionic quadrupling, in which long-range order exists not between Cooper pairs but only between pairs of pairs. A state that breaks time-reversal symmetry is observed in the normal phase above the superconducting critical temperature in a multiband superconductor. This could be explained by correlations between the Cooper pairs formed in different bands.
907464	Russian scientists developed a system for malignant brain tumors diagnosing during surgery	Scientists of the Research Medical University of Volga region and the Institute of Applied Physics, RAS have developed a system for malignant brain tumors diagnosing during surgery. The method is based on optical coherence tomography (OCT). Doctors obtained images of brain tissue that clearly show the differences between malignant and healthy cells. The method simplifies tumor removal operations and makes them more effective.The results were published in Frontiers in Oncology. Glioma is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system. The difficulty of its treatment related to the fact that the tumor sometimes &laquogrows into» the white substance and has no clear boundaries. Scientists are using optical coherence tomography to determine the tumor boundaries. The principle of operation resembles ultrasound diagnostics. However, the light wave penetrates the tissue by 1-2 mm, and then, depending on the structure, reflects with varying intensity. Based on the data obtained, the device creates an image of the brain. &laquoOCT can be used to diagnose various tissues», -- comments Alexander Moiseev, senior researcher at the highly sensitive optical measurement laboratory at the Institute of Applied Physic, -- &laquoOur task is to identify the typical characters of tissues and learn how to systematize them». Scientists have analyzed more than 300 images of tissue samples taken from patients during tumor removal and biopsy procedures, and classified the differences between malignant and healthy cells. The main criterion is the intensity of the OCT signal. &laquoLight penetrates healthy brain tissue shallowly and dissipates very well. Therefore, we receive an intense signal from the white substance. Tumor cells are more fragmented, which is why the light goes farther, and the signal is less intense», -- explains Konstantin Yashin, neurosurgeon at the University Hospital of the Research Medical University of Volga region. Compared with ultrasound or MRI, optical coherence tomography has a higher resolution. Therefore, scientists have identified an additional criterion for image analysis -- the homogeneity of the tissues structure. At the moment, scientists are carrying out the project to increase the information content of OCT in in vivo studies -- they are working to improve the quality of the signal. Also, researchers are working on a special catheter for biopsy. Now, to obtain the required sample, doctors have to take a large number of samples, which increases the risk for the patient. Using optical coherence tomography, they will be able to identify the exact location of the tumor and avoid damage of the blood vessels. Besides neurosurgery, the technology is already used in endovascular surgery, dermatology, and urology.	10.3389/fonc.2019.00201	2,019	Frontiers in Oncology	Cross-Polarization Optical Coherence Tomography for Brain Tumor Imaging	This paper considers valuable visual assessment criteria for distinguishing between tumorous and non-tumorous tissues, intraoperatively, using cross-polarization OCT (CP OCT) – OCT with a functional extension, that enables detection of the polarization properties of the tissues in addition to their conventional light scattering. Materials and methods. The study was performed on 176 ex vivo human specimens obtained from 30 glioma patients. To measure the degree to which the typical parameters of CP OCT images can be matched to the actual histology, 100 images of tumors and white matter were selected for visual analysis to be undertaken by three "single-blinded" investigators. An evaluation of the inter-rater reliability between the investigators was performed. Application of the identified visual CP OCT criteria for intraoperative use was performed during brain tumor resection in 17 patients. Results. The CP OCT image parameters that can typically be used for visual assessment were separated: (1) signal intensity; (2) homogeneity of intensity; (3) attenuation rate; (4) uniformity of attenuation. The degree of match between the CP OCT images and the histology of the specimens was significant for the parameters "signal intensity" in both polarizations, and "homogeneity of intensity" as well as the "uniformity of attenuation" in co-polarization. A test based on the identified criteria showed a diagnostic accuracy of 87-88%. Intraoperative in vivo CP OCT images of white matter and tumors have similar signals to ex vivo ones, whereas the cortex in vivo is characterized by indicative vertical striations arising from the "shadows" of the blood vessels; these are not seen in ex vivo images or in the case of tumor invasion. Conclusion. Visual assessment of CP OCT images enables tumorous and non-tumorous tissues to be distinguished. The most powerful aspect of CP OCT images that can be used as a criterion for differentiation between tumorous tissue and white matter is the signal intensity. In distinguishing white matter from tumors the diagnostic accuracy using the identified visual CP OCT criteria was 87-88%. As the CP OCT data is easily associated with intraoperative neurophysiological and neuronavigation findings this can provide valuable supplementary information for the neurosurgeon during tumor resection.
498506	'Smart' machine components alert users to damage and wear	Scientists at the United Technologies Research Center and UConn used advanced additive manufacturing technology to create 'smart' machine components that alert users when they are damaged or worn. The researchers also applied a variation of the technology to create polymer-bonded magnets with intricate geometries and arbitrary shapes, opening up new possibilities for manufacturing and product design. The key to both innovations is the use of an advanced form of 3D printing called direct write technology. Unlike conventional additive manufacturing, which uses lasers to fuse layers of fine metal powder into a solid object, direct write technology uses semisolid metal 'ink' that is extruded from a nozzle. The viscosity of the metal ink looks like toothpaste being squeezed from a tube. This process allowed the UConn-UTRC scientists to create fine lines of conductive silver filament that could be embedded into 3D printed machine components while they were made. The lines, which are capable of conducting electric current, act as wear sensors that can detect damage to the part. Here's how they work. Parallel lines of silver filament, each coupled with a tiny 3D-printed resistor, are embedded into a component. The interconnected lines form an electrical circuit when voltage is applied. As lines are embedded deeper and deeper into a component from the surface, each new line and resistor are assigned an increasingly higher voltage value. Any damage to the component, such as wear or abrasion caused by friction from moving parts, would cut into one or more of the lines, breaking the circuit at that stage. The more lines that are broken, the greater the damage. Real time voltage readings allow engineers to assess potential damage and wear to a component without having to take an entire machine apart. To get a better idea of how these micro sensors could be used, imagine them being embedded in the ceramic coating of a jet engine turbine fan blade. These blades are subjected to tremendous physical forces and heat. A microscopic crack in the protective coating could potentially be catastrophic to the blade's performance, yet invisible to the naked eye. With the embedded sensors, mechanics would be alerted to any blade damage promptly so it can be addressed. "This changes the way we look at manufacturing," says Sameh Dardona, Associate Director of Research and Innovation at UTRC, which serves as the innovation engine for United Technologies Corp. "We can now integrate functions into components to make them more intelligent. These sensors can detect any kind of wear, even corrosion, and report that information to the end user. This helps us improve performance, avoid failures, and save costs." The UConn-UTRC team was able to embed sensor lines that were just 15 microns wide and 50 microns apart. That's much thinner than an average human hair, which is about 100 microns. This allows detection of very minute damage. Developing such a precise sensor isn't easy. UConn Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Anson Ma and a Ph.D. student from Ma's Complex Fluids Laboratory, Alan Shen, measured and optimized the flow properties of the silver-infused ink so that micron-sized lines could be reliably deposited without clogging the nozzle or causing substantial spreading after deposition. UTRC's Dardona has applied for a patent for the embedded wear sensor technology. The scientists also used direct write technology to create novel components that have magnetic coatings or magnetic material embedded inside them. These polymer-bonded magnets are capable of conforming to any variety of shape, and eliminate the need for separate housings in machines requiring magnetic parts. "This opens up a lot of exciting opportunities," says Ma. "Imagine magnets that can take on different shapes and fit seamlessly between other functional components. Also, the resultant magnetic field that is created may be further manipulated and optimized by changing the shape of the magnets." The magnet fabrication method developed by UConn and UTRC significantly improves upon existing manufacturing practices in other ways too. Current methods for creating custom 3D-printed magnets rely on high-temperature curing, which unfortunately reduces a material's magnetic properties as a result. The scientists at UConn and UTRC found a way around that problem by using low-temperature UV light to cure the magnets, similar to how a dentist uses UV light to harden a filling. The resultant magnets exhibited significantly better performance than magnets created by other additive manufacturing methods. Magnets have a wide range of industrial applications, from creating electric currents in alternators to tracking the position or speed of moving parts as high-grade sensors. Embedding magnetic material directly into components could lead to new product designs that are more aerodynamic, lighter, and efficient, Dardona says. "This is a great example of collaboration between industrial research and academic research," he says. "We always have new concepts that we'd like to explore. This collaboration allowed us to leverage the knowledge, expertise, and facilities available at UConn to help us address some of these technological challenges." The collaboration also benefits UConn. Shen, the Ph.D. student in Ma's lab, served as a lead researcher on the two projects, developing, testing, and re-testing the new technology over the past three years. "These kinds of collaborations allow us to help companies like UTC develop new technologies that we know they are going to take to the next level," says Ma. "It's also very rewarding for our students. Students involved in these projects are fully integrated into the research team. It's not only great from a workforce development perspective; it also gives students a chance to work closely with professional engineers in a beautiful facility like UTRC." ### More detailed information about fabrication of the wear sensors can be found in an article in Additive Manufacturing. Details about the direct write production of polymer-bonded magnets can be found in an article in the Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials. Two UTRC engineers, Dustin Caldwell and Callum Bailey, also contributed to the research. The research was made possible with financial support from United Technologies Research Center and Connecticut Space Grant Consortium.	10.1016/j.addma.2018.05.010	2,018	Additive manufacturing	Direct write fabrication of high-density parallel silver interconnects	Abstract This study investigates the suitability of direct write (DW) technology for the fabrication of high-resolution wear sensors. We demonstrate the production of high-density parallel interconnect traces and provide recommendations for processing conditions to minimize line width and line spacing based on DW ink rheology. To create parallel silver lines with 50 μm center-to-center spacing and 15 μm line width on alumina substrates, we used an nScrypt DW system and sintered the lines at 625 °C in air. The sintered lines exhibited an electrical resistivity of 5.29 × 10−8 Ω m (about three times bulk silver resistivity reported in the literature) with a standard deviation of 3.68 × 10-9 Ω m (ca. 7% variation). To determine the conditions needed to consistently create fine conductive lines, we simulated the volumetric flow rate and analyzed the effects on line geometry of several printing parameters including valve opening, dispensing gap, and substrate translation speed. Our results indicate decreasing the valve opening, decreasing the dispensing gap, and/or increasing the translation speed of the substrate reduces the resultant printing flow rate and cross-sectional area of DW lines. For a fixed valve opening and dispensing gap, we also observed broken lines due to overstretching of the inks at exceedingly high substrate translation speeds.
932358	Scientists look beyond the individual brain to study the collective mind	CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a new paper, scientists suggest that efforts to understand human cognition should expand beyond the study of individual brains. They call on neuroscientists to incorporate evidence from social science disciplines to better understand how people think. “Accumulating evidence indicates that memory, reasoning, decision-making and other higher-level functions take place across people,” the researchers wrote in a review in the journal Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience. “Cognition extends into the physical world and the brains of others.” The co-authors – neuroscientist Aron Barbey, a professor of psychology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Richard Patterson, a professor emeritus of philosophy at Emory University; and Steven Sloman, a professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences at Brown University – wanted to address the limitations of studying brains in isolation, out of the context in which they operate and stripped of the resources they rely on for optimal function. “In cognitive neuroscience, the standard approach is essentially to assume that knowledge is represented in the individual brain and transferred between individuals,” Barbey said. “But there are, we think, important cases where those assumptions begin to break down.” Take, for instance, the fact that people often “outsource” the task of understanding or coming to conclusions about complex subject matter, using other people’s expertise to guide their own decision-making. “Most people will agree that smoking contributes to the incidence of lung cancer – without necessarily understanding precisely how that occurs,” Barbey said. “And when doctors diagnose and treat disease, they don’t transfer all of their knowledge to their patients. Instead, patients rely on doctors to help them decide the best course of action. “Without relying on experts in our community, our beliefs would become untethered from the social conventions and scientific evidence that are necessary to support them,” he said. “It would become unclear, for example, whether ‘smoking causes lung cancer,’ bringing into question the truth of our beliefs, the motivation for our actions.” To understand the role that knowledge serves in human intelligence, the researchers wrote that it is necessary to look beyond the individual and to study the community. “Cognition is, to a large extent, a group activity, not an individual one,” Sloman said. “People depend on others for their reasoning, judgment and decision-making. Cognitive neuroscience is not able to shed light on this aspect of cognitive processing.” The limitations of individual knowledge and human dependence on others for understanding are the themes of “The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone,” a book Sloman wrote with Phil Fernbach, a cognitive scientist and professor of marketing at the University of Colorado. “The challenge for cognitive neuroscience becomes how to capture knowledge that does not reside in the individual brain but is outsourced to the community,” Barbey said. Neuroscientific methods such as functional MRI were designed to track activity in one brain at a time and have limited capacity for capturing the dynamics that occur when individuals interact in large communities, he said. Some neuroscientists are trying to overcome this limitation. In a recent study, researchers placed two people face-to-face in a scanner and tracked their brain activity and eye movements while they interacted. Other teams use a technique called “hyperscanning,” which allows the simultaneous recording of brain activity in people who are physically distant from each another but interacting online. Such efforts have found evidence suggesting that the same brain regions are activated in people who are effectively communicating with one another or cooperating on a task, Barbey said. These studies are also showing how brains operate differently from one another, depending on the type of interaction and the context. Several fields of research are ahead of neuroscience in understanding and embracing the collective, collaborative nature of knowledge, Patterson said. For example, “social epistemology” recognizes that knowledge is a social phenomenon that depends on community norms, a shared language and a reliable method for testing the trustworthiness of potential sources. “Philosophers studying natural language also illustrate how knowledge relies on the community,” Patterson said. “For example, according to ‘externalism,’ the meaning of words depends on how they are used and represented within a social context. Thus, the meaning of the word and its correct use depends on collective knowledge that extends beyond the individual.” To address these shortfalls, neuroscientists can look to other social science fields, Barbey said. “We need to incorporate not only neuroscience evidence, but also evidence from social psychology, social anthropology and other disciplines that are better positioned to study the community of knowledge,” he said.	10.3389/fnsys.2021.675127	2,021	Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience	Cognitive Neuroscience Meets the Community of Knowledge	Cognitive neuroscience seeks to discover the biological foundations of the human mind. One goal is to explain how mental operations are generated by the information processing architecture of the human brain. Our aim is to assess whether this is a well-defined objective. Our contention will be that it is not because the information processing of any given individual is not contained entirely within that individual’s brain. Rather, it typically includes components situated in the heads of others, in addition to being distributed across parts of the individual’s body and physical environment. Our focus here will be on cognition distributed across individuals, or on what we call the “community of knowledge,” the challenge that poses for reduction of cognition to neurobiology and the contribution of cognitive neuroscience to the study of communal processes.
797301	Born to be wild: Fungal highways let bacteria travel in exchange for thiamine	Tsukuba, Japan - Tiny organisms head out on the highway, looking for adventure like they've ridden straight out of the 1960s rock hit, "Born to Be Wild." Researchers from Japan have discovered that while perhaps not as thrill-seeking, bacteria do indeed travel on fungal highways and pay a toll in return. In a study published this month in Life Science Alliance, researchers from the University of Tsukuba have revealed a mutual bacterial-fungal relationship that lets bacteria travel in exchange for thiamine. Thiamine (vitamin B1) is essential to the health of almost all living organisms, and is synthesized by bacteria, plants, fungi and some protozoans. Free thiamine is scarce in the environment, and organisms appear to have developed numerous ways of obtaining it. "Some species have developed mutually beneficial strategies that allow them to coexist," says lead author of the study Professor Norio Takeshita. "But few strategies that satisfy the need for nutrients and physical niches have been documented. So, we examined the interaction of a fungus and a bacterium to investigate strategies that meet those needs." To do this, the researchers used transcriptomic analyses (i.e., examining all the RNA molecules of an organism), as well as genetic, molecular mass and imaging methods, including live imaging. Stable isotope labeling was used to investigate thiamine transfer from bacteria to the fungus. "The bacteria cultured with the fungus traveled along fungal filaments using their flagella," explains Professor Nozomu Obana, senior author. "They dispersed farther with the expansion of the fungal colony than they would have otherwise, suggesting that the fungal filaments supply space for bacteria to migrate, disperse and multiply." The fungus in this study is a type that can synthesize thiamine on its own, but used thiamine produced by the bacteria. Because these bacteria synthesize thiamine extracellularly, neighboring bacteria and fungi in nature could uptake it and use it, saving them the cost of synthesizing it themselves. "We're proposing a new mutualistic growth mechanism in bacterial-fungal interactions, in which the bacteria move along the fungal highway and pay thiamine as a toll to the growing fungal filaments," says Professor Takeshita. This research and future studies will contribute to an understanding of selective microbial communication, and live imaging could be used to screen for affinities between bacteria and fungi. Research in this area could be applied to a range of settings from fermentation, biomass degradation, and the promotion of plant growth, as well as plant and human pathogenesis.	10.26508/lsa.202000878	2,020	Life Science Alliance	Fungal mycelia and bacterial thiamine establish a mutualistic growth mechanism	Exclusivity in physical spaces and nutrients is a prerequisite for survival of organisms, but a few species have been able to develop mutually beneficial strategies that allow them to co-habit. Here, we discovered a mutualistic mechanism between filamentous fungus, Aspergillus nidulans , and bacterium, Bacillus subtilis . The bacterial cells co-cultured with the fungus traveled along mycelia using their flagella and dispersed farther with the expansion of fungal colony, indicating that the fungal mycelia supply space for bacteria to migrate, disperse, and proliferate. Transcriptomic, genetic, molecular mass, and imaging analyses demonstrated that the bacteria reached the mycelial edge and supplied thiamine to the growing hyphae, which led to a promotion of hyphal growth. The thiamine transfer from bacteria to the thiamine non-auxotrophic fungus was directly demonstrated by stable isotope labeling. The simultaneous spatial and metabolic interactions demonstrated in this study reveal a mutualism that facilitates the communicating fungal and bacterial species to obtain an environmental niche and nutrient, respectively.
583949	US indoor climate most similar to northeast African outdoors	What do you do to remain comfortable in your home? If you're like the American citizen scientists who reported information about their home climate, you make it as close as possible to the outdoor climate of west central Kenya, according to a new North Carolina State University study. The survey of U.S. indoor climate preferences in 37 states shows that, on average, Americans keep their home climate similar to the outdoor climate of northeast Africa, with outdoor conditions in west central Kenya the most similar to conditions in American homes. That generally means that it's warm inside with low humidity. "We wanted to understand more about climate analogs, or how similar or dissimilar our home climates are to outdoor climates," said Michael Just, an NC State postdoctoral researcher and corresponding author of a paper describing the research. "Why do we set indoor conditions the way we do and why are these settings comfortable to us?" There was some variation in American responses. For example, citizens in North Carolina reported indoor conditions most like those in Namibia, which is in southern Africa and south of the equator. Interestingly, citizen scientists in Alaska also reported indoor conditions most similar to those in Namibia. "Only three states reported indoor conditions that were most similar to non-African outdoor conditions. Hawaii's closest analog was Brazil in South America, Minnesota's was Bermuda, while Vermont's climate match was Mexico," Just said. "On average, though, outdoor settings close to the equator in Africa were most similar to American indoor climates." The study also examined some of the closest relatives to humans, primates like gorillas, for example, and found that they lived in overlapping climate conditions to humans. "We find it interesting that most of the climatically similar outdoor locations were in a region we associate with some of the earliest stages of human evolution," Just said. Just added that further work plans to delve into why humans developed these indoor climate preferences and how those preferences have been affected by genetic and cultural evolution. The study appears in the journal Royal Society Open Science. Rob Dunn, professor of applied ecology at NC State, and Lauren Nichols, a research technician and lab manager in Dunn's lab, co-authored the paper. ### The study was funded by a National Science Foundation Career Award (No. 953390) to Dunn. Note: An abstract of the paper follows. "Human indoor climate preferences approximate specific geographies" Authors: Michael Just, Lauren Nichols and Rob Dunn, NC State University Published: March 20, 2019 in Royal Society Open Science DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180695 Abstract: Human engineering of the outdoors led to the development of the indoor niche, including home construction. However, it is unlikely that domicile construction mechanics are under direct selection for humans. Nonetheless, our preferences within indoor environments are, or once were consequential to our fitness. The research of human homes does not usually consider human evolution, and, therefore, we are without previous predictions about indoor climate preference. We worked with citizen scientists to collect indoor climate data from homes (n = 37) across the USA We then compared these data to recent global terrestrial climate data (0.5° grid cells, n = 67 420) using a climate dissimilarity index. We also compared some climate-related physiological parameters (e.g. thermoneutral zone (TNZ)) between humans and a selection of non-human primates. On average, our study homes were most similar in climate to the outdoor conditions of west central Kenya. We found that the indoor climates of our study homes largely matched the TNZ of humans and other primates. Overall, we identified the geographical distribution of the global outdoor climate that is most similar to the interiors of our study homes and summarized study home indoor climate preferences.	10.1098/rsos.180695	2,019	Royal Society Open Science	Human indoor climate preferences approximate specific geographies	Human engineering of the outdoors led to the development of the indoor niche, including home construction. However, it is unlikely that domicile construction mechanics are under direct selection for humans. Nonetheless, our preferences within indoor environments are, or once were, consequential to our fitness. The research of human homes does not usually consider human evolution, and, therefore, we are without previous predictions about indoor climate preference. We worked with citizen scientists to collect indoor climate data from homes (n = 37) across the USA. We then compared these data to recent global terrestrial climate data (0.5° grid cells, n = 67 420) using a climate dissimilarity index. We also compared some climate-related physiological parameters (e.g. thermoneutral zone (TNZ)) between humans and a selection of non-human primates. On average, our study homes were most similar in climate to the outdoor conditions of west central Kenya. We found that the indoor climates of our study homes largely matched the TNZ of humans and other primates. Overall, we identified the geographical distribution of the global outdoor climate that is most similar to the interiors of our study homes and summarized study home indoor climate preferences.
