Increasing the impact of vertebrate scientific collections through 3D imaging: The openVertebrate (oVert) Thematic Collections Network.

The impact of preserved museum specimens is transforming and increasing by three-dimensional (3D) imaging that creates high-fidelity online digital specimens. Through examples from the openVertebrate (oVert) Thematic Collections Network, we describe how we created a digitization community dedicated to the shared vision of making 3D data of specimens available and the impact of these data on a broad audience of scientists, students, teachers, artists, and more. High-fidelity digital 3D models allow people from multiple communities to simultaneously access and use scientific specimens. Based on our multiyear, multi-institution project, we identify significant technological and social hurdles that remain for fully realizing the potential impact of digital 3D specimens.

Cytomegalovirus surveillance after antiviral prophylaxis in CMV mismatched transplant patients: Does recurrent cytomegalovirus DNAemia impact patient survival?

BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) mismatched, donor IgG-positive/recipient IgG-negative, solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs) are at high risk of CMV invasive disease. Post-prophylaxis disease is an issue in this population. Some programs employ surveillance after prophylaxis (SAP) to limit the incidence of post-prophylaxis disease. METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study that included all CMV mismatched SOTRs from 2003 to 2017. Patients underwent SAP with weekly CMV plasma viral load for 12 weeks. The subjects were classified into three post-prophylaxis DNAemia patterns: no DNAemia, one episode of DNAemia, and multiple episodes of DNAemia. We calculated the cumulative incidence of each DNAemia pattern. We also determined 5-year mortality based on DNAemia pattern stratified by organ transplant type. RESULTS: Post-prophylaxis recurrent DNAemia occurred in 63% of lung recipients and 32% of non-lung recipients (p =  .003). Tissue invasive CMV disease was diagnosed in 3% of the population and CMV syndrome was diagnosed in 33%. Recurrent DNAemia was not associated with 5-year mortality. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, undergoing SAP tissue invasive disease was uncommon and CMV DNAemia recurrence did not have an impact on long-term mortality.

Civic engagement and well-being among noncollege young adults: Investigating a mediation model.

Young adults may benefit from civic engagement as a health promotion tool, as civic engagement is generally associated with positive well-being. However, more information is needed to examine civic engagement among lesser-educated young adults who are least likely to civically engage, and more likely to demonstrate mental health needs. We surveyed noncollege young adults (N = 621) to measure their civic engagement, meaning, civic efficacy, well-being, and sociodemographic factors. Using an a priori model, direct, indirect, and full effects path analyses were conducted across men and women, and then the entire sample. The full effects model best fit the data with mediation by civic efficacy and meaning (χ2 (2) = 0.59, p = 0.74; comparative fit index = 1.0; root mean square error of approximation = 0.00, 90% confidence interval [0.00-0.06]; R2 = 0.42). Types of engagement (civic, electoral, activism, and online) demonstrated differing relationships with well-being. Stakeholders should resource young adults with civic skills and coping strategies to address the many challenges that civic experiences often elicit.

Lyme Disease, Anaplasmosis, and Babesiosis, Atlantic Canada.

In July 2021, a PCR-confirmed case of locally acquired Babesia microti infection was reported in Atlantic Canada. Clinical features were consistent with babesiosis and resolved after treatment. In a region where Lyme disease and anaplasmosis are endemic, the occurrence of babesiosis emphasizes the need to enhance surveillance of tickborne infections.

Limited movement of an avian hybrid zone in relation to regional variation in magnitude of climate change.

