Long-term data reveal that grazer density mediates climatic stress in salt marshes.

Understanding how climate and local stressors interact is paramount for predicting future ecosystem structure. The effects of multiple stressors are often examined in small-scale and short-term field experiments, limiting understanding of the spatial and temporal generality of the findings. Using a 22-year observational dataset of plant and grazer abundance in a southeastern US salt marsh, we analyzed how changes in drought and grazer density combined to affect plant biomass. We found: (1) increased drought severity and higher snail density both correlated with lower plant biomass; (2) drought and snail effects interacted additively; and, (3) snail effects had a threshold, with additive top-down effects only occurring when snails were present at high densities. These results suggest that the emergence of multiple stressor effects can be density dependent, and they validate short-term experimental evidence that consumers can augment environmental stress. These findings have important implications for predicting future ecosystem structure and managing natural ecosystems.

Harnessing ecological theory to enhance ecosystem restoration.

Ecosystem restoration can increase the health and resilience of nature and humanity. As a result, the international community is championing habitat restoration as a primary solution to address the dual climate and biodiversity crises. Yet most ecosystem restoration efforts to date have underperformed, failed, or been burdened by high costs that prevent upscaling. To become a primary, scalable conservation strategy, restoration efficiency and success must increase dramatically. Here, we outline how integrating ten foundational ecological theories that have not previously received much attention - from hierarchical facilitation to macroecology - into ecosystem restoration planning and management can markedly enhance restoration success. We propose a simple, systematic approach to determining which theories best align with restoration goals and are most likely to bolster their success. Armed with a century of advances in ecological theory, restoration practitioners will be better positioned to more cost-efficiently and effectively rebuild the world's ecosystems and support the resilience of our natural resources.

Does the External Pericardial Lateral Tunnel Fontan Pathway Enlarge to Accommodate Somatic Growth? A Preliminary Analysis.

Objectives: An ideal Fontan pathway should be capable of adapting to changes in circulatory demands. The external pericardial lateral tunnel Fontan (EPLTF) is constructed of viable, autologous tissue and may be capable of changing in size. We investigated the ability of the EPLTF to enlarge with increasing physiologic demands of somatic growth. Methods: Retrospective review of echocardiographic images for patients with a minimum of five years follow-up after EPLTF. Serial echocardiographic measurements of the EPLTF pathway were obtained at three distinct locations: the inferior vena cava junction with the EPLTF, midsection of the EPLTF, and cross-sectional area of the EPLTF visualized in a four-chamber view. Body surface area (BSA) was calculated at the time of each echocardiographic measurement. Changes in echocardiographic measurements over time were analyzed and compared with changes in BSA. Results: A total of 332 echocardiographic studies from 38 patients were reviewed. Significant enlargement of the EPLTF pathway is observed at the inferior vena caval junction (P < .001), midsection (P < .01), and cross-sectional area (P < .001). Repeated measures correlation between pathway measurements and BSA is highly significant (P < .001). Conclusions: The EPLTF pathway enlarges over time in correlation with increasing BSA. Further research is needed to define ideal pathway size, differentiate normal physiologic growth from pathologic enlargement, and correlate changes with clinical outcomes.

Electrochemical C-N Bond Formation within Boron Imidazolate Cages Featuring Single Copper Sites.

Electrocatalysis expands the ability to generate industrially relevant chemicals locally and on-demand with intermittent renewable energy, thereby improving grid resiliency and reducing supply logistics. Herein, we report the feasibility of using molecular copper boron-imidazolate cages, BIF-29(Cu), to enable coupling between the electroreduction reaction of CO2 (CO2RR) with NO3- reduction (NO3RR) to produce urea with high selectivity of 68.5% and activity of 424 µA cm-2. Remarkably, BIF-29(Cu) is among the most selective systems for this multistep C-N coupling to-date, despite possessing isolated single-metal sites. The mechanism for C-N bond formation was probed with a combination of electrochemical analysis, in situ spectroscopy, and atomic-scale simulations. We found that NO3RR and CO2RR occur in tandem at separate copper sites with the most favorable C-N coupling pathway following the condensation between *CO and NH2OH to produce urea. This work highlights the utility of supramolecular metal-organic cages with atomically discrete active sites to enable highly efficient coupling reactions.