580204	Early melting of winter snowfall advances the Arctic springtime	The early arrival of spring in parts of the Arctic is driven by winter snow melting sooner than in previous decades and by rising temperatures, research suggests. The findings, from a study of plants at coastal sites around the Arctic tundra, help scientists understand how the region is responding to a changing climate and how it may continue to adapt. Researchers studied the timing of activity in seasonal vegetation, which acts as a barometer for the environment. Changes in the arrival of leaves and flowers - which cover much of the region - can reflect or influence shifts in the climate. A team from the University of Edinburgh, and universities in Canada, the US, Denmark and Germany, gathered data on the greening and flowering of 14 plant species at four sites in Alaska, Canada and Greenland. They sought to better understand which factors have the greatest influence on the timing of spring plants in the tundra - temperatures, snow melt or sea ice melt. Variation in the timing of leaves and flowers appearing on plants between the sites was found to be linked to the timing of local snow melt and, to a lesser extent, temperatures. Across the tundra, leaves and flowers were found to emerge as much as 20 days sooner compared with two decades ago. Within the same timeframe, spring temperatures warmed by 1 degree Celsius each decade on average, while loss of sea ice occurred around 20 days sooner across the different regions. Overall snow melt, which advanced by about 10 days over two decades, had the greatest influence on the timing of spring. The study, published in Global Change Biology, was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council. Dr Isla Myers-Smith, of the University of Edinburgh's School of GeoSciences, who took part in the study, said: "In the extreme climate of the Arctic tundra, where summers are short, the melting of winter snows as well as warming temperatures are key drivers of the timing of spring. This will help us to understand how Arctic ecosystems are responding as the climate warms."	10.1111/gcb.14639	2,019	Global Change Biology	Local snow melt and temperature—but not regional sea ice—explain variation in spring phenology in coastal Arctic tundra	Abstract The Arctic is undergoing dramatic environmental change with rapidly rising surface temperatures, accelerating sea ice decline and changing snow regimes, all of which influence tundra plant phenology. Despite these changes, no globally consistent direction of trends in spring phenology has been reported across the Arctic. While spring has advanced at some sites, spring has delayed or not changed at other sites, highlighting substantial unexplained variation. Here, we test the relative importance of local temperatures, local snow melt date and regional spring drop in sea ice extent as controls of variation in spring phenology across different sites and species. Trends in long‐term time series of spring leaf‐out and flowering (average span: 18 years) were highly variable for the 14 tundra species monitored at our four study sites on the Arctic coasts of Alaska, Canada and Greenland, ranging from advances of 10.06 days per decade to delays of 1.67 days per decade. Spring temperatures and the day of spring drop in sea ice extent advanced at all sites (average 1°C per decade and 21 days per decade, respectively), but only those sites with advances in snow melt (average 5 days advance per decade) also had advancing phenology. Variation in spring plant phenology was best explained by snow melt date (mean effect: 0.45 days advance in phenology per day advance snow melt) and, to a lesser extent, by mean spring temperature (mean effect: 2.39 days advance in phenology per °C). In contrast to previous studies examining sea ice and phenology at different spatial scales, regional spring drop in sea ice extent did not predict spring phenology for any species or site in our analysis. Our findings highlight that tundra vegetation responses to global change are more complex than a direct response to warming and emphasize the importance of snow melt as a local driver of tundra spring phenology.
913053	Citizen scientists help geologists to identify earthquakes and tectonic tremors	It is not yet possible to predict earthquakes, but the analysis of different types of seismic data allows scientists to pinpoint where and when each type of earthquake originated, and hence better understand when and where tectonic slip might occur via damaging earthquakes. Tens of thousands of seismic stations around the world continuously record local seismic activity, with an output that is far beyond what scientists can process. Here, researchers from Northwestern University have called over 2,000 citizen scientists to the rescue for the crowd-based analysis of seismic recordings, rendered into audiovisual format, through the program Earthquake Detective on the Open-Science platform Zooniverse. They show that citizens are at least as accurate as machine learning, and can even identify tectonic tremors, which previously was only possible for trained professionals. The results are published today in Frontiers in Earth Science. "My aim was to receive help with detections of these special seismic events because I felt overwhelmed by the rapidly growing mountain of data I was investigating for my PhD research," says lead author Vivian Tang, a graduate student at the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences of Northwestern University, Illlinois. "With Zooniverse and the Earthquake Detective team, we provide people everywhere with a simple and engaging way to help further scientific research." After completing a tutorial and practice session, each citizen scientist was asked to listen to a random selection from among 2,467 recordings captured by seismic stations across Alaska, part of the USArray of stations across North America. Visual traces were shown alongside the audio data. Each recording corresponded to the first 2,000 seconds (but sped up 800 times to audible frequencies) after the estimated arrival at each station of the surface waves from one of 30 known major earthquakes that occurred somewhere in the world between between 2013 and 2018. When the wave from a faraway earthquake reaches a seismically active location such as Alaska, where the Pacific tectonic plate slides under the North American, it may trigger local seismic events, such as smaller earthquakes or tectonic tremors, which are series of thousands of slow, tiny vibrations deep inside the Earth's crust that may last for days or weeks. Tremors were first discovered in 2001 and have since become an important focus of study, because they show us where tectonic slip occurs without earthquakes, yet are thought to play a role in the origin of earthquakes. Each recording was presented to ten different citizens, who had to classify it as an earthquake, tremor, background noise, or none of the above. Sped up, the seismic recordings of earthquakes typically sound like a slamming door, while tremor sounds like a train going over railway tracks, and background noise can sound like whistling wind, crinkling tin foil, or radio static. The researchers used the number of citizens agreeing on each classification as a measure of the degree of consensus. A selection of the dataset was also classified by trained seismologists among the authors, while output from a machine learning algorithm developed specifically by them to identify earthquakes were used as a benchmark for the citizens' performance. Artificial intelligence has not yet been able to identify tectonic tremor, which until the present study where citizens successfully mastered this task, could only be recognized within seismic data by seismologists. The citizens reached a collective decision for 91% of the tested recordings. There was more consensus when classifying earthquakes (74% of recordings with this collective decision reached the preset threshold of 40% votes for the majority classification) than for tremor (51%) and background noise (66%). When their collective decision was compared to the correct classification, as determined by the professional scientists, the citizens were collectively 85% accurate in identifying earthquakes, higher than the 76% accuracy of the machine learning algorithm. The authors conclude that citizen scientists can make a major contribution to seismology, allowing scientists to process much more data than they ever could on their own, thus helping them to better understand processes deep inside the Earth's crust and forecast earthquakes with greater precision. The citizens' ability to collectively identify tremors, which artificial intelligence can't yet do, will be especially valuable for the field. "Earthquake Detective can be a resource for other researchers in this field who are interested in receiving input from an impressive group of volunteer scientists. We strongly encourage these researchers to point us to seismograms they would like to see classified, so that we can include them in Earthquake Detective, and return the volunteer classifications to the researchers," says Tang.	10.3389/feart.2020.00321	2,020	Frontiers in Earth Science	Citizen Scientists Help Detect and Classify Dynamically Triggered Seismic Activity in Alaska	In this citizen science project, we ask citizens to listen to relevant sections of seismograms that are accelerated to audible frequencies. The events we are asking citizens to help identify are local seismic events that generate much smaller signals than those associated with the seismic surface waves that might have triggered these local events. The local events include small earthquakes as well as tectonic tremor (series of deep low-frequency earthquakes). While progress has been made in understanding how these events might be triggered by the surface waves from large teleseismic earthquakes around the world, there is no consensus on its physical mechanism. The aim of our project is to receive the help of citizens to increase general knowledge of when and which triggered seismic events occur or not occur during transient strain events, such as from propagating surface waves. A better understanding of such triggered seismic events is expected to provide important clues towards a fundamental understanding of how earthquakes nucleate and how large earthquakes might interact with small ones. From the citizens’ classifications we determined that citizen scientists achieve a higher reliability in detecting earthquakes and noise than in detecting tremor or other signals and that citizen scientists more accurately identified earthquake signals than a trained machine-learning algorithm. For tremor classifications we depend entirely on the citizens as no machine has yet learned to detect tremor.
770704	Delirium a key sign of COVID-19 in frail, older people	A new analysis of data from researchers at King's College London using information from the COVID Symptom Study app and patients admitted to St Thomas' Hospital in London, has shown that delirium - a state of acute confusion associated with a higher risk of serious illness and death - is a key symptom of COVID-19 in frail, older people. The findings, published in the journal Age and Ageing, highlight that doctors and carers should be aware of delirium as a possible early warning sign of COVID-19 in the elderly, even in the absence of more typical symptoms such as cough or fever. Led by clinical fellow and geriatrician Dr Rose Penfold at King's College London, the researchers analysed data from two groups of older people aged 65 or over from March through May. The first group included 322 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 who had tested positive for COVID-19, while the second comprised 535 users of the COVID Symptom Study app who reported having had a positive test result. They found that older adults admitted to hospital who were classified as frail according to a standard scale were more likely to have had delirium as one of their symptoms than people of the same age who were not classed as frail. Delirium, along with tiredness and breathlessness, were also more common in frailer users of the COVID Symptom Study app with COVID-19, compared with fitter people of the same age. A third of app users experiencing delirium did not report suffering the 'classic' COVID-19 symptoms of cough and fever, while delirium was the only symptom for around one in five (18.9%) of hospitalised patients. Frailty in the group of hospitalised patients was measured using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS) test, which is administered by a doctor. COVID Symptom Study App users were asked to complete a short questionnaire asking about their health, which is comparable to the CFS. This is the first study showing that delirium is a likely symptom of COVID-19 in frail older adults, although the precise biological connection between the two conditions still needs to be understood. The findings also highlight the need for systematic assessment of frailty for older people, along with awareness and screening for delirium for this vulnerable population in hospitals, care homes and the community. Dr Rose Penfold from King's College London said: "Older, frailer people are at greater risk from COVID-19 than those who are fitter, and our results show that delirium is a key symptom in this group. Doctors and carers should watch out for any changes in mental state in elderly people, such as confusion or strange behaviour, and be alert to the fact that this could be an early sign of coronavirus infection." Dr Claire Steves from King's College London said: "The past six months have shown us that COVID-19 can spread catastrophically through care homes. Knowing that delirium is a symptom in frail, elderly people will help families and carers spot the signs earlier of COVID-19 and act appropriately and put in place infection control measures such as isolation, increased hygiene and personal protective equipment to protect this highly vulnerable group." Professor Tim Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London and COVID Symptom Study lead, said: "In April we upgraded the COVID Symptom Study app to allow users to log health reports on behalf of friends and family who aren't able to access the app. This significantly increased the number of older people in the study, providing vital insights. We're hugely grateful to all our users and urge everyone to download the app and log their health and that of their loved ones on a daily basis as we move towards the winter months."	10.1093/ageing/afaa223	2,020	Age and Ageing	Probable delirium is a presenting symptom of COVID-19 in frail, older adults: a cohort study of 322 hospitalised and 535 community-based older adults	Frailty, increased vulnerability to physiological stressors, is associated with adverse outcomes. COVID-19 exhibits a more severe disease course in older, comorbid adults. Awareness of atypical presentations is critical to facilitate early identification.
924820	Cellular filaments keeping the pace	Cilia are filamentous, hair-like structures that can be found on nearly all cells of the human body. Depending on the tissue, they fulfill a plethora of essential tasks, such as the transport of mucus in trachea, providing access to nutrients and inducing the left-right asymmetry during embryonic development. In their role as controllers of large-scale fluid transport, motile cilia undergo cyclic beating strokes. By this, they communicate mechanical signals to neighboring cilia and collectively create so-called metachronal waves. Typically, thousands of cilia are involved in the creation of such a wave and thus their movement needs to be well regulated to ensure – and optimize – their biological function. Due to the overwhelming complexity and multi-scale nature of the phenomenon, a mechanistic understanding of the self-organization of cilia into metachronal waves has so far been lacking. “Our model allows an in-depth understanding of the organization of cilia arrays”, explains Professor Ramin Golestanian, principal investigator of the study and Director of the Department of Living Matter Physics at the MPIDS. “For the first time, we are now able to predict the parameters and properties of a forming metachronal wave.” Cilia behavior depends on both external and internal factors Creating such models for cilia arrays is essential for understanding how external and internal factors may influence the function of the system. For example, changes in the concentration of certain chemicals or components in the environment induce changes at the small scale and thus might alter the emerging waves and lead to systemic dysfunction. To understand this, we need a multi-scale description of the phenomenon. Since the pioneering works of G.I. Taylor many decades ago (see ‘Further Information’), it is well known that hydrodynamic interactions between cilia can lead to coordination among them. In other words: The cilia coordination be explained due to the emerging flow from a cilium’s stroke affecting the behavior of the entire array, which ultimately causes the metachronal wave. The new model, which has been proposed by Fanlong Meng, Rachel Bennett, Nariya Uchida and Ramin Golestanian, allows to account for the conditions of many independently beating cilia, which coordinate their strokes. In their model, the authors focus on fundamental properties of cilia, such as their different beating harmonics or genomic characteristics. By combining these with features or the emerging waves, they create a powerful theoretical framework describing the cilia arrays. Hence, the new model is able to explain both, altered properties and make predictions about the collective behavior of a ciliary array. “As this allows a better understanding of the organization on a microscale, the study lays the foundation for a multitude of potential applications” Golestanian adds. They may include the diagnostic assessment of malfunction in biological samples, new approaches for medical treatments manipulation cilia behavior or the engineering of artificial systems using metachronal waves. 10.1073/pnas.2102828118 Computational simulation/modeling Cells Conditions for metachronal coordination in arrays of model cilia 9-Aug-2021	10.1073/pnas.2102828118	2,021	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences	Conditions for metachronal coordination in arrays of model cilia	Significance Motile cilia can coordinate with each other to beat in the form of a metachronal wave, which can facilitate the self-propulsion of microorganisms such as Paramecium and can also be used for fluid transport such as mucus removal in trachea. How can we predict the collective behavior of arrays of many cilia coordinated by hydrodynamic interactions, and in particular, the properties of the emerging metachronal waves, from the single-cilium characteristics? We address this question using a bottom-up coarse-graining approach and present results that contribute to understanding how the dynamical self-organization of ciliary arrays can be controlled, which can have significant biological, medical, and engineering implications.
483002	Heart cells cozy up to prevent deadly arrhythmias	Blood may seem like a simple fluid, but its chemistry is complex. When too much potassium, for instance, accumulates in the bloodstream, patients may experience deadly irregular heart rhythms. Cardiovascular scientists at Virginia Tech's Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC are studying why. In a new study, published in Pflügers Archiv European Journal of Physiology, the research team led by Steven Poelzing, associate professor at the institute, describes how subtle changes in potassium, calcium, and sodium levels regulate heartbeats. Poelzing says that the results could help researchers and physicians understand the nuances of cardiac arrythmias, as well as a group of genetic disorders that impact sodium channel function, such as Brugada syndrome. The scientists elevated blood potassium in guinea pigs, creating a condition called hyperkalemia, which causes some of the heart's key electrical conduits, sodium channels, to shut down. Next, they increased calcium levels and observed the heart muscle cells pressing closer together. This miniscule motion - spanning mere nanometers - helps preserve electrical conduction in the heart. "We know the heart is extremely sensitive to changes in blood electrolyte levels, but until recently we didn't have a great picture of how the heart's molecular landscape is remodeled, and how these muscle cells adapt," said Poelzing, who is also an associate professor in the Virginia Tech College of Engineering's department of biomedical engineering and mechanics. Heart muscle cells primarily pass electrical signals via a network of protein bridges called gap junctions and sodium channels. These pathways let nutrients and positively charged minerals flow between cells. When there are too many positively charged potassium ions in the blood, however, the cells get overstimulated and temporarily block signaling channels. "This can be dangerous when sodium channels get stuck in a half-closed state. The cell isn't dying, but it's not as electrically active as it once was. This can cause dangerous heart arrythmias and sudden cardiac death," Poelzing said. When the heart's core electrical pathways falter, heart muscle cells press closer together, allowing them to sense subtle electric fields generated by neighboring cells. This secondary form of cell-to-cell signaling is known as ephaptic coupling. "Ephaptic coupling appears to address the effects of a functional loss of sodium channels, in this case caused by high potassium, and helps keep the current flowing properly across the heart muscle," Poelzing said. Over the course of the eight-year study, Poelzing's team tested different concentrations of sodium and calcium to treat the electrical defects associated with high potassium to see how the heart would respond. They discovered that increasing sodium and calcium levels together greatly reduced the distances between cells, providing a substantial improvement in cardiac conduction. In the clinic, human patients with hyperkalemia who develop abnormal heart rhythms are administered intravenous calcium gluconate. Poelzing's findings help explain why elevating calcium levels under these certain clinical conditions is beneficial. "What surprised me is that such small changes in electrolyte values have such dramatic effects," said Ryan King, the study's first author and a postdoctoral research associate in the lab of Scott Johnstone, an assistant professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. "The ranges of sodium, calcium, and potassium we used in this study are not exaggerated, extreme ionic conditions that you'd never find in a clinical setting. They're all within ranges that could show up in metabolic blood panels."	10.1007/s00424-021-02537-y	2,021	Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology	The conduction velocity-potassium relationship in the heart is modulated by sodium and calcium	Abstract The relationship between cardiac conduction velocity (CV) and extracellular potassium (K + ) is biphasic, with modest hyperkalemia increasing CV and severe hyperkalemia slowing CV. Recent studies from our group suggest that elevating extracellular sodium (Na + ) and calcium (Ca 2+ ) can enhance CV by an extracellular pathway parallel to gap junctional coupling (GJC) called ephaptic coupling that can occur in the gap junction adjacent perinexus. However, it remains unknown whether these same interventions modulate CV as a function of K + . We hypothesize that Na + , Ca 2+ , and GJC can attenuate conduction slowing consequent to severe hyperkalemia. Elevating Ca 2+ from 1.25 to 2.00 mM significantly narrowed perinexal width measured by transmission electron microscopy. Optically mapped, Langendorff-perfused guinea pig hearts perfused with increasing K + revealed the expected biphasic CV-K + relationship during perfusion with different Na + and Ca 2+ concentrations. Neither elevating Na + nor Ca 2+ alone consistently modulated the positive slope of CV-K + or conduction slowing at 10-mM K + ; however, combined Na + and Ca 2+ elevation significantly mitigated conduction slowing at 10-mM K + . Pharmacologic GJC inhibition with 30-μM carbenoxolone slowed CV without changing the shape of CV-K + curves. A computational model of CV predicted that elevating Na + and narrowing clefts between myocytes, as occur with perinexal narrowing, reduces the positive and negative slopes of the CV-K + relationship but do not support a primary role of GJC or sodium channel conductance. These data demonstrate that combinatorial effects of Na + and Ca 2+ differentially modulate conduction during hyperkalemia, and enhancing determinants of ephaptic coupling may attenuate conduction changes in a variety of physiologic conditions.
