TYPE OF ARTICLE: LETTER TO EDITOR

1 IntroductionUnderstanding, quantifying, and predicting the ability of organisms to adapt to changing environments is at the core of eco-evolutionary research[1,2]. In the face of unprecedented environmental change, natural populations, especially those with limited mobility, can avoid extinction via phenotypic plasticity and/or adaptive evolution [3]. However, our understanding of the interplay between selection and plasticity in changing environments is surprisingly limited[4–8]. This limitation is not trivial, for plasticity can itself evolve[9], can be adaptive or nonadaptive[10], and has seemingly contradictory effects on adaptive evolution[11], on which we focus here. For decades, researchers have theorized whether plasticity facilitates or hinders adaptive evolution[9,12]; the evidence is contradictory and general patterns have not emerged [5,10,11,13,14].The primary conflicting hypotheses for whether plasticity facilitates or hinders adaptive evolution are:(H1) plasticity weakens directional selection by masking genotypic variation (Bogert Effect [15]), thus slowing the rate of genetic change[5,16–18] vs.(H2) plasticity facilitates evolution by allowing the population to persist under environmental change long enough for genetic change to occur[19–22] (Plasticity-First Hypothesis [21] orBaldwin Effect [19]).This debate remains unresolved, for even when theoretical predictions agree with empirical findings[5,10,11,13,14,23], we lack a general framework to ascertain the context-dependency of the prevalent mechanism. Here, we introduce a framework based on environmental change context, to outline clear null hypotheses for when and how plasticity interacts with directional evolution. We place the plasticity facilitates vs. hinders selection debate on two ends of a continuum, and specify the properties of environmental change–rate of mean change , variability , andtemporal autocorrelation –that influence how plasticity impacts adaptive evolution.The type of environmental change a population experiences can alter its likelihood of adaptation and, ultimately, persistence[24–27]. Studies of demographic[28], genetic[29], and evolutionary rescue[30], show that rate of mean change, variability, and temporal autocorrelation of a population’s selective environment impact population persistence[24,25,29,31–35]. However, because different types of environmental change can have contradictory effects on plasticity and evolution[34,36–38], elucidating these dynamics is not trivial. Consequently, there is an urgent need to place this discussion on the environmental stage in a generalizable way that will allow ecologists and evolutionary biologists to better contextualize, mechanistically understand, predict, and compare their findings.Moving optimum theory links environmental change to the resulting evolutionary responses. Three decades of research on this theory shows that, when a population is confronted with an environment that changes directionally, there is a critical rate of changethat must be matched by change in the mean phenotype of the population, such that the mean remains close to the theoretical phenotypic optimum . In this context, a phenotypic lag between the mean phenotype and the optimum phenotype typically emerges which, if too large, makes extinction certain [39–41]. Evolutionary (e.g. , selection, genetic variation) and ecological processes (e.g. , within-generation life history, plasticity and population dynamics) together influence the limit of how far a population can lag without going extinct. The contribution of plasticity to population persistence and adaptation is largely determined by this phenotypic lag: how much of the short- or long-term lag can be compensated for or even hindered by plasticity?We argue that hypotheses such as the Bogert Effect and the Plasticity-First Hypothesis / Baldwin Effect are not mutually exclusive. Rather, plasticity may facilitate or hinder adaptive evolution depending on the properties of environmental change. To assess the impact of plasticity on the ability of a population to evolutionarily track a changing environmental optimum, we specify the links among the type of environmental change, plasticity, and adaptive evolution by considering several fundamental processes. Thus, we utilize both theoretical and experimental studies to:Assess how three key components of environmental change (rate of mean change , variability , and temporal autocorrelation ) each alter the mechanisms behind phenotypic tracking of a moving optimum ([i] Genetic variation, heritability, and selection , and [ii] life history, plasticity andpopulation dynamics ).Introduce a unified framework of testable hypotheses detailing how those three components of environmental change can influence the relative benefit of plasticity to adaptive evolution.

The potential for forecasting the dynamics of ecological systems is currently unclear, with contrasting opinions regarding its feasibility due to ecological complexity. To investigate forecast skill within and across system complexity, we monitored a microbial system exposed to either constant or fluctuating temperatures in a five months long laboratory experiment. We tested how forecasting of species abundances depends on number and strength of interactions and on model size (number of predictors). We also tested how greater system complexity (i.e. the fluctuating temperatures) impacted these relations. We found that the more a species interacted, the weaker these interactions were and the better its abundance was predicted. Forecast skill increased with model size. Greater system complexity decreased forecast skill for three out of eight species. These insights into how abundance prediction depends on the embedding of the species within the system and on overall system complexity could improve species forecasting and monitoring.