Herbivory limits success of vegetation restoration globally.

Restoring vegetation in degraded ecosystems is an increasingly common practice for promoting biodiversity and ecological function, but successful implementation is hampered by an incomplete understanding of the processes that limit restoration success. By synthesizing terrestrial and aquatic studies globally (2594 experimental tests from 610 articles), we reveal substantial herbivore control of vegetation under restoration. Herbivores at restoration sites reduced vegetation abundance more strongly (by 89%, on average) than those at relatively undegraded sites and suppressed, rather than fostered, plant diversity. These effects were particularly pronounced in regions with higher temperatures and lower precipitation. Excluding targeted herbivores temporarily or introducing their predators improved restoration by magnitudes similar to or greater than those achieved by managing plant competition or facilitation. Thus, managing herbivory is a promising strategy for enhancing vegetation restoration efforts.

Protein interaction network analysis of mTOR signaling reveals modular organization.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine-threonine kinase that acts as a central mediator of translation and plays important roles in cell growth, synaptic plasticity, cancer, and a wide range of developmental disorders. The signaling cascade linking lipid kinases (phosphoinositide 3-kinases), protein kinases (AKT), and translation initiation complexes (EIFs) to mTOR has been extensively modeled, but does not fully describe mTOR system behavior. Here, we use quantitative multiplex coimmunoprecipitation to monitor a protein interaction network (PIN) composed of 300+ binary interactions among mTOR-related proteins. Using a simple model system of serum-deprived or fresh-media-fed mouse 3T3 fibroblasts, we observed extensive PIN remodeling involving 27+ individual protein interactions after 1 h, despite phosphorylation changes observed after only 5 min. Using small molecule inhibitors of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, AKT, mTOR, MEK and ERK, we define subsets of the PIN, termed "modules", that respond differently to each inhibitor. Using primary fibroblasts from individuals with overgrowth disorders caused by pathogenic PIK3CA or MTOR variants, we find that hyperactivation of mTOR pathway components is reflected in a hyperactive PIN. Our data define a "modular" organization of the mTOR PIN in which coordinated groups of interactions respond to the activation or inhibition of distinct nodes, and demonstrate that kinase inhibitors affect the modular network architecture in a complex manner, inconsistent with simple linear models of signal transduction.

Protein interaction network analysis of mTOR signaling reveals modular organization.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine-threonine kinase that acts as a central mediator of translation, and plays important roles in cell growth, synaptic plasticity, cancer, and a wide range of developmental disorders. The signaling cascade linking lipid kinases (PI3Ks), protein kinases (AKT) and translation initiation complexes (EIFs) to mTOR has been extensively modeled, but does not fully describe mTOR system behavior. Here, we use quantitative multiplex co-immunoprecipitation to monitor a protein interaction network (PIN) composed of 300+ binary interactions among mTOR-related proteins. Using a simple model system of serum deprived or fresh-media-fed mouse 3T3 fibroblasts, we observed extensive PIN remodeling involving 27+ individual protein interactions after one hour, despite phosphorylation changes observed after only five minutes. Using small molecule inhibitors of PI3K, AKT, mTOR, MEK and ERK, we define subsets of the PIN, termed 'modules', that respond differently to each inhibitor. Using primary fibroblasts from individuals with overgrowth disorders caused by pathogenic PIK3CA or MTOR variants, we find that hyperactivation of mTOR pathway components is reflected in a hyperactive PIN. Our data define a "modular" organization of the mTOR PIN in which coordinated groups of interactions respond to activation or inhibition of distinct nodes, and demonstrate that kinase inhibitors affect the modular network architecture in a complex manner, inconsistent with simple linear models of signal transduction.

CO2 Activation with Manganese Tricarbonyl Complexes through an H-Atom Responsive Benzimidazole Ligand.

Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of two manganese tricarbonyl complexes, MnI (HL)(CO)3 Br (1 a-Br) and MnI (MeL)(CO)3 Br (1 b-Br) (where HL=2-(2'-pyridyl)benzimidazole; MeL=1-methyl-2-(2'-pyridy)benzimidazole) and assayed their electrocatalytic properties for CO2 reduction. A redox-active pyridine benzimidazole ancillary ligand in complex 1 a-Br displayed unique hydrogen atom transfer ability to facilitate electrocatalytic CO2 conversion at a markedly lower reduction potential than that observed for 1 b-Br. Notably, a one-electron reduction of 1 a-Br yields a structurally characterized H-bonded binuclear Mn(I) adduct (2 a') rather than the typically observed Mn(0)-Mn(0) dimer, suggesting a novel method for CO2 activation. Combining advanced electrochemical, spectroscopic, and single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques, we demonstrate the use of an H-atom responsive ligand may reveal an alternative, low-energy pathway for CO2 activation by an earth-abundant metal complex catalyst.

The bovine foot skin microbiota is associated with host genotype and the development of infectious digital dermatitis lesions.

BACKGROUND: Bovine Digital Dermatitis (BDD) is a prevalent infectious disease, causing painful foot skin lesions and lameness in cattle. We describe herein the bovine foot skin microbiota and its associations with BDD using 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing on samples from 259 dairy cows from three UK dairy farms. RESULTS: We show evidence of dysbiosis, and differences in taxonomy and functional profiles in the bovine foot skin microbiome of clinically healthy animals that subsequently develop BDD lesions, compared to those that do not. Our results suggest that taxonomical and functional differences together with alterations in ecological interactions between bacteria in the normal foot skin microbiome may predispose an animal to develop BDD lesions. Using genome-wide association and regional heritability mapping approaches, we provide first evidence for interactions between host genotype and certain members of the foot skin microbiota. We show the existence of significant genetic variation in the relative abundance of Treponema spp. and Peptoclostridium spp. and identify regions in the bovine genome that explain a significant proportion of this variation. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively this work shows early changes in taxonomic and functional profiles of the bovine foot-skin microbiota in clinically healthy animals which are associated with subsequent development of BDD and could be relevant to prevention of disease. The description of host genetic control of members of the foot skin microbiota, combined with the association of the latter with BDD development offer new insights into a complex relationship that can be exploited in selective breeding programmes. Video Abstract.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion in people with versus without type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise the study findings on whether GLP-1 secretion in response to a meal tolerance test is affected by the presence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). The influence of putative moderators such as age, sex, meal type, meal form, and assay type were also explored. METHODS: A literature search identified 32 relevant studies. The sample mean and SD for fasting GLP-1TOTAL and GLP-1TOTAL iAUC were extracted and used to calculate between-group standardised mean differences (SMD), which were meta-analysed using a random-effects model to derive pooled estimates of Hedges' g and 95 % prediction intervals (PI). RESULTS: Pooled across 18 studies, the overall SMD in GLP-1TOTAL iAUC between individuals with T2D (n = 270, 1047 ± 930 pmol·L-1·min) and individuals without T2D (n = 402, 1204 ± 937 pmol·L-1·min) was very small, not statistically significant and heterogenous across studies (g = -0.15, p = 0.43, PI: -1.53, 1.23). Subgroup analyses demonstrated an effect of assay type whereby Hedges' g for GLP-1 iAUC was greater in individuals with, versus those without T2D when using ELISA or Mesoscale (g = 0.67 [moderate], p = 0.009), but not when using RIA (g = -0.30 [small], p = 0.10). Pooled across 30 studies, the SMD in fasting GLP-1TOTAL between individuals with T2D (n = 580, 16.2 ± 6.9 pmol·L-1) versus individuals without T2D (n = 1363, 12.4 ± 5.7 pmol·L-1) was small and heterogenous between studies (g = 0.24, p = 0.21, PI: -1.55, 2.02). CONCLUSIONS: Differences in fasting GLP-1TOTAL and GLP-1TOTAL iAUC between individuals with, versus those without T2D were generally small and inconsistent between studies. Factors influencing study heterogeneity such as small sample sizes and poor matching of groups may help to explain the wide prediction intervals observed. Considerations to improve comparisons of GLP-1 secretion in T2D and potential mediating factors more important than T2D diagnosis per se are outlined. PROSPERO ID: CRD42020195612.

Modelling of urea hydrolysis kinetics using genetic algorithm coupled artificial neural networks in urease immobilized magnetite nanoparticles.

