Sisyridae (Insecta, Neuroptera) of the Estação Ecológica de Jataí, in southeastern Brazil and new records for species of Climacia McLachlan, 1869 and Sisyra Burmeister, 1839.

This study characterizes the diversity of Sisyridae in an area of riparian forest (21°36'47"S; 47°49'4"W) at the Estação Ecológica de Jataí, in the municipality of Luiz Antônio, State of São Paulo, Brazil. The geographic ranges of Climacia carpenteri Parfin & Gurney, 1956 and Sisyra panama Parfin & Gurney, 1956 are expanded to include the State of São Paulo.

Longitudinal Associations of Suicide Risk and Protective Factors Among Secondary School Students in Hong Kong: A Network Perspective.

PURPOSE: As they transition from childhood to adolescence, Hong Kong secondary school students may experience deteriorating mental health and are at increased risk of suicide. However, there have been insufficient systematic studies of the longitudinal relationship between suicide risk and protective factors. This study adopted a network perspective to investigate the longitudinal associations between suicide risk and protective factors among Hong Kong secondary school students. METHODS: Suicide risk (i.e., anxious-impulsive depression, suicidal ideation or acts, and family distress) and protective factors (i.e., self-appraisal of emotion, emotion regulation, subjective happiness, self-efficacy, social problem-solving, and resilience) were measured. The participants were 834 Hong Kong secondary school students (mean age = 11.97, SD = 0.58, and range = 11-15). The network analysis was performed using two waves of data collected in 2020 and 2021. RESULTS: The results identified the central role of anxious-impulsive depression in the suicidal system. Anxious-impulsive depression, emotion regulation, and subjective happiness were identified as the bridging nodes between the suicide risk community and the protective factors community. The critical protective effects of emotion regulation and subjective happiness on suicide risk were found in both undirected and directed networks. DISCUSSION: This study identified the influence of anxious-impulsive depression and the protective role of emotion regulation and subjective happiness in the suicide risk network of Hong Kong secondary school students. These results suggest the importance of including anxious-impulsive depression and protective factors, especially emotion regulation, in suicide theories and suicide prevention practice.

Passive heat stress induces mitochondrial adaptations in skeletal muscle.

The mitochondria are central to skeletal muscle metabolic health. Impaired mitochondrial function is associated with various muscle pathologies, including insulin resistance and muscle atrophy. As a result, continuous efforts are made to find ways to improve mitochondrial health in the context of disuse and disease. While exercise is known to cause robust improvements in mitochondrial health, not all individuals are able to exercise. This creates a need for alternate interventions which elicit some of the same benefits as exercise. Passive heating (i.e., application of heat in the absence of muscle contractions) is one potential intervention which has been shown to increase mitochondrial enzyme content and activity, and to improve mitochondrial respiration. Associated with increases in mitochondrial content and/or function, passive heating can also improve insulin sensitivity in the context of type II diabetes and preserve muscle mass in the face of limb disuse. This area of research remains in its infancy, with many questions yet to be answered about how to maximize the benefits of passive heating and elucidate the mechanisms by which heat stress affects muscle mitochondria.

Evidence of a Thermal Diffusivity Gap in Sintered Li-Co-Sb-O Solid Solutions.

In this work, the thermal properties of ternary Li3x Co7-4x Sb2+x O12 solid solutions are studied for different concentrations in the range 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.7. Samples are elaborated at four different sintering temperatures: 1100, 1150, 1200 and 1250 °C. The effect of increasing the content of Li+ and Sb5+, accompanied by the reduction of Co2+, on the thermal properties is studied. It is shown that a thermal diffusivity gap, which is more pronounced for low values of x, can be triggered at a certain threshold sintering temperature (around 1150 °C in this study). This effect is explained by the increase of contact area between adjacent grains. Nevertheless, this effect is found to be less pronounced in the thermal conductivity. Moreover, a new framework for heat diffusion in solids is presented that establishes that both the heat flux and the thermal energy (or heat) satisfy a diffusion equation and therefore highlights the importance of thermal diffusivity in transient heat conduction phenomena.

Individual, Peer, and Family Correlates of Depressive Symptoms among College Students in Hong Kong.

