Explaining the mechanisms underlying spatial and temporal variation in community composition is a major challenge. Nevertheless, the processes controlling temporal variation at a site (i.e., temporal β-diversity, including its turnover and nestedness components) are less understood than those affecting variation among sites (i.e., spatial β-diversity). Short-term temporal turnover (e.g., throughout an annual cycle) is expected to correlate positively with seasonal environmental variability and landscape connectivity, but also species pool size (γ-diversity). We use the megadiverse Amazonian freshwater ichthyofauna as a model to ask whether seasonality and landscape connectivity drive variation in temporal species turnover among geomorphological habitat types, while taking into account between-habitat variation in γ-diversity. 11,397 fish representing 260 species were collected during a year-long sampling program in an area containing the lowland Amazon’s four major geomorphological habitat types: rivers, floodplains, terra firme streams, and shield streams. River-floodplain systems exhibit strong but predictable seasonality (via a high-amplitude annual flood pulse), high connectivity, and high species richness with many rare species. Terra firme and shield streams exhibit low seasonality, low connectivity, and low species richness with proportionally fewer rare species. Based on these parameters we predicted that river-floodplain systems should have higher temporal turnover than stream systems. Using a null model approach combined with β-deviation calculations, we confirmed that rivers and floodplains do exhibit higher turnover (but not nestedness) than terra firme and shield streams, even when controlling for the potentially confounding effect of higher species richness in river-floodplain systems. All habitats exhibit low temporal nestedness, indicating that short-term changes in community composition result primarily from temporal species turnover. Our results provide a timely reminder that efforts to conserve the Amazon’s threatened aquatic biodiversity should account for the distinct temporal dynamics of habitat types and variation in hydrological seasonality.

Cytomegalovirus retinitis (CMVR) following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) for a primary immunodeficiency is a rare but highly morbid condition with potential irreversible consequences despite optimal antiviral pharmacotherapy. Viral-specific T cells (VSTs) pose a promising and safe approach eradicating intractable viral disease. We describe the case of a 21-month-old male with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) and CMVR post-HCT with sustained long-term virologic and clinical response after CMV-specific T cell therapy. This case highlights the need to consider VSTs as an adjunct upfront strategy in refractory CMVR and for routine ophthalmologic screening and surveillance in high-risk patients post-HCT.

Chondroitin sulfate A (CSA) is a valuable glycosaminoglycan that has great market demand. However, current synthetic methods are limited by requiring the expensive sulfate group donor 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate (PAPS) and inefficient enzyme carbohydrate sulfotransferase 11 (CHST11). Herein, we report the design and integration of the PAPS synthesis and sulfotransferase pathways to realize whole-cell catalytic production of CSA. Using mechanism-based protein engineering, we improved the thermostability and catalytic efficiency of CHST11; its T m and half-life increased by 6.9°C and 3.5 h, respectively, and its specific activity increased 2.1-fold. Via cofactor engineering, we designed a dual cycle strategy of regenerating ATP and PAPS to increase the supply of PAPS. Through surface display engineering, we realized the outer membrane expression of CHST11 and constructed a whole-cell catalytic system of CSA production with a 89.5% conversion rate. This whole-cell catalytic process provides a promising method for the industrial production of CSA.

Understanding the physical, chemical and biological changes that occur during the drying of a bloodstain is important in many aspects of forensic science including bloodstain pattern analysis and time since deposition estimation. This research assesses the use of optical profilometry to analyze changes in the surface morphology of degrading bloodstains created using three different volumes (4, 11, and 20 µL) up to four weeks after deposition. We analyzed six surface characteristics, including surface average roughness, kurtosis, skewness, maximum height, number of cracks and pits, and height distributions from the topographical scans obtained from bloodstains. Full and partial optical profiles were obtained to examine long-term (minimum of 1.5 hour intervals) and short-term (5 minute intervals) changes. The majority of the changes in surface characteristics occurred within the first 35 minutes after bloodstain deposition, in agreement with current research in bloodstain drying. Optical profilometry is a non-destructive and efficient method to obtain surface profiles of bloodstains, and can be integrated easily into additional research workflows including but not limited to time since deposition estimation.

