Transient fertilization of a post-Sturtian Snowball ocean margin with dissolved phosphate by clay minerals.

Marine sedimentary rocks deposited across the Neoproterozoic Cryogenian Snowball interval, ~720-635 million years ago, suggest that post-Snowball fertilization of shallow continental margin seawater with phosphorus accelerated marine primary productivity, ocean-atmosphere oxygenation, and ultimately the rise of animals. However, the mechanisms that sourced and delivered bioavailable phosphate from land to the ocean are not fully understood. Here we demonstrate a causal relationship between clay mineral production by the melting Sturtian Snowball ice sheets and a short-lived increase in seawater phosphate bioavailability by at least 20-fold and oxygenation of an immediate post-Sturtian Snowball ocean margin. Bulk primary sediment inputs and inferred dissolved seawater phosphate dynamics point to a relatively low marine phosphate inventory that limited marine primary productivity and seawater oxygenation before the Sturtian glaciation, and again in the later stages of the succeeding interglacial greenhouse interval.

Manipulation of the Structure and Optoelectronic Properties through Bromine Inclusion in a Layered Lead Bromide Perovskite.

One of the great advantages of organic-inorganic metal halides is that their structures and properties are highly tuneable and this is important when optimizing materials for photovoltaics or other optoelectronic devices. One of the most common and effective ways of tuning the electronic structure is through anion substitution. Here, we report the inclusion of bromine into the layered perovskite [H3N(CH2)6NH3]PbBr4 to form [H3N(CH2)6NH3]PbBr4·Br2, which contains molecular bromine (Br2) intercalated between the layers of corner-sharing PbBr6 octahedra. Bromine intercalation in [H3N(CH2)6NH3]PbBr4·Br2 results in a decrease in the band gap of 0.85 eV and induces a structural transition from a Ruddlesden-Popper-like to Dion-Jacobson-like phase, while also changing the conformation of the amine. Electronic structure calculations show that Br2 intercalation is accompanied by the formation of a new band in the electronic structure and a significant decrease in the effective masses of around two orders of magnitude. This is backed up by our resistivity measurements that show that [H3N(CH2)6NH3]PbBr4·Br2 has a resistivity value of one order of magnitude lower than [H3N(CH2)6NH3]PbBr4, suggesting that bromine inclusion significantly increases the mobility and/or carrier concentration in the material. This work highlights the possibility of using molecular inclusion as an alternative tool to tune the electronic properties of layered organic-inorganic perovskites, while also being the first example of molecular bromine inclusion in a layered lead halide perovskite. By using a combination of crystallography and computation, we show that the key to this manipulation of the electronic structure is the formation of halogen bonds between the Br2 and Br in the [PbBr4]∞ layers, which is likely to have important effects in a range of organic-inorganic metal halides.

New Holocene grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) material from North Carolina: the most complete North Atlantic grey whale skeleton to date.

Skeletal remains and historical accounts indicate that grey whales (Eschrichtius robustus) existed in the North Atlantic Ocean from the Pleistocene into the seventeenth century. Fossil and sub-fossil occurrences in this basin are rare, distributed from the east coast of the United States to Iceland and Europe. Here, we report an incomplete skeleton of a Holocene grey whale from Pender County, North Carolina, USA. This specimen represents a physically immature individual and is the most complete North Atlantic grey whale specimen reported to date. It comprises 42 cranial and postcranial elements, including the cranium, parts of the rostrum, both mandibles, both scapulae, humeri, radii and ulnae, most of the vertebral column anterior to the lumbar region and numerous ribs. Its provenance near the inlet of a large estuary is consistent with previous findings from the southeastern USA and parallels the species' habitat use in Baja California breeding and calving grounds in the North Pacific Ocean. Radiocarbon dating indicates an age of 827 ± 172 years before present. Cut marks on multiple skeletal elements indicate that the animal was butchered, suggesting some level of human exploitation of the species in the southeastern USA in the twelfth century, approximately 500 years prior to its extirpation in the North Atlantic.