In this study, an ecological model and developmental psychopathology theory focusing on an ontogenic system (hopelessness) and microsystems (peer alienation and childhood abuse and trauma) was adopted to examine the individual, peer, and family correlates of depressive symptoms among college Chinese students in Hong Kong, China. A cross-sectional survey research design with a convenience sampling procedure was used to examine a sample of college students (n = 786) aged 18 to 21 years old in Hong Kong. Among them, 352 respondents (44.8%) reported having depressive symptoms, with a Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) score of 14 or above. The results of this study indicated that childhood abuse and trauma, peer alienation, and hopelessness were positively related to depressive symptoms. The underlying arguments and implications were discussed. The study results provided further support for the ecological model and the developmental psychopathology theory on the predictive roles of individual, peer, and family correlates of adolescent depression.

The influence of exercise volume and posture on exercise-induced plasma volume expansion.

Acute high-intensity interval exercise is known to expand plasma volume 24 h after exercise. Upright exercise posture plays a role in expanding plasma volume by influencing lymphatic outflow and redistributing albumin while supine exercise does not. We examined if further upright and weight-bearing exercises could further promote plasma volume expansion. We also tested the volume of intervals needed to induce plasma volume expansion. To test the first hypothesis, 10 subjects performed intermittent high-intensity exercise (4 min at 85% V̇O2max , 5 min at 40% V̇O2max repeated 8 times) on separate days on the treadmill and cycle ergometer. For the second study, 10 subjects performed four, six, and eight intervals of the same interval protocol on separate days. Changes in plasma volume were calculated from changes in hematocrit and hemoglobin. Transthoracic impedance (Z0 ) and plasma albumin were assessed while seated before and postexercise. Plasma volume increased 7.3% ± 4.4% and 6.3% ± 3.5% following treadmill and cycle ergometer exercise, respectively. For four, six, and eight intervals, plasma volume increased by 6.6% ± 4.0%, 4.7% ± 2.6%, and 4.2% ± 5.6%, respectively. The increases in plasma volume were similar for both exercise modes and all three exercise volumes. There were no differences in Z0 or plasma albumin content between trials. In conclusion, rapid plasma volume expansion following eight bouts of high-intensity intervals appears to be independent of upright exercise posture (treadmill versus cycle ergometer). Meanwhile, plasma volume expansion was similar after four, six, and eight intervals of cycle ergometry.

Correction to: An Easy-to-Fabricate Cell Stretcher Reveals Density-Dependent Mechanical Regulation of Collective Cell Movements in Epithelia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1007/s12195-021-000689-6.].

An Easy-to-Fabricate Cell Stretcher Reveals Density-Dependent Mechanical Regulation of Collective Cell Movements in Epithelia.

INTRODUCTION: Mechanical forces regulate many facets of cell and tissue biology. Studying the effects of forces on cells requires real-time observations of single- and multi-cell dynamics in tissue models during controlled external mechanical input. Many of the existing devices used to conduct these studies are costly and complicated to fabricate, which reduces the availability of these devices to many laboratories. METHODS: We show how to fabricate a simple, low-cost, uniaxial stretching device, with readily available materials and instruments that is compatible with high-resolution time-lapse microscopy of adherent cell monolayers. In addition, we show how to construct a pressure controller that induces a repeatable degree of stretch in monolayers, as well as a custom MATLAB code to quantify individual cell strains. RESULTS: As an application note using this device, we show that uniaxial stretch slows down cellular movements in a mammalian epithelial monolayer in a cell density-dependent manner. We demonstrate that the effect on cell movement involves the relocalization of myosin downstream of Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK). CONCLUSIONS: This mechanical device provides a platform for broader involvement of engineers and biologists in this important area of cell and tissue biology. We used this device to demonstrate the mechanical regulation of collective cell movements in epithelia. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12195-021-00689-6.

Validación de cuatro reglas de predicción clínica de la nefropatía inducida por contraste en pacientes llevados a intervención coronaria percutánea / Validation of Four Clinical Risk Scores for Predicting Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