Studies of natural hybrid zones can provide documentation of range shifts in response to climate change and identify loci important to reproductive isolation. Using a temporal (36-38 years) comparison of the black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina (P. carolinensis) chickadee hybrid zone, we investigated movement of the western portion of the zone (western Missouri) and assessed whether loci and pathways underpinning reproductive isolation were similar to those in the eastern portion of the hybrid zone. Using 92 birds sampled along the hybrid zone transect in 2016 and 68 birds sampled between 1978 and 1980, we generated 11,669 SNPs via ddRADseq. These SNPs were used to assess movement of the hybrid zone through time and to evaluate variation in introgression among loci. We demonstrate that the interface has moved ~5 km to the northwest over the last 36-38 years, that is, at only one-fifth the rate at which the eastern portion (e.g., Pennsylvania, Ohio) of the hybrid zone has moved. Temperature trends over the last 38 years reveal that eastern areas have warmed 50% more than western areas in terms of annual mean temperature, possibly providing an explanation for the slower movement of the hybrid zone in Missouri. Our results suggest hybrid zone movement in broadly distributed species, such as chickadees, will vary between areas in response to local differences in the impacts of climate change.

Critical Scaling of Solid Fragmentation at Quasistatic and Finite Strain Rates.

Using two-dimensional simulations of sheared, brittle solids, we characterize the resulting fragmentation and explore its underlying critical nature. Under quasistatic loading, a power-law distribution of fragment masses emerges after fracture which grows with increasing strain. With increasing strain rate, the maximum size of a grain decreases and a shallower distribution is produced. We propose a scaling theory for distributions based on a fractal scaling of the largest mass with system size in the quasistatic limit or with a correlation length that diverges as a power of rate in the finite-rate limit. Critical exponents are measured using finite-size scaling techniques.

Earth history and the passerine superradiation.

Avian diversification has been influenced by global climate change, plate tectonic movements, and mass extinction events. However, the impact of these factors on the diversification of the hyperdiverse perching birds (passerines) is unclear because family level relationships are unresolved and the timing of splitting events among lineages is uncertain. We analyzed DNA data from 4,060 nuclear loci and 137 passerine families using concatenation and coalescent approaches to infer a comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis that clarifies relationships among all passerine families. Then, we calibrated this phylogeny using 13 fossils to examine the effects of different events in Earth history on the timing and rate of passerine diversification. Our analyses reconcile passerine diversification with the fossil and geological records; suggest that passerines originated on the Australian landmass ∼47 Ma; and show that subsequent dispersal and diversification of passerines was affected by a number of climatological and geological events, such as Oligocene glaciation and inundation of the New Zealand landmass. Although passerine diversification rates fluctuated throughout the Cenozoic, we find no link between the rate of passerine diversification and Cenozoic global temperature, and our analyses show that the increases in passerine diversification rate we observe are disconnected from the colonization of new continents. Taken together, these results suggest more complex mechanisms than temperature change or ecological opportunity have controlled macroscale patterns of passerine speciation.

Empathy, better patient care, and how interprofessional education can help.

Interprofessional education (IPE) has been promoted as one way to prepare healthcare students for interprofessional encounters they might experience in the workplace. However, the link between IPE, interprofessional care in the workforce, and better patient outcomes is tenuous, perhaps in part due to the inability of IPE programs to adequately address barriers associated with interprofessional care (e.g., power differentials, role disputes). Empathy, or understanding the experiences of others, has emerged as a critical tool to breaking down barriers inherent to working in teams. Given the evidence connecting empathy to stronger team collaboration and better patient care, researchers significantly revamped programming from a prior training called Interprofessional Education for Complex Neurological Cases (IPE Neuro) to enhance empathy, foster stronger team collaboration, and improve information integration among participants. In this improved three-session program, participants from seven different professions were grouped into teams, assessed a patient volunteer with neurological disorder, and created and presented an integrated, patient-centric treatment plan. Students (N = 31) were asked to report general empathy levels, as well as attitudes, team skills, and readiness toward interprofessional care, before and after the program. We conducted paired samples t-tests and thematic analysis to analyze the data. Results showed that participants reported higher empathy levels, more positive attitudes, and greater team skills pre- to posttest with moderate to large effects. Results bolster IPE Neuro programming as one approach to prepare students for interprofessional care while underscoring the potential implications of IPE to improve empathy levels of healthcare professionals.