The presence of urea in runoff from fertilized soil could be contributing to the growth of dangerous blooms. Enzymatic urea hydrolysis is a well-known outstanding process that, when integrated with nanotechnology, would be much more efficient. This research provides a novel perspective on magnetic nanobiocatalysts that reduce diffusion barriers in effective urea hydrolysis. Surprisingly, the model developed with the use of a Genetic Algorithm (GA) and an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) demonstrated that the system's diffusion restrictions were reduced. In order to forecast accurate outputs using artificial intelligence (AI), a neural network with one hidden layer and 20 neurons was built utilizing multilayer feed-forward network and showed highest output (diffusion co-efficient) with least mean square error (MSE). The diffusion coefficients of free urease, urease immobilized onto porous MNs (U-aMNs), and nanobiocatalyst, i.e. urease immobilized onto surface modified MNs (U-MNß), were 1.9 × 10-17, 12.62 × 10-16, and 15.48 × 10-16 cm2/min, respectively. These results revealed that the addition of Chitosan to the surface of MNs had a considerable impact on enzyme dispersion. The decrease in Damkohler number (Da) from 2.37 ± 0.26 for U-aMNs to 2.19 ± 0.11 for U-MNß suggested a beneficial effect in overcoming diffusion constraints. Pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order models were used to analyze urea uptake kinetics, with the former model offering the best fit to the system, with R2 values that were much closer to unity.

Guiding CO2RR Selectivity by Compositional Tuning in the Electrochemical Double Layer.

The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide to value-added chemicals provides an environmentally benign alternative to current industrial practices. However, current electrocatalytic systems for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) are not practical for industrialization, owing to poor specific product selectivity and/or limited activity. Interfacial engineering presents a versatile and effective method to direct CO2RR selectivity by fine-tuning the local chemical dynamics. This Account describes interfacial design strategies developed in our laboratory that use electrolyte engineering and porous carbon materials to modify the local composition at the electrode-electrolyte interface.Our first strategy for influencing surface reactivity is to perturb the electrochemical double layer by tuning the electrolyte composition. We approached this investigation by considering how charged molecular additives can organize at the electrode surface and impact CO2 activation. Using a combination of advanced electrochemical techniques and in situ vibrational spectroscopy, we show that the surfactant properties (the identity of the headgroup, alkyl chain length, and concentration) as well as the electrolyte cation identity can affect how surfactant molecules assemble at a biased electrode. The interplay between the electrolyte cations and the surfactant additives can be regulated to favor specific carbon products, such as HCOO-, and suppress the parasitic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Together, our findings highlight how molecular assemblies can be used to design selective electrocatalytic systems.In addition to the electrolyte design, the local spatial confinement of reaction intermediates presents another strategy to direct CO2RR selectivity. We were interested in uncovering the role of porous carbon-supported catalysts toward selective carbon product formation. In our initial study, we show that carbon porosity can be optimized to enhance C2H4 and CO selectivity in a series of Cu catalysts embedded in a tunable carbon aerogel matrix. These results suggested that local confinement of the active surface plays a role in CO2 activation and motivated an investigation into probing how this phenomenon can be translated to a planar Cu electrode. Our findings show that carbon modifiers facilitated surface reconstruction and regulated CO2 diffusion to suppress HER and improve the C2-3 product selectivity. Given the ubiquity of carbon materials in catalysis, this work demonstrates that carbon plays an active role in regulating selectivity by restricting the diffusion of substrate and reaction intermediates. Our work in tuning the composition of the electrochemical double layer for increased CO2RR selectivity demonstrates the potential versatility in boosting catalytic performance across an array of catalytic systems.

Patient experiences with hidradenitis suppurativa: the Hidradenitis Patient Experience survey.