The Effect of Dietary Supplementation on Aggressive Behaviour in Australian Adult Male Prisoners: A Feasibility and Pilot Study for a Randomised, Double Blind Placebo Controlled Trial.

This study aimed to assess the feasibility of conducting a nutrition trial in adult male prisoners. Adult male prisoners were recruited for a 16-week randomised control trial comparing the effect of ingestion of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) and multivitamin supplements versus placebo on aggressive behaviour. The baseline and post-intervention assessments from the participant blood samples were the erythrocyte n-3 LCPUFA levels as well as measures of aggressive behaviour determined through institutional records of misconduct (IRM), the Inmate Behaviour Observation Scale (IBOS), and questionnaires. A total of 136 adult male prisoners consented to the study with a retention rate of 60%, and 93% of blood samples were successfully collected. The IRM and IBOS scores were collected for 100% of participants, whilst 82-97% of participants completed the questionnaires. From the baseline data, the Odds Ratio shows that prisoners are 4.3 times more likely to have an IBOS >2 if they are below the 6% cut off on the omega-3 index. Both groups improved across all outcome measures and, at the current sample size, no significant differences were seen between them. A power calculation suggests a total sample size of 600 participants is required to detect the effects of this dietary supplementation, and that this supplementation study is feasible in a Correctional Centre. Important criteria for the exclusion and consideration of logistics and compliance are presented.

Guidance for Optimal Site Selection of a Leadless Left Ventricular Endocardial Electrode Improves Acute Hemodynamic Response and Chronic Remodeling.

OBJECTIVES: This study hypothesized that guided implants, in which the optimal left ventricular endocardial (LVENDO) pacing location was identified and targeted, would improve acute markers of contractility and chronic markers of cardiac resynchronization (CRT) response. BACKGROUND: Biventricular endocardial (BiVENDO) pacing may offer a potential benefit over standard CRT; however, the optimal LVENDO pacing site is highly variable. Indiscriminately delivered BiVENDO pacing is associated with a reverse remodeling response rate of between 40% and 60%. METHODS: Registry of centers implanting a wireless, LVENDO pacing system (WiSE-CRT System, EBR Systems, Sunnyvale, California); John Radcliffe Hospital (Oxford, United Kingdom), Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital (London, United Kingdom), and The James Cook University Hospital (Middlesbrough, United Kingdom). Centers used a combination of preprocedural imaging and electroanatomical mapping the identify the optimal LVENDO site. RESULTS: A total of 26 patients across the 3 centers underwent a guided implant. Patients were predominantly male with a mean age of 68.8 ± 8.4 years, the mean LV ejection fraction was 34.2 ± 7.8%. The mean QRS duration was 163.8 ± 26.7 ms, and 30.8% of patients had an ischemic etiology. It proved technically feasible to selectively target and deploy the pacing electrode in a chosen endocardial segment in almost all cases, with a similar complication rate to that observed during indiscriminate BiVENDO. Ninety percent of patients met the definition of echocardiographic responder. Reverse remodeling was observed in 71%. CONCLUSIONS: Guided endocardial implants were associated with a higher degree of chronic LV remodeling compared with historical nonguided approaches.

Acute electrical and hemodynamic effects of endocardial biventricular pacing using the WiSE CRT system and conventional epicardial biventricular pacing.

Wireless left ventricular endocardial pacing with the WiSE CRT system has recently become available as alternative to conventional epicardial CRT pacing. We report the first comparison of the acute electrical and hemodynamic response produced by the two CRT pacing modalities in a patient undergoing WiSE CRT implant after a failed conventional CRT procedure. WiSE CRT pacing showed an additive acute benefit compared with conventional CRT. These findings could potentially translate into long-term clinical benefit and introduce the potential for tri-ventricular pacing using both systems simultaneously.

Correction: Baseline Omega-3 Index Correlates with Aggressive and Attention Deficit Disorder Behaviours in Adult Prisoners.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120220.].

High-precision chronology for Central American maize diversification from El Gigante rockshelter, Honduras.