713891	'Gayborhoods' still home to subtle discrimination	Despite claiming to support gay rights, many straight people who live in traditionally gay neighbourhoods still practice subtle forms of discrimination when interacting with their gay and lesbian neighbours. That's the key finding of new University of British Columbia sociology research published today in the journal City and Community. The study found that straight people living in "gaybourhoods" say they support gay rights in theory, but many interact with their gay and lesbian neighbours on the street in ways that contradict those sentiments. "There is a mistaken belief that marriage equality means the struggle for gay rights is over," said Amin Ghaziani, the study's senior author and associate professor of sociology at UBC. "But it is far from over. Prejudice and discrimination still exist-- it's just more subtle and difficult to detect." For the study, the researchers interviewed 53 straight people who live in two Chicago gaybourhoods, Boystown and Andersonville. They found the majority of residents said they supported gay people. However, the researchers found their progressive attitudes were misaligned with their actions. While many residents said they don't care if people are gay or straight, some indicated that they don't like gay people who are "in your face." When asked about resistance from LGBTQ communities to the widespread trend of straight people moving into gaybourhoods, some of the people interviewed responded with accusations of reverse discrimination and described gay people who challenged them as "segregationist" and "hetero-phobic." Some said they believed they should have open access to cultural gay spaces, and were surprised that they felt "unwelcome" there. "If a group of straight women hosted a bachelorette party in a gay bar, for example, they were surprised that they felt 'unwelcome,'" said Ghaziani. "That feeling of surprise, however, exemplifies a misguided belief that gay districts are trendy commodities when they are actually safe spaces for sexual minorities." When the researchers asked residents if they had done anything to show their support of gay rights, such as marching in the pride parade, donating to an LGBTQ organization, or writing a letter in support of marriage equality to a politician, the majority said they had not. Many also expected their gay and lesbian neighbours to be happy and welcoming of straight people moving into gaybourhoods, expressing sentiments like, "you wanted equality-- this is what equality looks like." Ghaziani said this argument exemplifies the fundamental misunderstanding of the inequality and discrimination that creates the need for gaybourhoods in the first place. "The people we interviewed say their desire is for everyone to 'just get along,' but that desire implies that gaybourhoods are utopias where everyone can live, rather than places where minorities can find relief from discrimination and social isolation," he said. With gay pride celebrations fast approaching around the world, Adriana Brodyn, the study's lead author and a PhD student in the UBC department of sociology, said it is important to pause and reflect on the state of LGBTQ equality. "I hope that our research motivates people against becoming politically complacent or apathetic," she said. "If we do not motivate ourselves to be aware of this subtle form of prejudice, then it will just continue to perpetuate." ###	10.1111/cico.12298	2,018	City and Community	Performative Progressiveness: Accounting for New Forms of Inequality in the Gayborhood	Attitudes toward homosexuality have liberalized considerably, but these positive public opinions conceal the persistence of prejudice at an interpersonal level. We use interviews with heterosexual residents of Chicago gayborhoods—urban districts that offer ample opportunities for contact and thus precisely the setting in which we would least expect bias to appear—to analyze this new form of inequality. Our findings show four strategies that liberal–minded straights use to manage the dilemmas they experience when they encounter their gay and lesbian neighbors on the streets: spatial entitlements, rhetorical moves, political absolution, and affect. Each expression captures the empirical variability of performative progressiveness, a concept that describes the co–occurrence of progressive attitudes alongside homonegative actions. Our analyses have implications more broadly for how conflicting visions of diversity affect placemaking efforts; how residents with power and privilege redefine cultural enclaves in the city; and the mechanisms that undermine equality in a climate of increasing acceptance.
947213	Things are heating up for superconductors	Researchers at Linköping University have, by way of a number of theoretical calculations, shown that magnesium diboride becomes superconductive at a higher temperature when it is stretched. The discovery is a big step toward finding superconductive materials that are useful in real-world situations. “Magnesiumdiboride or MgB2 is an interesting material. It’s a hard material that is used for instance in aircraft production and normally it becomes superconductive at a relatively high temperature, 39 K, or -234 C°”, says Erik Johansson, who recently completed his doctorate at the Division of Theoretical Physics. Erik Johansson is also principal author of an article published in the Journal of Applied Physics that have attracted broad attention. The results have been identified by the editor as particularly important for the future. “Magnesium boride has an uncomplicated structure which means that the calculations on the supercomputers here at the National Supercomputer Centre in Linköping can focus on complex phenomena like superconductivity”, he says. Access to renewable energy is fundamental for a sustainable world, but even renewable energy disappears in the form of losses during transmission in the electrical networks. These losses are due to the fact that even materials that are good conductors have a certain resistance, resulting in losses in the form of heat. For this reason, scientists worldwide are trying to find materials that are superconductive, that is, that conduct electricity with no losses at all. Such materials exist, but superconductivity mostly arises very close to absolute 0, i.e. 0 K or -273,15 °C. Many years of research have resulted in complicated new materials with a maximum critical temperature of maybe 200 K, that is, -73 °C. At temperatures under the critical temperature, the materials become superconductive. Research has also shown that superconductivity can be achieved in certain metallic materials at extremely high pressure. If the scientists are successful in increasing the critical temperature, there will be greater opportunities to use the phenomenon of superconductivity in practical applications. “The main goal is to find a material that is superconductive at normal pressure and room temperature. The beauty of our study is that we present a smart way of increasing the critical temperature without having to use massively high pressure, and without using complicated structures or sensitive materials. Magnesium diboride behaves in the opposite way to many other materials, where high pressure increases the ability to superconduct. Instead, here we can stretch the material by a few per cent and get a huge increase in the critical temperature”, says Erik Johansson. In the nanoscale, the atoms vibrate even in really hard and solid materials. In the scientists’ calculations of magnesium diboride, it emerges that when the material is stretched, the atoms are pulled away from each other and the frequency of the vibrations changes. This means that in this material, the critical temperature increases – in one case from 39 K to 77 K. If magnesium diboride is instead subjected to high pressure, its superconductivity decreases. The discovery of this phenomenon paves the way for calculations and tests of other similar materials or material combinations that can increase the critical temperature further. “One possibility could be to mix magnesium diboride with another metal diboride, creating a nanolabyrinth of stretched MgB2 with a high superconductive temperature”, says Björn Alling, docent and senior lecturer at the Division of Theoretical Physics and director of the National Supercomputer Centre at Linköping University. The research has been funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, the Swedish Research Council and the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, among others. It has been conducted with support from the government’s strategic venture, Advanced Functional Materials, AFM, at Linköping University. The article: The effect of strain and pressure on the electron-phonon coupling and superconductivity in MgB2—Benchmark of theoretical methodologies and outlook for nanostructure design, Erik Johansson, Ferenc Tasnádi, Annop Ektarawong, Johanna Rosén, and Björn Alling. Applied Physics 131, 063902 (2022); doi: 10.1063/5.0078765 Contact: Björn Alling, [email protected] +46 73 589 03 32 Journal of Applied Physics 10.1063/5.0078765 Computational simulation/modeling The effect of strain and pressure on the electron-phonon coupling and superconductivity in MgB2—Benchmark of theoretical methodologies and outlook for nanostructure design 8-Feb-2022 None	10.1063/5.0078765	2,022	Journal of Applied Physics	The effect of strain and pressure on the electron-phonon coupling and superconductivity in MgB2—Benchmark of theoretical methodologies and outlook for nanostructure design	Different theoretical methodologies are employed to investigate the effect of hydrostatic pressure and anisotropic stress and strain on the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of MgB2. This is done both by studying Kohn anomalies in the phonon dispersions alone and by explicit calculation of the electron–phonon coupling. It is found that increasing pressure suppresses Tc in all cases, whereas isotropic and anisotropic strain enhances the superconductivity. In contrast to trialed epitaxial growth that is limited in the amount of achievable lattice strain, we propose a different path by co-deposition with ternary diborides that thermodynamically avoid mixing with MgB2. This is suggested to promote columnar growth that can introduce strain in all directions.
806945	De-mystifying the study of volatile organic plant compounds	Similar to human pheromones, all plants emit signaling chemicals. The chemicals, called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are ubiquitous. The smell of freshly cut grass is caused by a VOC. Ever wonder why Christmas trees easily catch fire? Conifer trees emit a flammable group of VOCs called terpenes. VOCs protect plants from stress, attract insects for pollination and seed dispersal, and even send warning signs to neighbor plants and animals that predators are attacking. VOCs essentially mediate relationships between plants and the organisms with which they interact. "VOCs also affect our climate globally," says lead author of a new review of VOCs, Dušan Materić. "Most VOCs emitted in the atmosphere are actually emitted from plants, predominantly from leaf surfaces." Some plant VOC emissions, like isoprene, contribute approximately 600 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year, which is more than the amount of carbon emitted by all sources of methane combined. Because the global significance of VOCs crosses several borders of disciplinary science - environmental, physical, biological, chemical, mathematical - the research requires collaborations across STEM fields. Despite this, biological research on foliar VOCs (VOCs emitted from leaf surfaces) is rare. Thanks to a new review by Materić, Vincent Gauci, and researchers from The Open University in England, biologists and environmental scientists have resources to study these essential, yet elusive, foliar compounds. The review is published in a recent issue of Applications in Plant Sciences and is geared toward plant scientists with no background in the physical or analytical methods necessary to navigate the science of VOCs. "We hope that this work will help scientists who would like to move into the field of plant foliar VOCs research to get a comprehensive overview of available sampling methods and measurement techniques as well as their cost," says Materić. Foliar VOCs are difficult to measure and highly unstable. Volatile organic compounds have low boiling points, resulting in molecules that easily evaporate into the air. VOCs react quickly with other chemicals and with surfaces of instruments used to measure them. To sample VOCs at high precision, a chamber is placed around a plant leaf or branch. But measuring VOCs from a single leaf is difficult. Most leaves emit trace amounts of VOCs and create a slew of technical and analytical challenges for scientists. Plant chambers can change many of the factors that trigger the release of VOCs, like temperature, light, and moisture (see Image), causing a false reading of natural VOC emissions. The review explains the trade-offs in available VOC measurement techniques, allowing scientists to easily pair robust methods with scientific questions. Using schematics and straightforward instructions, Materić and colleagues break down the pros and cons of two complex techniques--gas chromatography and chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Although both techniques can separate and measure different types of VOCs, gas chromatography allows scientists to store samples long-term and still end up with highly accurate readings. Chemical ionization mass spectrometry (using hydronium ions [H3O+]), on the other hand, measures VOCs in real time. For example, mass spectrometry can measure in which seasons entire pine forests emit the most terpenes into the atmosphere. However, certain types of VOCs can't be measured or distinguished simultaneously using mass spectrometry, which can be necessary to understand the ecological and physiological functions of VOCs for plants. Expected advances in the field will include techniques to capture low concentrations of VOCs with high-resolution time data. For example, simultaneous changes in the amount of VOCs that a plant secretes can determine how quickly it responds to insect attacks or heals a recent wound. ### Dušan Materić, Dan Bruhn, Claire Turner, Geraint Morgan, Nigel Mason, and Vincent Gauci. 2015. Methods in plant foliar volatile organic compounds research. Applications in Plant Sciences 3(12): 1500044. doi:10.3732/apps.1500044. Applications in Plant Sciences (APPS) is a monthly, peer-reviewed, open access journal focusing on new tools, technologies, and protocols in all areas of the plant sciences. It is published by the Botanical Society of America, a nonprofit membership society with a mission to promote botany, the field of basic science dealing with the study and inquiry into the form, function, development, diversity, reproduction, evolution, and uses of plants and their interactions within the biosphere. APPS is available as part of BioOne's Open Access collection. For further information, please contact the APPS staff at [email protected].	10.3732/apps.1500044	2,015	Applications in Plant Sciences	Methods in plant foliar volatile organic compounds research	Plants are a major atmospheric source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These secondary metabolic products protect plants from high-temperature stress, mediate in plant-plant and plant-insect communication, and affect our climate globally. The main challenges in plant foliar VOC research are accurate sampling, the inherent reactivity of some VOC compounds that makes them hard to detect directly, and their low concentrations. Plant VOC research relies on analytical techniques for trace gas analysis, usually based on gas chromatography and soft chemical ionization mass spectrometry. Until now, these techniques (especially the latter one) have been developed and used primarily by physicists and analytical scientists, who have used them in a wide range of scientific research areas (e.g., aroma, disease biomarkers, hazardous compound detection, atmospheric chemistry). The interdisciplinary nature of plant foliar VOC research has recently attracted the attention of biologists, bringing them into the field of applied environmental analytical sciences. In this paper, we review the sampling methods and available analytical techniques used in plant foliar VOC research to provide a comprehensive resource that will allow biologists moving into the field to choose the most appropriate approach for their studies.
791951	Study finds migration strategy predicts stopover ecology in shorebirds	As anyone who has ever taken a long car trip knows, frequent rest and refueling stops are needed to make it to the destination. For migratory birds, this is the case as well, only they fuel up on food during their rest stops and put on large amounts of fat in the process. However, not all bird species have the same migration strategy, that is, in terms of their stopping times and eating rates. Some birds stop and feed for weeks at a time, and some do so for brief periods of one or two days. Now, a new study from online journal Animal Migration, has uncovered one of the reasons for this difference, and it has to do with the length of the next flight. In the article, published now fully in open access by De Gruyter Open, Jessica Henkel and Caz Taylor, from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, studied three species of migratory shorebirds (semipalmated sandpipers, western sandpipers, and dunlins), which all naturally differ in migration strategy during their spring migration in North America. One makes a series of short flights with multiple stops in between, one has the opposite behavior, with one or two very long flights northward, and only stops once or twice, and the third species is somewhere in the middle. By capturing birds from all three species at sites along the northern Gulf of Mexico, and measuring their stopover times and refueling rates, the authors found that the long-distance migrants tended to stay longer at the refueling sites, and they gained weight faster than the short-distance birds. The birds that only make short flights tended to have shorter visits at the same sites, and did not gain as much weight. According to Dr. Frank Moore, an expert in bird migration and stopover biology from the University of Southern Mississippi, "the authors demonstrate rather convincingly that migration strategies reflect a complex interplay between time and condition - key metrics that determine the success of a migration event." The authors point out in the study that their results can help to inform conservation strategies for these birds as well. "Studies like this one are a great example of the type of cutting-edge work that is being done in this field. Shorebird stopover sites throughout the migratory flyway are slowly dwindling due to habitat losses, and this information can help to predict the impact of such losses to different bird species and develop conservation plans to mitigate these impacts" says Andy Davis, Editor-in-Chief of Animal Migration. ### The original article is fully open access and available to read, download and share on De Gruyter Online.	10.1515/ami-2015-0003	2,015	Animal Migration	Migration strategy predicts stopover ecology in shorebirds on the northern Gulf of Mexico	Abstract Twenty-eight species of migratory shorebirds rely on the coastlines of the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) to fuel migrations to near-arctic breeding grounds. Shorebird species vary in their migration ecology: some species use a “jump” strategy, migrating long distances without stopping, while others use “skip” and “hop” strategies, stopping to refuel at shorter intervals along their journey. We compared stopover duration, body condition (fat scores and size-adjusted mass), and refueling rates (plasma metabolite concentrations), in three Calidrid sandpiper species (Calidris pusilla, C. mauri, and C. alpina) that differ in migration strategy after leaving the NGOM during spring. Results indicate that, while birds refueled at similar rates, C. alpina, an intermediate distance jump migrant, reached higher fuel stores before departing on migration than the hop and skip migrants, C. pusilla and C. mauri. C. alpina also spent more time on the NGOM than the other two species. Results suggest that NGOM habitats may be particularly important for migration success in C. alpina. This knowledge will help us predict the potential population level consequences of habitat loss due to global change on NGOM shorebird populations and develop conservation plans to mitigate these impacts.
977811	Amazon heat drives Tibet temperatures: climate tipping elements connected half around the globe	“Logging, road construction and warming are already today stressing the Amazon rainforest, and will likely do so even more in the future – and while the Amazon region is of course an important Earth system element by itself, it’s also a burning question if and how changes in that region could affect other parts of the world,” explains Jingfang Fan from Beijing Normal University, China, and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany. “For the first time, we’ve now been able to robustly identify and quantify these so called teleconnections. Our research confirms that Earth system tipping elements are indeed inter-linked even over long distances, and the Amazon is one key example how this could play out.” Analysis of air temperature changes in 65.000 subregions in the past 40 years The researchers analyzed near-surface air temperature changes in a grid of more than 65.000 subregions, regarded as nodes, they put on the globe, using data from the past 40 years. By doing so, they could see how changes at one node influenced those at another one. They succeeded to detect a pronounced propagation pathway over more than 20.000 kilometers – from South America via Southern Africa to the Middle East and finally to the Tibetan Plateau. This pathway can be explained by the main atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns. In a next step, the researchers used state-of-the-art climate computer simulations to see how global warming, caused by greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels, might modify the long-distance linkages until 2100. “We’ve been surprised to see how strongly climate extremes in the Amazon are connected to climate extremes in Tibet,” says Jürgen Kurths from PIK, a co-author of the paper. “When it’s getting warmer in the Amazon, it also does so in Tibet, hence for temperature there’s a positive correlation. It’s different for precipitation. When we have more rain in the Amazon, there’s less snowfall in Tibet.” The researchers detected the early warning signals based on the snow cover data and reveal that the Tibetan Plateau has been losing stability and approaching a tipping point since 2008. “This has been overlooked so far,” says Kurths. Despite its remote location, the Tibetan Plateau is relevant for a lot of people’s livelihoods due to its role as an important water reservoir. "This is a risk we should rather avoid" “Our research underlines that tipping cascades are a risk to be taken seriously: inter-linked tipping elements in the Earth system can trigger each other, with potentially severe consequences,” says Hans Joachim Schellnhuber from PIK, also a co-author. “To be clear, it’s unlikely that the climate system as a whole will tip. Yet, over time, sub-continental tipping events can severely affect entire societies and threaten important parts of the biosphere. This is a risk we should rather avoid. And we can do so by rapidly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and by developing nature-based solutions for removing CO2 from the atmosphere.” Article: Teng Liu, Dean Chen, Lan Yang, Jun Meng, Zanchenling Wang, Josef Ludescher, Jingfang Fan, Saini Yang, Deliang Chen, Jürgen Kurths, Xiaosong Chen, Shlomo Havlin, Hans Joachim Schellnhuber (2023): Teleconnections among tipping elements in the Earth system. Nature Climate Change [DOI:10.1038/s41558-022-01558-4] Link to the article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-022-01558-4 Nature Climate Change 10.1038/s41558-022-01558-4 Computational simulation/modeling Not applicable Teleconnections among tipping elements in the Earth system. 5-Jan-2023	10.1038/s41558-022-01558-4	2,023	Nature Climate Change	Teleconnections among tipping elements in the Earth system	Abstract Tipping elements are components of the Earth system that may shift abruptly and irreversibly from one state to another at specific thresholds. It is not well understood to what degree tipping of one system can influence other regions or tipping elements. Here, we propose a climate network approach to analyse the global impacts of a prominent tipping element, the Amazon Rainforest Area (ARA). We find that the ARA exhibits strong correlations with regions such as the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and West Antarctic ice sheet. Models show that the identified teleconnection propagation path between the ARA and the TP is robust under climate change. In addition, we detect that TP snow cover extent has been losing stability since 2008. We further uncover that various climate extremes between the ARA and the TP are synchronized under climate change. Our framework highlights that tipping elements can be linked and also the potential predictability of cascading tipping dynamics.