BACKGROUND: Better understanding of the experience of people living with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is essential to identify gaps in current patient care and inform healthcare decision-making. AIM: To describe the patient experience of individuals with HS, including their path to diagnosis, symptom control, treatments, healthcare utilization, patient needs and impact on quality of life. METHODS: The Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patient Experience survey was created, extensively reviewed and disseminated through engaging HS-related patient organizations, physician groups and social media groups. RESULTS: In total, 537 respondents completed the survey; the mean age was 38 years (range 14-73 years) and 95% (510 of 537) were female. The mean number of treatment types per respondent was 15, and included antibacterial soaps (93.3%; 431 of 462), avoidance of tight clothing (90.9%; 419 of 462), use of oral antibiotics (79.7%; 368 of 462), nonprescription drugs (79.7%; 368 of 462) and topical antibiotics (77.1%; 356 of 262). Pain was poorly controlled in 46% of respondents (184 of 401). HS had a negative impact on the ability to work and attend school for 81% of respondents (337 of 415), with 59% (245 of 415) missing at least 2 days of work a month and 16% (66 of 415) missing > 11 days of work. The mean number of misdiagnoses per respondent was three and the median time to diagnosis was 10 years. CONCLUSION: Individuals with HS experience a delay in diagnosis and have suboptimal control of the disease. We propose 11 recommendations to improve diagnosis, treatment and quality of life for individuals living with HS.

Coastal resilience surges as living shorelines reduce lateral erosion of salt marshes.

A growing suite of research has demonstrated that nature-based shoreline stabilization methods can increase resilience of coastal ecosystems by improving their capacity to return to predisturbance states. Previous work suggests that during hurricanes, living shorelines promote vertical accretion and experience less damage than traditional shoreline stabilization alternatives. Nevertheless, there is limited research looking at the impacts of major storm events on living shorelines and most studies have investigated a small number of sites. This study used in situ real-time kinematic (RTK)-GPS surveys to quantify the resilience (via the lateral change in shore position) of 17 living shoreline sites before and after a Category 1 hurricane event (Hurricane Florence, 2018). By doing so, this study seeks to understand the capacity of living shorelines (marsh with seaward breakwater or sill) to provide storm protection as compared to unaltered natural fringing salt marshes. After Hurricane Florence, living shorelines on average experienced significantly less lateral erosion compared to unprotected control segments (shoreline change rates of 0.015 and -0.31 m year-1 , respectively). This study also explores how environmental siting variables (i.e., scarp presence, fetch, and bottom sediment) and sill design variables (i.e., sill material, width, and height) influence short- and long-term erosion. living shorelines were found to reduce erosion of fringing marsh edge among projects with a range of installation ages, structural materials, sill widths, and sill heights, and they were able to provide protection from erosion across a range of fetch, scarp, and bottom sediment conditions. Living shoreline siting and sill design may be suitable for broader environmental conditions than previously known. This study shows that living shorelines can increase resilience by reducing erosion of fringing salt marshes, promoting lateral building up of shoreline zones during short-term disturbance events, and from their long-term presence. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:82-98. © 2021 SETAC.

Testing a Generalizable Machine Learning Workflow for Aquatic Invasive Species on Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Northwest Montana.

Biological invasions are accelerating worldwide, causing major ecological and economic impacts in aquatic ecosystems. The urgent decision-making needs of invasive species managers can be better met by the integration of biodiversity big data with large-domain models and data-driven products. Remotely sensed data products can be combined with existing invasive species occurrence data via machine learning models to provide the proactive spatial risk analysis necessary for implementing coordinated and agile management paradigms across large scales. We present a workflow that generates rapid spatial risk assessments on aquatic invasive species using occurrence data, spatially explicit environmental data, and an ensemble approach to species distribution modeling using five machine learning algorithms. For proof of concept and validation, we tested this workflow using extensive spatial and temporal hybridization and occurrence data from a well-studied, ongoing, and climate-driven species invasion in the upper Flathead River system in northwestern Montana, USA. Rainbow Trout (RBT; Oncorhynchus mykiss), an introduced species in the Flathead River basin, compete and readily hybridize with native Westslope Cutthroat Trout (WCT; O. clarkii lewisii), and the spread of RBT individuals and their alleles has been tracked for decades. We used remotely sensed and other geospatial data as key environmental predictors for projecting resultant habitat suitability to geographic space. The ensemble modeling technique yielded high accuracy predictions relative to 30-fold cross-validated datasets (87% 30-fold cross-validated accuracy score). Both top predictors and model performance relative to these predictors matched current understanding of the drivers of RBT invasion and habitat suitability, indicating that temperature is a major factor influencing the spread of invasive RBT and hybridization with native WCT. The congruence between more time-consuming modeling approaches and our rapid machine-learning approach suggest that this workflow could be applied more broadly to provide data-driven management information for early detection of potential invaders.