Secondary forest restoration can alter terrestrial ecosystem processes and potentially impact subsurface carbon dynamics. However, the effects of long-term forest restoration on the soil microbial metabolic activity remain unclear. So, the aim of this study was to explore the response of soil microbial metabolism to forest restoration. Among them, the soil basal respiration (BR), microbial quotient ( qMB), and metabolic quotient ( qCO 2) were studied. This study investigated a natural vegetation restoration sequence approximately ~160 years after farmland abandonment on the central Loess Plateau, China, corresponding to five vegetation restoration stages including farmland, grassland, shrubland, pioneer forests, and climax forests. The results showed that BR and qCO 2 were increased following forest restoration, whereas qMB showed the opposite trend. Forest restoration also increased the activities of β-1,4-glucosidase and β-D-cellobiosidase. Restoration age, litter traits such as nitrogen, cellulose and lignin decomposition rates, dissolved organic carbon contents, fungi and bacteria composition were also important indicators affecting microbial metabolic activities. Long-term forest restoration can change soil microbial community structure, reduce carbon mineralization efficiency, improve soil microbial carbon utilization efficiency, and promote soil organic carbon accumulation.

Background and Purpose: The intranasal administration of oxytocin (OT) reduces migraine headaches through activation of the oxytocin receptor (OTR). Magnesium ion (Mg2+) concentration is critical to activation of OTR, and low serum Mg2+ concentration is predictive of migraine headache. We, therefore, examined the functional impact of Mg2+ concentration on OT-OTR binding efficacy using two complimentary bioassays. Current clamp recordings of rat trigeminal ganglia neurons (TG) measured the impact of Mg2+ on OT-induced reduction in excitability. Secondly, we assessed the impact of Mg2+ on intranasal OT-induced craniofacial analgesia in rats. Key Results: OT alone dose-dependently hyperpolarized TG neurons, decreasing their excitability; the addition of 1.75mM Mg2+ significantly enhanced this effect. Similarly, while intranasal application of OT produced dose-dependent craniofacial analgesia; Mg2+ significantly enhanced these effects. Conclusion and Implications: Mg2+ concentration is critical to OT-OTR signaling, and OT efficacy may be limited by low ambient Mg2+ levels. The addition of Mg2+ to OT formulations may improve its efficacy in reducing headache pain as well as for other oxytocin-dependent processes.

Climate change and fisheries exploitation are dramatically changing the species composition, abundances, and size spectra of fish communities. We explore whether variation in abundance-size spectra, a widely studied ecosystem feature, is influenced by a critical parameter thought to govern the shape of size-structured ecosystems—the relationship between the sizes of predators and their prey (predator-prey mass ratios, or PPMRs). PPMR estimates are lacking for vast numbers of fish species, including at the broader trophic guild scale. Using measurements of 8,128 prey items in gut contents of 97 reef fish species, we established PPMRs for four major trophic guilds (piscivores, invertivores, planktivores and herbivores) using linear mixed effects models. To assess theoretical predictions that higher mean community-level PPMR leads to shallower size spectrum slopes, we compared observations of mean community-level PPMR with size spectrum slopes for coastal reef sites distributed around Australia. PPMRs of individual fishes were remarkably high (median ~71,000), with significant variation between different trophic guilds (~890 for piscivores; ~83,000 for planktivores), and ~8,700 for whole communities. Community-level PPMRs were positively related to size spectrum slopes, broadly consistent with theory, however, this pattern was also influenced by the latitudinal temperature gradient. Tropical reefs showed a stronger relationship between community-level PPMRs and community size spectrum slopes than temperate reefs. The extent that these patterns apply outside Australia, and consequences for community structure and dynamics, are key areas for future investigation.