The first steps toward maize (Zea mays subspecies mays) domestication occurred in the Balsas region of Mexico by ∼9,000 calendar years B.P. (cal B.P.), but it remains unclear when maize was productive enough to be a staple grain in the Americas. Molecular and microbotanical data provide a partial picture of the timing and nature of morphological change, with genetic data indicating that alleles for some domestication traits were not yet fixed by 5,300 cal B.P. in the highlands of Mexico. Here, we report 88 radiocarbon dates on the botanical remains from El Gigante rockshelter (Honduras) to establish a Bayesian chronology over the past ∼11,000 y spanning the transition to maize-based food production. Botanical remains are remarkably well preserved and include over 10,000 maize macrofossils. We directly dated 37 maize cobs to establish the appearance and local change of maize at the site. Cobs are common in deposits dating between 4,340 and 4,020 cal B.P., and again between 2,350 and 980 cal B.P. The earliest cobs appear robustly domesticated, having 10-14 rows, suggesting strong selection for increased yield. The later cobs are comparable to these earliest ones, but show clear emergence of diverse traits, including increased cob width, rachis segment length, and cupule width. Our results indicate that domesticated landraces of maize productive enough to be a staple grain existed in Central America by 4,300 cal B.P.

Research priorities for managing the impacts and dependencies of business upon food, energy, water and the environment.

Delivering access to sufficient food, energy and water resources to ensure human wellbeing is a major concern for governments worldwide. However, it is crucial to account for the 'nexus' of interactions between these natural resources and the consequent implications for human wellbeing. The private sector has a critical role in driving positive change towards more sustainable nexus management and could reap considerable benefits from collaboration with researchers to devise solutions to some of the foremost sustainability challenges of today. Yet opportunities are missed because the private sector is rarely involved in the formulation of deliverable research priorities. We convened senior research scientists and influential business leaders to collaboratively identify the top forty questions that, if answered, would best help companies understand and manage their food-energy-water-environment nexus dependencies and impacts. Codification of the top order nexus themes highlighted research priorities around development of pragmatic yet credible tools that allow businesses to incorporate nexus interactions into their decision-making; demonstration of the business case for more sustainable nexus management; identification of the most effective levers for behaviour change; and understanding incentives or circumstances that allow individuals and businesses to take a leadership stance. Greater investment in the complex but productive relations between the private sector and research community will create deeper and more meaningful collaboration and cooperation.

Enhanced formation of giant cells in common variable immunodeficiency: Relation to granulomatous disease.

Peripheral monocytes from patients with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) had on average a 2 fold greater tendency to form giant cells in medium without additional cytokines. Giant cell formation was faster and 3 to 5 fold higher in most CVID cells compared to normal. Addition of IL4, GMCSF, IFNγ, TNFa and both T cell and monocyte conditioned media promoted monocyte fusion of some CVID individuals over 5 fold the normal average level, with combinations of cytokines and monokines acting synergistically. The reduction of normal giant cell formation by anti-IFNγ antibody and a greater tendency of CVID cells to fuse in immunoglobulin conditioned media suggests that standard IVIg treatment contributes to granuloma formation. CVID and normal giant cells expressed similar levels of phenotypic molecules and had similar phagocytic activity. Monocytes from many CVID patients have an elevated tendency to fuse which may explain the high incidence of granulomatous complications in CVID.

Baseline omega-3 index correlates with aggressive and attention deficit disorder behaviours in adult prisoners.

