Native biodiversity decline and non-native species spread are major features of the Anthropocene. Both processes can drive biotic homogenization by reducing trait and phylogenetic differences in ...species assemblages between regions, thus diminishing the regional distinctiveness of biotas and likely have negative impacts on key ecosystem functions. However, a global assessment of this phenomenon is lacking. Here, using a dataset of >200,000 plant species, we demonstrate widespread and temporal decreases in species and phylogenetic turnover across grain sizes and spatial extents. The extent of homogenization within major biomes is pronounced and is overwhelmingly explained by non-native species naturalizations. Asia and North America are major sources of non-native species; however, the species they export tend to be phylogenetically close to recipient floras. Australia, the Pacific and Europe, in contrast, contribute fewer species to the global pool of non-natives, but represent a disproportionate amount of phylogenetic diversity. The timeline of most naturalisations coincides with widespread human migration within the last ~500 years, and demonstrates the profound influence humans exert on regional biotas beyond changes in species richness.
Microloans garnered from crowdfunding provide an important source of financial capital for nascent entrepreneurs. Drawing on cognitive evaluation theory, we assess how linguistic cues known to affect ...underlying motivation can frame entrepreneurial narratives either as a business opportunity or as an opportunity to help others. We examine how this framing affects fundraising outcomes in the context of prosocial lending and conduct our analysis on a sample of microloans made to over 36,000 entrepreneurs in 51 countries via an online crowdfunding platform. We find that lenders respond positively to narratives highlighting the venture as an opportunity to help others, and less positively when the narrative is framed as a business opportunity.
Imaging an exotic state
Among the most intriguing of the many phases of cuprate superconductors is the so-called pair density wave (PDW) state. PDW is characterized by a spatially modulated density ...of Cooper pairs and can be detected with a scanning tunneling microscope equipped with a superconducting tip. Liu
et al.
used Josephson tunneling microscopy, modified for the task, to detect PDW in niobium diselenide, a superconductor with a layered hexagonal structure. The PDW state is expected to appear in other transition metal dichalcogenides as well.
Science
, abd4607, this issue p.
1447
Josephson tunneling microscopy is used to detect an unusual state in NbSe
2
, a layered superconductor.
Pair density wave (PDW) states are defined by a spatially modulating superconductive order parameter. To search for such states in transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), we used high-speed atomic-resolution scanned Josephson-tunneling microscopy. We detected a PDW state whose electron-pair density and energy gap modulate spatially at the wave vectors of the preexisting charge density wave (CDW) state. The PDW couples linearly to both the
s
-wave superconductor and the CDW and exhibits commensurate domains with discommensuration phase slips at the boundaries, conforming those of the lattice-locked commensurate CDW. Nevertheless, we found a global
δ
Φ
≅
±
2
π
/
3
phase difference between the PDW and CDW states, possibly owing to the Cooper-pair wave function orbital content. Our findings presage pervasive PDW physics in the many other TMDs that sustain both CDW and superconducting states.
ObjectivesTo examine the safety and efficacy of rontalizumab, a humanised IgG1 anti-interferon α (anti-IFN-α) monoclonal antibody, in patients with moderate-to-severe systemic lupus erythematosus ...(SLE).MethodsPatients with active SLE were randomised (2:1) to 750 mg intravenous rontalizumab every 4 weeks or placebo (Part 1), and 300 mg subcutaneous rontalizumab every 2 weeks or placebo (Part 2).BackgroundHydroxychloroquine and corticosteroids were allowed. Patients taking immunosuppressants at baseline were required per protocol to discontinue. Efficacy end points included reduction in disease activity by British Isles Lupus Disease Activity Group (BILAG)-2004 (primary), and SLE response index (SRI, secondary) at Week 24. Efficacy was also examined by an exploratory measure of IFN-regulated gene expression (interferon signature metric, ISM).ResultsPatients (n=238) received rontalizumab (n=159) or placebo (n=79). At baseline, the mean Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment version of the SLE Disease Activity Index (SELENA-SLEDAI) score in all cohorts was ∼10, and 75.6% of patients had a high ISM (ISM-High). Efficacy response rates by BILAG and SRI were similar between rontalizumab and placebo groups. However, in the exploratory subgroup of ISM-Low patients, SRI response was higher and steroid use was lower in the rontalizumab-treated patients. There was also a reduction in SELENA-SLEDAI flare index rates (HR 0.61, 0.46 to 0.81, p=0.004) in this subgroup. Adverse events were similar between placebo and rontalizumab groups.ConclusionsThe primary and secondary end points of this trial were not met in all patients or in patients with high ISM scores. In an exploratory analysis, rontalizumab treatment was associated with improvements in disease activity, reduced flares and decreased steroid use in patients with SLE with low ISM scores.Trial registration numberNCT00962832.
Understanding the pathology resulting from Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa polymicrobial wound infections is of great importance due to their ubiquitous nature, increasing ...prevalence, growing resistance to antimicrobial agents, and ability to delay healing. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus USA300 is the leading cause of community-associated bacterial infections resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. We utilized a well-established porcine partial thickness wound healing model to study the synergistic effects of USA300 and P. aeruginosa on wound healing. Wound re-epithelialization was significantly delayed by mixed-species biofilms through suppression of keratinocyte growth factor 1. Pseudomonas showed an inhibitory effect on USA300 growth in vitro while both species co-existed in cutaneous wounds in vivo. Polymicrobial wound infection in the presence of P. aeruginosa resulted in induced expression of USA300 virulence factors Panton-Valentine leukocidin and α-hemolysin. These results provide evidence for the interaction of bacterial species within mixed-species biofilms in vivo and for the first time, the contribution of virulence factors to the severity of polymicrobial wound infections.