The South American temperate forests have been subjected to drastic past topographic and climatic changes during the Pliocene – Pleistocene linked to Andean orogeny and glacial cycles. These changes are common drivers of genetic structure and adaptation process. Embothrium coccineum, a member of the Proteaceae family and an emblematic tree of the South American temperate forest with a distribution spanning 20° of latitude, has been strongly affected by these topographic and climatic changes. Previous studies have shown that the species presents a marked genetic structure with distinct ecotypes described; yet, little is known about their adaptive genetic responses. The main goal of this study was to investigate the effects of historical and contemporary landscape features affecting the genetic diversity and connectivity of E. coccineum throughout its natural distribution. Using more than 2000 SNPs, two genetic groups (North and Center-South) that have diverged some 2.8 million years ago were observed. The level of genetic structure was higher between populations within the North genetic group than within the Center-South group. We propose that these contrasting patterns of genetic structure are related to differences in pollinator’s assemblage and evolutionary histories between genetic groups. Moreover, we observed the existence a strong patter of isolation by environment in E. coccineum, suggesting that selection could have leaded to adaptive divergence among localities. We propose that, within the Chilean temperate forest, the patterns of genetic variation in E. coccineum reflect both a Quaternary phylogenetic imprint and the impact of selection to the strong environmental gradient.

The role of methylation in adaptive, developmental and speciation processes has attracted considerable interest, but interpretation of results is complicated by diffuse boundaries between genetic and non-genetic variation. We studied whole genome genetic and methylation variation in the European eel, distributed from subarctic to subtropical environments, but with panmixia precluding genetically based local adaptation beyond single-generation responses. Overall methylation was 70.9%, with hypomethylation predominantly found in promoters and first exons. Redundancy analyses involving juvenile glass eels showed 0.06% and 0.03% of the variance at SNPs to be explained by localities and environmental variables, respectively, with GO terms of genes associated with outliers primarily involving neural system functioning. For CpGs 2.98% and 1.36% of variance was explained by localities and environmental variables. Differentially methylated regions particularly included genes involved in developmental processes, with hox clusters featuring prominently. Life stage (adult versus glass eels) was the most important source of inter-individual variation in methylation, likely reflecting both ageing and developmental processes. Demethylation of transposable elements was observed in European X American eel hybrids, possibly representing postzygotic barriers in this system characterized by prolonged speciation and ongoing gene flow. Whereas the genetic data are consistent with a role of single-generation selective responses, the methylation results underpin the importance of epigenetics in the life cycle of eels and suggests interactions between local environments, development and phenotypic variation mediated by methylation variation. Eels are remarkable by having retained eight hox clusters, and the results suggest important roles of methylation at hox genes for adaptive processes.

Nutrient composition and food availability determine food choices and foraging strategies of animals. Altitude affects species distribution and food availability, whereas primate food needs increase with body size. However, the mechanism of food selection in large primates at low altitudes requires further investigation. As the largest species in the genus Macaca, the Tibetan macaque (Macaca thibetana) has sophisticated foraging strategies. In this study, we researched a group of 29 wild Tibetan macaques (Tianhu Mountain Group) that live in a low-altitude area around Mt. Huangshan, Anhui Province, China. We used instantaneous and scan sampling for observing the foraging behavior of these macaques from September 2020 to August 2021. We recorded the dietary composition and food availability, compared the nutrient content of staple food and non-food items, and analyzed the role of key nutrients in food selection. We found that Tibetan macaques forage on 111 plants belonging to 93 genera and 55 families. The food types included 52.5% fruits, 17.0% mature leaves, 6.3% young leaves, 1.9% stems, 4.5% flowers, 14.4% bamboo shoots, 1.3% tender shoots, and 2.1% other. Tibetan macaques forage for a maximum total of 76 plant species during spring. However, dietary diversity was highest during summer (H’=3.052). Monthly fruit consumption was positively correlated with food availability. Staple foods are lower in fiber and tannins than non-foods. In addition, there was a positive correlation between the time spent foraging for specific foods and sugar content of the food. The results showed that the plant species and food types fed by Tibetan macaques were diverse, and their foraging strategies varied seasonally. Our findings confirm the effect of nutrients on food choice in Tibetan macaques, highlighting the importance of sugar in their food choices and suggesting that the foraging behavior of Tibetan macaques is highly flexible and adaptive.

