The aim of the study was to estimate the properties of the salt-affected soils (SAS) using hyperspectral remote sensing. The study was carried out on typical SAS from 372 locations covering 17 coastal districts from west coast region of India. The spectral reflectance of processed soil samples was recorded in the wavelength range of 350-2500 nm. The full data set (n=372) was split into two as calibration dataset (n=260, 70%) to develop the model and validation dataset (n=112, 30%) to evaluate the performance of the model independently. The spectral data were calibrated using the laboratory estimated soil properties with five different multivariate techniques: (a) linear – partial component regression (PCR) and partial least square regression (PLSR) and (b) non-linear– multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS), random forest (RF) and support vector regression (SVR). In general, the spectral reflectance from the soils decreased with increasing levels of salinity (electrical conductivity, EC). The wavelengths, 494, 673, 800, 1415, 1748, 1915, 2207 and 2385 nm showed peculiar absorption characteristics. The study showed significant achievement in predicting soil properties like soil pH, salinity (EC), bulk density (BD), soil available nitrogen (N), exchangeable magnesium (Mg), soil available zinc (Zn) and boron (B) with acceptable to excellent predictions (ratio of performance to deviation (RPD) ranged 1.48-2.06). Amongst predicted models, SVR, PLSR and PCR were found to be more robust than MARS and RF. The results of the study indicated that the visible near-infrared spectroscopy has the potential predict properties of the SAS.

Managing reproduction is the most effective approach to sustain population or control invasion of species. Flow velocity is recognized to affect the reproduction of fishes spawning drifting eggs in rivers. Despite plenty of studies on this aspect, quantitative relations between flow velocity and fish reproduction, including spawning, fertilizing, hatching and surviving, has not yet been established. Here we for the first time quantified the relationship between flow velocity and reproduction of Chinese carps through lab experiments as well as field surveys. The results showed that a minimum velocity was required to trigger Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (H. molitrix) releasing eggs, and a velocity range was preferential to sustain spawning activity. However, the embryo incubation and larvae development of H. molitrix were found to be inhibited with the increase in flow velocity. Considering the requirements of spawning and hatching as well as larvae development, a compromised optimal flow velocity was identified for reproduction of H. molitrix in rivers. The findings were of great significance to guide the operation of cascade dams to create suitable flow velocities during reproduction season for either improving population or impeding invasion of carps.

Intensified livestock system produced large amount of bio-waste, and improper disposal of livestock manure has led to severe environmental consequences. However, knowledge about the time-dependent changes of manure-derived nitrate and soil bacterial diversity along the soil profiles is limited. In this study, vertical variation of soil bacterial diversity and composition in a manure-amended maize field and adjacent non-manured woodland was investigated using high-throughput sequencing technique in spring and autumn along a 1-meter profile depth. The results showed that higher amount of nitrate was detected along the soil profile loaded with cattle manure compared with the adjacent non-manured woodland, and soil δ15N-NO3- composition further corroborated the manure-derived nitrate in the maize field. No significant difference in bacterial richness between the two land uses was found, while clear separation of bacterial structure was detected even to the deep soil layers. Canonical correspondence analysis showed that soil properties were the major factors influencing the variance of bacterial community composition. Bacterial network is more complex in the maize field than in the adjacent woodland. Soil bacterial communities among the depth profiles in the two land uses tended to be more phylogenetically clustered than expected by chance, and were more likely to be clustered along the depth. These findings suggested that bacterial β diversity was strongly related to multi-nutrient properties with high livestock manure load, and had important implications for assessing the environmental impacts on below-ground biodiversity in sandy loam soils.