Challenges and opportunities for sustaining coastal wetlands and oyster reefs in the southeastern United States.

Formed at the confluence of marine and fresh waters, estuaries experience both the seaside pressures of rising sea levels and increasing storm severity, and watershed and precipitation changes that are shifting the quality and quantity of freshwater and sediments delivered from upstream sources. Boating, shoreline hardening, harvesting pressure, and other signatures of human activity are also increasing as populations swell in coastal regions. Given this shifting landscape of pressures, the factors most threatening to estuary health and stability are often uncertain. To identify the greatest contemporary threats to coastal wetlands and oyster reefs across the southeastern United States (Mississippi to North Carolina), we summarized recent population growth and land-cover change and surveyed estuarine management and science experts. From 1996 to 2019, human population growth in the region varied from a 17% decrease to a 171% increase (mean = +43%) with only 5 of the 72 SE US counties losing population, and nearly half growing by more than 40%. Individual counties experienced between 999 and 19,253 km2 of new development (mean: 5725 km2), with 1-5% (mean: 2.6%) of undeveloped lands undergoing development over this period across the region. Correspondingly, our survey of 169 coastal experts highlighted development, shoreline hardening, and upstream modifications to freshwater flow as the most important local threats facing coastal wetlands. Similarly, experts identified development, upstream modifications to freshwater flow, and overharvesting as the most important local threats to oyster reefs. With regards to global threats, experts categorized sea level rise as the most pressing to wetlands, and acidification and precipitation changes as the most pressing to oyster reefs. Survey respondents further identified that more research, driven by collaboration among scientists, engineers, industry professionals, and managers, is needed to assess how precipitation changes, shoreline hardening, and sea level rise are affecting coastal ecosystem stability and function. Due to the profound role of humans in shaping estuarine health, this work highlights that engaging property owners, recreators, and municipalities to implement strategies to improve estuarine health will be vital for sustaining coastal systems in the face of global change.

Differential relationships between parent-child DXA and pQCT bone measures: Results from the Southampton Women's Survey.

AIM: To investigate the associations between indices of bone health in childhood and corresponding parental measures. METHODS: The Southampton Women's Survey characterised 12,583 non-pregnant women aged 20-34 years; 3158 subsequently had singleton live births. In a subset, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements of bone area (BA), bone mineral content (BMC) and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) lumbar spine and total hip were obtained in the parent/offspring (aged 8-9 years) trios. Another subset of children (aged 6-7 years), and their parents, had peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT; 4% and 38% tibia) measures. Using multivariable linear regression we examined relationships between mother/father and offspring, adjusting for parental age, habitual walking speed and education; offspring age and sex; and the corresponding bone measure in the other parent (ß-coefficients (95%CI) unit/unit for each bone measure). RESULTS: Data were available for 260 trios with DXA and 99 with pQCT. There were positive associations for BA, BMC and aBMD between either parent and offspring. Mother-child associations were of greater magnitude than father-child; for example, mother-child aBMD (ß = 0.26 g·cm-2/g·cm-2 (0.21,0.32)) and father-child aBMD (ß = 0.16 g·cm-2/g·cm-2 (0.11,0.21)), P-difference in ß = 0.007. In the subset with pQCT there was a positive association for mother-offspring 4% tibial total area (ß = 0.33 mm2/mm2 (0.17,0.48)), but little evidence of a father-offspring association (ß = -0.06 mm2/mm2 (-0.17,0.06)). In contrast offspring 38% cortical density was more strongly associated with this measure in fathers (ß = 0.48 mg·cm-3/mg·cm-3 (0.15,0.82)) than mothers (ß = 0.27 mg·cm-3/mg·cm-3 (-0.03,0.56)). In general mother-father differences were attenuated by adjustment for height. CONCLUSIONS: Whilst offspring bone measures are independently associated with those of either parent, the magnitude of the association is often greater for maternal than paternal relationships. These findings are consistent with an in utero influence on offspring growth but might also reflect genetic and/or epigenetic parent of origin effects. SUMMARY: In an established parent-offspring cohort, associations between parent and offspring bone indices were generally greater in magnitude for mother-offspring than father-offspring relationships.