BACKGROUND: There is emerging evidence that the supplementation of omega-3 contributes to a decrease in aggressive behaviour in prison populations. A challenge of such research is achieving statistical power against effect sizes which may be affected by the baseline omega-3 index. There are no published data on the blood omega-3 index with studies of this kind to assess the variability of the blood omega-3 index in conjunction with aggression and attention deficit assessments. OBJECTIVE: To determine if the variance of the omega-3 index is correlated with aggressive and attention deficit behaviour in a prison population. DESIGN: 136 adult male prisoners were recruited from South Coast Correctional Centre (SCCC), NSW Australia. A 7 point categorisation was used to quantify levels of aggressive behaviour (4 weeks) from individual SCCC case notes, whereby higher scores correspond to increasingly aggressive behaviour. Study participants completed the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) and the Brown's Attention Deficit Disorder Scales (BADDS), provided a blood sample for erythrocyte fatty acid analysis using gas chromatography and the omega-3 index was calculated. RESULTS: The baseline omega-3 index ranged from 2.3% to 10.3%, indicating that some participants already had substantial omega-3 intake, however a median of 4.7% indicated a lower overall omega-3 intake than the general Australian population. Assessment of aggressive and attention deficit behaviour shows that there were negative correlations between baseline omega-3 index and baseline aggression categorisation scores (r = -0.21, P = 0.016); total AQ score (r = -0.234, P = 0.011); Anger (r = -0.222 p = 0.016); Hostility AQ (r = -0.239, P = 0.009); indirect aggression (r = -0.188 p = 0.042); total BADDS (r = -0.263, p = 0.005); Activation (r = -0.224, p = 0.016); Attention (r = -0.192, p = 0.043); Effort (r = -0.253, p = 0.007); Affect (r = -0.330, p = 0.000) and Memory (r = -0.240, p = 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: There is a high variability in omega-3 status of a NSW prison population, and inmates with lower omega-3 index were more aggressive and had higher ADD scores.

Genomic Investigations unmask Mycoplasma amphoriforme, a new respiratory pathogen.

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma amphoriforme has been associated with infection in patients with primary antibody deficiency (PAD). Little is known about the natural history of infection with this organism and its ability to be transmitted in the community. METHODS: The bacterial load was estimated in sequential sputum samples from 9 patients by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The genomes of all available isolates, originating from patients in the United Kingdom, France, and Tunisia, were sequenced along with the type strain. Genomic data were assembled and annotated, and a high-resolution phylogenetic tree was constructed. RESULTS: By using high-resolution whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data, we show that patients can be chronically infected with M. amphoriforme manifesting as a relapsing-remitting bacterial load, interspersed by periods when the organism is undetectable. Importantly, we demonstrate transmission of strains within a clinical environment. Antibiotic resistance mutations accumulate in isolates taken from patients who received multiple courses of antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Mycoplasma amphoriforme isolates form a closely related species responsible for a chronic relapsing and remitting infection in PAD patients in the United Kingdom and from immunocompetent patients in other countries. We provide strong evidence of transmission between patients attending the same clinic, suggesting that screening and isolation may be necessary for susceptible patients. This work demonstrates the critical role that WGS can play in rapidly unraveling the biology of a novel pathogen.

Inter- and intravein differences in cardiac output with cardiac resynchronization pacing using a multipolar LV pacing lead.

BACKGROUND: Quadripolar left ventricular pacing leads permit a variety of pacing configurations from different sites within a coronary vein. There may be advantages to selecting a specific pacing vector. This study examines whether the range of cardiac outputs obtained at cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) implantation is greater between different poles within a vein, or greater between two different veins. METHODS AND RESULTS: The cardiac index (CI, L/min/m(2) ) was measured during CRT implantation using a noninvasive cardiac output monitor (NICOM™, Cheetah Medical Inc., Newton Center, MA, USA) and a quadripolar left ventricle (LV) lead, in 22 patients with sinus rhythm. CI was recorded during right atrial-biventricular pacing at 70/min with fixed atrioventricular and ventriculo-ventricular delay, from each LV electrode in one vein, and then from an alternate vein. Phrenic nerve stimulation (PNS) occurred in nine of 15 posterior and three of 21 anterior veins (P = 0.005). At least one electrode in each vein had no PNS. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) difference between best and worst CI within any one vein was 13.1% (±9%). The mean (SD) difference between the best CI in one vein compared to the other was 9.8% (±8%; P = 0.043). In 16 of 22 patients, the range of CI was greater between poles within one vein, rather than between two veins (best of one vein compared to best from the other). In four of 22 patients, the range was greater between veins (P = 0.0003). CONCLUSION: A greater range of CI is found within a single vein than between two different veins. This finding has implications both for the approach to implant technique and postimplant programming and optimization.

The benefit of tissue contact monitoring with an electrical coupling index during ablation of typical atrial flutter--a prospective randomised control trial.