Objective: To examine associations between mode of delivery and maternal mental health. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Data from the Danish National Birth Cohort. Population: A total of 54,474 women were followed from diagnosis of pregnancy to 6 months postpartum. Methods: From interviews in pregnancy and 6 months postpartum, the women reported symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress. Mode of delivery was categorised as spontaneous vaginal delivery, instrumental vaginal delivery, planned caesarean section (CS) and emergency CS. Multiple linear and logistic regression models were used to compute absolute differences and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for associations between delivery mode and mental health indicators. Main outcome measures: Changes in combined score of emotional distress from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum. Presence of emotional distress and specific symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress 6 months postpartum. Results: Mental health indicators improved from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum for all modes of delivery. Improvement was strongest in mothers with planned CS and weakest in mothers with emergency CS. Six months postpartum, symptoms of overall emotional distress were more frequent in women with emergency CS (OR 1.21;1.06-1.37), as were specific symptoms of anxiety (OR 1.11;0.98-1.24), depression (OR 1.25;1.09-1.43) and stress (OR 1.14;1.01-1.29). Symptoms of anxiety were also more frequent in mothers with planned CS (OR 1.15;1.01-1.29). Conclusions: Mental health indicators improved from pregnancy to 6 months postpartum regardless of delivery mode. Mothers with emergency CS experienced more symptoms of emotional distress 6 months postpartum than mothers with spontaneous vaginal birth.

An increase in pulmonary artery pressure is a common observation in adult mammals exposed to alveolar hypoxia. It is considered a maladaptive response that places an increased workload on the right ventricle. The mechanisms initiating and maintaining the elevated pressure are of considerable interest to understanding pulmonary vascular homeostasis and developing new treatments for pulmonary hypertension. In particular, it would be helpful to discover the key molecules in the integrated vascular response to hypoxia to inform potential drug targets. One strategy is to take advantage of experiments of nature; specifically, to understand the molecular basis for the inter-individual variation in the pulmonary vascular response to acute and chronic hypoxia. This is the motivation for genetic studies in populations and animals adapted to life at high altitudes. To date, these studies highlight the importance of hypoxia-inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α), encoded by EPAS1, and prolyl hydroxylase domain-containing protein 2 (PHD), encoded by EGLN1, and support efforts to pharmacologically manipulate HIF-2 activity as a treatment for pulmonary hypertension.

Once again, we look back at a case of a maternal who died five years ago with severe preeclampsia combined with PAH. We thought if we were familiar with the special pathophysiological mechanism of PAH and adopt proper treatment methods at that time, her death might be avoided.

Persian oak decline is a syndrome within the oak decline complex in Iran. Profuse stem bleed-ing and larval galleries of the native buprestid, Agrilus hastulifer characterize the disease. A systematic study comparing healthy with diseased trees was undertaken. This work reports the result of isolations from healthy trees and diseased tissue in affected trees, at eight sites in Iran. Culturable bacterial communities were identified using the 16S rDNA sequencing. A significantly higher proportion of symptomatic tissue pieces from diseased trees (Disease In-dex=5) yielded bacterial growth than other disease indexes (83.78%). Significantly higher yields were also obtained from bulk and rhizosphere compared with the root, leaf, and stem. Overall bacterial communities compositions varied at each site, but significant similarities were evident in diseased tissues at all sites. Enterobacteriaceae were dominated in diseased trees whereas Bacilluceae and Moraxellaceae were remarkable more abundant in healthy trees. Sig-nificant associations occurred between diseased tissues and certain bacterial species, implying that the cause of tissue necrosis was not due to random microbiota. Brenneria goodwinii, Ser-ratia marecescence, and Dickeya chrysanthemi were key species consistently isolated from diseased tissue; Campylobacter jejuni and an un-named Clostridium taxon were also frequent-ly isolated from both healthy and diseased trees. It was concluded that there was a shift in the cultivatable bacterial microbiome of diseased trees, with Enterobacteriaceae strongly repre-sented in symptomatic but not healthy tissues. No single dominated species was isolated from diseased tissues, so tissue degradation in oak likely have a polymicrobial cause.