708105	Proposed cuts to US Malaria Initiative could mean millions more malaria cases	Cutting the budget of the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) by 44%, as the U.S. Congress has proposed, would lead to an estimated 67 million additional cases of malaria over the next four years, according to a mathematical model published this week in PLOS Medicine by Peter Winskill of Imperial College London, UK, and colleagues. The PMI, established in 2005 and funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), has provided ongoing support to malaria control programs in 19 African countries and is the largest bilateral funder of malaria prevention and treatment. In May 2017, Congress published a budget justification document which included a 44% proposed reduction to PMI funding for 2018. In the new study, the researchers inputted data on PMI funding and epidemiology into an established model of Plasmodium falciparum malaria to project the impact of reductions in funding. If funding is maintained, PMI-funded interventions are estimated to avert 162 million more cases (95% CrI: 116 million, 194 million) of malaria and save 692,589 (95% CrI: 392,694, 955,653) lives between 2017 and 2020 compared to no PMI support. If a 44% reduction in funding occurs, the model revealed that this loss of direct aid could result in an additional 67 million (95% CrI: 49 million, 82 million) cases of malaria and 290,649 deaths (95% CrI: 167,208, 395,263) between 2017 and 2020 compared to maintaining current levels of funding. "Our results provide a conservative estimate of the overall impact of PMI funding as we do not capture the impact of all PMI-associated activities," the authors say. "PMI's ongoing support... in counties of high burden or strategic importance is vital in order to avoid a rapid erosion of the progress made in the last 15 years on the road towards malaria eradication."	10.1371/journal.pmed.1002448	2,017	PLoS Medicine	The US President's Malaria Initiative, Plasmodium falciparum transmission and mortality: A modelling study	Although significant progress has been made in reducing malaria transmission globally in recent years, a large number of people remain at risk and hence the gains made are fragile. Funding lags well behind amounts needed to protect all those at risk and ongoing contributions from major donors, such as the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), are vital to maintain progress and pursue further reductions in burden. We use a mathematical modelling approach to estimate the impact of PMI investments to date in reducing malaria burden and to explore the potential negative impact on malaria burden should a proposed 44% reduction in PMI funding occur.We combined an established mathematical model of Plasmodium falciparum transmission dynamics with epidemiological, intervention, and PMI-financing data to estimate the contribution PMI has made to malaria control via funding for long-lasting insecticide treated nets (LLINs), indoor residual spraying (IRS), and artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs). We estimate that PMI has prevented 185 million (95% CrI: 138 million, 230 million) malaria cases and saved 940,049 (95% CrI: 545,228, 1.4 million) lives since 2005. If funding is maintained, PMI-funded interventions are estimated to avert a further 162 million (95% CrI: 116 million, 194 million) cases, saving a further 692,589 (95% CrI: 392,694, 955,653) lives between 2017 and 2020. With an estimate of US$94 (95% CrI: US$51, US$166) per Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) averted, PMI-funded interventions are highly cost-effective. We also demonstrate the further impact of this investment by reducing caseloads on health systems. If a 44% reduction in PMI funding were to occur, we predict that this loss of direct aid could result in an additional 67 million (95% CrI: 49 million, 82 million) cases and 290,649 (95% CrI: 167,208, 395,263) deaths between 2017 and 2020. We have not modelled indirect impacts of PMI funding (such as health systems strengthening) in this analysis.Our model estimates that PMI has played a significant role in reducing malaria cases and deaths since its inception. Reductions in funding to PMI could lead to large increases in the number of malaria cases and deaths, damaging global goals of malaria control and elimination.
702497	Surprise: Non-dietary factors played important role in shaping skulls of carnivores	Factors other than feeding habits - including age at sexual maturity and average rainfall in their home habitat - have greatly influenced skull shape in carnivores, according to a new study. This finding contrasts with the idea that dominant shapes among the skulls of carnivores are mostly attributed to shared diets. To date, experts have believed that the evolution of carnivore skull shape is largely influenced by these animals' feeding activities, which vary greatly one species to the next. The idea has been that different skull shapes feature unique biomechanical attributes, like stiffness, that allow for specialized feeding. To determine if other, non-feeding variables have played a part in the evolution of skull shape among carnivoran species, however, Z. Jack Tseng and John J. Flynn created sophisticated digital and physical models of carnivore skulls, across all living carnivoran families, and tested, through various analyses, how skull shape and size correlated with habitat, diet, life expectancy, movement, and other non-feeding variables. Four of the nine non-feeding variables they studied were significantly correlated with cranial shape, they report, particularly trophic (or food web) levels and age at sexual maturity. Additionally, the authors note, skulls of species that tend to live in regions with higher average precipitation showed more elongated and narrow skull features. Skulls of carnivores with narrower diets and exhibiting earlier sexual maturity were more likely to have very stiff lower elements, say the authors, whereas skulls of carnivores that may also eat plants and which live in areas with lower average precipitation were associated with higher stiffness. The authors believe their general biomechanical findings could pertain to other vertebrate families as well.	10.1126/sciadv.aao5441	2,018	Science Advances	Structure-function covariation with nonfeeding ecological variables influences evolution of feeding specialization in Carnivora	Biomechanical analyses across Carnivora indicate nondietary influences on skull shape and evolution of feeding adaptations.
685602	Workplace 'resilience' programs might not make any difference	Workplace resilience programmes, designed to bolster mental health and wellbeing, and encourage employees to seek help when issues arise, might not make any difference, suggests research published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine. These programmes are becoming increasingly popular in the belief that they are not only good for employee mental health, but also for employers' overheads, despite relatively little sound evaluation of their effectiveness, say the researchers. In a bid to address this, they compared the impact of a resilience-based programme, called SPEAR (358 participants), with standard training (349) in 707 new military recruits. SPEAR has been specifically developed for the UK Royal Air Force (RAF) and focuses on key activities: participating in Social networks; capitalising on Personal strengths and weaknesses; managing Emotions; enhancing Awareness of psychological symptoms; and learning techniques to promote Resilience. The researchers wanted to know if SPEAR improved recruits' mental health and wellbeing as well as their attitudes to mental illness during the initial stages of their military career. They also wanted to know if SPEAR affected perceptions of leadership, unit cohesion, and willingness to seek help for mental health and alcohol issues. The recruits didn't know which group they had been assigned to, but all of them were formally assessed for post-traumatic stress disorder, common mental health symptoms, hazardous drinking, homesickness, and mental health stigmatisation before their training began. These assessments were then repeated after the programmes had completed (9 weeks), and 3 months later. After they had finished their training, the recruits were asked to rate it, and to give their impressions of their leaders and the cohesiveness of their unit. Their feedback was sought again after 3 months. Some 44 recruits left the service before the 9 weeks were up. And of the remainder, 655 completed their assessments afterwards, and 481 did so 3 months later. There was no evidence that SPEAR made any difference to recruits' mental health and wellbeing: their attitudes to mental illness and willingness to seek help for mental health or alcohol problems: or their perceptions of military leaders and their unit's cohesion, when compared with standard training. Alcohol consumption patterns remained unchanged despite the SPEAR programme including a component focusing specifically on substance and alcohol misuse. The SPEAR recruits also seemed to feel more stigmatised after they had completed their training, the responses indicated. There were no significant differences in how either group rated the impact of their training: they rated their leaders and unit cohesion highly. Effective leadership is known to be supportive of mental health, while cohesion is associated with openness and less mental health stigmatisation, so this might explain why SPEAR seemed to have little impact, suggest the researchers. But they point out: "Many organisations search for a 'silver bullet' intervention that can be used to improve the mental health and wellbeing of their employees when time might be better spent refining leadership and building strong cohesion." And any new resilience programme should be properly evaluated, they say, emphasising that their findings provide "a cautionary example of why [this] is important." This is an observational study, and as such, can't establish cause. But the researchers nevertheless conclude: "Although the current study found no benefit for a specific intervention, this is an important finding as a great deal of time and expenditure is spent implementing such interventions without establishing whether they are effective or not. "Doing no harm is not a reasonable defence of an ineffective intervention as time spent in delivery effectively reduces the time available for engaging in more meaningful activity."	10.1136/oemed-2018-105503	2,018	Occupational and Environmental Medicine	Resilience-based intervention for UK military recruits: a randomised controlled trial	We evaluated a military resilience intervention which aimed to help UK military recruits to manage their personal health and well-being more effectively.Trainers within six pre-existing training teams were randomly allocated by team to deliver a resilience-based intervention (SPEAR) or usual training (control) during recruit training. 23 trainers delivered SPEAR; 18 delivered the control training. 707 recruits participated (n=358 SPEAR and n=349 controls). Outcome measures were obtained before and after recruit training and 3 months later. Measures of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), common mental disorder (CMD) symptoms, alcohol use, homesickness and mental health stigmatisation were obtained at baseline. Repeat baseline scales plus measures of help-seeking, cohesion, leadership and training impact were obtained at the two follow-up points.Response rates were 91.7% (baseline), 98.1% (post) and 73.6% (follow-up). Following adjustment for potential confounders, levels of PTSD, CMD symptoms, alcohol misuse, help-seeking and homesickness were not significantly different between groups at any measurement point. Stigmatisation was significantly lower among SPEAR recipients at baseline but was not significantly different at the two follow-up points. Following adjustment for mental health confounders, there were no significant between-group differences in perceptions of leadership and cohesion and in ratings of six training outcomes at the two follow-up points.We found no evidence that resilience-based training had any specific benefit to the health and well-being of UK military recruits.
668583	Incurable cancer: Patients need palliative care support early on	So far, there has been little research into supportive care needs in patients with newly diagnosed incurable cancer and as their disease progresses. That is why experts from the German Cancer Society's working group on palliative medicine, led by Professor Florian Lordick, Director of the University Cancer Center Leipzig (UCCL), surveyed 500 patients between the ages of 25 and 89. What made the project special was the fact that the patients were accompanied from the moment they were diagnosed and before receiving any treatment. Professor Lordick sums it up thus: "There is an urgent need for patients to have early access to supportive palliative care for a wide range of issues, including psychosocial support." Palliative care is not about healing, but about maintaining quality of life, relieving pain, treating other physical ailments and problems of a psychosocial and spiritual nature. Two-thirds of patients diagnosed with incurable cancer reported immediate, significant physical and emotional distress. The study paints a complex picture of the care provided by 20 cancer treatment centres across Germany, from university to community settings, from outpatient to inpatient care. Oncologist Lordick explains: "The patients were very interested in the survey, despite the fact that they were in a very difficult situation and the study required them to reveal their inner selves to a certain degree. That showed us just how important this issue is to them." Patients were surveyed shortly after being diagnosed with incurable lung (217), gastrointestinal (156), head and neck (55), gynaecological (57) and skin (15) cancers, and again after three, six and twelve months. The focus was on patients' distress, symptom burden, quality of life and supportive care needs. More than 30 per cent of respondents reported anxiety and depression shortly after diagnosis. Complaints of a lack of energy, nutritional and digestive problems, and pain were also very common. The study shows where the needs of those affected are particularly high. When comparing patients with different cancers, those with stomach, oesophageal, liver, or head and neck tumours displayed the highest level of distress over the entire observation period. Professor Lordick believes the study results can be used to draw clear conclusions for medical practice, explaining: "Cancer centres need to have expert palliative care services, both on an inpatient and outpatient basis. These include specialised nutritional counselling, pain management, and physiotherapy and psychosocial support." The expert from Leipzig University Hospital concludes that the results underline the necessity of introducing comprehensive symptom screening and early palliative medical care.	10.1002/onco.13751	2,021	The Oncologist	Symptom Burden and Palliative Care Needs of Patients with Incurable Cancer at Diagnosis and During the Disease Course	Although current guidelines advocate early integration of palliative care, symptom burden and palliative care needs of patients at diagnosis of incurable cancer and along the disease trajectory are understudied.We assessed distress, symptom burden, quality of life, and supportive care needs in patients with newly diagnosed incurable cancer in a prospective longitudinal observational multicenter study. Patients were evaluated using validated self-report measures (National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer [DT], Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy [FACT], Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life [SEIQoL-Q], Patients Health Questionnaire-4 [PHQ-4], modified Supportive Care Needs Survey [SCNS-SF-34]) at baseline (T0) and at 3 (T1), 6 (T2), and 12 months (T3) follow-up.From October 2014 to October 2016, 500 patients (219 women, 281 men; mean age 64.2 years) were recruited at 20 study sites in Germany following diagnosis of incurable metastatic, locally advanced, or recurrent lung (217), gastrointestinal (156), head and neck (55), gynecological (57), and skin (15) cancer. Patients reported significant distress (DT score ≥ 5) after diagnosis, which significantly decreased over time (T0: 67.2%, T1: 51.7%, T2: 47.9%, T3: 48.7%). The spectrum of reported symptoms was broad, with considerable variety between and within the cancer groups. Anxiety and depressiveness were most prevalent early in the disease course (T0: 30.8%, T1: 20.1%, T2: 14.7%, T3: 16.9%). The number of patients reporting unmet supportive care needs decreased over time (T0: 71.8 %, T1: 61.6%, T2: 58.1%, T3: 55.3%).Our study confirms a variable and mostly high symptom burden at the time of diagnosis of incurable cancer, suggesting early screening by using standardized tools and underlining the usefulness of early palliative care.A better understanding of symptom burden and palliative care needs of patients with newly diagnosed incurable cancer may guide clinical practice and help to improve the quality of palliative care services. The results of this study provide important information for establishing palliative care programs and related guidelines. Distress, symptom burden, and the need for support vary and are often high at the time of diagnosis. These findings underscore the need for implementation of symptom screening as well as early palliative care services, starting at the time of diagnosis of incurable cancer and tailored according to patients' needs.
764337	Princeton scientists discover an interaction that helps cancers spread to bone	A Princeton-led team of researchers have discovered a factor that promotes the spread of cancers to bone, opening the way toward treatments that could mitigate cancer's ability to colonize bone. The study by Mark Esposito, Yibin Kang and colleagues appears in the April 15 issue of Nature Cell Biology. "A large majority of human cancers are carcinomas derived from epithelial cells," says Kang, a professor of molecular biology and the corresponding author of the paper. Carcinomas grow from a single mutated cell into a tumor, a solid mass of cancerous cells. As long as it remains contained at its site of origin, a tumor may disrupt the function of its host organ, but it only indirectly affects the rest of the body. However, cancers will often metastasize -- that is, spread -- to colonize other, distant tissues. Breast cancers, for example, commonly metastasize to lung, liver, brain and bone. Patients whose tumors have metastasized suffer greater systemic disruption and are much less likely to achieve a successful cure. Most deaths from cancer occur after metastasis, so it is important to understand what signals control or promote this process. Kang's team examined the motility, or ability to move, of the epithelial cells that line the surfaces within the body, including skin, organs and blood vessels. "Epithelial cells are normally not motile, but cancer cells undergo a process called epithelial-mesenchymal transition, or EMT, to become more migratory and escape from the primary tumor," explained Kang. "Once they reach a distant organ, they must then go through the reverse process, mesenchymal-epithelial transition, or MET, to revert to the epithelial state in order to proliferate and form a metastatic colony." Although EMT is well studied, the signals that drive MET are still poorly understood. It's thought that MET is triggered by interactions between surface proteins on cancer cells and corresponding ligands or receptors found on the cells that naturally reside in the tissue being colonized. While studying signals that drive cancer metastasis and MET in bone, the Princeton researchers' attention was drawn to an adhesion molecule called E-selectin. E-selectin is found on the cells that line capillaries throughout the body, where it aids in recruitment of immune cells from blood during inflammation by giving them something to latch onto. It has long been suspected that E-selectin may facilitate the recruitment of cancer cells to secondary organs in a similar manner during metastasis, but no evidence of this has yet been found. In fact, mice lacking E-selectin entirely are not protected from lung colonization by breast cancer cells. This may be partly due to the distribution of E-selectin; the researchers found that E-selectin is more strongly expressed in bone vasculature than in the lung. Accordingly, they observed that mice lacking E-selectin are less susceptible to bone metastasis than are normal animals. Importantly, however, E-selectin in bone is a prominent part of the environmental niche that supports the early differentiation and growth of specialized immune cells and blood cells. "Our study shows this environment is hijacked by metastasizing cancer cells so that E-selectin nurtures the cancer cells in their early phases of growth," said Esposito, a postdoctoral fellow in Kang's lab and the lead author on the group's paper. "What we found in this study is when tumor cells bind to bone vascular E-selectin, they undergo MET, and at the same time exhibit elevated signaling through the Wnt pathway, to enhance their cancer stem cell properties and promote new tumor growth," said Kang. How does bone E-selectin stimulate these responses in cancer cells? "E-selectin binding requires special modification of its ligand by a unique type of sugar decoration catalyzed by a family of enzymatic proteins," says Kang. Binding of E-selectin to this specially modified protein on the cancer cell is what stimulates MET and supports the cancer cell's growth. The identity of this ligand is still unknown, so further research on this subject is needed. Regardless of its identity, it's already clear that this ligand strongly influences cancer outcomes. Analysis of human breast cancer cohorts showed that elevated expression of proteins that perform the sugar modification is associated with a greater chance of metastatic relapse. Furthermore, the researchers identified the protein Glg1, which they think may aid in the ligand's maturation or surface expression, as a prognostic marker for bone metastasis. These findings presented a tantalizing possibility: that interfering with the ability of the ligand to interact with E-selectin might reduce bone metastasis. To investigate this, Kang's group used a drug called Uproleselan, a sugar-mimetic compound that blocks E-selectin binding. Experiments with Uproleselan showed that it significantly reduces bone metastasis and confers a survival advantage on mice injected with human breast cancer cells. "Although still untested in the clinic, the mouse experiments done in this study show the therapeutic benefit of such ... compounds to reduce bone metastasis," said Kang.	10.1038/s41556-019-0309-2	2,019	Nature Cell Biology	Bone vascular niche E-selectin induces mesenchymal–epithelial transition and Wnt activation in cancer cells to promote bone metastasis	How disseminated tumour cells engage specific stromal components in distant organs for survival and outgrowth is a critical but poorly understood step of the metastatic cascade. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in promoting the cancer stem cell properties needed for metastasis initiation, whereas the reverse process of mesenchymal-epithelial transition is required for metastatic outgrowth. Here we report that this paradoxical requirement for the simultaneous induction of both mesenchymal-epithelial transition and cancer stem cell traits in disseminated tumour cells is provided by bone vascular niche E-selectin, whose direct binding to cancer cells promotes bone metastasis by inducing mesenchymal-epithelial transition and activating Wnt signalling. E-selectin binding activity mediated by the α1-3 fucosyltransferases Fut3/Fut6 and Glg1 are instrumental to the formation of bone metastasis. These findings provide unique insights into the functional role of E-selectin as a component of the vascular niche critical for metastatic colonization in bone.
883177	Three-dimensional imaging of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis	Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fatal disease in which progressive scarring of the lungs leads to respiratory failure. Lung scarring in IPF takes the form of aggregates of proliferating fibroblasts and myofibroblasts, known as "fibroblastic foci", which deposit collagen and other fibrotic components. These foci are thought to form in response to lung injury. The nature of these lesions and their relationship to disease progression are poorly understood. Mark Jones and colleagues at the University of Southampton in Southampton, UK, used a micro-computed tomography method to create three-dimensional images of fibroblastic foci from human IPF patients. These images demonstrated that IPF foci are complex structures with a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Importantly, patients had numerous foci that were not interconnected, suggesting that foci form at discrete sites of lung injury. This method of imaging may help researchers understand the relationship between fibroblastic foci and disease progression in IPF patients. ### TITLE: Three-dimensional characterization of fibroblast foci in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis AUTHOR CONTACT: Mark Jones University of Southampton Email: [email protected] View this article at: http://insight.jci.org/articles/view/86375 JCI Insight is the newest publication from the American Society of Clinical Investigation, a nonprofit honor organization of physician-scientists. JCI Insight is dedicated to publishing a range of translational biomedical research with an emphasis on rigorous experimental methods and data reporting. All articles published in JCI Insight are freely available at the time of publication. For more information about JCI Insight and all of the latest articles go to http://www.insight.jci.org.	10.1172/jci.insight.86375	2,016	JCI Insight	Three-dimensional characterization of fibroblast foci in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis	In idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the fibroblast focus is a key histological feature representing active fibroproliferation. On standard 2D pathologic examination, fibroblast foci are considered small, distinct lesions, although they have been proposed to form a highly interconnected reticulum as the leading edge of a "wave" of fibrosis. Here, we characterized fibroblast focus morphology and interrelationships in 3D using an integrated micro-CT and histological methodology. In 3D, fibroblast foci were morphologically complex structures, with large variations in shape and volume (range, 1.3 × 104 to 9.9 × 107 μm3). Within each tissue sample numerous multiform foci were present, ranging from a minimum of 0.9 per mm3 of lung tissue to a maximum of 11.1 per mm3 of lung tissue. Each focus was an independent structure, and no interconnections were observed. Together, our data indicate that in 3D fibroblast foci form a constellation of heterogeneous structures with large variations in shape and volume, suggesting previously unrecognized plasticity. No evidence of interconnectivity was identified, consistent with the concept that foci represent discrete sites of lung injury and repair.