INTRODUCTION: We sought to investigate the use of tissue contact monitoring by means of the electrical coupling index (ECI) in a prospective randomised control trial of patients undergoing cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) ablation for atrial flutter. METHODS: Patients with ECG-documented typical flutter undergoing their first CTI ablation were randomised to ECI™-guided or non-ECI™-guided ablation. An irrigated-tip ablation catheter was used in all cases. Consecutive 50-W, 60-s radiofrequency lesions were applied to the CTI, from the tricuspid valve to inferior vena cava, with no catheter movement permitted during radiofrequency (RF) delivery. The ablation endpoint was durable CTI block at 20 min post-ablation. Patients underwent routine clinic follow-up post-operatively. RESULTS: A total of 101 patients (79 male), mean age 66 (+/-11), 50 ECI-guided and 51 control cases were enrolled in the study. CTI block was achieved in all. There were no acute complications. All patients were alive at follow-up. CTI block was achieved in a single pass in 36 ECI-guided and 30 control cases (p = 0.16), and at 20 min post-ablation, re-conduction was seen in 5 and 12 cases, respectively (p = 0.07). There was no significant difference in total procedure time (62.7 ± 33 vs. 62.3 ± 33 min, p = 0.92), RF requirement (580 ± 312 vs. 574 ± 287 s, p = 0.11) or fluoroscopy time (718 ± 577 vs. 721 ± 583 s, p = 0.78). After 6 ± 4 months, recurrence of flutter had occurred in 1 (2 %) ECI vs. 8 (16 %) control cases (OR 0.13, 95 % CI 0.01-1.08, p = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: ECI-guided CTI ablation demonstrated a non-statistically significant reduction in late recurrence of atrial flutter, at no cost to procedural time, radiation exposure or RF requirement.

Systematic review of Kinect applications in elderly care and stroke rehabilitation.

In this paper we present a review of the most current avenues of research into Kinect-based elderly care and stroke rehabilitation systems to provide an overview of the state of the art, limitations, and issues of concern as well as suggestions for future work in this direction. The central purpose of this review was to collect all relevant study information into one place in order to support and guide current research as well as inform researchers planning to embark on similar studies or applications. The paper is structured into three main sections, each one presenting a review of the literature for a specific topic. Elderly Care section is comprised of two subsections: Fall detection and Fall risk reduction. Stroke Rehabilitation section contains studies grouped under Evaluation of Kinect's spatial accuracy, and Kinect-based rehabilitation methods. The third section, Serious and exercise games, contains studies that are indirectly related to the first two sections and present a complete system for elderly care or stroke rehabilitation in a Kinect-based game format. Each of the three main sections conclude with a discussion of limitations of Kinect in its respective applications. The paper concludes with overall remarks regarding use of Kinect in elderly care and stroke rehabilitation applications and suggestions for future work. A concise summary with significant findings and subject demographics (when applicable) of each study included in the review is also provided in table format.

Tools for detection of Mycoplasma amphoriforme: a primary respiratory pathogen?

Mycoplasma amphoriforme is a recently described organism isolated from the respiratory tracts of patients with immunodeficiency and evidence of chronic infection. Novel assays for the molecular detection of the organism by real-time quantitative PCRs (qPCRs) targeting the uracil DNA glycosylase gene (udg) or the 23S rRNA gene are described here. The analytical sensitivities are similar to the existing conventional M. amphoriforme 16S rRNA gene PCR, with the advantage of being species specific, rapid, and quantitative. By using these techniques, we demonstrate the presence of this organism in 17 (19.3%) primary antibody-deficient (PAD) patients, 4 (5%) adults with lower respiratory tract infection, 1 (2.6%) sputum sample from a patient attending a chest clinic, and 23 (0.21%) samples submitted for viral diagnosis of respiratory infection, but not in normal adult control subjects. These data show the presence of this microorganism in respiratory patients and suggest that M. amphoriforme may infect both immunocompetent and immunocompromised people. Further studies to characterize this organism are required, and this report provides the tools that may be used by other research groups to investigate its pathogenic potential.