Hairy root systems have proven to be a viable alternative for recombinant protein production. For recalcitrant proteins, maximizing the productivity of hairy root cultures is essential. The aim of this study was to optimize a Brassica rapa rapa hairy root process for secretion of α-L-iduronidase (IDUA), a biologic of medical value. The process was first optimized with hairy roots expressing eGFP. For the biomass optimization, the highest biomass yields were achieved in modified Gamborg B5 culture medium. For the secretion induction, the optimized secretion media was obtained with additives (1.5g/l PVP + 1mg/l 2,4-D + 20.5g/l KNO 3) resulting in 3.4 fold eGFP secretion when compared to the non-induced control. These optimized conditions were applied to the IDUA-expressing hairy root clone, confirming that the highest yields of secreted IDUA occurred when using the already defined additive combination. The functionality of the IDUA protein, secreted and intracellular, was confirmed with an enzymatic activity assay. A >150-fold increase of the IDUA activity was observed using an optimized secretion medium, compared with a non-induced medium. We have proven that our B. rapa rapa hairy root system can be harnessed to secrete recalcitrant proteins, illustrating the high potential of hairy roots in plant molecular farming.

A 20 year old female presented with generalised weakness and easy fatigability, menorrhagia and dragging sensation in the left upper quadrant of abdomen. Bone marrow biopsy revealed hypercellular marrow with gaucher cells. β-glucosidase enzyme assay was done which showed low β-glucosidase enzyme level.

Eosinophilic gastritis (EG) is characterized by eosinophilic infiltration of any gastric layers. We report a 65-year-female presenting with abdominal pain and vomiting for two months. In the absence of atopy and peripheral eosinophilia, successful treatment of a large solitary antral ulcer with steroids upheld the diagnosis of EG.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a common comorbidity of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). Since the distal esophagus and heart share a common afferent vagal supply, the delivery of radiofrequency in the distal esophagus can stimulate the coronary artery and induce acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in a patient with CAD.

A 46-year-old female presented with a 3-month history of palpitations. Chest radiograph presented a ‘calabash’ configuration. Cardiac CT revealed supracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous return, whereby all the pulmonary veins drain into vertical vein and finally to the superior vena cava. Cardiac catheterisation was consistent with anomalous pulmonary venous.

A 75-year-old man with an aortic bioprosthesis was admitted with polyarthritis in a non-febrile setting. Blood cultures were positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The diagnosis of Listeria endocarditis and spondylodiscitis was evoked. These are two unusual forms of listeriosis.The evolution was favourable after antibiotic therapy.

Objective: The objective of the study is to evaluate the utility of real-time echocardiography (RTE) to provide objective hemodynamic guidance during decannulation of neonates from extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Design: Retrospective case series. Patients: Neonates with respiratory and circulatory failure who underwent venoarterial ECMO (VA-ECMO). Interventions: Use of RTE to assess cardiac function, pulmonary hypertension (PH), and readiness for decannulation from ECMO. Outcome measures: Data abstracted included clinical parameters, RTE data, and management decisions during weaning from VA-ECMO. Results: We used RTE during weaning in 12 of 33 patients between 2016 and 2019. Findings prompted inotrope titration in 10 (83%) patients and volume resuscitation in 10 patients. PH was present in 12 (100%) patients and prompted initiation of prostaglandin infusion (in 3 (25%) patients. Ten of 12 patients were successfully weaned off; in 2, RTE was instrumental in halting decannulation. Conclusions: RTE may serve as a valuable tool in clinical decision-making while weaning neonates from VA-ECMO and providing data to choose appropriate support for successful decannulation.

Saccharomyces cerevisiae produces a multicellular phenotype, known as a mat, on a semi-solid medium. This biofilm phenotype was first described in the lab strain 1278b and has been analyzed mostly in this same background. Yeast cells form a mat by spreading across the medium and adhering to each other and the surface, in part through the variegated expression of the cell adhesin, FLO11. This process creates a characteristic floral pattern and generates pH and glucose gradients outward from the center of the mat. Mats are encapsulated in a liquid which may aid in surface spreading and diffusion. Here, we examine thirteen environmental isolates that vary visually in the phenotype. We predicted that mat properties were universal and increased morphological complexity would be associated with more extreme trait values. Our results showed that pH varied significantly among strains, but was not correlated to mat complexity. Only two isolates generated significant liquid boundaries and neither produced visually complex mats. In five isolates, we tracked the initiation of FLO11 using GFP under the control of the endogenous promoter. Strains varied in when and how much GFP was detected, with increased signal associated with increased morphological complexity. Generally, the signal was strongest in the center of the mat and absent at the expanding edge. Our results show that traits discovered in one background vary and exist independently of mat complexity in natural isolates. The environment may favor different sets of traits, which could have implications for how this yeast adapts to its many ecological niches.

A document by Sarah Cordey. Click on the document to view its contents.