966903	Driving high? Chemists make strides toward a marijuana breath analyzer	A UCLA chemist and colleagues are now a step closer to their goal of developing a handheld tool similar to an alcohol Breathalyzer that can detect THC on a person’s breath after they’ve smoked marijuana. In a paper published in the journal Organic Letters, UCLA organic chemistry professor Neil Garg and researchers from the UCLA startup ElectraTect Inc. describe the process by which THC introduced, in a solution, into their laboratory-built device can be oxidized, creating an electric current whose strength indicates how much of the psychoactive compound is present. With the recent legalization or decriminalization of marijuana in many states, including California, the availability of a Breathalyzer-like tool could help make roadways safer, the researchers said. Studies have shown that consumption of marijuana impairs certain driving skills and is associated with a significantly elevated risk of accidents. In 2020, Garg and UCLA postdoctoral researcher Evan Darzi discovered that removing a hydrogen molecule from the larger THC molecule caused it to change colors in a detectable way. The process, known as oxidation, is similar to that used in alcohol breath analyzers, which convert ethanol into an organic chemical compound through the loss of hydrogen. In most modern alcohol breath analyzer devices, this oxidation leads to an electric current that shows the presence and concentration of ethanol in the breath. Since their 2020 finding, the researchers have been working with their patent-pending oxidation technology to develop a THC breath analyzer that works similarly. ElectraTect has exclusively licensed the patent rights from UCLA. How the new device works In the new paper, Darzi, now the CEO of ElectraTect, Garg, and ElectraTect researchers detail how their new laboratory-scale THC-powered fuel cell sensor functions. When THC (known scientifically as Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) comes into contact with a negatively charged electrode, or anode, on one side of the device’s H-shaped glass chamber, it oxidizes into a new compound called THCQ, sending electrons across the chamber to a positively charged electrode, or cathode, on the other side, generating a measurable electric current. The higher the concentration of THC molecules, the stronger the current. The advance marks the first time THC has been used to power a fuel cell sensor. The researchers said they expect that the relatively simple, inexpensive technology, once perfected, can be scaled up for economical mass production, and they are currently working to refine the device to detect and measure THC in exhaled breath and to shrink it to a more compact size suitable for use in a handheld breath analyzer or ignition interlock device — a breath analyzer connected to a vehicle’s ignition that prevents it from starting if THC is detected. Making marijuana testing easier — and fairer Beyond the implications for improved roadway safety, the technology has the potential to make marijuana law-enforcement fairer, the researchers said. Generally, urine or blood tests are used to detect the presence of THC in drivers. Not only are such tests difficult to administer at the roadside, but because the compound can linger in the body for weeks after marijuana use without any residual cognitive effects, these tests aren’t always useful for identifying impaired drivers. This ambiguity can lead to fines, imprisonment or loss of employment, even if an individual is not high when tested. Such issues, the researchers said, highlight the need for innovative forensic technologies that are easier to use and more accurate for detecting recent marijuana use. And while a commercial marijuana breath analyzer based on their technology would still be several years off, Darzi and Garg stressed that such a tool could ultimately have benefits beyond traffic safety and law enforcement. Their technological breakthrough, they said, could ultimately be used in any situation where fair marijuana testing is critical, including in the workplace, where employees might be operating machinery, or even at home, where individuals may one day be able to use it proactively — before they ever get behind the wheel. Organic Letters 10.1021/acs.orglett.2c02289 A cannabinoid fuel cell capable of producing current by oxidizing Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol 12-Sep-2022	10.1021/acs.orglett.2c02289	2,022	Organic Letters	A Cannabinoid Fuel Cell Capable of Producing Current by Oxidizing Δ<sup>9</sup>-Tetrahydrocannabinol	We report the development of a current-producing H-Cell that relies on the oxidation of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. We found through systematic investigation of several variables that power densities could be improved 5-fold. Moreover, a real-time signal in a rudimentary THC sensor was observed at varying concentrations of THC. Given the growing societal interest in the detection of THC, our studies lay the foundation for the development of a marijuana breathalyzer.
925479	New analysis of landmark scurvy study leads to update on vitamin C needs	It was wartime and food was scarce. Leaders of England’s effort to wage war and help the public survive during World War II needed to know: Were the rations in lifeboats adequate for survival at sea? And, among several experiments important for public as well as military heath, how much vitamin C did a person need to avoid the deadly disease scurvy? In one experiment at the Sorby Research Institute in Sheffield, called the “shipwreck” experiment, volunteers were fed only what the navy carried in lifeboats. The grueling experiment resulted in more water and less food being carried in lifeboats. One of the more robust experiments run on human subjects during this time in England, which has had long-lasting public health consequences, was a vitamin C depletion study started in 1944, also at Sorby. This medical experiment involved 20 subjects, most of whom were conscientious objectors living in the building where many experiments, including the shipwreck experiment, were conducted. They were overseen by a future Nobel Prize winner, and detailed data was kept on each participant in the study. “The vitamin C experiment is a shocking study,” said Philippe Hujoel, lead author of a new study on the Sorby vitamin C experiment, a practicing dentist and professor of oral health sciences in the UW School of Dentistry. “They depleted people’s vitamin C levels long-term and created life-threatening emergencies. It would never fly now.” Even though two trial participants developed life-threatening heart problems because of the vitamin C depletion, Hujoel added, none of the subjects were permanently harmed, and in later interviews several participants said they would volunteer again given the importance of the research. Because of the war and food shortages, there was not enough vitamin C available, and they wanted to be conservative with the supplies, explained Hujoel, who is also an adjunct professor of epidemiology. The goal of the Sorby investigators was not to determine the required vitamin C intake for optimal health; it was to find out the minimum vitamin C requirements for preventing scurvy. Vitamin C is an important element in your body’s ability to heal wounds because the creation of scar tissue depends on the collagen protein, and the production of collagen depends on vitamin C. In addition to knitting skin back together, collagen also maintains the integrity of blood vessel walls, thus protecting against stroke and heart disease. In the Sorby trial, researchers assigned participants to zero, 10 or 70 milligrams a day for an average of nine months. The depleted subjects were then repleted and saturated with vitamin C. Experimental wounds were made during this depletion and repletion. The investigators used the scar strength of experimental wounds as a measure of adequate vitamin C levels since poor wound healing, in addition to such conditions as bleeding gums, are an indication of scurvy. In the end, the Sorby researchers said 10 milligrams a day was enough to ward off signs of scurvy. Partly based on these findings, the WHO recommends 45 milligrams a day. Hujoel said that the findings of the re-analyses of the Sorby data suggest that the WHO’s recommendation is too low to prevent weak scar strength. In a bit of scientific detective work, Hujoel said he tracked down and reviewed the study’s data, and with the aid of Margaux Hujoel, a scientist with Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, put the data through modern statistical techniques designed to handle small sample sizes, techniques not available to the original scientists. The results of their work were published Monday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The Hujoels discovered that the data from this unique study — which has been a cornerstone used by WHO and other agencies for establishing healthy levels of vitamin C in humans — needed more than an “eyeball method” of data assessment. “It is concluded that the failure to reevaluate the data of a landmark trial with novel statistical methods as they became available may have led to a misleading narrative on the vitamin C needs for the prevention and treatment of collagen-related pathologies,” the researchers wrote. “Robust parametric analyses of the (Sorby) trial data reveal that an average daily vitamin C intake of 95 mg is required to prevent weak scar strength for 97.5% of the population. Such a vitamin C intake is more than double the daily 45 mg vitamin C intake recommended by the WHO but is consistent with the writing panels for the National Academy of Medicine and (other) countries,” they add. The Hujoels’ study also found that recovery from a vitamin C deficiency takes a long time and requires higher levels of vitamin C. Even an average daily dose of 90 milligrams a day of vitamin C for six months failed to restore normal scar strength for the depleted study participants.	10.1093/ajcn/nqab262	2,021	American Journal of Clinical Nutrition	Vitamin C and scar strength: analysis of a historical trial and implications for collagen-related pathologies	A double-blind controlled trial initiated in 1944 has led to the common narrative that a 10-mg daily vitamin C intake is adequate to prevent and treat impaired wound healing, and by inference, other collagen-related diseases such as heart disease or stroke. The WHO relies on this narrative to set the recommended nutrient intake for vitamin C. This narrative, however, is based on what is known as the eyeball method of data assessment. The 1944 trial published individual participant data on scar strength providing an opportunity to statistically probe the validity of the 10-mg narrative, something which has not yet been done. The findings show that a vitamin C intake that averages to 10 mg/d over a mean follow-up of 11.5 mo was associated with a 42% weakened scar strength when compared with 80 mg vitamin C intake/d (P < 0.001). The observed dose-response curve between scar strength and vitamin C intake suggests that the daily vitamin C intake needed to prevent collagen-related pathologies is in the range recommended by the National Academy of Medicine and the European Food Safety Authority (75 to 110 mg/d), not the WHO recommendation (45 mg/d). The findings also show that a vitamin C intake that averages to 65 mg/d over a mean follow-up of 6.5 mo failed to restore the normal wound-healing capacity of vitamin C-depleted tissues; such tissues had a 49% weaker scar strength when compared with nondepleted tissues (P < 0.05). Thus, average daily vitamin C intakes ∼50% higher than the WHO recommends may fail to treat existing collagen-related pathologies. It is concluded that the prior lack of statistical analyses of a landmark trial may have led to a misleading narrative on the vitamin C needs for the prevention and treatment of collagen-related pathologies.
472303	Lion conservation requires effective international cooperation	Lions belong to the world's most charismatic megafauna. However, lion numbers and range have declined alarmingly over the last two decades. "To turn the tide, international cooperation is crucial," says a team of lawyers, conservation biologists and social scientists. In their recently published review article in the journal Nature Conservation, they assess the current and potential future role of international treaties regarding lion conservation. To conduct this study, international wildlife lawyers Arie Trouwborst and Melissa Lewis from Tilburg Law School in the Netherlands teamed up with lion experts David Macdonald, Amy Dickman and other scientists from the University of Oxford's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) - the research group that made Cecil the lion famous. Their analysis clearly shows the importance of various global and regional treaties for lion conservation. For instance, dozens of important lion areas have received international protection under treaties like the World Heritage Convention and the Ramsar Wetlands Convention, whereas trade in lion bones and hunting trophies is regulated through the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). "There is still much room for improvement in the way the international commitments of lion range states are applied on the ground," the review notes. However, the authors conclude that it is worthwhile to invest in such improvements, and stress the importance of strategies involving the local people who live alongside lions. The review offers many concrete recommendations for optimising the contributions of the various treaties to lion conservation. A particularly important recommendation is to formally list lions under the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS). A proposal to list lions is on the agenda of the next intergovernmental summit of the parties to the CMS in October this year. As lead author Arie Trouwborst explains: "Listing the lion would raise the profile of this iconic species, and would moreover enable the CMS to provide a framework for coordinating and assisting conservation efforts in the 25 countries where lions still occur in the wild." According to David Macdonald, Director of WildCRU: "Biology is necessary, but not sufficient, to inform and deliver wildlife conservation. Our approach at the WildCRU in Oxford is holistic - this new partnership with international lawyers is a symbol of our determination to embrace knowledge from every discipline, leaving no stone unturned in our quest to conserve these iconic animals." ### Original source: Trouwborst A, Lewis M, Burnham D, Dickman A, Hinks A, Hodgetts T, Macdonald E, Macdonald D (2017) International law and lions (Panthera leo): understanding and improving the contribution of wildlife treaties to the conservation and sustainable use of an iconic carnivore. Nature Conservation 21: 83-128. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.21.13690 Contacts: Arie Trouwborst, Tilburg Law School Email: [email protected] David Macdonald, WildCRU Email: [email protected]	10.3897/natureconservation.21.13690	2,017	Nature Conservation	International law and lions (Panthera leo): understanding and improving the contribution of wildlife treaties to the conservation and sustainable use of an iconic carnivore	The lion (Panthera leo) is featuring ever more prominently on the agendas of international wildlife treaties like the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). Lion range and numbers have declined markedly over the last two decades. In this review we assess the present role of international wildlife treaties with a view to improving their combined contribution to the conservation and sustainable use of lions. Our analysis identifies a substantial body of relevant international wildlife law and, moreover, a significant potential for enhancing the contribution to lion conservation of these global and regional treaties. The time is right to invest in such improvements, and our review renders a range of general and treaty-specific recommendations for doing so, including making full use of the Ramsar Wetlands Convention, World Heritage Convention and transboundary conservation area (TFCA) treaties for lion conservation. The CMS holds particular potential in this regard and our analysis provides strong support for listing the lion in its Appendices.
551022	Potential therapeutic target for lung fibrosis identified	In an article published online by Frontiers in Endocrinology, researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) report that they have identified a potential therapeutic target for lung fibrosis or scarring. They showed in a preclinical model that the protein promotes fibrosis by turning on profibrotic genes and increasing levels of profibrotic factors, including itself. It is particularly attractive as a target because it exerts its influence early, before most other profibrotic factors emerge. “IGFBP-5 is upstream of several molecules that are considered key molecules in fibrosis, such as TGF-beta,” says Carol Feghali-Bostwick, Ph.D., Kitty Trask Holt Endowed Chair for Scleroderma Research at MUSC, and senior author on the article. “So targeting it would allow us to possibly reduce the effect of all of the others that are downstream of it.” In lung fibrosis, lung tissue thickens, stiffens and scars. It can no longer function normally. That's why people with lung fibrosis have difficulty breathing. Around 100,000 Americans have lung fibrosis without a known cause, known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Another 50,000 have scleroderma, an autoimmune disease that often leads to lung fibrosis as well as thickening and tightening of the skin. “There are currently no FDA-approved drugs that can either stop disease progression or reverse it in these patients,” says Feghali-Bostwick. “Mortality is high, in some cases higher than cancer, so finding therapies is critical.” For these patients, transplant is often the only option. However, not all patients are eligible for lung transplant, and it is not without its complications. New therapies that can stop or reverse lung fibrosis are needed. Feghali-Bostwick and her team showed that insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 5 (IGFBP-5) plays an important and early role in promoting fibrosis. It increases profibrotic gene expression, resulting in excessive collagen being deposited to the extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is the network that surrounds cells and serves as the scaffold on which they can build tissue. This excess collagen causes the tissue to stiffen and become fibrotic. These profibrotic genes also help ensure that levels of IGFBP-5 and other profibrotic factors such as matrix crosslinking enzyme lysyl oxidase (LOX) stay high. LOX enables collagen fibrils to cross-link, making tissue stiffer. "IGFBP-5 induces its own gene expression and feedback loop," says Xinh Xinh Nguyen, a graduate student who is working with Feghali-Bostwick and first author on the article. "This suggests that IGFBP5 acts together with profibrotic genes to promote fibrosis and tissue remodeling." The MUSC used collagen-producing cells harvested from patients with IPF or scleroderma to explore the profibrotic effects of IGFBP-5. But they also went a step further, showing similar increases in human lung tissue cores. These cores more realistically mimic the physiologic conditions of living human tissue. "It's important to understand the effects of IGFBP5 in human tissue if you are developing therapies," explains Feghali-Bostwick. "Many therapies work in mice but fail in humans when you get to the human trials. So we have this system where we take lung tissues and put them in an environment that's a human-based tissue." Next steps are to use collagen-producing cells and human lung tissue cores to better understand how the increased levels of LOX caused by IGFBP-5 further promote fibrosis. The MUSC team will also study LOX in a transgenic mouse model that is engineered to overexpress IGFBP-5. This important translational discovery was made possible by the South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research (SCTR) Institute's TL1 predoctoral training program, which instills in graduate students the skills they will need to translate their basic science research to the clinic. Nguyen is a TL1 trainee, and Feghali-Bostwick is her mentor as well as the associate TL1 program director. "The TL1 program is critical in training the next generation of scientists and physician-scientists who can move discoveries from the bench to the clinic," explains Feghali-Bostwick. "Graduate students are our pipeline for the future, and this program teaches them about how to have the right mindset and think about translational research and clinically relevant research." "Participation in the TL1 program has provided me additional learning opportunities to gain expertise in translational research," says Nguyen. "It has enhanced my knowledge about clinically relevant aspects of my project." Nguyen was able to shadow Deanna Baker Frost, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor in the MUSC College of Medicine, as she saw patients with scleroderma. Baker Frost is participating in SCTR's Institutional Career Development KL2 program, which focuses on preparing early-career scientists and physician-scientists for translational research. "Xinh Xinh (Nguyen) is doing research on scleroderma, but now she understands better what scleroderma is and understands what patients go through and what their complications are and what they come in for," explains Feghali-Bostwick. "That puts it all in perspective and helps her better understand why she is doing the research she is doing." Feghali-Bostwick believes that there is a natural mentoring relationship between the KL2 and TL1 scholars. "There is less of a gap between them than between senior scientists like myself and TL1s," she says. "It's a good fit; it's a natural fit." ### About MUSC Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 13,000 employees, including approximately 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $2.2 billion. MUSC operates a 700-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital, the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical oncology), Hollings Cancer Center (a National Cancer Institute-designated center) Level I Trauma Center, and Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic programs or clinical services, visit musc.edu. For more information on hospital patient services, visit muschealth.org. About the South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research Institute The South Carolina Clinical and Translational Research (SCTR) Institute, a National Institutes of Health Clinical and Translational Science Awards hub, is the catalyst for changing the culture of biomedical research, facilitating sharing of resources and expertise, and streamlining research-related processes to bring about large-scale, change in the clinical and translational research efforts in South Carolina. Our vision is to improve health outcomes and quality of life for the population through discoveries translated into evidence-based practice. For more information, visit https://research.musc.edu/resources/sctr.	10.3389/fendo.2018.00601	2,018	Frontiers in Endocrinology	IGFBP-5 Promotes Fibrosis via Increasing Its Own Expression and That of Other Pro-fibrotic Mediators	Pulmonary fibrosis is a hallmark of diseases such as systemic sclerosis (SSc, scleroderma) and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). To date, the therapeutic options for patients with pulmonary fibrosis are limited, and organ transplantation remains the most effective option. Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 5 (IGFBP-5) is a conserved member of the IGFBP family of proteins that is overexpressed in SSc and IPF. In this study, we demonstrate that both exogenous and adenovirally expressed IGFBP-5 promote fibrosis by increasing the production of extracellular matrix (ECM) genes and the expression of pro-fibrotic genes in primary human lung fibroblasts. IGFBP-5 increased expression of the pro-fibrotic growth factor CTGF and levels of the matrix crosslinking enzyme lysyl oxidase (LOX). Silencing of IGFBP-5 had different effects in lung fibroblasts from normal donors and patients with SSc or IPF. Moreover, we show that IGFBP-5 increases expression of ECM genes, CTGF, and LOX in human lung tissues maintained in organ culture. Together, our data extend our previous findings and demonstrate that IGFBP-5 exerts its pro-fibrotic activity by directly inducing expression of ECM genes and pro-fibrotic genes. Further, IGFBP-5 promotes its own expression, generating a positive feedback loop. This suggests that IGFBP-5 likely acts in concert with other growth factors to drive fibrosis and tissue remodeling.