Your Path to Transplant: A randomized controlled trial of a tailored expert system intervention to increase knowledge, attitudes, and pursuit of kidney transplant.

Individually tailoring education over time may help more patients, especially racial/ethnic minorities, get waitlisted and pursue deceased and living donor kidney transplant (DDKT and LDKT, respectively). We enrolled 802 patients pursuing transplant evaluation at the University of California, Los Angeles Transplant Program into a randomized education trial. We compared the effectiveness of Your Path to Transplant (YPT), an individually tailored coaching and education program delivered at 4 time points, with standard of care (SOC) education on improving readiness to pursue DDKT and LDKT, transplant knowledge, taking 15 small transplant-related actions, and pursuing transplant (waitlisting or LDKT rates) over 8 months. Survey outcomes were collected prior to evaluation and at 4 and 8 months. Time to waitlisting or LDKT was assessed with at least 18 months of follow-up. At 8 months, compared to SOC, the YPT group demonstrated increased LDKT readiness (47% vs 33%, P = .003) and transplant knowledge (effect size [ES] = 0.41, P < .001). Transplant pursuit was higher in the YPT group (hazard ratio: 1.44, 95% confidence interval: 1.15-1.79, P = .002). A focused, coordinated education effort can improve transplant-seeking behaviors and waitlisting rates. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT02181114.

Molecular models for creep in oriented polyethylene fibers.

Highly oriented and crystalline polyetheylene (PE) fibers have a large failure stress under rapid tensile loading but exhibit significant creep at much smaller stresses that limits applications. A possible mechanism is slip of chains due to stress-enhanced, thermally activated nucleation of dislocations at chain ends in crystalline regions. Molecular dynamics simulations are used to parameterize a Frenkel-Kontorova model that provides analytic expressions for the limiting stress and activation energy for dislocation nucleation as a function of stress. Results from four commonly used hydrocarbon potentials are compared to show that the qualitative behavior is robust and estimate quantitative uncertainties. In all cases, the results can be described by an Eyring model with values of the zero-stress activation energy Ea 0≈1.5 eV and activation volume V* ≈ 45 Å3 that are consistent with the experimental results for increasingly crystalline materials. The limiting yield stress is ∼8 GPa. These results suggest that activated dislocation nucleation at chain ends is an important mechanism for creep in highly oriented PE fibers.

Probing large viscosities in glass-formers with nonequilibrium simulations.

For decades, scientists have debated whether supercooled liquids stop flowing below a glass transition temperature [Formula: see text] or whether motion continues to slow gradually down to zero temperature. Answering this question is challenging because human time scales set a limit on the largest measurable viscosity, and available data are equally well fit to models with opposite conclusions. Here, we use short simulations to determine the nonequilibrium shear response of a typical glass-former, squalane. Fits of the data to an Eyring model allow us to extrapolate predictions for the equilibrium Newtonian viscosity [Formula: see text] over a range of pressures and temperatures that change [Formula: see text] by 25 orders of magnitude. The results agree with the unusually large set of equilibrium and nonequilibrium experiments on squalane and extend them to higher [Formula: see text] Studies at different pressures and temperatures are inconsistent with a diverging viscosity at finite temperature. At all pressures, the predicted viscosity becomes Arrhenius with a single temperature-independent activation barrier at low temperatures and high viscosities ([Formula: see text] Pa[Formula: see text]s). Possible experimental tests of our results are outlined.

Interprofessional education for complex neurological cases.