Brugada syndrome is a genetic arrhythmia syndrome characterized by a coved type of ST segment elevation in the ECG.The patients are usually asymptomatic, with unmasking of the disease under certain conditions.We are reporting the case of such a patient who was diagnosed during an attack of dengue fever

Earthworms modulate the carbon and nitrogen cycling in terrestrial ecosystems, their effect may be affected by deposited compounds due to human activity such as industrial emissions. However, studies investigating how deposited compounds affect the role of earthworms in carbon cycling such as litter decomposition are lacking, although they are important for understanding the influence of deposited compounds on ecosystems and the bioremediation by applying earthworms. For this, we performed a 365-day in situ litterbag decomposition experiment in a deciduous (Quercus variabilis) and coniferous (Pinus massoniana) forest in southeast China. We manipulated nitrogen (N), sodium (Na) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) deposited compounds during litter decomposition with and without earthworms (Eisenia fetida). After one year, N, Na and PAH compounds all slowed down litter mass loss, with the effects of Na being the strongest. By contrast, E. fetida generally increased litter mass loss and their positive effects were uniformly maintained irrespective of the type of deposited compounds. Further, the pathways earthworms increasing litter mass loss varied among the types of deposited compounds and forests. As indicated by structural equation modeling, earthworms maintained their positive effects and mitigated the negative effects of deposited compounds by directly increasing litter mass loss and indirectly increasing soil pH and microbial biomass. Overall, the results indicate that the acceleration of earthworms on litter mass loss is not affected by deposited compounds, with the pathways of earthworms increasing litter mass loss varying among the types of deposited compounds and forests. This suggests that the effects of atmospheric deposited compounds and earthworms on terrestrial ecosystem processes need to be taken into account because earthworms may cancel out the detrimental influence of deposited compounds on litter decomposition.

Introduction: Prazosin is an antihypertensive medication which can be used to help with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Little data is currently available on its safety in pregnancy. Objective: To assess the fetal and pregnancy safety associated with Prazosin exposures in early Pregnancy. Methods: Subjects were 11 patients who took Prazosin during pregnancy and were counselled at the FRAME clinic in London Health Sciences Centre (Ontario, Canada) between January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2021. Data on their other exposures and pregnancy outcomes were collected from medical records and through telephone questionnaires. Results: It was found that 6 /11 (54.5%) subjects did not report any adverse outcomes and were uneventful pregnancies. There were 2 miscarriages. Birthweights were within the normal range for the remaining 9 pregnancies. Adverse events reported were consistent with background population expectation, including: 1 postpartum hemorrhage, 1 case of preeclampsia, 1 preterm birth, 2 NICU admissions, and 2 caesarean sections. Discussion / Conclusion: For these 11 subjects, pregnancy outcomes after exposure to Prazosin were consistent with typical outcomes from unexposed pregnancies. More data are needed to conclude that Prazosin is safe for use in pregnant subjects. However, the lack of adverse effects above baseline is reassuring to future patients who may be unintentionally exposed to Prazosin while pregnant. Therefore, this study contributes valuable data toward monitoring safety of Prazosin in Pregnancy.

TitleMaternal and infant serum carotenoids are associated with infantile atopic dermatitis developmentTo the Editor,Various epidemiological studies have shown that eczema/atopic dermatitis (AD) in infancy is a risk for skin sensitization1 and development of allergic diseases later in life2.Carotenoids are natural pigments biosynthesized by bacteria, fungi, and plants, but not by mammals3; thus, they need to be supplied via dietary intake of vegetables and fruits or certain animal products. Carotenoids positively impact human health and prevents allergic reactions via their provitamin A activity and high antioxidant potential. However, previous studies using food frequency questionnaires that evaluated the association between maternal vegetable intake during pregnancy and eczema in offspring have shown inconsistent results4–6. As these studies did not measure the levels of individual carotenoids in the serum of mothers or children and in breast milk, appropriate nutritional interventions in maternal and early infant intake of vegetables for the prevention of AD remain unclear.In this study, we have measured the levels of total carotenoids and some of their sub-types in the serum of mothers and children and in maternal breast milk, to evaluate the association between carotenoid levels and the presence of AD at 1 year of age in infants.We compared participants’ characteristics and exposures by 1 year of age (Table S1); carotenoid, retinol, and α-tocopherol levels (Table 1) in the serum of participants, with and without AD at 1 year of age, were compared to those in the serum and breast milk of their respective mothers. We found that both the presence of eczema (OR, 31.7; 95%CI[13.2–76.0]) and S. aureus carriage in the skin by 6 months of age (OR, 5.20; 95%CI[2.30–11.75]) were associated with higher odds of AD development at 1 year of age. On the contrary, certain carotenoid levels in the serum and breast milk, including total carotenoids in the maternal blood, were associated with lower odds of AD at 1 year.To avoid multicollinearity in the regression analysis, we selected seven relevant predictive variables among the carotenoid data using VIP scores in the PLS analysis (Table S2). Stepwise logistic regression analysis using explanatory baseline characteristics, exposure by 1 year of age, and the seven selected carotenoid levels revealed that the following variables were significantly related to AD at 1 year of age (Table 2): presence of eczema by 6 months of age (OR, 34.5; P < 0.0001), maternal blood lutein level (unit OR, 0.002; P = 0.002), and infant blood lycopene level at 1 year (unit OR, 0.01; P = 0.007).One strength of this study is that multiple biological sample types were used as proxies for carotenoid intake. The lutein concentration in the maternal blood at 36 weeks of gestation, which was associated with a reduced AD risk at 1 year of age in the multivariate analysis, was significantly correlated with the cord blood lutein level (Table S3). This suggests that lutein ingested during pregnancy is transferred to the fetus and may have an inhibitory effect on the development of AD in infancy. Another strength of this study is that multiple carotenoids were evaluated simultaneously; the concentrations of lutein, zeaxanthin, α-carotene, β-carotene, and lycopene were strongly correlated, suggesting that these nutrients are absorbed together (Table S4).In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that children of mothers with low carotenoid intake during pregnancy are at higher risk for developing infantile AD and are ideal targets for early intervention in allergy prevention. Further studies are needed to clarify whether carotenoid supplementation during pregnancy/in lactating mothers and infants after weaning has a preventive effect on AD development in infancy.Table 1 Levels of each carotenoid, total carotenoids, retinol, and α-tocopherol in each type of sample in participants with or without atopic dermatitis at 1 year of age