721406	NCAM2 protein plays a decisive role in the formation of structures for cognitive learning	he molecule NCAM2, a glycoprotein from the superfamily of immunoglobulins, is a vital factor in the formation of the cerebral cortex, neuronal morphogenesis and formation of neuronal circuits in the brain, as stated in the new study published in the journal Cerebral Cortex. The deficit of NCAM2 causes an incorrect migration of neurons and alters the morphology, cytoskeleton and functionality of these cells in the central nervous system. This article studies for the first time the activity of NCAM2 in the cortex and the hippocampus, brain structures where the function of this factor was so far unknown. The study is led by the experts Eduardo Soriano and Lluís Pujades, from the Faculty of Biology and the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona (UBNeuro), the Network Center for Biomedical Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (CIBERNED) and the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR). The first author of the study is the researcher Antoni Parcerisas, member of the above-mentioned centers. Other participants in this study are the experts from the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona), the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS) and the University of California in Davis (United States). NCAM2: an unknown function in the cortex and hippocampus The NCAM2 glycoprotein is a cell-adhesion molecule present in all vertebrates and which plays a decisive role in the organization of neuronal circuits in the central nervous system. This factor is largely expressed in the brain -from embryonic phases to adulthood- and specially in the olfactory bulb. Traditionally, all previous studies were focused on the olfactory bulb and proved a key role of the protein in neuronal synapses and neuronal compartmentalization between axons and dendrites. Recent studies described the involvement of NCAM2 in the formation and growth of neurites in cortical neurons, in the loss of synapsis in hippocampal neurons -caused by the amyloid peptide in Alzheimer's disease- and the proliferation of neuronal progenitors in the spinal cord. The new study describes for the first time the function of NCAM2 and the observed phenotypes in the development of the cortex and the hippocampus, a highly complex process regulated by many proteins. "In the study we confirm that a loss of NCAM2 creates an incorrect migration and position of neurons -these do not join the corresponding layer- and it also alters the neuronal morphology and the features of the cytoskeleton of nervous cells", notes researcher Antoni Parcerisas. "In the neuronal phenotype -adds Parcerisas- we see an altered dendritic tree -smaller and with many small and short dendrites- and an axon with more branches. In certain cases, some neurons show problems of neuronal polarization as well". An essential factor in the neuronal cytoarchitecture A new study on brain neurobiology applies several experimental approaches -in vitro and in vivo techniques and live-imaging experiments- to see how neurons evolve. According to the conclusions, the isoform NCAM2.1 interacts direct and indirectly with the cell cytoskeleton and it modulates the dynamics of its components -microtubules and proteins- which are essential for the migration and development process of the neuron. The loss of NCAM2 would cause the retraction of the existing dendrites and would alter the cell cytoskeleton (lower stability and altered dynamics of microtubule formation). This hypothesis is supported by the fact that when Taxol -chemical agent that boosts microtubule stability- is added, it can reverse the phenotype generated by the loss of NCAM2. Moreover, NCAM2.1 can also interact with several proteins that regulate the stability of the cytoskeleton, such as MAP2 and 14-3-3. In particular, NCAM2.1 would form a protein complex with MAP2 and 14-3-3 that would ease the stabilization processes of the microtubule cytoskeleton, essential for the development of the dendritic tree. What role does NCAM2 play in neuronal polarization? The dynamics and organization of cytoskeleton microtubules are essential to maintain the neuronal polarization, which defines the morphological and functional differences between axons and dendrites and enables the transmission of the nervous impulse. Although the NCAM2 participation pathway is unknown in neuronal polarization processes, "we observed a deficit of NCAM2 leads to the apparition of multiple axonal structures (instead of one axon only, as expected) due to the changes that occur in the dynamics of the neuron cytoskeleton. Therefore, NCAM2 is a necessary factor during the process of neuronal polarization to provide structures with stability and enable the differentiation of a neurite in axon", notes Parcerisas. Deficit of NCAM2 protein and cognitive developmental pathologies NCAM2 presents an expression pattern which is typical from those proteins involved in neuronal morphogenesis and synaptogenesis. Moreover, the expression pattern of NCAM2 shows changes in cell location depending on the neuronal developmental phases. "A deficit of this protein -at a genomic or protein scale- would cause neuronal alterations in several developmental phases. In this context, some genetics note that the loss of NCAM2 could be the origin of cognitive alterations in patients with autism spectrum disorders and neurodevelopmental problems", note the authors. "It would be important to promote new genetic and proteomic studies in patients with neurodevelopmental pathologies to help determine the causes of these diseases. In case this hypothesis was confirmed -if there was a relation between these pathologies with the deficit of NCAM2- researchers could think about doing research on new molecular targets to help regulate the signaling pathways and the affected cell processes", conclude the authors of the new study.	10.1093/cercor/bhz342	2,020	Cerebral Cortex	NCAM2 Regulates Dendritic and Axonal Differentiation through the Cytoskeletal Proteins MAP2 and 14-3-3	Abstract Neural cell adhesion molecule 2 (NCAM2) is involved in the development and plasticity of the olfactory system. Genetic data have implicated the NCAM2 gene in neurodevelopmental disorders including Down syndrome and autism, although its role in cortical development is unknown. Here, we show that while overexpression of NCAM2 in hippocampal neurons leads to minor alterations, its downregulation severely compromises dendritic architecture, leading to an aberrant phenotype including shorter dendritic trees, retraction of dendrites, and emergence of numerous somatic neurites. Further, our data reveal alterations in the axonal tree and deficits in neuronal polarization. In vivo studies confirm the phenotype and reveal an unexpected role for NCAM2 in cortical migration. Proteomic and cell biology experiments show that NCAM2 molecules exert their functions through a protein complex with the cytoskeletal-associated proteins MAP2 and 14-3-3γ and ζ. We provide evidence that NCAM2 depletion results in destabilization of the microtubular network and reduced MAP2 signal. Our results demonstrate a role for NCAM2 in dendritic formation and maintenance, and in neural polarization and migration, through interaction of NCAM2 with microtubule-associated proteins.
978518	Repressive methods used in training women’s artistic gymnasts can be extremely harmful, study warns	Women’s artistic gymnastics has attracted considerable attention at recent editions of the Olympic Games, thrilling huge crowds of spectators at the venue itself and gripping billions of viewers on TVs around the world. Murky and even unethical behavior may lie hidden behind these displays of beauty, grace and skill, however. Many countries subject their gymnasts to training regimes that involve sacrifices not seen by the fans or the media. In the unremitting pursuit of perfection typical of this sport, coaches apparently call upon coercive and repressive methods aimed at achieving success. “We conducted a qualitative survey of eight former Olympic-level gymnasts who lived as boarders between 2001 and 2005 at a training center for high-performance athletes. We detected problems with long-term impacts, such as overtraining and authoritarianism,” said Vítor Ricci Costa, a researcher at the State University of Campinas’s School of Physical Education (FEF-UNICAMP) in São Paulo state, Brazil. Costa is first author of the article “Living within and outside a disciplinary bubble: a Foucauldian analysis of Brazilian gymnasts’ experiences in boarding school” published in the journal Sport, Education and Society, describing the study and interpreting accounts of the experience by five of the eight former gymnasts. As boarders, these young girls were not allowed to see their families and friends for long periods. Their weight was obsessively controlled via three weighings per day. To keep them as light as their coaches deemed necessary, they were subjected to an extremely strict diet providing only 800 calories although they trained for four to six hours a day. Mistakes made while executing exercises incurred many repetitions of the same workouts, which Costa interprets as punishment. No actual names are disclosed by the authors of the article out of respect for the privacy of the gymnasts, who are referred to by pseudonyms. All were top-tier athletes and widely recognized for their performances. “Two of the five interviewees mentioned in the article were Olympians. The other three were members of the Brazilian gymnastics team sent to international meets such as the Artistic Gymnastics World Championship and World Cup, and the Pan American and South American Artistic Gymnastics Championships. When I interviewed them, they were 30-40 years old, and some were still coping with social adaptation difficulties after the end of their careers in sports,” Costa said. Their training began when they were between 5 and 7 years old. By the time they were 20, they had retired. They then had to look for other jobs, without having been prepared for this stage of their lives. According to Costa, the retirement age for high-performance gymnasts is now a little older. Rebeca Andrade, Brazil’s top-ranking artistic gymnast, is still active at the age of 23. She was the 2020 Olympic and 2021 World Champion on the vault. At the 2022 Artistic Gymnastics World Championship, held in Liverpool, England, she was all-around Champion and won bronze medal in the floor exercise. The boarding regime was abandoned more than ten years ago, but the training approach remains very similar to the one described by the article. “Despite all this international success, we must pay attention to the methods used to produce it. The hegemonic culture glorifies the idea that success can only be achieved through long hours of practice, early specialization, and training and competing while in pain or injured, among other sacrifices, while authoritarian coaches control the gymnasts and everything around them, inside and outside the venue. This philosophy potentially creates a disciplinary bubble that can normalize dangerous situations, such as harassment and abuse,” Costa said. Costa explored the “disciplinary bubble” concept in his PhD research with FAPESP’s support. In this study, completed in 2022, he leveraged the ideas of French philosopher and activist Michel Foucault (1926-1984) to investigate the relationships among gymnasts and their coaches and parents, as well as the environment surrounding this triad. Seminal works by Foucault such as The Archeology of Knowledge, The History of Sexuality, and Discipline and Punish are among the references appended to Costa’s doctoral thesis. “The affective relationship between coaches and athletes is essential to overcome the challenges of this sport. On the other hand, we identified imbalances that contributed to an autocratic pattern in this relationship. The athletes are dependent on the coaches and are taught to obey them without question, becoming docile, productive and submissive bodies,” Costa’s project abstract states. To be able to “fly” in spectacular acrobatics, these bodies must be small and lean. Hence the absurd diet of 800 daily calories found in the study, albeit thankfully no longer in effect. One of the interviews, de-identified in the article by use of the pseudonym “Verônica”, suggests how far this obsession with weight could go: “On Saturdays we ate sweets when no one was looking. Then we refused to eat anything from Saturday afternoon until Monday. Even so, on Sundays we ran with our bodies wrapped in plastic bags, took laxatives and drank no water. We learned to do crazy things. I spent two years without drinking any water. I would chew ice. Everyone said I had a weight problem.” Eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia are reported in the international literature on the training of gymnasts. The study detected the occurrence of kidney stones, which may have been associated with insufficient drinking of water and overuse of calcium supplements to help the athletes recover from stress fractures due to intensive training without the necessary rest. Another athlete, called “Alice” in the article, said she took five anti-inflammatory pills per day when she was 15, on the instructions of the multidisciplinary team that provided training support: “I remember competing with three broken toes in a World Cup. I could hardly walk, but I competed. Two months later, the physician asked me if I wanted to have an X-ray taken. I did, and he said, ‘It’s not calcifying properly.’ We were all badly injured.” High-level infrastructure These accounts may appear to portray the training center as a rudimentary facility, but according to the article that was not the case at all. It had first-class equipment and infrastructure, as well as a multidisciplinary team of coaches, nutritionists, physical therapists, teachers and physicians. Their remit was to develop Olympic-level gymnasts. The problem, Costa said, was the overall philosophy behind the activity. This is clear from another part of “Alice’s” statement, in which she recalls the experience with some bitterness: “They showed the Brazilian delegation’s center on TV. It looked wonderful and there was a multidisciplinary support team. OK, we had a doctor, nutritionist, physical therapist and teachers, but they only did what they were told by the managers and coaches. They didn’t really care about us. For example, we didn’t have classes. The teachers went to the center but just told funny stories to try to keep us cheerful. I was more ignorant when I left the center than when I started there. On TV, the managers told the public they were giving us everything we needed. I think many gymnasts believed this. The team taught us to believe this fairy tale.” According to Costa, the system instilled the idea that discipline prepared the gymnasts for real life and, as Foucault shows in other contexts, people who are repressed tend to introject the repression, submitting to various forms of control via self-control. The combination of repression in training and success in public exhibitions trapped the girls in a sort of parallel reality. “When they retired and left the bubble, many faced major problems to rejoin society, recoup the lost years in terms of schooling, and find a new place for themselves in the world,” Costa said. Discipline has long been strongly emphasized in physical education in Brazil, probably because many PE teachers and sports coaches were retired army sergeants. During the military dictatorship (1964-85), the ruling generals invested in training and competitions, but according to Costa this trend intensified in the period covered by the study. The overriding goal became producing world-class gymnasts. To achieve it, the authorities established a training center and boarding school where everything was strictly controlled. “Their aim was to produce Olympic gymnasts at any cost. They didn’t care if you were happy with your coach and club: you had to move to the training center, which was probably a long way away from home. If you wanted to train for the national team, you had to live there,” said another interviewee (“Iris”). According to Costa, the world of women’s artistic gymnastics was badly shaken in the period 2016-18 when Lawrence Nassar, the physician to the United States women’s national gymnastics team, was accused of sexually assaulting more than 150 gymnasts, many of whom testified against him. His accusers included Simone Biles, the superstar who won 25 world Championship medals and four Olympic gold medals. Nassar was sentenced to de facto life imprisonment without parole. The entire 18-member board of USA Gymnastics, the sport’s national governing body, resigned as a result of the scandal. “The Nassar affair drew attention to what happens or can happen in the world of gymnastics,” Costa said. “It forced FIG, the sport’s international governing body, as well as national Olympic committees and federations, to invest in preventing and combating abuse. But there was no investment in courses and recycling to change the mindset of the coaches, so the disciplinary approach has remained alive.” The problem is not the sport or the coaches as such, but the model, he added. “We have to understand the limits between discipline and coercion, maltreatment and punishment. Discipline is important, but these confusions still exist. Our study also showed that isolating gymnasts from family and school is very harmful. Happily, this hasn’t been done in Brazil for more than ten years,” he said. Measures should be taken to protect gymnasts, he advised. These could include the organization of support groups and communities to assure their health and well-being in the training environment. “The sport does involve sacrifice and renunciation. Any high-performance sport is for the few. We don’t propose a less demanding approach to training but advocate the promotion of a culture of respect and safety in the training centers that prepare these few to perform almost superhuman feats at such a tender age. Girls start training as artistic gymnasts when they’re very young and simply don’t have the wherewithal to own the process completely. Their skills, interests and limitations must be treated with the utmost respect,” he said. The last author of the article is Myrian Nunomura, a professor at the University of São Paulo’s Ribeirão Preto School of Physical Education and Sports (EEFERP-USP). She acted as Costa’s PhD thesis advisor. “These interviews with gymnasts offer a great deal of food for thought, especially by coaches, parents and any would-be high-performance athlete. The Olympic dream can become a nightmare from which it’s very hard to wake up. That’s why we propose co-responsibility and mutual surveillance involving all stakeholders,” she said. About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe 10.1080/13573322.2022.2142544 Living within and outside a disciplinary bubble: a Foucauldian analysis of Brazilian gymnasts’ experiences in boarding school 7-Nov-2022	10.1080/13573322.2022.2142544	2,022	Sport Education and Society	Living within and outside a disciplinary bubble: a Foucauldian analysis of Brazilian gymnasts’ experiences in boarding school	The gymnastics' environment has been criticised for producing uncompromising coaching practices, emotional disorders, harassment and abuse. Furthermore, the challenges faced by the young gymnasts can be acute when they live in gymnastics boarding schools, where many aspects of their lives are controlled. Drawing upon a Foucauldian lens, this study explores power relations in the lived experiences of former artistic gymnasts who trained in a gymnastics boarding school in Brazil, and the pedagogical and policy implications. Qualitative data were produced from semi-structured interviews with five former Brazilian artistic gymnasts, who described their everyday lives within and around the gymnastics boarding school. First, we explore how technologies of dominance produced a specific docile gymnast subjectivity and how this subjectivation process impacted the lived experiences of the gymnasts during their careers. Second, Foucault's later work on the technologies of the self helps us in the microanalysis of how gymnasts negotiated the process of moving out of a space with specific discourses and power relations, that impacted their everyday lives. In so doing, we explore the tensions between technologies of domination and technologies of self. We propose the following pedagogical and policy implications: (a) we question the notion that coaches, and even the gymnastics environment, automatically prepare the gymnasts for 'real life' through the application of disciplinary strategies; (b) we advocate for shifting from coercive and punitive strategies to discipline strategies that consider responsive pedagogies and (c) we highlight the importance of the co-responsibility and co-surveillance of stakeholders. Such pedagogical and policy implications might contribute to reflections in gymnastics, in elite athletes' programmes, and boarding school systems.
872691	Angstrom multilayer metrology by combining spectral measurements and machine learning	With the recent explosive demand for data storage, ranging from data centers to various smart and connected devices, the need for higher-capacity and more compact memory devices is constantly increasing. As a result, semiconductor devices are now moving from 2D to 3D. The 3D-NAND flash memory is the most commercially successful 3D semiconductor device today, and its demand for supporting our data-driven world is now growing exponentially. The scaling law for 3D devices is achieved by stacking more and more semiconductor layers, well above 100 layers, in a more reliable way. As each layer thickness corresponds to the effective channel length, accurate characterization and control of layer-by-layer thickness is critical. To date, unfortunately, non-destructive, accurate measurement of each layer thickness of such hundreds-layers structure has not been possible, which sets a serious bottleneck in the future scaling of 3D devices. In a new paper published in Light: Advanced Manufacturing, a team of engineers from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., led by Professor Jungwon Kim of KAIST, South Korea, has developed a non-destructive thickness characterization method by combining optical spectral measurements and machine learning. By exploiting the structural similarity between semiconductor multilayer stacks and dielectric multilayer mirrors, spectroscopic optical measurements, including ellipsometric and reflectance measurements, are employed. Machine learning is then used to extract the correlation between spectroscopic measurement data and multilayer thickness. For more than 200 layers of oxide and nitride multilayer stack, the thickness of each layer over the entire stack could be determined with an average of approximately 1.6 Å root-mean-square error. In addition to the accurate determination of the multilayer thickness under normal fabrication conditions, which is helpful for controlling etching and deposition processes, the research team developed another machine learning model that can detect outliers when layer thicknesses significantly vary from the design target. It used a large number of simulated spectral data for more effective and economical training, and could successfully detect the faulty devices and the exact erroneous layer location in the device. "The machine learning approach is useful for eliminating measurement-related issues," said Hyunsoo Kwak, a doctoral student at KAIST and first author of the study. "By using noise-injected spectral data as input to the machine learning algorithm, we can eliminate various errors from measurement instruments and changes in material properties under different fabrication conditions," he added. "This method can be readily applied for the total inspection of various 3D semiconductor devices," said Professor Kim, "which is exemplified by the fact that all the data used in this work were obtained in commercial 3D NAND manufacturing lines of Samsung Electronics."	10.37188/lam.2021.001	2,021	Light Advanced Manufacturing	Non-destructive thickness characterisation of 3D multilayer semiconductor devices using optical spectral measurements and machine learning	Three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor devices can address the limitations of traditional two-dimensional (2D) devices by expanding the integration space in the vertical direction. A 3D NOT-AND (NAND) flash memory device is presently the most commercially successful 3D semiconductor device. It vertically stacks more than 100 semiconductor material layers to provide more storage capacity and better energy efficiency than 2D NAND flash memory devices. In the manufacturing of 3D NAND, accurate characterisation of layer-by-layer thickness is critical to prevent the production of defective devices due to non-uniformly deposited layers. To date, electron microscopes have been used in production facilities to characterise multilayer semiconductor devices by imaging cross-sections of samples. However, this approach is not suitable for total inspection because of the wafer-cutting procedure. Here, we propose a non-destructive method for thickness characterisation of multilayer semiconductor devices using optical spectral measurements and machine learning. For > 200-layer oxide/nitride multilayer stacks, we show that each layer thickness can be non-destructively determined with an average of approximately 1.6 Å root-mean-square error. We also develop outlier detection models that can correctly classify normal and outlier devices. This is an important step towards the total inspection of ultra-high-density 3D NAND flash memory devices. It is expected to have a significant impact on the manufacturing of various multilayer and 3D devices.