RESUMEN Introducción: La nefropatía inducida por contraste (NIC) es el empeoramiento agudo de la función renal tras administrarse medio de contraste endovenoso, y conlleva una importante carga de morbilidad y mortalidad. Actualmente se cuenta con múltiples reglas clínicas para predecir su desarrollo. El objetivo del presente trabajo es validar cuatro reglas para la predicción de la nefropatía inducida por contraste en pacientes llevados a procedimiento intervencionista coronario percutáneo (ICP) . Material y métodos: Estudio de cohorte retrospectiva unicéntrico, que incluyó adultos llevados a ICP entre enero de 2014 y diciembre de 2018. Se excluyeron pacientes en diálisis, los que murieron durante el procedimiento o aquellos de los que no se dispusiera de los datos necesarios para el análisis. Se aplicaron las cuatro reglas de predicción, se obtuvo la puntuación de cada una para cada uno de los pacientes y se calculó el área bajo la curva ROC para el desarrollo de NIC. Resultados: En 785 pacientes se pudo calcular las cuatro reglas; 109 (13,8%) desarrollaron NIC y 14 (1,7%) requirieron diálisis. La media de edad fue 65 años y el 36,1% fueron mujeres. La media de tasa de filtración glomerular fue 69,1 mL/min. La regla de Mehran obtuvo un área bajo la curva de 0,574 para NIC y 0,881 para diálisis; Gao, 0,487 para NIC y 0,831 para diálisis; Lin, 0,572 para NIC y 0,854 para diálisis; y Bartholomew, 0,506 para NIC y 0,754 para diálisis. Conclusiones: La aplicación de las reglas de predicción clínica de Mehran, Gao, Lin y Bartholomew en pacientes llevados a ICP mostró una pobre capacidad de discriminación para la NIC aunque su desempeño fue excelente para predecir la necesidad de diálisis.

ABSTRACT Background: Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is the acute deterioration of kidney function after the administration of intravenous contrast media and is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Several clinical risk scores to predict CIN are currently available. The aim of the present study is to validate four risk scores for predicting CIN in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: We conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study including adult patients undergoing PCI between January 2014 and December 2018. Patients on dialysis, those who died during the procedure or lack of necessary data for the analysis were excluded. The four risk scores were estimated for each patient and the area under the ROC curve for the development of CIN was calculated. Results: The four risk scores were calculated in 785 patients; 109 (13.8%) developed CIN and 14 (1.7%) required dialysis. Mean age was 65 years and 36.1% were women. Mean glomerular filtration rate was 69.1 mL/min. The areas under the curve for each risk score to predict CIN and dialysis were: Mehran 0.574 and 0.881, respectively; Gao, 0.487 and 0.831; Lin, 0.572 and 0.854; and Bartholomew, 0.506 and 0.754. Conclusions: The use of the Mehran, Gao, Lin, and Bartholomew risk scores in patients undergoing PCI showed poor discriminatory ability for CIN, although their performance was excellent for predicting the need for dialysis.

Passive muscle heating attenuates the decline in vascular function caused by limb disuse.

Limb disuse has profound negative consequences on both vascular and skeletal muscle health. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether repeated application of passive heat, applied to the knee extensor muscles, could mitigate the detrimental effects of limb disuse on vascular function. This was a randomized, single-blinded placebo controlled trial. Twenty-one healthy volunteers (10 women, 11 men) underwent 10 days of unilateral lower limb immobilization and were randomized to receive either a daily 2 h sham (Imm) or heat treatment (Imm+H) using pulsed shortwave diathermy. Vascular function was assessed with Doppler ultrasound of the femoral artery and the passive leg movement technique. Biopsies of the vastus lateralis were also collected before and after the intervention. In Imm, femoral artery diameter (FAD) and PLM-induced hyperaemia (HYP) were reduced by 7.3% and 34.3%, respectively. Changes in both FAD (4% decrease; P = 0.0006) and HYP (7.8% increase; P = 0.003) were significantly attenuated in Imm+H. Vastus lateralis capillary density was not altered in either group. Immobilization significantly decreased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (P = 0.006) and Akt (P = 0.001), and increased expression of angiopoietin 2 (P = 0.0004) over time, with no differences found between groups. Immobilization also upregulated elements associated with remodelling of the extracellular matrix, including matrix metalloproteinase 2 (P = 0.0046) and fibronectin (P = 0.0163), with no differences found between groups. In conclusion, limb immobilization impairs vascular endothelial function, but daily muscle heating via diathermy is sufficient to counteract this adverse effect. These are the first data to indicate that passive muscle heating mitigates disuse-induced vascular dysfunction. KEY POINTS: Limb disuse can be unavoidable for many of reasons (i.e. injury, bed rest, post-surgery), and can have significant adverse consequences for muscular and vascular health. We tested the hypothesis that declines in vascular function that result from lower limb immobilization could be mitigated by application of passive heat therapy. This report shows that 10 days of limb immobilization significantly decreases resistance artery diameter and vascular function, and that application of passive heat to the knee extensor muscle group each day for 2 h per day is sufficient to attenuate these declines. Additionally, muscle biopsy analyses showed that 10 days of heat therapy does not alter capillary density of the muscle, but upregulates multiple factors indicative of a vascular remodelling response. Our data demonstrate the utility of passive heat as a therapeutic tool to mitigate losses in lower limb vascular function that occur from disuse.