A species’ response to thermal stress is an essential physiological trait that can determine occurrence and temporal succession in nature, including response to climate change. Environmental temperature affects zooplankton performance by altering life-spans and population growth rates, but the molecular mechanisms underlying these alterations are largely unknown. To compare temperature-related demography, we performed cross-temperature life-table experiments in closely related heat-tolerant and heat-sensitive Brachionus rotifer species that occur in sympatry. Within these same populations, we examined the genetic basis of physiological variation by comparing gene expression across increasing temperatures. We found significant cross-species and cross-temperature differences in heat response, with the heat-sensitive species adopting a strategy of high survival and low population growth, while the heat-tolerant followed an opposite strategy. Comparative transcriptomic analyses revealed both shared and opposing responses to heat. Most notably, expression of heat shock proteins (hsps) is strikingly different in the two species. In both species, hsp responses mirrored differences in population growth rates, showing that hsp genes are likely a key component of a species’ adaptation to different temperatures. Temperature induction caused opposing patterns of expression in further functional categories such as energy, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, and in genes related to ribosomal proteins. In the heat-sensitive species, elevated temperatures caused up-regulation of genes related to induction of meiotic division as well as genes responsible for post-translational histone modifications. This work demonstrates the sweeping reorganizations of biological functions that accompany temperature adaptation in these two species and reveals potential molecular mechanisms that might be activated for adaptation to global warming.

Fluorescent pseudomonads represent one of the largest groups of bacteria inhabiting the surfaces of plants, but their genetic composition in planta is poorly understood. Here, we examined the population structure and diversity of fluorescent pseudomonads isolated from sugar beet grown at two geographic locations (Oxford, UK and Auckland, New Zealand). To seek evidence for niche adaptation, bacteria were sampled from three types of leaves (immature, mature and senescent) and then characterized using a combination of genotypic and phenotypic analysis. We first performed multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) of three housekeeping genes (gapA, gltA, acnB) in a total of 152 isolates (96 from Oxford, 56 from Auckland). The concatenated sequences were grouped into 81 sequence types and 22 distinct operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Significant levels of recombination were detected, particularly for the Oxford isolates (rate of recombination to mutation (r/m) = 5.23 for the whole population). Subsequent ancestral analysis performed in STRUCTURE found evidence of six ancestral populations, and their distributions significantly differed between Oxford and Auckland strains. Next, the ability to grow on 95 carbon sources was assessed using the BiologTM GN2 microtiter plates. A distance matrix was generated from the raw growth data (A660) and subjected to multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis. There was a significant correlation between the substrate utilization profiles and MLSA genotypes. Both phenotypic and genotypic analyses indicated presence of a geographic structure for strains from Oxford and Auckland. Significant differences were genotypically detected between strains isolated from immature versus mature/senescent leaves. The fluorescent pseudomonads thus showed an ecotypic population structure, suggestive of adaptation to both geographical and local plant environments.

Rationale, aims and objectives: Recent studies have identified significant gaps in dementia´s epidemiology, especially regarding low- and middle-income countries. The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia by applying different tests among older Albanian patients and to find correlates with socio-demographic and medical factors. Method: Study population consisted of older people (60 years or more) who visited primary healthcare centers in two Albanian cities (Shkoder and Tirana). The MoCA (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), MoCA B (Basic) and the mini-cog were translated and applied by two trained pharmacists. A predictive multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted. Degree of agreement between the MoCA and mini-cog tools was assessed using Kappa statistic. Results: A total of 206 participants with a mean age of 68,8 years old (SD 5.65), almost equally distributed among the two cities, were included in our study. A high prevalence of dementia and MCI was detected with MoCA, respectively 19,42 % and 93,20 %. The latter was 20,39 % with mini-cog. Multivariate regression analysis showed that men had an elevated risk for MCI (OR 5,31; 95% CI 1,40 – 20,15), as well as patients from Shkoder (OR 14,48; 95% CI 1,11 – 4,53), when MoCA detected MCI. According to mini-cog, more than 7 years of education acted as a protective factor for MCI (OR 0,12; 95% CI, 0,05 – 0,33), whereas having 1 to 6 years of education was a risk factor. For each year increase of age the risk of MCI was 1,16 times higher. The degree of agreement between the two tools was poor with Kappa 2.38 (SD 1,87). Conclusion: The results of these tests may help in selecting individuals for more specialised examination, in order to facilitate early diagnosis of dementia and MCI among Albanian older patients.