665115	A breakthrough in the study of how things break, bend and deform	everything from sedimentary rocks, to beyond-whisker-thin graphite--will form a series of internal buckles, or ripples, as they deform. The finding was published in the journal Scientific Reports by a team of researchers from Drexel's College of Engineering, led by Michel W. Barsoum, PhD, distinguished professor and head of the MAX/MXene Research Group, along with Garritt J. Tucker, PhD, an assistant professor, and Mitra Taheri, PhD, Hoeganaes associate professor, all in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. "Dislocation theory - in which the operative deformation micromechanism is a defect known as a dislocation - is very well established and has been spectacularly successful in our understanding the deformation of metals," Tucker said. "But it never really accurately accounted for the rippling and kink band formation observed in most layered solids." Barsoum had observed the latter phenomena during his studies of layered materials such as the MAX phases, mica and graphite. So when a paper published, in early 2015, by a group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggested a new deformation micromechanism--best described as an atomic scale ripple--occurring near the surface of layered materials, he realized that the defect, dubbed a "ripplocation," had much broader implications. "The MIT work showed that while the end result of the motion of dislocations and ripplocations is the same: one atomic layer moves relative to another, their physics were distinctly different and were thus totally and fundamentally different entities," Barsoum said. According to dislocation theory, when the planes of layered solid materials are loaded and unloaded edge-on they will either bounce back, and return to their original form--if it's an elastic material--or it will be permanently indented. Ripplocation behavior explains the third observed option, which is the material returning to its original form while dissipating considerable amounts of energy. The latter effect was labeled "kinking nonlinear elasticity" by Barsoum about a decade ago, because it involved the formation of kink bands--permanent buckles in the layers. When ripplocation was suggested, everything fell into place for Barsoum, who had been working toward an explanation of non-linear elastic behavior within the constraints of dislocation theory. With this new paradigm in mind, Barsoum's team set about proving that ripplocation exists, not only in near surface layers of 2D materials--as suggested by the MIT paper--but throughout the internal layers of thicker --"bulk"--layered materials as well. Through a careful examination of computer models - wherein graphitic atomic layers were compressed edge on, the researchers saw that the deformation was indeed consistent with the atomic-level rippling effect. "We ran atomistic simulations on a bulk sample of graphite, because it is a layered material that has been studied quite a bit and it is used in a number of applications where it is loaded," said Jacob Gruber, a doctoral candidate in the College of Engineering and first author on the paper. "By constraining the edges of the sample while compressing the material, we observed the nucleation and motion of a multitude of ripplocations that self-assemble into kink boundaries. The observation is significant because these are the same sort of kink bands that are ubiquitous in geologic formations and layered solids that have been deformed." This confinement of the material, according to Tucker, is both key to ripplocation behavior and almost always present in nature when materials are being stressed, whether it's in power plants or plate tectonics. "What is interesting about kinking nonlinear elasticity is that it is a strong function of confinement," Tucker said. "Take a deck of cards. If you try to push a pencil parallel to the cards, without constraining them, the deck will simply split into two smaller stacks. If however, you apply pressure perpendicular to the deck of cards, confining them, then the pencil will leave an indentation mark as near surface layers buckle under the tip of the pencil." To get a better look at the behavior in the lab, the researchers examined samples of a layered ceramic known as a MAX phase, in which the layers were loaded with a spherical indenter. "When we obtained high resolution transmission electron microscope images of the defects that formed as a result of the deformation we were not only able to show that they were not dislocations, but as importantly, they were also consistent with what ripplocations would look like," Taheri said. "We now have evidence for a new defect in solids; in other words we have doubled the deformation micromechanisms known." According to Barsoum, ripplocation and its role in the deformation of layered solids is an important scientific finding because it applies to most layered materials, including--quite possibly--geologic formations. "There are many layered solids, in both nature and the built environment, that are technologically important, so it's essential to understand their behavior," Barsoum said. "This new finding will require us to reexamine past findings and reinterpret results that to date were incorrectly explained using dislocation theory." Barsoum plans to work through many of his seminal MAX phase papers, as well as examining new materials through the lens of ripplocation. ### Additional computer model videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TLLOzvnujI&index=1&list=PLU6Y5r5-eNsojUgvZ1Yqlfq6FdnMj0Dnt	10.1038/srep33451	2,016	Scientific Reports	Evidence for Bulk Ripplocations in Layered Solids	Plastically anisotropic/layered solids are ubiquitous in nature and understanding how they deform is crucial in geology, nuclear engineering, microelectronics, among other fields. Recently, a new defect termed a ripplocation-best described as an atomic scale ripple-was proposed to explain deformation in two-dimensional solids. Herein, we leverage atomistic simulations of graphite to extend the ripplocation idea to bulk layered solids, and confirm that it is essentially a buckling phenomenon. In contrast to dislocations, bulk ripplocations have no Burgers vector and no polarity. In graphite, ripplocations are attracted to other ripplocations, both within the same, and on adjacent layers, the latter resulting in kink boundaries. Furthermore, we present transmission electron microscopy evidence consistent with the existence of bulk ripplocations in Ti3SiC2. Ripplocations are a topological imperative, as they allow atomic layers to glide relative to each other without breaking the in-plane bonds. A more complete understanding of their mechanics and behavior is critically important, and could profoundly influence our current understanding of how graphite, layered silicates, the MAX phases, and many other plastically anisotropic/layered solids, deform and accommodate strain.
870016	Type 1 diabetes: Tannic acid encapsulation protects transplanted islets from rejection	BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Type 1 diabetes, or T1D, results from the autoimmune destruction of the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. People with T1D require exogenous insulin and suffer swings in the levels of glucose in the blood that impact life expectancy and increase risks of cardiovascular disease, neuropathies and kidney failure. One therapy is promising -- transplanting pancreatic islets from cadavers. But this requires immunosuppression, and reactivated autoimmunity leads to low graft viability and function after five years. Now, a team of University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers has shown a simple way to protect transplanted islets, by coating them with a thin skin of alternating layers of two biopolymers. As reported in the journal Diabetes, this coating delays allograft and autoimmune-mediated rejection in mouse models of T1D. "Our approach to inhibit proinflammatory immune responses with poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-tannic acid-encapsulated islets without systemic immunosuppression is a significant advancement toward successful islet transplants in humans," said senior authors Hubert Tse, Ph.D., and Eugenia Kharlampieva, Ph.D. The biocompatible poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)-tannic acid, or PVPON and tannic acid, or TA, are coated onto the islets in multiple alternating layers that are thin enough to allow oxygen and nutrients to easily reach the cells. This nano-thin encapsulation is about 120 times thinner than a sheet of plastic cling wrap. The key to its autoimmune protection, the UAB researchers say, are the layers of TA. This phenolic compound can scavenge reactive oxygen species and has an anti-inflammatory effect. Oxidative stress from reactive oxygen species, or ROS, was already known to play a key role in the activation of alloreactive and autoreactive immunity toward engrafted islets, and the insulin-producing beta cells of the islets are more sensitive to ROS than many other cells of the body. In autoimmune transplant experiments for the UAB study, more than half of the (PVPON/TA)-encapsulated grafts survived at 70 days post-transplant, while less than a quarter of the non-encapsulated grafts survived. In alloimmune transplant experiments, where the islets came from a different strain of mice, about 40 percent of the encapsulated grafts survived at 120 days post-transplant, while all of the unencapsulated grafts were rejected in less than 50 days. In both types of transplantation, systemic immunosuppression was absent. The (PVPON/TA)-encapsulated islets maintained euglycemia significantly longer than non-encapsulated islets, and the grafts were immunomodulatory. The mice receiving the encapsulated grafts had significant decreases in immune cell infiltration, ROS synthesis, inflammatory chemokines, cytokines and CD8 T cell infiltration, as compared to mice getting the non-encapsulated islets. ROS is known to promote proinflammatory M1 macrophages differentiation; in contrast, the mice receiving the encapsulated islets showed an increase in anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. Tse and Kharlampieva say much more can be done to improve immunosuppression by the encapsulation and extend that protection to other sources of islets that are more readily available than human cadaver islets. "PVPON/TA coatings can be modified to increase the number of layers of PVPON and TA for encapsulation, complexed with immune inhibitory receptors, including CTLA-4, PD-L1, and/or anti-inflammatory cytokines like IL-10 and TGF-beta, to further enhance localized immunosuppression," they said. "The use of PVPON/TA coatings is not limited to encapsulation of human islets, as our preliminary studies also demonstrate that PVPON/TA encapsulation does not compromise neonatal porcine islet function and can also be expanded to include human stem cell-derived pancreatic beta-cells."	10.2337/db20-0248	2,020	Diabetes	Localized Immunosuppression With Tannic Acid Encapsulation Delays Islet Allograft and Autoimmune-Mediated Rejection	Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease of insulin-producing β-cells. Islet transplantation is a promising treatment for T1D, but long-term graft viability and function remain challenging. Oxidative stress plays a key role in the activation of alloreactive and autoreactive immunity toward the engrafted islets. Therefore, targeting these pathways by encapsulating islets with an antioxidant may delay immune-mediated rejection. Utilizing a layer-by-layer approach, we generated nanothin encapsulation materials containing tannic acid (TA), a polyphenolic compound with redox scavenging and anti-inflammatory effects, and poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVPON), a biocompatible polymer. We hypothesize that transplantation of PVPON/TA-encapsulated allogeneic C57BL/6 islets into diabetic NOD mice will prolong graft function and elicit localized immunosuppression. In the absence of systemic immunosuppression, diabetic recipients containing PVPON/TA-encapsulated islets maintained euglycemia and delayed graft rejection significantly longer than those receiving nonencapsulated islets. Transplantation of PVPON/TA-encapsulated islets was immunomodulatory because gene expression and flow cytometric analysis revealed significantly decreased immune cell infiltration, synthesis of reactive oxygen species, inflammatory chemokines, cytokines, CD8 T-cell effector responses, and concomitant increases in alternatively activated M2 macrophage and dendritic cell phenotypes. Our results provide evidence that reducing oxidative stress following allotransplantation of PVPON/TA-encapsulated islets can elicit localized immunosuppression and potentially delay graft destruction in future human islet transplantation studies.
722237	Regeneration in the digestive tract	The human gut is teeming with billions of beneficial bacteria. Therapies that use antibiotics often destroy most of them. Whether and how the intestinal flora will subsequently recover has been investigated by a research team that included scientists from the MDC. The results have been published in the scientific journal Nature Microbiology. The human digestive tract houses a universe of tiny organisms. There are roughly as many bacteria in the gut as there are people living on earth. These microorganisms almost always serve the well-being of their host. They help to digest food, produce vitamins, and train the immune system. In addition, their very presence helps stem the spread of pathogens. But the intestinal microcosm, also known as the microbiome, is sensitive to disruptions. "When thrown out of balance, there is a risk of infection, excess weight, and diabetes, as well as inflammatory and neurological diseases," says Dr. Sofia Forslund, who in May this year switched from the European Molecular Biology Lab (EMBL) in Heidelberg to the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin to study the complex interactions between humans and microbiomes. Antibiotics leave permanent traces in the gut In a study published recently in Nature Microbiology, Forslund, together with colleagues from Denmark, Germany, and China, investigated how broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy affects the interaction of gut bacteria. "We were able to show that the microbiome had almost completely recovered six months after drug administration," says the Swedish researcher. But only "almost": "Some sensitive bacterial species disappeared completely," says Forslund. In the four-day study, the team led by MDC researchers and two scientists from the University of Copenhagen administered a cocktail of three antibiotics (meropenem, gentamicin, and vancomycin) to twelve healthy young men who had agreed to participate. These drugs are mainly used when more common antibiotics no longer work, due to the bacteria already having become resistant to them. Some types of bacteria survived the drug administration The researchers then studied their subjects' microbiomes for six months. By means of DNA sequencing - a method used to determine the structure of the genetic material - they determined which bacterial species were present in the men's guts, and which genes were present in the bacteria. The team also paid particular attention to resistance genes, with which the microbes defend themselves against drugs. "Our study is probably the first to investigate the influence of antibiotics on bacterial gene activity," says Forslund. It was first shown that the gut had not become completely sterile despite the administration of three potent antibiotics, reports the researcher. Among the remaining bacteria, the team even discovered some previously unknown species that have not yet been characterized. Other microbes shrank and turned into spores - a life form in which bacteria can persist for many years in precarious conditions without losing their original properties. More and more disease-causing pathogens initially appeared The subsequent repopulation of the gut was gradual. "Similar to when a forest slowly recovers after a fire," says Forslund. However, according to the researcher, bacteria with disease-causing properties, such as Enterococcus faecalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, initially appeared more frequently. At the same time, the team was able to identify many virulence factors in the microorganisms - structures and metabolites that are more harmful to humans. "This observation explains why most antibiotics cause gastrointestinal disturbances," says Forslund. Over time, however, the intestinal flora normalized again. Bad microbes were increasingly replaced by good bacteria such as the lactic acid-producing bifidobacteria that are instrumental in keeping pathogens away. After six months, the subjects' microbiome was nearly the same as before. However, more than a few of the earlier bacterial varieties were missing. "As expected, the number of resistance genes in the bacteria also increased," reports Forslund. Surprisingly, it was not the case that the bacterial species that reappeared most rapidly after antibiotic administration also had the most resistance genes. "This genetic material seems more likely to play a long-term role in gut repopulation," says the researcher. The lung microbiome will also be investigated further "Given the apparently permanent loss of individual species and the increased number of resistance genes, the study shows once again how important it is to administer antibiotics with care," Forslund emphasizes, adding: "It must also be further explored how to increase future success rates in protecting the sensitive microbiome from damage caused by antibiotics." The scientist plans to contribute to this research. For example, the MDC is currently running an observational study through which Forslund wants to find out how longer-term antibiotic treatments affect gut biodiversity - and whether a greater depletion of species increases the risk of obesity and metabolic diseases. She would also like to investigate how often gut bacteria exchange their resistance genes during antibiotic administration. A study investigating the influence of these drugs on the lung microbiome is already in the planning stage.	10.1038/s41564-018-0257-9	2,018	Nature Microbiology	Recovery of gut microbiota of healthy adults following antibiotic exposure	To minimize the impact of antibiotics, gut microorganisms harbour and exchange antibiotics resistance genes, collectively called their resistome. Using shotgun sequencing-based metagenomics, we analysed the partial eradication and subsequent regrowth of the gut microbiota in 12 healthy men over a 6-month period following a 4-day intervention with a cocktail of 3 last-resort antibiotics: meropenem, gentamicin and vancomycin. Initial changes included blooms of enterobacteria and other pathobionts, such as Enterococcus faecalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum, and the depletion of Bifidobacterium species and butyrate producers. The gut microbiota of the subjects recovered to near-baseline composition within 1.5 months, although 9 common species, which were present in all subjects before the treatment, remained undetectable in most of the subjects after 180 days. Species that harbour β-lactam resistance genes were positively selected for during and after the intervention. Harbouring glycopeptide or aminoglycoside resistance genes increased the odds of de novo colonization, however, the former also decreased the odds of survival. Compositional changes under antibiotic intervention in vivo matched results from in vitro susceptibility tests. Despite a mild yet long-lasting imprint following antibiotics exposure, the gut microbiota of healthy young adults are resilient to a short-term broad-spectrum antibiotics intervention and their antibiotics resistance gene carriage modulates their recovery processes.
804447	New research offers insights into managing agricultural runoff and coastal dead zones	A study published today in Ecology Letters adds to a growing body of work examining the relationship between harmful algal blooms in the Gulf of Mexico and agricultural runoff. The article focuses on water chemistry, specifically the ratio of dissolved silica to dissolved inorganic nitrogen in 130 lakes connected to watersheds influencing nutrient concentrations in the Gulf of Mexico. The research is particularly timely as algae, agriculture and weather combined to create an above-average size "Dead Zone" in the Gulf in 2016. Starting at the mouth of the Mississippi River, the ratio of silica to inorganic nitrogen has shifted dramatically toward nitrogen in the last century in the Gulf of Mexico. Two possible explanations for the change in ratio are that dams and reservoirs may remove silica and that agriculture supplies so much nitrogen that the ratios are forced downward. This study shows that reservoirs do not remove silica whereas nitrogen increases greatly when landscapes are more than 60 percent agriculture. Excess dissolved nitrogen, in coastal zones like the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Erie, fuels the growth of algae which in turn precipitates anoxic conditions, or dead zones. Prior to such nutrient loading, the ratio of dissolved silica to dissolved inorganic nitrogen was balanced in a way that allowed diatoms, which supply the oxygen in every fourth breath a person takes, to survive. "It is easy to change a phytoplankton community just by altering the availability of a few important compounds such as dissolved silica or dissolved inorganic nitrogen," said co-author John Downing, director of the University of Minnesota Sea Grant College Program and the study's principal investigator. "In the Gulf we want to see diatoms, a type of phytoplankton that needs about equal amounts of dissolved silica and dissolved inorganic nitrogen. What we've created is a nitrate-rich condition that favors other, harmful types of phytoplankton." Downing and colleagues from the University of Washington and Boston University found that increased nitrogen loss from agricultural fields sufficiently explains why the northern Gulf of Mexico waters are plagued by blooms of harmful algae. They also identified methods that may lead to better techniques for managing landscapes and the water they influence. Downing and colleagues suggest that managing landscapes at watershed levels could significantly improve water quality, especially in wet years. They also point to reservoirs and similar water impoundments as areas where heavy nutrient loads could be diminished without affecting silica concentrations before the water reaches the Gulf of Mexico. "We need to be vigilant about our land use and water quality," said Downing. "Climate change and increased storminess will likely exacerbate the skewed ratios we found and the extent of harmful blooms in coastal areas if we don't manage agricultural runoff more effectively. Harmful algae blooms cost the U.S. seafood, tourism and health industries over $80 million a year according the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and we know we can do better." ###	10.1111/ele.12689	2,016	Ecology Letters	Low ratios of silica to dissolved nitrogen supplied to rivers arise from agriculture not reservoirs	Abstract Coastal marine systems are greatly altered by toxic marine algae, eutrophication and hypoxia. These problems have been linked to decreased ratios of dissolved silica to inorganic nitrogen (Si : DIN ) delivered from land. Two mechanisms for this decline under consideration are enhanced nitrogen (N) fertiliser losses from agricultural lands or Si sequestration in reservoirs. Here we examine these mechanisms via nutrient concentrations in impoundments receiving water from 130 watersheds in a landscape representative of the agriculture that often dominates coastal nutrient inputs. Decreased Si : DIN was correlated with agriculture, not impoundment. Watersheds with > 60% agricultural land yielded highest DIN , whereas Si was uncorrelated with agricultural intensity. Furthermore, eutrophic lakes were dominated by Cyanobacteria that use little Si, so reservoirs did not diminish Si : DIN . Instead, Si : DIN increased slightly as reservoir residence time increased. These data suggest that impoundments in agricultural watersheds may enhance the water quality of coastal ecosystems, whereas fertiliser losses are detrimental.
897019	Deeper insight into how tick spit suppresses cattle immunity	A tick saliva study reveals immune responses that could lead to better protection for cattle. Scientists from Hokkaido University, Japan and Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, have revealed that substances in tick saliva activates immune response-suppressing proteins in cattle that facilitates the transmission of tick-borne diseases. The finding was published in the journal Scientific Reports and could help in the development of alternative control strategies. The Asian blue tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, feeds on cattle, causing skin lesions, chronic blood loss and transmission of disease-causing parasites. The costs of preventing and treating disease and loss of some cattle are considerable in many parts of the world. Some ticks have developed resistance against currently used acaricides, the tick equivalent of insecticides. To develop alternative strategies that can better protect cattle, such as vaccines, scientists need to better understand tick infections at the molecular level. For example, scientists already know that tick saliva suppresses the immune response in cattle, facilitating the transmission of tick-borne parasites, but the exact process has not been fully clarified. Infectious disease veterinarian, Satoru Konnai, and scientists at Hokkaido University in Japan and colleagues in Brazil investigated what happens to immune cells when they are exposed to tick saliva. The team found that substances in tick saliva, likely a lipid compound called a prostaglandin, increase the expression of two specific cellular membrane proteins on some immune cells. The interaction of these proteins, called programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), leads to the suppression of an immune cell called helper T cell (Th1). This means that the cattle's immune response is less able to combat invading tick-borne parasites. Further investigation showed Asian blue tick saliva contains a high concentration of prostaglandin E2, which is known to induce PD-L1 expression. However future studies need to confirm if prostaglandin E2 plays a direct role in suppressing the cattle immune response. Also, since this study involved cells in the laboratory, the team says further research in live cattle is needed. "Our findings suggest that Asian blue tick saliva inhibits the immune responses of helper T cells, at least in part, via the interaction between PD-1 and PD-L1," says Konnai. Associate Professor Satoru Konnai of the Laboratory of Infectious Diseases at Hokkaido University conducts research on the development of novel therapeutic strategy for intractable diseases control in animals; the pathogenesis of bovine leukemia; analysis of mechanism of tick-borne pathogen transmission and development of anti-tick vaccines.	10.1038/s41598-020-80251-y	2,021	Scientific Reports	Tick saliva-induced programmed death-1 and PD-ligand 1 and its related host immunosuppression	Abstract The tick Rhipicephalus microplus is a harmful parasite of cattle that causes considerable economic losses to the cattle breeding industry. Although R . microplus saliva (Rm-saliva) contains several immunosuppressants, any association between Rm-saliva and the expression of immunoinhibitory molecules, such as programmed death (PD)-1 and PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1), has not been described. In this study, flow cytometric analyses revealed that Rm-saliva upregulated PD-1 expression in T cells and PD-L1 expression in CD14 + and CD11c + cells in cattle. Additionally, Rm-saliva decreased CD69 expression in T cells and Th1 cytokine production from peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Furthermore, PD-L1 blockade increased IFN-γ production in the presence of Rm-saliva, suggesting that Rm-saliva suppresses Th1 responses via the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. To reveal the upregulation mechanism of PD-1/PD-L1 by Rm-saliva, we analyzed the function of prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ), which is known as an inducer of PD-L1 expression, in Rm-saliva. We found that Rm-saliva contained a high concentration of PGE 2 , and PGE 2 treatment induced PD-L1 expression in CD14 + cells in vitro. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that PGE 2 and PD-L1 expression was upregulated in tick-attached skin in cattle. These data suggest that PGE 2 in Rm-saliva has the potential to induce the expression of immunoinhibitory molecules in host immune cells.