Trapezium fracture is a rare condition that goes undetected and exposes to long-term comorbidities : chronic pain and rhizartrosis. In presence of suggestive clinical presentation with a normal radiograph, CT scan should be considered. Therapeutic guidelines are not well established due to the lack of series reported in the literature.

Transparent afterglow crystals are keenly desired for three-dimensional information storage. Herein, CsCdCl3 perovskite crystals were grown by a programmable cooling procedure in a hydrothermal reactor. The pristine crystal showed an abnormal optical behavior where the absorption increased by 2.3 folds at high temperature, leading to a 4-fold boost of PL intensity. After Mn2+ doping, the PL QY was improved to nearly unity. Importantly, the doped crystals exhibited an ultralong afterglow up to 12 hours after ceasing UV excitation and a high transmittance up to 75% in the visible region. This work brought a new member to the library of transparent afterglow crystal, opening up many possibilities to advanced applications such as volumetric display and three-dimensional information encryption.

The extit{instanceof} pattern matching is periodically previewed in the latest published JDK by removing the redundant casting and optimizing its usage in different scenarios, which improves the code quality and readability. However, the existing integrated development environment (IDE) does not provide sufficient support for refactoring of extit{instanceof} pattern matching in all situations. This paper first identifies several cases that cannot be handled by existing IDEs, and then proposes a novel approach called extit{ReInstancer} to refactor extit{instanceof} pattern matching automatically. extit{ReInstancer} conducts visitor pattern analysis for extit{if} statement blocks with extit{instanceof}. For the extit{instanceof} expression, a pattern variable is obtained after removing the redundant type casting by pattern analysis. For multi-branch statements, extit{ReInstancer} employs class hierarchy analysis and control flow analysis to infer the relationship of instance type in each branch and then optimize these branches. Finally, the multi-branch statements are converted into switch statements or switch expressions. extit{ReInstancer} is evaluated with 20 real-world applications. The experimental results demonstrate a total of 3558 extit{instanceof} expressions and 228 multi-branch statements applying the refactoring, and each application takes an average of 10.8s. extit{ReInstancer} not only reduces the redundant type casting but also improves the code quality.

Current manufacturing and development processes for therapeutic monoclonal antibodies demand increasing volumes of analytical testing for both real-time process controls and high-throughput process development. The feasibility of using Raman spectroscopy as an in-line product quality measuring tool has been recently demonstrated and promises to relieve this analytical bottleneck. Here, we resolve manual calibration effort by engineering an automation system capable of collecting Raman spectra on the order of hundreds of calibration points from two to three stock seed solutions using controlled mixing. We used this automated system to calibrate multi-product quality attribute models that accurately measured product concentration and aggregation every 9.3 seconds using an in-line flow-cell. We demonstrate the application of a non-linear calibration model for monitoring product quality in real-time during a biopharmaceutical purification process intended for clinical and commercial manufacturing. These results demonstrate potential feasibility to implement quality monitoring during GMP manufacturing as well as to increase CMC understanding during process development, ultimately leading to more robust and controlled manufacturing processes.

Herpes Simplex Encephalitis is the most common cause of infectious encephalitis. Our case is of a 75-year-old woman who presented with dysuria and altered mental status. Our case addresses the difficulties in diagnosis and highlights the importance of early recognition of HSE and its associated neurological sequelae.