There is a growing necessity for healthcare professionals to collaborate across disciplines in order to adequately treat patients. Interprofessional education (IPE) is one strategy that can be used to strengthen student attitudes, skill mastery, and preparedness toward working in interprofessional teams prior to joining the healthcare workforce. The current study evaluated the effects of a four-session IPE training program for students from four New England universities across nine different health professions. Participants (N = 46) were placed into teams to create an assessment plan, evaluated their patient volunteer, developed a treatment plan, and presented treatment plan decisions to the group. Students reported attitudes, skills and readiness to work on interprofessional teams before and after the training; additionally, students completed a free-response posttest questionnaire. Paired samples t-tests, repeated measures ANCOVA, and thematic analysis were conducted to analyze the data. Results showed that following program completion, participants expressed more positive attitudes toward team collaboration and demonstrated higher skill mastery to function within healthcare teams. The presence of prior IPE experience did not positively or negatively influence changes in attitudes, skills, or readiness from pretest to posttest. Results suggest that this IPE program demonstrated preliminary feasibility and effectiveness by actively improving the attitudes and skills of healthcare students to engage in interprofessional teamwork.

Rat Hepatitis E Virus Linked to Severe Acute Hepatitis in an Immunocompetent Patient.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a major public health concern in developing countries where the primary transmission is via contaminated water. Zoonotic HEV cases have been increasingly described in Europe, Japan, and the United States, with pigs representing the main animal reservoir of infection. We report an unusual acute hepatitis infection in a previously healthy man caused by a rat HEV with a considerably divergent genomic sequence compared with other rat HEV strains. It is possible that rat HEV is an underrecognized cause of hepatitis infection, and further studies are necessary to elucidate its potential risk and mode of transmission.

Effect of Roughness and Elasticity on Interactions between Charged Colloidal Spheres.

The effects of realistic roughness and elasticity on the interactions between charged silica spheres are studied as a function of surface potential, screening length, interfacial energy, and roughness. The repulsive force Frep that must be overcome to bring charged spheres into contact is relatively insensitive to elasticity unless spheres are hundreds of times softer than silica. Frep is also insensitive to roughness and interfacial energy. In contrast, roughness has a large effect on the binding energy of spheres and the force Fsep to separate them. Both are lowered by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude by the measured surface roughness of less than 1 nm on 1 µm silica spheres. The reason is that interactions between rigid spheres are dominated by the highest surface peaks rather than the entire spherical surface. Elasticity can increase the pull-off force of rough spheres by a factor of 2 or more because additional surface area can be brought into contact. The implications of these results for shear-thickening transitions are discussed.

Species delimitation and biogeography of the gnatcatchers and gnatwrens (Aves: Polioptilidae).

The New World avian family Polioptilidae (gnatcatchers and gnatwrens) is distributed from Argentina to Canada and includes 15 species and more than 60 subspecies. No study to date has evaluated phylogenetic relationships within this family and the historical pattern of diversification within the group remains unknown. Moreover, species limits, particularly in widespread taxa that show geographic variation, remain unclear. In this study, we delimited species and estimated phylogenetic relationships using multilocus data for the entire family. We then used the inferred diversity along with alternative taxonomic classification schemes to evaluate how lumping and splitting of both taxa and geographical areas influenced biogeographic inference. Species-tree analyses grouped Polioptilidae into four main clades: Microbates, Ramphocaenus, a Polioptila guianensis complex, and the remaining members of Polioptila. Ramphocaenus melanurus was sister to the clade containing M. cinereiventris and M. collaris, which formed a clade sister to all species within Polioptila. Polioptila was composed of two clades, the first of which included the P. guianensis complex; the other contained all remaining species in the genus. Using multispecies coalescent modeling, we inferred a more than 3-fold increase in species diversity, of which 87% represent currently recognized species or subspecies. Much of this diversity corresponded to subspecies that occur in the Neotropics. We identified three polyphyletic species, and delimited 4-6 previously undescribed candidate taxa. Probabilistic modeling of geographic ranges on the species tree indicated that the family likely had an ancestral origin in South America, with all three genera independently colonizing North America. Support for this hypothesis, however, was sensitive to the taxonomic classification scheme used and the number of geographical areas allowed. Our study proposes the first phylogenetic hypothesis for Polioptilidae and provides genealogical support for the reclassification of species limits. Species limits and the resolution of geographical areas that taxa inhabit influence the inferred spatial diversification history.