716518	Brain connections are more sophisticated than thought	In 1959, a scientist named Edward Gray showed that the miniscule gaps between neurons where chemical messages are sent, called synapses, come in two main varieties, which researchers later dubbed "excitatory" and "inhibitory." Inhibitory synapses act as the brakes in the brain, preventing it from becoming overexcited. Researchers thought they were less sophisticated than their excitatory counterparts because relatively few proteins were known to exist at these structures. But a new study by Duke University scientists, published Sept. 9 in Science, overturns that assumption, uncovering 140 proteins that have never been mapped to inhibitory synapses. "It's like these proteins were locked away in a safe for over 50 years, and we believe that our study has cracked open the safe," said the study's senior investigator Scott Soderling, an associate professor of cell biology and neurobiology at Duke. "And there's a lot of gems." In particular, 27 of these proteins have already been implicated by genome-wide association studies as having a role in autism, intellectual disability and epilepsy, Soderling said, suggesting that their mechanisms at the synapse could provide new avenues to the understanding and treatment of these disorders. Synapses are common targets of drugs used to treat brain diseases, but they are also changed by drugs of abuse. About 40 proteins were already known to cluster on the inhibitory synapses, which are important not only for preventing overexcitement, which can trigger seizures, but also sculpting patterns of brain signals. "The inhibitory synapse is just as important as the excitatory synapse, but we didn't have a good way of purifying the proteins that were there, so we didn't understand how it worked," Soderling said. In the new study, postdoctoral researcher Akiyoshi Uezu in Soderling's group used a relatively recent labeling technique called BioID, which uses a bacterial enzyme to fish for any nearby proteins and bind to them irreversibly inside a living mouse. The captured proteins are then recovered from the tissue and identified using established methods for characterizing proteins. The afternoon Soderling and Uezu realized the technique was pulling new proteins from the inhibitory synapse "we both almost fell out of our chairs," Soderling said. "We saw this huge list of these really exciting proteins that no one had ever seen before." Two of the proteins had no known function, and unlike other proteins, their gene sequences provided no clues. The researchers dubbed those Inhibitory Synapse 1 (InSyn1) and Inhibitory Synapse 2 (InSyn2). Depleting InSyn1 levels in individual neurons caused surrounding brain tissue to become overexcited, suggesting that the protein is crucial for the normal function of inhibitory synapses. Most exciting to Soderling was that previous genetics studies had shown several of the proteins cause an inherited form of epilepsy. The specific role of the proteins was unknown, however. "Finding them at the inhibitory synapse really gives us important insights," Soderling said. "The hypothesis now is that these mutations are impairing the ability of neurons to inhibit activity. That's something that we're actively studying." In addition, neurons have other structures with incomplete parts lists of proteins. Soderling's team is collaborating with other researchers who are interested in probing these other spots using BioID, which had been originally developed for cells in the petri dish. Soderling will post a protocol on his lab's webpage so that others can learn how to implement this method in mice. Lastly, the team plans to explore the role of inhibitory synapses in the formation of long-term memory, which is enabled by synapses changing the strength of their connections over time. How inhibitory connections operate in memory is much less understood than in excitatory synapses, Soderling said. ### This research was supported by National Institutes of Health (MH104736 and NS039444). CITATION: " Identification of an Elaborate Complex Mediating Postsynaptic Inhibition," Akiyoshi Uezu, Daniel J. Kanak, Tyler W.A. Bradshaw, Erik J. Soderblom, Christina M. Catavero, Alain C. Burette, Richard J. Weinberg, and Scott H. Soderling. Science, Sept. 9, 2016. DOI: 10.1126/science.aag0821	10.1126/science.aag0821	2,016	Science	Identification of an elaborate complex mediating postsynaptic inhibition	Inhibitory synapses dampen neuronal activity through postsynaptic hyperpolarization. The composition of the inhibitory postsynapse and the mechanistic basis of its regulation, however, remain poorly understood. We used an in vivo chemico-genetic proximity-labeling approach to discover inhibitory postsynaptic proteins. Quantitative mass spectrometry not only recapitulated known inhibitory postsynaptic proteins but also revealed a large network of new proteins, many of which are either implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders or are of unknown function. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) depletion of one of these previously uncharacterized proteins, InSyn1, led to decreased postsynaptic inhibitory sites, reduced the frequency of miniature inhibitory currents, and increased excitability in the hippocampus. Our findings uncover a rich and functionally diverse assemblage of previously unknown proteins that regulate postsynaptic inhibition and might contribute to developmental brain disorders.
788053	Early Earth may have been a 'waterworld'		10.1038/s41561-020-0538-9	2,020	Nature Geoscience	Limited Archaean continental emergence reflected in an early Archaean 18O-enriched ocean	The origin and evolution of Earth’s biosphere were shaped by the physical and chemical histories of the oceans. Marine chemical sediments and altered oceanic crust preserve a geochemical record of these histories. Marine chemical sediments, for example, exhibit an increase in their 18O/16O ratio through time. The implications of this signal are ambiguous but are typically cast in terms of two endmember (but not mutually exclusive) scenarios. The oceans may have been much warmer in the deep past if they had an oxygen isotope composition similar to that of today. Alternatively, the nature of fluid–rock interactions (including the weathering processes associated with continental emergence) may have been different in the past, leading to an evolving oceanic oxygen isotope composition. Here we examine approximately 3.24-billion-year-old hydrothermally altered oceanic crust from the Panorama district in the Pilbara Craton of Western Australia as an alternative oxygen isotope archive to marine chemical sediments. We find that, at that time, seawater at Panorama had an oxygen isotope composition enriched in 18O relative to the modern ocean with a δ18O of 3.3 ± 0.1‰ VSMOW. We suggest that seawater δ18O may have decreased through time, in contrast to the large increases seen in marine chemical sediments. To explain this possibility, we construct an oxygen isotope exchange model of the geologic water cycle, which suggests that the initiation of continental weathering in the late Archaean, between 3 and 2.5 billion years ago, would have drawn down an 18O-enriched early Archaean ocean to δ18O values similar to those of modern seawater. We conclude that Earth’s water cycle may have gone through two separate phases of steady-state behaviour, before and after the emergence of the continents. The water cycle was in two different steady states, before and after continental emergence, as recorded in the decreasing oxygen isotope values of seawater since the Archaean, according to an inverse geochemical model of the oceanic crustal record.
914863	College football players underestimate risk of injury and concussion	AURORA, Colo. (Dec. 29, 2020) - College football players may underestimate their risk of injury and concussion, according to a new study published today in JAMA Network Open. Christine Baugh, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and member of the CU Center for Bioethics and Humanities, is the corresponding author of the article, "Accuracy of US College Football Players' Estimates of Their Risk of Concussion or Injury." Baugh and co-authors report on survey results of 296 college football players from four teams in the Power 5 Conferences of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. Athletes were surveyed in 2017. The researchers found that between 43 percent and 91 percent of respondents underestimated their risk of injury and between 42 percent and 63 percent underestimated their risk of concussion. To measure the accuracy of football players' risk estimations, the researchers modeled individual athletes' probabilities of sustaining a concussion or injury and compared model estimates to athlete perceptions. While recognizing that many people underestimate health risks, the authors point out that the risks college football athletes face may be more severe or debilitating than those faced by many in the general population. Given this elevated risk profile, they say it is concerning that athletes tend to underestimate the likelihood of these risks. These results raise questions about informed consent and how much risk should be acceptable in the context of a game, Baugh and her co-authors write. "That athletes underestimated their risk of concussion and injury in this study raises important ethical considerations," Baugh and her colleagues write. "What is the threshold for college athletes to be sufficiently informed of the risks and benefits of football to make decisions that align with their values and preferences?"	10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.31509	2,020	JAMA Network Open	Accuracy of US College Football Players’ Estimates of Their Risk of Concussion or Injury	<h3>Importance</h3> Despite increased concern about the health consequences of contact sports, little is known about athletes' understanding of their own risk of sports-related injury. <h3>Objective</h3> To assess whether college football players accurately estimate their risk of concussion and nonconcussion injury and to identify characteristics of athletes who misestimate their injury risk. <h3>Design, Setting, and Participants</h3> In this survey study, questionnaires were given to 296 current college football players on 4 teams from the 3 of the 5 most competitive conferences of the US National Collegiate Athletic Association. Surveys were conducted between February and May 2017. Data were analyzed from June 2017 through July 2020. <h3>Main Outcomes and Measures</h3> Multiple approaches were taken to compare athlete perceptions of their risks of concussion and nonconcussion injury with individual probabilities of these risks, which were modeled using logistic regression. <h3>Results</h3> Of 296 male college-aged athletes from 4 football teams who participated in the survey, 265 (89%) answered all questions relevant for this study. Participating teams were similar to nonparticipating teams across nearly all measured characteristics. One hundred athletes (34%) had sustained 1 or more concussions, and 197 (68% of the 289 who responded to the question) had sustained 1 or more injuries in the previous football season. Logistic regression models of single-season injury and concussion had reasonably good fit (area under the curve, 0.75 and 0.73, respectively). Of the 265 participants for whom all relevant data were available, 111 (42%) underestimated their risk of concussion (χ<sup>2</sup> = 98.6;<i>P</i> = .003). A similar proportion of athletes (113 [43%]) underestimated their risk of injury, although this was not statistically significant (χ<sup>2</sup> = 34.0;<i>P</i> = .09). An alternative analytic strategy suggested that 241 athletes (91%) underestimated their risk of injury (Wilcoxon statistic, 7865;<i>P</i> < .001) and 167 (63%) underestimated their risk of concussion (Wilcoxon statistic, 26 768;<i>P</i> < .001). <h3>Conclusions and Relevance</h3> The findings of this survey study suggest that college football players may underestimate their risk of injury and concussion. The implications for informed participation in sport are unclear given that people generally underestimate health risks. It is necessary to consider whether athletes are sufficiently informed and how much risk is acceptable for an athlete to participate in a sport.
465598	Flies release neuronal brakes to fly longer	For insects, flying is a swift way of getting around to find food, identify a mate and escape unfavourable conditions. While muscles provide the power for flying, it is the brain that coordinates strategic planning. For a hungry fly, this could mean using its powerful olfaction to sense the presence of food such as a rotten banana and then navigating the distance to reach it, which may require flying for several minutes or even an hour or more. How does the insect brain coordinate the timing for such long flight bouts? A group of scientists at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore, have answered this question in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. In their recent work published in Current Biology, a team led by Prof. Gaiti Hasan and her collaborators describe how groups of different neurons connect up to make insect flight possible for longer periods. One set of neurons release an inherent brake in this circuit, allowing flies to maintain flight for long durations. While mechanical and biophysical aspects of insect flight are well studied, the neurobiology and circuitry underlying it remain poorly understood. Steffy Manjila, a graduate student in the lab, began this project by first asking what are the types of neurons required to maintain long flight. Neurons talk to each other with chemicals called neurotransmitters. One class of neurotransmitters called monoamines, such as octopamine, dopamine and serotonin are known regulators of insect flight. Particularly, loss of octopaminergic neurons prevents fruit flies from flying for long periods. Steffy recapitulated this earlier finding and used genetic tools available in Drosophila to narrow down which octopaminergic neurons in the fly brain are active during flight. She then hunted for neurons that could be talking to these octopamine neurons and identified a cluster of dopamine producing neurons known as Protocerebral Anterior Medial (PAM) neurons. An elegant imaging experiment showed that activation of octopaminergic neurons generated calcium signals in the PAM neurons, which is a cellular readout of neuronal activity. To understand how PAM neurons regulate flight bout durations, their projections into a region of the brain called the mushroom body were investigated. This mushroom shaped structure is much like a shopping plaza - a place buzzing with 'activity' and exchange of molecular information. It is well known for its role in learning and memory. The complexity of the mushroom body lies in the fact that one neuronal branch receives inputs from multiple others in its vicinity. These inputs are consolidated by the output neurons, that convey information out of the mushroom body to disseminate composite messages downstream. For example, in the case of flight the mushroom body might balance the state of satiety and hunger with the smell of a ripe banana, to decide how much energy the fly should expend to reach the banana. Steffy identified a class of mushroom body output neurons whose arms were in close proximity to arms of the 'flight modulating' PAM neurons. These output neurons were GABA producing cells, a well-known inhibitory neurotransmitter, which upon binding to its receptor on another neuron would turn it off. Why would the flight circuit have neurons that turn other neurons 'off'? Shouldn't all the neurons be turned 'on' for flight? "Imagine driving your car down a slope, with your foot on the brakes. If you want to gently roll down the ramp, all you have to do is relax your hold on the brakes. That's exactly what we think could be happening with the flies. At rest, the GABAergic output neurons are active and release GABA. This inhibits flight - brakes pressed. However, soon after initiation of flight, dopaminergic PAM neurons actively inhibit GABAergic neurons, thereby reducing GABA release. The brakes on the flight circuit are now relaxed and this enables the fly to sustain a longer flight bout", explains Dr. Hasan. Overall this mechanism probably helps the fly conserve energy. The authors substantiated their ideas with a few more experiments. Using genetic tricks, they demonstrated activity in the PAM neurons during flight. Then they artificially turned "on" the dopaminergic PAM neurons and observed that activity of the GABAergic output neurons was silenced. They also made the GABAergic output neurons continuously turned "on" and observed that these flies were unable to fly for long durations. Finally, in a collaboration with the labs of Prof. Sanjay Sane at NCBS and Prof. Jean-Francois Ferveur at Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France, they demonstrated that this newly identified circuit is necessary for hungry flies to fly and reach a potential food source, but that it is not required for other free-moving behaviours. The authors propose that similar neuronal crosstalk enables locomotion in mammals also. For example, it is known that in humans, GABA released from a brain centre called the basal ganglion helps maintain a resting state. When appropriate cues are received, these GABA brakes are released to initiate locomotion. So, if you ever thought brakes were designed only to impede motion, think again. In this biological paradigm, brakes prevent unnecessary flight activity and are relieved only when the fly needs to undertake a long-haul flight!	10.1016/j.cub.2018.11.070	2,019	Current Biology	Extended Flight Bouts Require Disinhibition from GABAergic Mushroom Body Neurons	Insect flight is a complex behavior that requires the integration of multiple sensory inputs with flight motor output. Although previous genetic studies identified central brain monoaminergic neurons that modulate Drosophila flight, neuro-modulatory circuits underlying sustained flight bouts remain unexplored. Certain classes of dopaminergic and octopaminergic neurons that project to the mushroom body, a higher integrating center in the insect brain, are known to modify neuronal output based on contextual cues and thereby organismal behavior. This study focuses on how monoaminergic modulation of mushroom body GABAergic output neurons (MBONs) regulates the duration of flight bouts. Octopaminergic neurons in the sub-esophageal zone stimulate central dopaminergic neurons (protocerebral anterior medial, PAM) that project to GABAergic MBONs. Either inhibition of octopaminergic and dopaminergic neurons or activation of GABAergic MBONs reduces the duration of flight bouts. Moreover, activity in the PAM neurons inhibits the GABAergic MBONs. Our data suggest that disinhibition of the identified neural circuit very likely occurs after flight initiation and is required to maintain the "flight state" when searching for distant sites, possibly related to food sources, mating partners, or a suitable egg-laying site. VIDEO ABSTRACT.
979550	New funding proposal aims to reduce bottlenecks on Upper Mississippi River	AMES, IA — On the Upper Mississippi River, a system of locks and dams keeps the artery between Minneapolis and St. Louis open and the U.S. economy pumping. Barges haul around 175 million tons of freight, including 60% of the country’s grain exports, across the waterway each year. But decades of use, freeze-and-thaw cycles and floods have taken a toll on infrastructure 30 years past its life expectancy. Shutdowns for maintenance and repairs have increased, causing more delays and bottlenecks for shippers. Yoshinori Suzuki is a transportation expert and the Land O’Lakes Endowed Professor of Supply Chain Management at Iowa State University. His latest research proposes a new funding model for a major rehabilitation of the 27 locks and dams on the Upper Mississippi. It relies on a collective investment from all – or at least most – of the shippers, along with government funding. Suzuki’s findings indicate the public-private partnership would pay off in the long-run. In his newly published paper in Transportation Journal, Suzuki pointed to another study that analyzed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers data. It showed the percent of delayed vessels jumped from 35% in 2010 to 49% in 2017. “These delays are a huge cost for shippers. They either have to wait until the problem is fixed, which could be hours or days, or unload their cargo onto trains or trucks, which are more expensive alternatives,” said Suzuki. “When shippers can use them, barges are the most economical mode of transportation.” According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, a typical inland barge can haul 1,750 tons. Moving the same volume requires 16 rail cars or 70 large semi-trailers. Previous research shows barges use less fuel to move a ton of cargo a mile. But without a major rehabilitation of the Upper Mississippi, Suzuki said the frequency of delays and reliance on rail and trucks will continue to increase. Higher transportation costs could be passed on to producers and consumers. “The stakeholders all recognize the need for a major upgrade to the infrastructure on the Upper Mississippi. The challenge has been figuring out how to pay for it all,” said Suzuki. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Iowa DOT estimate a price tag exceeding $1 billion. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law enacted in 2021 allots money for inland waterways. However, Suzuki emphasized there are many locks and dams in the U.S. that need improvements. It’s unlikely the federal funding will be enough for all of the Upper Mississippi infrastructure. Private funding could fill the gap, said Suzuki. “Theoretically, shippers should be willing to pay up to the amount that equals the financial damage from delays and disruptions with the current state of the locks and dams,” said Suzuki. “If their goal is to maximize investment returns, there should be a sweet spot for investing in improvements.” Suzuki said finding this sweet spot required answers to two questions: What financial costs are shippers incurring with the current system? How much do those financial costs decrease when the system becomes more reliable? He developed a theoretical math formula and model using data from the Iowa DOT and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and interviews with three shippers and a third-party logistics provider. Suzuki then ran simulations of Upper Mississippi traffic flows through 27 different scenarios. "My calculations show that if shippers paid for 60%-80% of the rehabilitation project, the investment return they would get from saved costs would be maximized. It would double or triple in 20-40 years," said Suzuki, adding that it would be equivalent to investing with a 3%-5% annual interest rate. Suzuki’s findings indicate the payback period can be eight years or less, but he said the time frame could be longer if the shippers needed to borrow money to pay for the infrastructure project. He added that, unlike some other proposals, his funding model would not include user fees or tolls at locks and dams, which would require changes to federal regulations. Suzuki’s model displays an elegant solution. But he acknowledges putting it into practice comes with additional hurdles. “Ideally, everyone who uses the waterway should be investing. In practice, convincing all of them may be a challenge and will require a lot of outreach to explain how this would benefit them in the long run,” he said. Suzuki said it may be necessary to establish a single point of contact to pull together funding and represent all of the shippers when working with state and federal agencies. This could take the form of a nonprofit member cooperative. Another option would be hiring a third-party financial firm. Since large shippers would benefit more from the rehabilitation project, Suzuki said the participating firms would need to agree on a way to split the investment costs equitably. They may also want to work with federal or state governments to create tax incentives to boost participation and prevent free-riders. Suzuki’s research was funded by Supply Chain Innovation Forum of Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business at Iowa State. Transportation	10.5325/transportationj.62.1.0043	2,023	Transportation Journal	Rehabilitating Locks and Dams in the Upper Mississippi Waterway Through PPP: A New Business Model	Abstract Many supply chains rely on barge transportation along the Upper Mississippi waterway system. However, locks and dams that enable traffic flows through the waterway system are aging and causing disruptions frequently, bringing considerable financial damages to shippers. Cost of the major system rehabilitation is estimated to be over $1 billion, and the prospects for getting such a large funding from the government are bleak. Public-private partnership (PPP) based on the conventional business model that requires collecting end-user fees to provide revenue to the participating private firms has been proposed, but not implemented due to the regulatory barriers that forbid the collection of user fees. This study proposes a new PPP business model that does not require collecting user fees. This model seeks to attract funding from shippers in exchange for reducing their financial losses due to frequent system disruptions. We describe the model concept and examine its effectiveness by performing a series of analyses that combine analytical, econometric, and simulation techniques. Results show that the proposed model is not only viable, but also financially attractive to shippers if the invested amount is optimal, allowing them to reduce supply chain disruptions considerably while also achieving sizable investment returns.

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