Global change has become a central focus of modern biology. Yet, our knowledge of how anthropogenic drivers affect biodiversity and natural resources is limited by a lack of biological data spanning ...the Anthropocene. We propose that the hundreds of millions of plant, fungal and animal specimens deposited in natural history museums have the potential to transform the field of global change biology. We suggest that museum specimens are underused, particularly in ecological studies, given their capacity to reveal patterns that are not observable from other data sources. Increasingly, museum specimens are becoming mobilized online, providing unparalleled access to physiological, ecological and evolutionary data spanning decades and sometimes centuries. Here, we describe the diversity of collections data archived in museums and provide an overview of the diverse uses and applications of these data as discussed in the accompanying collection of papers within this theme issue. As these unparalleled resources are under threat owing to budget cuts and other institutional pressures, we aim to shed light on the unique discoveries that are possible in museums and, thus, the singular value of natural history collections in a period of rapid change.This article is part of the theme issue 'Biological collections for understanding biodiversity in the Anthropocene'.
Background
The development of clinical guidelines requires standardised methods informed by robust evidence synthesis.
Objectives
We evaluated the methodological quality of endometriosis guidelines, ...mapped their recommendations, and explored the relationships between recommendations and research evidence.
Search strategy
We searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PubMed from inception to February 2016.
Selection criteria
We included guidelines related to the diagnosis and management of endometriosis.
Data collection and analysis
The search strategy identified 879 titles and s. We include two international and five national guidelines. Four independent authors assessed the methodological quality of the included guidelines, using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE‐II) instrument, and systematically extracted the guideline recommendations and supporting research evidence.
Main results
One hundred and fifty‐two different recommendations were made. Ten recommendations (7%) were comparable across guidelines. The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology was objectively evaluated as the highest quality guideline (methodological quality score: 88/100). There was substantial variation between the supporting evidence presented by individual guidelines for comparable recommendations. Forty‐two recommendations (28%) were not supported by research evidence. No guideline followed the standardised guideline development methods (AGREE‐II).
Conclusions
There is substantial variation in the recommendations and methodological quality of endometriosis guidelines. Future guidelines should be developed with reference to high‐quality methods in consultation with key stakeholders, including women with endometriosis, ensuring that their scope can truly inform clinical practice and eliminate unwarranted and unjustified variations in clinical practice.
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#Endometriosis guidelines vary in recommendations and quality. @EndometriosisUK
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#Endometriosis guidelines vary in recommendations and quality. @EndometriosisUK.
This paper includes Author Insights, a video available at https://vimeo.com/rcog/authorinsights14838
If strong electron-electron interactions between neighboring Fe atoms mediate the Cooper pairing in iron-pnictide superconductors, then specific and distinct anisotropic superconducting energy gaps Δ ...j (K⃗) should appear on the different electronic bands i. Here, we introduce intraband Bogoliubov quasiparticle scattering interference (QPI) techniques for determination of Δ j (K⃗) in such materials, focusing on lithium iron arsenide (LiFeAs). We identify the three hole-like bands assigned previously as γ, α₂ and αⁱ, and we determine the anisotropy, magnitude, and relative orientations of their Δ j (K⃗). These measurements will advance quantitative theoretical analysis of the mechanism of Cooper pairing in iron-based superconductivity.
Exercise plays a key role in healthy aging by promoting both physical and cognitive function. Physical function and cognitive function appear to be interrelated and may share common mechanisms. Thus, ...exercise-induced improvements in physical function and cognitive function may co-occur and be associated with each other. However, no systematic review has specifically assessed and compared the effects of exercise on both physical function and cognitive function in older adults, and the association between changes in both outcomes after exercise training. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis (N = 48 studies) among older adults (60+ years). These data suggest exercise training has a significant benefit for both physical function (g = 0.39; p < 0.001) and cognitive function (g = 0.24; p < 0.001). At the study level, there was a positive correlation between the size of the exercise-induced effect on physical function and on cognitive function (b = 0.41; p = 0.002). Our results indicate exercise improves both physical and cognitive function, reiterating the notion that exercise is a panacea for aging well.
•Maintaining physical and cognitive function is critical for healthy aging.•Physical function and cognitive function are linked and share common mechanisms.•Exercise training improves physical function and cognitive function.•Exercise-induced improvements in physical and cognitive function are associated.
Smart Polymers for Microscale Machines Tan, Liyuan; Davis, Aaron C.; Cappelleri, David J.
Advanced functional materials,
02/2021, Letnik:
31, Številka:
9
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Microscale machines are able to perform a number of tasks like micromanipulation, drug‐delivery, and noninvasive surgery. In particular, microscale polymer machines that can perform intelligent work ...for manipulation or transport, adaptive locomotion, or sensing are in‐demand. To achieve this goal, shape‐morphing smart polymers like hydrogels, liquid crystalline polymers, and other smart polymers are of great interest. Structures fabricated by these materials undergo mechanical motion under stimulation such as temperature, pH, light, and so on. The use of these materials renders microscale machines that undergo complex stimuli‐responsive transformation such as from planar to 3D by combining spatial design like introducing in‐plane or out‐plane differences. During the past decade, many techniques have been developed or adopted for fabricating structures with smart polymers including microfabrication methods and the well‐known milestone of 4D printing, starting in 2013. In this review, the existing or potential active smart polymers that could be used to fabricate active microscale machines to accomplish complex tasks are summarized.
The two popular kinds of smart polymers, hydrogels and liquid crystalline polymers are reviewed, in the context of applications for use in the design of microscale machines. These polymers can provide an additional degree of freedom to microscale machines which can lead to advanced functionalities.
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