The civil war in Côte d’Ivoire between 2002 and 2010 led to a hike in human disturbances and the disappearance of African lions (Panthera leo) from the Comoé National Park (CNP). After the crisis, many efforts to conserve and restore this ecosystem and its biodiversity have been made and the management authority is considering the reintroduction of lions. We assessed the acceptance of the reintroduction of the lions by the local populations; through a sociological survey, we administered questionnaires to 307 people in 23 villages bordering CNP. A large majority (71%, n=218) were in favor of the return of the lions, with significant variation among ethnic groups. A general linear model analysis (GLM) revealed that apart from ethnic group, profession and origin (village) are significantly determinant for the acceptance of lion reintroduction to CNP. Most respondents had knowledge of the species (96%, n=296). The majority of respondents (81%, n=250) acknowledged having coexisted with lions, with previous conflicts with lions reported by 16% (n = 49) of respondents and a willingness to coexist with future lions reported by 81% (n = 248) of respondents. More than 84% (n=260) of respondents believed that there would be benefits associated with lion return to CNP and 52% (n=161) and 14% (n=44) of respondents believed that the potential benefits would be greater and less than the possible risks associated with lion return. Just under half of respondents (42%; n=129) confirmed the current participatory management of CNP while the majority (91%; n=280) confirmed the possibility of taking own precautions to prevent attacks from future lion. We recommend the improvement of the involvement of indigenous communities in any reintroduction and the implementation of environmental education projects as a condition for the potential reintroduction of lions.

Telomerase activity and telomere maintenance in certain somatic cells of human adults support the proliferative capacity of these cells and thus contribute to their regenerative potential, and telomerase activity and telomere length are commonly considered lifespan predictors. Eusocial insects provide excellent models for aging research based on their extraordinary caste-related lifespan differences that contradict the typical mammalian fecundity/lifespan trade-off. Telomerase activity is upregulated in the reproductive, long-lived individuals of eusocial insects such as queens and kings, and telomerase activity may act as a key factor in their extended longevity. But, as documented by the presence of telomerase in somatic tissues of numerous invertebrate and vertebrate species, the connection between telomerase activity and the predicted lifespan is not clear. Here, I ask whether somatic telomerase activity in eusocial reproductives may serve its non-canonical function to protect its individuals against the metabolic stress due to reproduction and reflect a more common phenomenon among species. Here, I propose a hypothesis that the presence of telomerase activity in somatic cells reflects a different reproduction strategy of species.

The malicious physical attacks from both sensor and actuator side make real threats to the security and safety of autonomous ground vehicles (AGVs). This paper focuses on the problem of neural-network-based event-triggered adaptive security control (ET-ASC) scheme for path following of AGVs subject to arbitrary abnormal actuator signal. Firstly, we assume that an arbitrary abnormal signal is caused by arbitrary malicious attacks or disturbances from actuators. Then, radial basis function neural network (RBF-NN) is used to reconstruct such abnormal actuator signal. Secondly, modelling issues on security path following control of AGVs with Sigmoid-like ETC scheme are shown when the AGV is suffering from abnormal actuator signal. In what follows, an ET-ASC scheme is developed to mitigate the adverse effects of abnormal actuator signal with the reconstructed abnormal signal based on a novel Sigmoid-like event-triggered communication scheme. By using the proposed RBF-NN-based ET-ASC scheme, H ∞ control performance can be guaranteed under arbitrary malicious actuator signal rather than such attacks following a specific probability distribution. Finally, some simulation experiments are provided to verify the effectiveness of proposed ET-ASC scheme.

Myopathy-related symptoms are rare manifestations of hypothyroidism. Clinicians should consider hypothyroid myopathy as one of possible diagnosis for patients with proximal weaknesses. We report a 34-year-old woman, presenting with a new atypical musculoskeletal manifestation of hypothyroidism mimicking polymyositis.

Lobophorins (LOBs) belong to a large family of spirotetronate antibiotics with antibacterial and antitumor activities. In this study, we demonstrated the function of LobP1, a P450 monooxygenase encoded in the LOB biosynthetic gene cluster, by in vivo deletion and in vitro biochemical assays. The disruption of lobP1 led to the isolation of three new LOBs derivatives (3‒5) and three known ones (6‒8) without the hydroxyl group at C-32. LobP1 was shown to have relatively broad substrate scope. Determing the kinetic parameters of LobP1 towards different substrates revealed that LobP1 preferred substrate with a nitrosugar. The major product LOB E (6) from the ∆lobP1 mutant displayed better cytotoxic activities against several cancer cell lines than LOB B, the C-32 hydroxlated counterpart.