Using Redox-Active Ligands to Generate Actinide Ligand Radical Species.

Using a redox-active dioxophenoxazine ligand, DOPO (DOPO = 2,4,6,8-tetra-tert-butyl-1-oxo-1H-phenoxazine-9-olate), a family of actinide (U, Th, Np, and Pu) and Hf tris(ligand) coordination compounds was synthesized. The full characterization of these species using 1H NMR spectroscopy, electronic absorption spectroscopy, SQUID magnetometry, and X-ray crystallography showed that these compounds are analogous and exist in the form M(DOPOq)2(DOPOsq), where two ligands are of the oxidized quinone form (DOPOq) and the third is of the reduced semiquinone (DOPOsq) form. The electronic structures of these complexes were further investigated using CASSCF calculations, which revealed electronic structures consistent with metals in the +4 formal oxidation state and one unpaired electron localized on one ligand in each complex. Furthermore, f orbitals of the early actinides show a sizable bonding overlap with the ligand 2p orbitals. Notably, this is the first example of a plutonium-ligand radical species and a rare example of magnetic data being recorded for a homogeneous plutonium coordination complex.

New species records of Gasteruptiidae (Hymenoptera, Evanioidea) from Eastern Uruguay.

In this study, the Gasteruptiidae (Hymenoptera, Evanioidea) collected in three environments at the Department of Rocha, in Eastern Uruguay, were documented based on a survey carried out with Malaise traps between December 2014 and December 2016. During the samplings, four species of Gasteruption Latreille, 1796 were captured, being 14 females and three males of Gasteruption brachychaetun Schrottky, 1906; eight females and five males of Gasteruption brasiliense (Blanchard, 1840); one female of Gasteruption helenae Macedo, 2011 and one female of Gasteruption brandaoi Macedo, 2011. Gasteruption brachychaetun, G. helenae and G. brandaoi are recorded by the first time from Uruguay.

Design of Multimodal Absorption in the Mid-IR: A Metal Dielectric Metal Approach.

Specific control on the mid-infrared (mid-IR) emission properties is attracting increasing attention for thermal camouflage and passive cooling applications. Metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) structures are well known to support strong magnetic polariton resonances in the optical and near-infrared range. We extend the current understanding of such an MDM structure by specifically designing Au disc arrays on top of ZnS-Au-Si substrates and pushing their resonances to the mid-IR regime. Therefore, we combine fabrication via lift-off photolithography with the finite element method and an inductance-capacitance model. With this combination of techniques, we demonstrate that the magnetic polariton resonance of the first order strongly depends on the individual disc diameter. Furthermore, the fabrication of multiple discs within one unit cell allows a linear combination of the fundamental resonances to conceive broadband absorptance. Quite importantly, even in mixed resonator cases, the absorptance spectra can be fully described by a superposition of the individual disc properties. Our contribution provides rational guidance to deterministically design mid-IR emitting materials with specific narrow- or broadband properties.

Gasteruptiidae (Hymenoptera, Evanioidea) of three savannah phytophysiognomies of the Estação Ecológica do Jataí, in southeastern Brazil, under three sampling methods and a new record for Gasteruption helenae Macedo, 2011.

In this study, the Gasteruptiidae species found at the Estação Ecológica de Jataí (EEJ), in Luiz Antonio, São Paulo, Brazil, were documented, based on a survey carried out with Malaise, Moericke and light traps that lasted for three years, between January 2007 and December 2009. During the samplings at EEJ, 13 female specimens of Gasteruption Latreille, 1796 were captured: six of G. bispinosum Kieffer, 1904, six of G. brasiliense (Blanchard, 1840) and a single specimen of G. helenae Macedo, 2011 that is the first record for São Paulo state.

Ultrasound-guided Hydro-dissection Facilitates Tissue Expander Placement and Components Separation in Complex Ventral Hernia Repair.