The dysbiosis of ovine foot microbiome during the development and treatment of contagious ovine digital dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Contagious Ovine Digital Dermatitis (CODD) is an emerging and common infectious foot disease of sheep which causes severe welfare and economic problems for the sheep industry. The aetiology of the disease is not fully understood and control of the disease is problematic. The aim of this study was to investigate the polybacterial aetiopathogenesis of CODD and the effects of antibiotic treatment, in a longitudinal study of an experimentally induced disease outbreak using a 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing approach. RESULTS: CODD was induced in 15/30 experimental sheep. During the development of CODD three distinct phenotypic lesion stages were observed. These were an initial interdigital dermatitis (ID) lesion, followed by a footrot (FR) lesion, then finally a CODD lesion. Distinct microbiota were observed for each lesion in terms of microbial diversity, clustering and composition. Porphyromonadaceae, Family XI, Veillonellaceae and Fusobacteriaceae were significantly associated with the diseased feet. Veillonellaceae and Fusobacteriaceae were most associated with the earlier stages of ID and footrot rather than CODD. Following antibiotic treatment of the sheep, the foot microbiota showed a strong tendency to return to the composition of the healthy state. The microbiota composition of CODD lesions collected by swab and biopsy methods were different. In particular, the Spirochaetaceae family were more abundant in samples collected by the biopsy method, suggesting that these bacteria are present in deeper tissues of the diseased foot. CONCLUSION: In this study, CODD presented as part of a spectrum of poly-bacterial foot disease strongly associated with bacterial families Porphyromonadaceae, Family XI (a family in Clostridiales also known as Clostridium cluster XI), Veillonellaceae and Fusobacteriaceae which are predominately Gram-negative anaerobes. Following antibiotic treatment, the microbiome showed a strong tendency to return to the composition of the healthy state. The composition of the healthy foot microbiome does not influence susceptibility to CODD. Based on the data presented here and that CODD appears to be the severest end stage of sheep infectious foot disease lesions, better control of the initial ID and FR lesions would enable better control of CODD and enable better animal welfare.

Unipolar stroke, electroosmotic pump carbon nanotube yarn muscles.

Success in making artificial muscles that are faster and more powerful and that provide larger strokes would expand their applications. Electrochemical carbon nanotube yarn muscles are of special interest because of their relatively high energy conversion efficiencies. However, they are bipolar, meaning that they do not monotonically expand or contract over the available potential range. This limits muscle stroke and work capacity. Here, we describe unipolar stroke carbon nanotube yarn muscles in which muscle stroke changes between extreme potentials are additive and muscle stroke substantially increases with increasing potential scan rate. The normal decrease in stroke with increasing scan rate is overwhelmed by a notable increase in effective ion size. Enhanced muscle strokes, contractile work-per-cycle, contractile power densities, and energy conversion efficiencies are obtained for unipolar muscles.

Changes in fecal microbiota with CFTR modulator therapy: A pilot study.

Studies have demonstrated that people with CF with pancreatic insufficiency (PI) have fecal dysbioses. Evidence suggests the causes of these dysbioses are multifactorial, and that important drivers include antibiotic exposure, dietary intake, and CF gastrointestinal tract dysfunction, including nutrient malabsorption. In this pilot study, we tested whether initiation of the CFTR modulator treatments ivacaftor (in a cohort of pancreatic sufficient (PS) people with CF and an R117H CFTR variant) or lumacaftor/ivacaftor (in a cohort of PI people with CF and an F508del variant) changed fecal measures of malabsorption or fecal microbiomes. While we identified no statistically significant fecal changes with either treatment, we detected trends in the PI cohort when initiating lumacaftor/ivacaftor towards decreased fecal fat content and towards fecal microbiomes that more closely resembled the fecal microbiota of people without PI. While these findings support a model in which nutrient malabsorption resulting from CF-induced PI drives fecal dysbiosis, they must be validated in future, larger studies of fecal microbiome and malabsorption outcomes with highly effective CFTR modulator therapies.