The Hypericum perforatum, also known as St John's, is mainly used as antidepressive. The objective of this study was to understand the educational level of pharmacists about H. perforatum, including their knowledge about the indication, contraindication, treatment time, adverse effects, pertinent care, and the existence of educational training for pharmacists. A survey was applied on pharmacists to access their knowledge about H. perforatum. The data analysis included the distribution of the relative frequencies and the crossing of the variables for the analysis of the aspects of interest, using the chi-square test and IRAMUTEQ software for discursive questions. Differences were presented regarding the knowledge about the herbal medicine, H. perforatum, among public and private pharmacists, as to the plant's indication, dosage, interactions, adverse effects, and care with the administration. These differences likely stem from variations in age, time of educational formation, and continued education of the professionals interviewed in this study.

Nonlinear Schrödinger equations play essential roles in different physics and engineering fields. In this paper, a hyper-block finite-difference self-consistent method (HFDSCF) is employed to solve this stationary nonlinear eigenvalue equation and demonstrated its accuracy. By comparing the results with the Sinc self-consistent (SSCF) method and exact available results, we show that the HFDSCF method gives quantum states with high accuracy and can even solve the strongly nonlinear Schrodinger equations. Then, by applying our method to Hofstadter butterfly problem, we describe the breeding, metamorphosis and killing of these butterflies by using nonlinear interactions as well as two constant length multi-well and sinusoidal potentials.

Vacuum freeze-drying is a scientifically advanced method to prepare solid inoculants from oil degrading bacterium. The introduction of oil‒degrading microbes or bioaugmentation can be an efficient way to bioremediate oil spills in marine areas, where oil-degrading bacteria are deficient. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the potential use of solid inoculants of LZ-2 bacteria to enhance the degradation rate of crude oil. In this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was incorporated into the experimental design to optimize a response, which is influenced by different protectants. Our results showed that five factors have interactive and synergistic protective effects on the growth of LZ-2. Optimal growth of freeze-dried LZ-2 (63.8%) was observed with a 10.5% solution of skim milk supplemented with 14.3% sucrose, 14.4% of trehalose, 4.9% of glycerin and 14.7% of β-cyclodextrin. The culture grew in medium containing crude oil (3 g/L) at 37 °C at 150 rpm for 30 days, GC and GC-MS analysis showed biodegradation of 44.2 and 21.6% for total saturate and aromatic hydrocarbons respectively. These results indicated that the solid inoculants of LZ-2 bacteria had the potential to be used for ex-situ bioremediation of hydrocarbon pollutants associated with crude oil.

Green infrastructures within sprawling cities provide essential ecosystem services, increasingly undermined by environmental stress. The main objective in this study was to relate the allocation patterns of NaCl contaminants to injury within foliage of lime trees mechanistically and distinguish between the effects of salt and other environmental stressors. Using field material representative of salt contamination levels in the street greenery of Riga, Latvia, the contribution of salt contaminants to structural and ultrastructural injury was analyzed, combining different microscopy techniques. On severely salt-polluted and dystrophic soils, the foliage of street lime trees showed foliar concentrations of Na/Cl up to 13600/16750 mg kg-1 but a still balanced nutrient content. The salt contaminants were allocated to all leaf blade tissues and accumulated in priority within mesophyll vacuoles, changing the vacuolar ionic composition at the expense of especially K and Ca. The size of mesophyll cells and vacuoles was increased as a function of NaCl concentration, suggesting impeded transpiration stream. In parallel, the cytoplasm showed degenerative changes, suggesting indirect stress effects. Hence, the lime trees in Riga showed tolerance to the dystrophic environmental conditions enhanced by salt pollution but their leaf physiology appeared directly impacted by the accumulation of contaminants within foliage.

We report on the development of a new model of alveolar air-tissue interface consisting of an array of suspended hexagonal monolayers of gelatin nanofibers supported by microframes and a microfluidic device for the patch integration. The suspended monolayers are deformed to a central displacement of 40-80 μm at the air-liquid interface by application of air pressure in the range of 200-1000 Pa. With respect to the diameter of the monolayers that is 500 μm, this displacement corresponds to a linear strain of 2-10% in agreement with the physiological strain range in the lung alveoli. The culture of A549 cells on the monolayers for an incubation time 1-3 days showed viability in the model. We exerted a periodic strain of 5% at a frequency of 0.2 Hz during 1 hour to the cells. We found that the cells were strongly coupled to the nanofibers, but the strain reduced the coupling and induced remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton, which led to a better tissue formation. Our model can serve as a versatile tool in lung investigations such as in inhalation toxicology and therapy.