During the development of a vaccine to protect against the Sars-CoV-2 virus, it became apparent that the targeted agent could lead to false positive results in the usual tests for HIV1/2 antibodies. The project was subsequently terminated and the topic disappeared from the attention of science and the media. Thanks to access to anonymized patient data through our international network and case reports within our own reporting system for unusual events, we have come to the hypothesis that this "Australian effect" can also occur with other Sars-CoV-2 vaccines, albeit to a much lesser extent. In individual cases, however, this can have dramatic consequences. For this reason, we are publishing a hypothesis, contrary to our usual conventions. In no way do we wish to minimize the willingness to get vaccinated, nor do we wish to reproach any pharmaceutical company. Nevertheless, it is important to present the facts as they appear to us for discussion and to avoid adverse consequences should such an effect actually materialize in individual cases.

A new criterion based on generalized synchronization is provided for the extension of unpredictable oscillations among coupled Hopfield neural networks (HNNs). It is shown that if a drive HNN possesses an unpredictable oscillation, then a response HNN also possesses such an oscillation provided that they are synchronized in the generalized sense. Extension of unpredictability in coupled 4D HNNs are exemplified with simulations. The auxiliary system approach and conditional Lyapunov exponents are utilized to demonstrate the presence of synchronization.

Consider the nonautonomous semilinear evolution equation of type: $(\star) \; u’(t)=A(t)u(t)+f(t,u(t)), \; t \in \mathbb{R},$ where $ A(t), \ t\in \mathbb{R} $ is a family of closed linear operators on a Banach space $X$, the nonlinear term $f$, acting on some real interpolation spaces, is assumed to be almost periodic only in a weak sense (i.e. in Stepanov sense) with respect to $t$ and Lipschitzian in bounded sets with respect to the second variable. We prove the existence and uniqueness of positive almost periodic solutions in the strong sense (Bohr sense) for equation $ (\star) $ using the exponential dichotomy approach. Then, we establish a new composition result of Stepanov almost periodic functions by assuming only the continuity of $f$ in the second variable. Moreover, we provide an application to a nonautonomous system of reaction–diffusion equations describing a Lotka–Volterra predator–prey model with diffusion and time–dependent parameters in a generalized almost periodic environment.

Objective: The aim of the study is to assess the therapeutic effect and applicability of pectoralis major muscle turnover flap reconstruction for treatment of deep sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery in infants and children. Methods: From march 2013 to october 2021, 23 patients with deep sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery underwent pectoralis major muscle turnover flap reconstruction.The data and outcomes of the patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results: 20 patients were treated with unilateral pectoralis major muscle turnover flap reconstruction,3 patients were treated by bilateral pectoralis major muscle turnover flap. All of the sternal wounds healed successfully. All patients survived and were discharged without evidence of infection. In a follow-up period, ranging from 15 to 83 months (mean 32.6 months), all patients demonstrated normal development with no limitations to limb movements. There were no signs of chronic sternal infection in all of them. Conclusion:Pectoralis major muscle turnover flap reconstruction is a simple,feasible and effective treatment of deep sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery in infants and children,with minimal developmental problems.

Complex environments, such as those found in surgical and search-and-rescue applications, require soft devices to adapt to minimal space conditions without sacrificing the ability to complete dexterous tasks. Stacked Balloon Actuators (SBAs) are capable of large deformations despite folding nearly flat when deflated, making them ideal candidates for such applications. This paper presents the design, fabrication, modeling, and characterization of monolithic, inflatable, soft SBAs. Modeling is presented using analytical principles based on geometry, and then using conventional and real-time finite element methods. Both one and three degree-of-freedom (DoF) SBAs are fully characterized with regards to stroke, force, and workspace.  Finally, three representative demonstrations show the SBA's small-aperture navigation, bracing, and workspace-enhancing capabilities.

Radiofrequency (RF) ablation has been the most widely employed energy source for catheter ablation to date. However, most of conventional RF ablation energy dissipates into the bloodstream before reaching the target tissue. Technology that conveys RF energy exclusively toward target tissue may potentially improve the quality, safety, and outcome of the RF ablation procedures. RF ablation using a novel insulated-tip catheter (SMT, Sirona Medical Technologies, Windsor, CT) may refine RF ablation in the future to minimize the risk of iatrogenic complications. Although it is still unclear whether the results of the SMT catheter can be translated to a human beating heart, the data for SMT catheter of this study are very promising.