Relating Chain Conformations to Extensional Stress in Entangled Polymer Melts.

Nonlinear extensional flows are common in polymer processing, but they remain challenging theoretically because dramatic stretching of chains deforms the entanglement network far from equilibrium. Here, we present coarse-grained simulations of extensional flows in entangled polymer melts for Rouse-Weissenberg numbers Wi_{R}=0.06-52 and Hencky strains 뵳6. Simulations reproduce experimental trends in extensional viscosity with time, rate, and molecular weight. Studies of molecular structure reveal an elongation and thinning of the confining tube with increasing Wi_{R}. The rising stress is quantitatively consistent with the decreasing entropy of chains at the equilibrium entanglement length. Molecular weight dependent trends in viscosity are related to a crossover from the Newtonian limit to a high rate limit that scales differently with chain length.

Uranium Retention in a Bioreduced Region of an Alluvial Aquifer Induced by the Influx of Dissolved Oxygen.

Reduced zones in the subsurface represent biogeochemically active hotspots enriched in buried organic matter and reduced metals. Within a shallow alluvial aquifer located near Rifle, CO, reduced zones control the fate and transport of uranium (U). Though an influx of dissolved oxygen (DO) would be expected to mobilize U, we report U immobilization. Groundwater U concentrations decreased following delivery of DO (21.6 mg O2/well/h). After 23 days of DO delivery, injection of oxygenated groundwater was paused and resulted in the rebound of groundwater U concentrations to preinjection levels. When DO delivery resumed (day 51), groundwater U concentrations again decreased. The injection was halted on day 82 again and resulted in a rebound of groundwater U concentrations. DO delivery rate was increased to 54 mg O2/well/h (day 95) whereby groundwater U concentrations increased. Planktonic cell abundance remained stable throughout the experiment, but virus-to-microbial cell ratio increased 1.8-3.4-fold with initial DO delivery, indicative of microbial activity in response to DO injection. Together, these results indicate that the redox-buffering capacity of reduced sediments can prevent U mobilization, but could be overcome as delivery rate or oxidant concentration increases, mobilizing U.

Proton radiation effect on InAs avalanche photodiodes.

With increasing interest over the past decade in space-related remote sensing and communications using near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, there is a need for radiation studies on NIR avalanche photodiodes (APDs), due to the high radiation environment in space. In this work, we present an experimental study of proton radiation effects on performance parameters of InAs APDs, whose sensitivity extends from visible light to ~3.5 µm. Three irradiation energies (10.0, 31.4, and 58.8 MeV) and four fluences (109 to 1011 p/cm2) were used. At the harshest irradiation condition (10.0 MeV energy and 1011 p/cm2 fluence) the APDs' avalanche gain and leakage current showed a measurable degradation. However, the responsivity of the APDs was unaffected under all conditions tested. The data reported in this article are available from the figshare digital repository (DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15131/shef. DATA: 4560562).

Contact between rough surfaces and a criterion for macroscopic adhesion.

At the molecular scale, there are strong attractive interactions between surfaces, yet few macroscopic surfaces are sticky. Extensive simulations of contact by adhesive surfaces with roughness on nanometer to micrometer scales are used to determine how roughness reduces the area where atoms contact and thus weakens adhesion. The material properties, adhesive strength, and roughness parameters are varied by orders of magnitude. In all cases, the area of atomic contact is initially proportional to the load. The prefactor rises linearly with adhesive strength for weak attractions. Above a threshold adhesive strength, the prefactor changes sign, the surfaces become sticky, and a finite force is required to separate them. A parameter-free analytic theory is presented that describes changes in these numerical results over up to five orders of magnitude in load. It relates the threshold adhesive strength to roughness and material properties, explaining why most macroscopic surfaces do not stick. The numerical results are qualitatively and quantitatively inconsistent with classical theories based on the Greenwood-Williamson approach that neglect the range of adhesion and do not include asperity interactions.