Populations experiencing varying levels of ionising radiation provide an excellent opportunity to study the fundamental drivers of evolution. Radiation can cause mutations, and thus supply genetic variation; it can also select against individuals that are unable to cope with the physiological stresses associated with radiation exposure. Since the nuclear power plant explosion in 1986, the Chernobyl area has experienced a spatially heterogeneous exposure to varying levels of ionising radiation. We sampled Daphnia pulex (a freshwater crustacean) from lakes across the Chernobyl area, genotyped them at ten microsatellite loci, and also calculated the current radiation dose rates. We then investigated whether the pattern of genetic diversity was shaped primarily by radiation-mediated supply of variation consistent with increased supply of de novo mutations, or by radiation-mediated selection and loss of variation at higher dose rates. We found that measures of genetic diversity, including expected heterozygosity and mean allelic richness (an unbiased indicator of diversity) were significantly higher in lakes that experienced higher radiation dose rates; this is consistent with mutation outweighing selection as the key evolutionary force in populations experiencing high radiation dose rates. We also found significant but weak population structure, and clear evidence for isolation by distance between populations. This evidence suggests that gene flow between nearby populations is eroding population structure, and that mutational input in high radiation lakes could, ultimately, supply genetic variation to lower radiation sites.

Abstract: Searching for energetic materials with balanced detonation performance and sensitivity is the enduring ambition in the evolution of high energy density materials (HEDMs). The coplanar molecular structure of energetic compound has a powerful impact on performance. Herein, the novel compounds of bis(nitrotriazoles) tetrazine (BNTT) was designed and investigated by density functional theory(DFT) method. However, the coplanar BNTT’s oxides would a highlight of molecular design with good balance between superior performance with acceptable sensitivities. Results show that all these designed compounds possess high densities, positive heats of formation, remarkable detonation performance, and acceptable impact sensitivity. In particular, B1-3 possess higher density (ρ=1.97g·cm-3) and exhibits the better balance between detonation performance (Q=1779.83 cal·g-1, D=9.48km·s-1, P=42.01GPa) and sensitivity (h50%=28cm) than RDX. The theoretical study offer that all novel compounds possess acceptable sensitivity. It may be seen as the potential candidates of HEDMs.

Mini- commentary on BJOG-19-1190.R1: Cardio-metabolic risk factors among young infertile women: a systematic review and meta-analysis

When computing the stress intensity factor (SIF) for high frequency loading it is important to consider dynamic effects such as inertia forces and damping. In the present study, different dynamic simulation procedures were carried out and the achieved SIF values were compared. Fast computation procedures such as modal analysis and direct steady-state analysis were compared to the computationally expensive transient dynamic analysis. Two different methods for calculating the SIF, the J-integral and the CTOD methods, were applied and compared and the results showed a near perfect agreement in calculation of the mode I SIF. The Rayleigh damping model was introduced into the dynamic computation to investigate its effect and the results revealed a clear effect on the SIF at 20 kHz frequency. The fast direct steady-state analysis showed good agreement to both modal and transient analysis with the different damping values used and is recommended as the most effective procedure.

This paper presents the thermal effects on the damage initiation and growth in the CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer) composite plate of the hybrid metal-composite multi-bolted joints. A fully 3D finite element model, incorporating all possible nonlinearities as geometric, in-plane lamina shear strains, lamina elastic properties reduction and friction-based contact is developed to anticipate the temperature gradient effects on the strength and failure modes of metal-composite multi-bolted joints. A PDA (Progressive Damage Analysis) material model which accounts for lamina nonlinear shear strains, Hashin-type failure criteria and strain-based continuum degradation rules was developed using the UMAT user subroutine in Nastran (MSC. Software Inc.) commercial software. In order to validate the temperature effects on the failure modes of the joint with protruding and countersunk bolts, experiments were conducted using the SHM (Structural Health Monitoring) technique in the temperature controlled chamber. The results showed that the temperature effects on damage initiation and failure modes has to be taken into account in the design process in order to fructify the high specific strength of the composites. Experimental results were quite accurately predicted by the PDA material model, which proved to be computational efficient and can predict failure propagation and damage mechanism in hybrid metal-composite multi-bolted joints.