Tissue expanders are known adjuncts in ventral hernia repair, used in a staged approach where tissue closure or coverage of the defect is preferred but inadequate. Placement of tissue expanders in the correct tissue plane can be difficult, especially in thin patients or with loss of domain. This case series describes a technique in which tissue expander placement is facilitated by ultrasound-guided hydro-dissection, following the placement of a transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block. In short, after induction of anesthesia, the same needle used for the ultrasound-guided TAP block can be repositioned by the anesthesiologist to instill tumescent solution into the fascial plane between the internal and external oblique muscles. This allows for identification of the fascial planes in the ensuing operation. Our technique may prove to be an alternative tool in the placement of tissue expanders for ventral hernia repair, or in other procedures requiring device placement.

The Glue that Binds Us: The Hunt for the Molecular Basis for Multicellularity.

This year's Canada Gairdner International Prize is shared by Rolf Kemler and Masatoshi Takeichi for the discovery of the cadherin family of Ca2+-dependent cell-cell adhesion proteins, which play essential roles in animal evolution, tissue development, and homeostasis, and are disrupted in human cancers.

Electronic and magnetic properties of EuNi2-δ Sb2 structural variants.

X-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, heat capacity and electrical resistivity results are reported for single crystals of two structural variants of EuNi2-δ Sb2 that crystallize in the CaBe2Ge2 and ThCr2Si2-type structures. While the former occurs with a stoichiometric ratio, the latter exhibits a Ni site vacancy (δ = 0.36). Both systems exhibit similar magnetic behavior at elevated temperatures, where there is an isotropic Curie-Weiss temperature dependence that indicates an antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between divalent europium ions, although it is stronger for the CaBe2Ge2-variant. At low temperatures, the differing structural environments that surround the Eu ions result in distinct ordering behavior. The CaBe2Ge2-variant orders antiferromagnetically near T N1 = 6.9 K and then undergoes a first order phase transition at T M = 4.6 K. The ThCr2Si2-variant exhibits simpler behavior, with antiferromagnetic ordering at T N2 = 5.6 K. For both compounds, an applied magnetic field suppresses the ordering temperatures and induce metamagnetic phase transitions, while applied pressure causes the ordering temperatures to increase. From these results, EuNi2-δ Sb2 emerges as a useful system in which to study the impact of structural variation on magnetism in a Eu-based metal.

Superconductivity in a uranium containing high entropy alloy.

High entropy alloys (HEA) are an unusual class of materials where mixtures of elements are stochastically arrayed on a simple crystalline lattice. These systems exhibit remarkable functionality, often along several distinct axes: e.g., the examples [TaNb]1-x(TiZrHf)x are high strength and damage resistant refractory metals that also exhibit superconductivity with large upper critical fields. Here we report the discovery of an f-electron containing HEA, [TaNb]0.31(TiUHf)0.69, which is the first to include an actinide ion. Similar to the Zr-analogue, this material crystallizes in a body-centered cubic lattice with the lattice constant a = 3.41(1) Å and exhibits phonon mediated superconductivity with a transition temperatures Tc ≈ 3.2 K and upper critical fields Hc2 ≈ 6.4 T. These results expand this class of materials to include actinide elements, shows that superconductivity is robust in this sub-group, and opens the path towards leveraging HEAs as functional waste forms for a variety of radioisotopes.

MEMS device for applying shear and tension to an epithelium combined with fluorescent live cell imaging.

Mechanical forces play important roles in the biological function of cells and tissues. While numerous studies have probed the force response of cells and measured cell-generated forces, they have primarily focused on tensile, but not shear forces. Here, we describe the design, fabrication, and application of a silicon micromachined device that is capable of independently applying and sensing both tensile and shear forces in an epithelial cell monolayer. We integrated the device with an upright microscope to enable live cell brightfield and fluorescent imaging of cells over many hours following mechanical perturbation. Using devices of increasing stiffness and the same displacement input, we demonstrate that epithelia exhibit concomitant higher maximum resistive tensile forces and quicker force relaxation. In addition, we characterized the force response of the epithelium to cyclic shear loading. While the maximum resistive forces of epithelia under cyclic shear perturbation remained unchanged between cycles, cyclic loading led to faster relaxation of the resistive forces. The device presented here can be applied to studying the force response of other monolayer-forming cell types and is compatible with pharmacological perturbation of cell structures and functions.