Precise gene edition is required for modeling human diseases in model organisms. In this study, by using in vitro transcribed CRISPR RNA reagents and double cuttings by CRISPR/Cas9 at two sites flanking pig GJB2 (pGJB2) CDS with long single-stranded DNAs (lssDNA) as homology-directed repair (HDR) templates, we generated two gene-edited pigs of which GJB2 CDSs were replaced with a human GJB2 (hGJB2) CDS containing c.235delC mutation and a pGJB2 CDS containing p.V37I mutation both commonly observed in hearing loss patients, respectively. Genotyping showed that the HDR-derived mutation efficiencies in founders were as high as 80% (4/5) and 50% (2/4), respectively, while no mutation was observed in the group of single cutting with one sgRNA covering the 235th nucleotide C in pGJB2 CDS using a short single-stranded oligo DNA (ssODN) containing c.235delC mutation as HDR template. Besides, the HDR-derived mutations were extensively integrated into various tissues in founder and capable of germline transmission. This study indicated that the “two cuttings with lssDNA templates” method, which expands sgRNA selection scope and avoids direct cutting of gene CDS, can precisely introduce human mutations into mammalian genomic sites, especial those resistant to gene editing, with CRISPR RNAs instead of rebonucleoproteins used in previous reports.

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) represent one of the most widespread and problematic avian invasive species in the world. Understanding their unique population history and current population dynamics can contribute to conservation efforts and clarify how evolutionary processes play out over short timescales. European starlings were introduced to Central Park, New York in 1890, and from a founding group of about 100 birds, they have expanded across North America with a current population of approximately 200 million. There were also multiple introductions in Australia in the mid-19th century, and at least one introduction in South Africa in the late 19th century. Independent introductions on these three continents provide a robust system to investigate invasion genetics. In this study, we compare mitochondrial diversity in European starlings from North America, Australia and South Africa, and a portion of the native range in the United Kingdom. Of the three invasive ranges, the North American population shows the highest haplotype diversity and evidence of both sudden demographic and spatial expansion. Comparatively, the Australian population shows the lowest haplotype diversity, but also shows evidence for sudden demographic and spatial expansion. South Africa is intermediate to the other invasive populations in genetic diversity but does not show evidence of demographic expansion. In previous studies, population genetic structure was found in Australia, but not in South Africa. Here we find no evidence of population structure in North America. Although all invasive populations share haplotypes with the native range, only one haplotype is shared between invasive populations. This suggests these three invasive populations represent independent subsamples of the native range. The structure of the haplotype network implies that the native range sampling does not comprehensively characterize the genetic diversity there. This study represents the most geographically widespread analysis of European starling population genetics to date.

A document by Yuta Miyoshi, written on Authorea.

We have recently described a non-chromatographic, ligand-free approach for antibody (Ab) purification based on specially designed: [Tween-20:bathophenanthroline:Fe2+] aggregates. To assess the potential generality of this approach, a variety of detergents belonging to four nonionic detergent families (Tween, Brij, Triton and Pluronic) have now been studied. All surfactant aggregates lead to high purity of the recovered Abs (>95%, by gel densitometry). Good overall Ab recovery yields were observed with: Tween-20 (80-83%), Brij-O20 (85-87%) and Triton X-100 (87-90%), while Pluronic F-127 was less efficient (42-53%). Of additional importance is the finding that the process can depend on filtration (rather than centrifugation), thereby allowing a continuous purification mode that leads to the recovery of monomeric IgG’s (by DLS) and preservation of Ab specificity (by ELISA). The amphiphilic chelator, bathophenanthroline (batho) is recycled almost quantitatively (95%) by crystallization. Good IgG recovery yields (~80%) are also observed when Ab concentrations are increased from 1 mg/ml to 3-5 mg/mL. Potential advantages of the purification platform for industrial downstream processing of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), are discussed.